A Grand Day Out in Oakengates
- It had been ten years since my last visit to this small town near Telford in Shropshire so another visit was planned to coincide with the 44th Beer Festival in the Crown. No cheap advance bookings were available on morning departures from Sheffield to Birmingham, so I opted to travel via Stockport instead. The hourly … Continue reading A Grand Day Out in Oakengates →A Grand Farewell to the London Drinker
- March 2018 saw the 34th and final London Drinker Beer Festival, held in the Camden Centre which is very convenient for both St. Pancras and King’s Cross stations. Advance train tickets were booked, but again the cheapest route was via the non-stop Grand Central train from Doncaster to King’s Cross rather than East Midland Trains … Continue reading A Grand Farewell to the London Drinker →
A Grand Day Out in Lichfield and beyond
- The first weekday train on which a Derbyshire Wayfarer is valid gets to Derby just before 10am. There was a short wait for a ten-minute ride to Burton and then a walk in to town for the hourly Midland Classic service X12 to Sutton Coldfield. An Allday+ ticket costs £5.30 for unlimited travel on Midland … Continue reading A Grand Day Out in Lichfield and beyond →
A Grand Day Out in the Amber Valley
- A planned busy day out using the Derbyshire Wayfarer ticket started with a train to Derby and a bus into Derby Bus Station. A Trent Barton service 6.3 took me to Belper in time for the noon opening of the 8th Amber Valley Beer Festival at Strutts, a former school, now a community facility. Numerous … Continue reading A Grand Day Out in the Amber Valley →
A Grand Day Out
- Catching the first available weekday train service from Sheffield to Derby using a Derbyshire Wayfarer allowed for a few minutes in Derby before boarding a train bound for Burton. On arrival there it was a ten minute walk in to town to catch the Midland Classic service X12 to Lichfield. A slight hold-up on the … Continue reading A Grand Day Out →PUBlic transport – the Barnsley train
- Four trains an hour operated by Northern run between Sheffield and Barnsley for much of the day, two of which are relatively fast trains. There are stations inbetween at Meadowhall, Chapeltown, Elsecar and Wombwell – all places with real ale pubs! The principal attractions at Meadowhall and Wombwell are Wetherspoon’s venues (the Steel Foundry and … Continue reading PUBlic transport – the Barnsley train →
Beer Adventures in the Far East
- I’ve just returned from 6 weeks travelling around East Asia. After landing in Tokyo I travelled the west of Japan for two weeks before flying to Busan in South Korea to continue my exploring. After a strenuous start climbing Mount Fuji I dedicated the rest of my holiday to sampling all the local delights and … Continue reading Beer Adventures in the Far East →
A Grand Bank Holiday Day Out
- Being a Bank Holiday weekend, a more local day out was planned with the intention of doing a few pubs around the Chesterfield area and then stopping off in Mosborough on the way home. With the exception of the last port of call, all were visited by using a Stagecoach Explorer ticket costing £6.30 from … Continue reading A Grand Bank Holiday Day Out →
The Town on the Hill
- A spell of particularly clement weather during a recent trip home to visit family offered the perfect opportunity to sample some of the pubs under the remit of the East Lancashire branch of CAMRA. The trains weren’t running for some reason so we caught the rail-replacement bus to Colne at the end of the East … Continue reading The Town on the Hill →
A Grand Day Out Under the Arches
- Today’s main intention was to visit Wigan Central, located in two arches beneath Wigan North Western rail station. Arriving in Manchester my plan was to use the buses, rather than the trains, to get around so I purchased a Greater Manchester Any Bus Day Rover ticket, which is available from any bus driver, for £5.60. … Continue reading A Grand Day Out Under the Arches →
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