14/01/20 - Waggon and Horses, Stourbridge

Distance - 2 Miles
Geocaches - 8
First Cache
GBG Tick - #452


Literally, a walk in the park.   A nice series of 8 micro caches placed in a muggle heavy location, presenting little problems with searching when its tipping down with rain.

Normally, unworthy of a blog, but in this instance I was close to a Good Beer Guide Pub.

Stourbridge is seemingly one of the more democratically inclusive towns.  Over time, every pub will get a chance to be in the bible.  Except the Mitre.   Additions and deletions are constant in every issue.   Some close down - like the Bank - visited last time I was in town.  Some spring up in one issue, only to disappear in the next.   Pub ticking is about the journey, not the destination.

One ever present over the last four years has been the Waggon and Horses.   Just outside the ringroad but well worth the underpass crossing.

Camra decreeing that they are down to a single Horse

A central bar, surrounded by open plan rooms.  I investigated the front two - but with just two other lunch time punters (taking advantage of their Camra Discount), it would have been indiscreet to go mooching around the back.  Five real ales on, but with my steamed up glasses from the rain, I went for the one I recognised - a very decent Salopian Oracle.

Lunch choices were traditionally black country - a cabinet full of rolls and baguettes.   Multiple choices of scratchings - and if I'm not mistaken, sold loose like in the pick and mix at the cinema.   As its #Dryjanuary - I avoided - sticking with the old classic Monster Munch.   Not Pickled Onion, I'm not a monster.

Balanced diet - Beef and Stilton Baguette and (beef) Monster Munch

The overheard conversation was the sort of wonderment that you only get on a wet winter's day on a Tuesday lunchtime.   Discretion means I cannot repeat all but your ears are bound to pick up when the theme of the tale is about a man that missed his own funeral today because of the need for an emergency post mortem.

Only in pubs.

11/01/20 - Bermondsey and Rotherhithe Urban Ramble - The Mayflower and the Angel.

Distance - 9 Miles
Geocaches - 16
Walk Inspiration - London's Hidden Walks, Volume 2

First 2020 trip to the smoke and its a special day.   My first Baggies away game since we lost 1-0 to Shrewsbury in 1986.   To indicate just how long before the premier league era of VAR this was, any errant balls kicked out of the ground had to be rescued from the river by a man in a coracle.

So what to do before a 3pm appointment in Charlton?   The usual - walking, geocaching and a couple of history rich, river side taverns.

My walk starts at London Bridge and ends at Rotherhithe station - but its a meandering route, aimed to finish at the pubs at a time when they are open.

First up - quiet London back streets - once the home of the Leather Trade - now an eclectic collection of mid rises, quaint housing that wouldn't be out of place in a mining village and former wharfs,  now offering loft style living.

Too early for this Good Beer Guide Tick - offering Harveys and TT Landlord

London Leather, Hide and Wool Exchange

Shard Views

Morocco Street

Enid Street - Part of the Bermondsey Beer Mile

Geocache Location - Looking upstream to the City and Tower Bridge

To wait for the scrape of the pub door bolt, I head inland for a crossing of Southwark Park to grab some Geocaches, before picking up Greenland Dock to finish the walk in spectacular style along the Thames Path around the Rotherhithe shoreline.   It doesn't matter how many times I walk this section, I never get bored of the views.   I can only imagine living in one of the many flats that look affordable to a white collar worker from the Black Country but certainly won't be.

Caching GZ in Southwark Park

Rotherhithe Shoreline - looking over Canary Wharf

And Back to all of London

A fine way to pass three hours.   Onto the pubs.

The Mayflower, 117 Rotherhithe Street, Redemption Hopspur

One of London's must visit historical pubs.   It was from this location that the Mayflower set sail to America in 1620.   The captain of that vessel is buried in the graveyard opposite.   The inside is full of enough nick nacks from a nautical past that you can spend all day investigating the nooks and crannies for bric a brac.

Greene King Pub - but several independent Real Ales on.  And if you are peckish - the build your own cheese board has prices ranging from 1 cheese to 10 cheeses. 

I leave you with the thought of a 10 cheese, cheeseboard.

Pub 1 - Mayflower - a Classic

Just how you imagine the inside to be

 

More of the same

The Angel, Bermondsey Wall East, Sam Smiths Stout

The Angel is a short walk upstream and a pub that I have never previously past whilst its open.  Another enviable location right on the Thames - with views from inside and out.

Glorious

There's no external marking to suggest its a Sam Smiths pub but I've read enough blogs to know what to expect when faced with such a scenario.   Beer Wise - the Stout has the highest recommendation.  It will be cheap.  There will be a ban of Mobile Phones.

All of these things proved true - but even I was taken aback by the Mobile Ban.   A huge sign, prominently displayed right next to the till.

How am I going to check in on UnTapp'd?  How will I find the most efficient public transport route to the Valley?   Is this even legal, under discriminatory laws?   Just some of the questions that I would have asked if I hadn't been in such flagrant breech of the rules.

No one could see me through the partitions.

Wait till the man turns his back and Untapp'd away

Route identified and I arrive at the Valley with 40 mins to spare. 

Walking, Geocaching, Classic London Pubs and Football.    I'd file it under "a good day".....

... if the Albion could defend set pieces.  2-2 an unfair reflection

05/01/20 - Bristol - A Good Beer Guide Pub Crawl

Tonight's Theme

For reasons that will be revealed when we come to the Seven Stars, Bristol has long been on the radar for a pub exploration. With a Travelodge offer that was only slightly higher than the car parking charges, there was little excuse not to knock off as many of the ten Good Beer Guide pubs in the City. All this, when most of the country are concentrating on DryJanuary.

Number 1 Harbourside, Canons Road, Bristol Beer Factory Fortitude

At first, I wonder whether I will be allowed in.   Everyone else appears to have children.   Free range children.  As they are so free range, I could probably claim one of the errant dustbins lids as my own, should I be challenged.

This is a new pub in the quayside.   Big windows to allow a solo pub ticker to watch the world go by. An ultra efficient long bar, where people queue.

The modern pub experience

I made it for 4pm and the Sunday Lunch was promised for "as long as available".   I inquired and much to the chef's pleasure, must have had the last serving.

It was out of this world.   Easily the best roast I have had out for a long time.   In case you are concerned that the blog will take a future diversion to food orientated posts, the beer was also exceptional.

Nice Line Up

Go here if you are hungry.

The Famous Royal Navy Volunteer, King Street, Good Chemistry Brewing Time Lapse

The lady at the Travelodge check in insisted that I went to Ale House next door.  You can't say I didnt try.   Even spotting the Sam Smiths pumps did not force me to turn around.   The barman who wouldn't put his book down to serve me did.   Other punters laughed at his lack of professionalism.  At least he wasn't on his phone.

Classic Pub - Gone Crafty

So - next door I go for the 2nd GBG tick of the evening.   This is an ancient pub that has been thoroughly modernised.  Its massive.   The pumps don't have clips.   You have to navigate a beer board.  The punters beards are in the main, bigger than the bar staffs beards.

Pointless and horrible

I couldn't quite put my finger on why I didn't like it until I made use of the facilities.

Go here if you find piddling into converted metal barrels amusing.

Beer Emporium, King Street, St Bernardus 12

Everyone loves a cellar bar.   Especially one with a lift.   Its quite an architectural feat to create a vaulted ceiling, with the added benefit that the acoustics meant I could eavesdrop on every single conversation going on in the room.   This started off as more interesting than the Sunday Times but all those voices soon made me think I was going quite mad.

£8.80 - exactly half the cost of my Travelodge Room - where I had a bath, and 4 cups of tea

Go here if you have money to burn.

The Seven Stars, 1 Thomas Lane, Cheddar Ales Totty Pott

OK - revelation time.   The hairy bikers had a series called "Pubs that Built Britain".   They came to Bristol and did a reasonable job of explaining the history and not shying away from the slave trading.

They also came here.   I liked the look of it.   Who wouldn't.

Its got C17th Lady Pirates

DryJanuary has caused the only punters to be present to be two elderly gents and me.   It had the benefit that I could discreetly record it on video, in all its old school gorgeousness.

Having the Place to myself

Go here for a proper pub experience.

Christmas Steps, Twister Oak Spun Gold

Research not completed properly and I had failed to notice the Cornubia closes up at 6pm on a Sunday.   And this, after I had battled to find a way through and got as far as the fences claiming if you enter you will be eaten by dogs.   One for the next visit.

With the Christmas lights still up but not illuminated, I decide its still seasonal enough to visit the Christmas Steps - taking in some of Bristols more lovely landmarks on the way. 

Alas, the Steps themselves are more interesting than the pub.

Bottom of the Steps

Top of the Steps

The pub is a dark, multi level pub - where all the real ales are at the downstairs bar and all the staff are at the upstairs bar. 

The Steps contain a selection of independent shops, including a board game cafe (packed!) and a DVD rental shop.

Go here of you want to recreate the dance scene from the Joker.

The Gryphon, Colston Street, Paulaner Hell

This is something else.  No one can accuse CAMRA of not being all inclusive.   You would think it was diverse enough by being my first ever Thrash Metal Real Ale Bar but no.   The only real ale they sell are incredibly strong, incredibly dark real ales.

The signs were there.

Skeleton of a previous unsuspecting pub ticker who asked for a Pale Ale

It was dark.  Panterra (for surely it was them) were blasting.   At least the venue liked my Untappd check in where I stated I had popped in for a quiet pint.

Go here if you know what you like.

The Three Tuns, St Georges Road, St Austell Cornish

Believe it or not, blogfans, I actually walked past another tick for the Lime Kiln.   I'm not Alan Winfield.

This was close to my Travelodge and I'm a big fan of the beer from Bishops Castle.

9:30pm and there's an old boy propping up the bar and a barman who wants to close up but oh no - he's now got a rambling pub blogger to additionally serve.

I am greeted with "customers have increased 50%" and then have to contribute on topics as wide as why Bristol is the centre of the universe, how health and safety has gone mad if you can't give cub scouts beer and a frankly complex Madeline McCann conspiracy that I couldn't keep up with but felt I was better off just agreeing with.   He was very passionate about Madeline.   And the beery cubs, now I think about it.

Banksy is from Bristol, isn't he?

Come here if you are lonely and want to make friends.

Yep - Keep Bristol Weird.

05/01/20 - Father Ted Cache Series and the Lamb at Iron Acton

Distance - 4 Miles
Geocaches - 20
First Geocache

The first walk of 2020 and its a Geocaching round. Every year, I set the target of 1000 finds. 2019 was a dismal failure on 810.

I'm on my way to Bristol, so a search on Geocaching Maps reveals plenty of options but as Facebook keeps playing me clips from Father Ted, it seemed apt to do a series of 18 based on the TV series.   Each cache is named after a character or place from the show, with the cache description detailing the back story.   Plenty of good memories from a classic TV show.

One of the Larger Caches

Rather than start at number 1, I choose to start at number 11 in Iron Acton.   The village has a pub, which we'll come onto later.

Iron Acton is by far the highlight of the route.   Dominated by the church, a manor house and the pub - with visits from Henry VIII and William of Orange.

Iron Acton Church and Cross

The walk is agricultural and mercifully, the mud isn't to bad.   The River Frome provides the prettiest section and signage indicates that there is a path in its honour - something to be investigated.  The route heads south to Frampton End - notable only for over the top officialdom and then east to Mayshill, where the New Inn waits for the truly thirsty.

Small Diversion along the River Frome

Someone is getting angry

I save myself for the Lamb.  I was interested in the web site which indicated that it had been in the Good Beer Guide for five consecutive years.   To be fair, it didn't say which 5 years and I had to trawl the archives back to the 2016 edition to find the last mention.

The Lamb Inn, Iron Acton

And the Sign

It was certainly doing a busy trade with the pensioners, who can always sniff a bargain.  Two roasts for the price of one was the deal but where this would leave me is anyone's guess.  A solo cacher?  I would have insisted on my money's worth, regardless of the response generated.

With no free table, the question did not need to be answered.   Instead, I agreed with the local Camra branch reasoning.   My Wickwar Falling Star was served far too cold and Untappd checkins prompted comments on the general murkiness.

Thanks to Leonards193 keeping up the maintenance of this round of caches over several years - an enjoyable walk.

Onto Bristol!