Here's the 17 or sixteen if we link Kidderminster and Stourbridge as suggested, so which ones are the real no-hopers and does anyone want to add anywhere else? (I'll regret saying that won't I?)
Loughborough
Newark
Lichfield
Norwich
Stourbridge
Kidderminster
Bridgnorth
Stamford
Northampton
Kettering
Grantham
Cambridge
Peterborough
Ludlow
Lincoln
Shrewsbury
Leamington, Warwick, Kenilworth as one.
My feeling would be to drop the East Anglian cities (Norwich & Cambridge) and probably Ludlow too. Bridgnorth and Kidderminster are linked by rail but it's a heritage one and fearsomely expensive for just travelling on so I would drop Bridgnorth too. Those four towns are more difficult to travel to.
I used to know someone from Long Eaton who described it as the North, even though Nottingham, five miles to the north-east, is called The Queen of the Midlands.
On reflection, Ludlow is probably not a good idea. According to CAMRA, about a third don't open until at least 4.00pm which would mean a lot of doubling back to fit in enough pubs in a town with not that many. It's also very hilly too.
Last edited by Tris39; 01-07-2019 at 19:28.
If nobody objects I'll offer my opinion as I know Stourbridge pretty well:
Barbridge, The Duke William, The Chequers Inn (JD Wetherspoon),Red House Boutique, The Old Bank, The Waggon & Horses, Plough & Harrow, The Queens Head, The Royal Exchange,
These are the pick of the pubs beer wise that are in the Stourbridge Central area - there are a few others which are OK as well.
If you do go to Stourbridge the number 9 bus would get you to Lye in 12 minutes (they run every 10 minutes or so) where you could take in :
Wheelie Thirsty, Sadler's Brewhouse & Bar, Windsor Castle, The Shovel Inn and possibly the new Beat Ales Tap House
You can get the train back to Brum from Lye as well.
I am not trying to persuade anyone, just thought I would offer my opinion!!
Wherever you go you will have a good day.
Del.
I am a salmon !!
I agree with dropping Cambridge (suburb of London) and Norwich (suburb of Warsaw). If Stourbridge is that good, Kidderminster could be a wildcard to make it better still. Ludlow easy to get to but perhaps better on my own on a Saturday. East Coast main line all no hopers for me.
I think Cambridge should be dropped simply because it appeared on the last South poll. Bridgnorth has been deemed (probably correctly) as being too remote for a day out and Ludlow seems to have too few options. I've no objection to Stourbridge & Kidderminster being an option but it doesn't get my support.
I think Cambridge should be included because it's not in the South.
"Everybody's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another beer."
-W.C.Fields
Seeing as we're never all going to agree on this one, how about adding a fourth group of 'Other' to the existing South/Midlands/North rotation, to include places such as East Anglia, Wales, West Country which don't easily fall into any of them? Assuming we continue with 3 per year, this would have the added benefit of moving the season back one each year, so we wouldn't always end up in the North in winter etc.
Just a thought, as it seems a shame to omit places like Cambridge and Norwich which would undoubtedly provide a good crawl just because we can't decide where to put them!
On leaving the bar, I felt a strong blow to the back of my head. Turning round, I discovered it was the pavement