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trainman
02-01-2018, 13:13
Anyone have any particular location targets this year? Brighton aside, obvs...

I booked Leeds and Peterborough on the East 'Coast' sale for Jan visits, and group members have suggested Burton and Chester should be placed firmly 'on-map'. Not sure how I'm gonna find a train deal to those locations though London-Brum often has decent advance prices then a 30min jag to Burton from there, though I now see it's an option from Derby - dangerous!

Pubsignman
02-01-2018, 14:21
I'm not really targeting anything specific this year, but I've booked up for a week in Scotland in mid-January, where I'm hoping to get around a lot of pubs in Glasgow and Aberdeen. I'm also stopping off in Dundee along the way and have a spare day in my itinerary which I'm undecided on - I'll probably end up in one of Paisley, Stirling or Falkirk. If anyone has any recommendations for any non-GBG pubs in any of these places (especially Dundee), they would be most welcome.

Beyond that, not much else is planned. The football fixtures have fallen unkindly this year - Leicester, Burnley and Southampton look like the only non-London trips I'll make this season. I'm also going to be in Leeds for a weekend with the missus at some point, so will try to check out some of the many new places that appear to have opened up since the PuG crawl a few years ago.

Aqualung
02-01-2018, 17:02
Anyone have any particular location targets this year? Brighton aside, obvs...

I booked Leeds and Peterborough on the East 'Coast' sale for Jan visits, and group members have suggested Burton and Chester should be placed firmly 'on-map'. Not sure how I'm gonna find a train deal to those locations though London-Brum often has decent advance prices then a 30min jag to Burton from there, though I now see it's an option from Derby - dangerous!


Burton is cheapest via Tamworth. Advance tickets on the London Midland Crewe trains are cheap then a day return to Burton. East Midland advance tickets aren't that cheap. I did once go via Tamworth going and Derby back. Derby just involved the Alexandra and Brunswick but was still shambolic!

Aqualung
02-01-2018, 17:34
I'm not really targeting anything specific this year, but I've booked up for a week in Scotland in mid-January, where I'm hoping to get around a lot of pubs in Glasgow and Aberdeen. I'm also stopping off in Dundee along the way.
Broughty Ferry is just a bus ride from Dundee. I stayed at the JDW hotel and found it to be better than others I've stayed in. The three other GBG pubs are OK.
In Aberdeen I got the impression that the branch had gone out of their way to fill their quota of GBG entries. The Lloyds JDW certainly doesn't deserve to be in it and I've been to ones more deserving of being listed than the Archibald Simpson. I passed Krakatoa and decided not to bother, it looked like a night club.
As for Glasgow I only went to the JDWs!! I thought the "proper" pubs would all be full of Rab C Nesbitt clones.

Aqualung
02-01-2018, 17:46
It's various places in Devon, Bletchley, Scarborough, Whitby, Belfast, Dublin and Cork for me. The new Liskeard JDW has been put back to May, so I'll probably spend an afternoon in Topsham where it's around 40 years since I went to the Bridge.
I'd like to increase my Gwynedd reviews so I've a couple of short visits there in March.

Delboy20
02-01-2018, 20:38
I am looking at a midweek overnighter in Sunderland for the football in March. Never been so all new to me! Might have a day in London for the Fulham game.

I need to revisit a few places I haven't been for years like Lichfield and Stratford.

Also got a week booked in Whitby.

Bucking Fastard
03-01-2018, 12:33
Boating (and hence boozing ) plans include a slow drift south on the Oxford Canal to visit Cropredy then two recent micro pubs in Banbury, followed later by Wolvercote and naturally Oxford city itself.April on the Upper Thames will take in cab rides to Farringdon & Whitney along with riverside pubs on the way to and from Lechlade.

Summer boating during the World Cup will mean visits to Northampton,Thrapston,Peterborough,March,Ely, Cambridge,St Ives and Bedford together with some isolated riverside pubs along the way.Returning via the same route will allow additional ticking on the way back in St Neots, Huntingdon,Downham Market,Oundle and Wellingborough.

I am also really looking forward to the Brighton crawl,a place I've had lots of visits to over the years including some lively days at the Goldstone ,but never as part of a pub tour.Lots of new ticks on that crawl.

Quinno
03-01-2018, 20:15
Time to get some that aren't too hard to get to but require some planning in advance to get sensibly-priced train tickets. Taunton and Chippenham in particular!

Spinko
05-01-2018, 07:15
First real excursion in early Feb is to Huddersfield and Wakefield for back to back gig and rugby league start of season away trip. Some old stomping grounds there (Grove, Fernandes Tap) plus the newer Hudds venues like the Magic Rock Tap.

A return to Longridge for its excellent two micropubs is also called for.

Komakino
11-01-2018, 18:35
Hertford, Hitchin, St Albans, Welwyn and Winchester have been on the hit list for some time, so am hoping to get around to these at some point this year as well as completing W1 (29 pubs to go) and starting to make a dent in NW1. This year's loose target is 300 new visits - we'll see how it goes.

Bucking Fastard
12-01-2018, 16:49
Hertford, Hitchin, St Albans, Welwyn and Winchester have been on the hit list for some time, so am hoping to get around to these at some point this year as well as completing W1 (29 pubs to go) and starting to make a dent in NW1. This year's loose target is 300 new visits - we'll see how it goes.

Let me know when you are visiting Hertford,very happy to offer any guidance you may need around my home town.

Mobyduck
12-01-2018, 21:06
Hertford, Hitchin, St Albans, Welwyn and Winchester have been on the hit list for some time, so am hoping to get around to these at some point this year as well as completing W1 (29 pubs to go) and starting to make a dent in NW1. This year's loose target is 300 new visits - we'll see how it goes.

Regarding Winchester there are a few decent/good pubs in the town centre, (and some rubbish), but in my experience, the very best are a bit of a hike on the periphery. The Hyde Tavern, (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/14163/) (not too far off the beaten track from the train station) The Black Boy (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/14135/),
Fulflood Arms (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/14156/) and The Queen Inn (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/14181/). In my view probably the best of the best but they are the four compass points apart, a hell of a lot of walking but worth it.

Wild Rover
12-01-2018, 22:18
After annoyingly having to cancel this weeks trip to Grimsby and Cleethorpes due to the northern rail strike,will be going next week to Alfreton, Ripley and Belper followed by Peterborough the following week then after 2 weeks in the Caribbean will continue with Birmingham and Coventry then 3 visits to the Nottngham area.

Komakino
12-01-2018, 22:46
Let me know when you are visiting Hertford,very happy to offer any guidance you may need around my home town.


Regarding Winchester there are a few decent/good pubs in the town centre, (and some rubbish), but in my experience, the very best are a bit of a hike on the periphery. The Hyde Tavern, (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/14163/) (not too far off the beaten track from the train station) The Black Boy (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/14135/),
Fulflood Arms (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/14156/) and The Queen Inn (https://www.pubsgalore.co.uk/pubs/14181/). In my view probably the best of the best but they are the four compass points apart, a hell of a lot of walking but worth it.

Thanks Gents - much appreciated. Will drop you both a line independently when the time[s] arise[s].

Aqualung
12-01-2018, 22:51
After annoyingly having to cancel this weeks trip to Grimsby and Cleethorpes due to the northern rail strike,will be going next week to Alfreton, Ripley and Belper followed by Peterborough the following week then after 2 weeks in the Caribbean will continue with Birmingham and Coventry then 3 visits to the Nottngham area.

Have you seen the news about the fire at Nottingham Rail Station? I'm glad I don't have any current trips to Nottingham planned as it looked pretty serious. I'm guessing the fire took hold in the old wooden parts of the station rather than the new bit. If I remember rightly the staircases are all wooden and if they were destroyed then I wouldn't like to guess when it will open again.

oldboots
13-01-2018, 08:53
Have you seen the news about the fire at Nottingham Rail Station? I'm glad I don't have any current trips to Nottingham planned as it looked pretty serious. I'm guessing the fire took hold in the old wooden parts of the station rather than the new bit. If I remember rightly the staircases are all wooden and if they were destroyed then I wouldn't like to guess when it will open again.

#Nottingham - Network Rail have made an assessment of the station, and have declared it safe for platforms 1-5 to be reopened for the start of service today; however, platforms 6 and 7 will remain closed.

#Nottingham - Nottingham station currently has reduced facilities, including no lifts, no step free access and no toilet facilities. Customers travelling to/from Nottingham who require assistance are advised to speak to station staff, or on-board train staff, for further advice.


More info at http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/181344.aspx

Aqualung
13-01-2018, 23:06
#Nottingham - Network Rail have made an assessment of the station, and have declared it safe for platforms 1-5 to be reopened for the start of service today; however, platforms 6 and 7 will remain closed.

#Nottingham - Nottingham station currently has reduced facilities, including no lifts, no step free access and no toilet facilities. Customers travelling to/from Nottingham who require assistance are advised to speak to station staff, or on-board train staff, for further advice.


More info at http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/service_disruptions/181344.aspx

Thanks for that, I heard on the news that the station was running again but it's still bad news for the disabled or clapped out old gits like myself. I'll leave a return to Nottingham until later in the year.