Grounded

Our plan was to make the most of a day without rain forecast so we were going to get on a bus to Ashton Gate, walk over to Ashton Court and wander around the woods for a bit before retiring to a pub (or two) in North Street.

As it was, neither us were quite in the zone for extended time in the cold.  So we elected to be "less ambitious" and we donned a couple of extra layers and strolled up the river towards Bedminster (not Bedmo, or Bemmie but possibly "bemminster" if you're a local).

It's a couple of miles of ambling and we do what we always do - notice things, conjecture about things and generally enjoy the streetscape almost as much as nature.

We walked up Bedminster Parade and East Street and noted that, despite more buildings being turned over to residential developments, the area still looks rather tired and run down, barring a few little interesting gems.

Then around the corner into North Street.  We noted that the Steam Crane appeared to have more interesting beer on than the last time we passed, but we didn't stop this time.  We also saw that the Hare has disappeared to become some sort of wine bar place (no great loss) and then we were at the Old Bookshop.

This is a prime example of not judging a lack lustre place without visiting it at least a couple of times:  the first time we went here (several years ago)  the beer was dull and not very well kept.  Then, last Christmas we happened on it and it was terrific.  In the summer we popped in and were very happy with it so we were hopeful.  We were not disappointed - Nor'hop on Cask (yummy), Weeerd on keg (similarly delicious) and then a couple of cheeky halves - him:"not now cato" a sour beer and me "clwb tropicana".  Just lovely.

Staff were quietly friendly and efficient.  Other patrons were considerate and none too noisy.  All in all, as good an experience and choice of beers as we could have hoped for.

We'll definitely be back, since it's certainly our sort of place.

Homeward Bound

A few weeks ago I heard an interview with the parents of an England rugby player.  It made me immediately, and immensely homesick.

They were from Knowle West in south Bristol and, although I'm not actually from that specific part of the city, My family are from the south side of Bristol and that accent is very evocative.

We hadn't been up to Bristol for a little while and although I do love living in Sussex, it's not the same.

So after a busy day of gardening, packing up the house and lunch with family, via a few miles' walking, we find ourselves at the station to head north.

Travelling on a Sunday is never the optimum way and Sunday evening even less so...but we got seats, and we made the journey in 4 hours which isn't at all bad.

We arrived at the flat at 9pm with that lovely feeling that we could chill for a couple of hours before going to bed and the journey was done.  I slept better than I have for weeks.

Yesterday, we did our usual levels of (laptop-based) work whilst looking out at the city from our 10th floor eyrie.

Then we ambled around the corner to the Barley Mow (of course).  The selection of beer was good and the fire was lit.  After about 40 minutes, the bar manager arrived, saw us and gave us a really cheery wave and asked how we were. (I guess, I haven't seen him for 3 months).  Yep, I was home.

Then one of our friends, who also lives just around the corner, popped in to make reservations for the quiz on Tuesday - so he stopped and we had food and drinks and caught up.

Utterly delightful!

I wouldn't normally think of myself as particularly tied to a place - but even though I no longer have work to do here in Bristol (it might be tempting to find some) and I love having a home in a seaside town, Bristol is the place I feel most at home.

What's even nicer is when Best Beer Buddy says to friend in the pub last night: "...as the train draws into the station in Bristol, I always feel immensely happy..."

Yep.

On a Trip to Thanet

We like to take a holiday in the early autumn.

Kids have gone back to school.  The weather is cooler.  There are fewer visitors around.

If you're lucky, there's a chance of an autumn storm.

We like the coast (the sound of waves as I drift off to sleep is pretty much the best thing in the world) and, of course, we like beer.

We also like architecture and interesting town planning.

So this autumn we headed to Thanet -that odd little bulge atop the pointy bit of East Kent.

This is the home of the micropub and, of course, the oasthouse.

We rented a cottage on the seafront at Ramsgate.

Like many resorts, Ramsgate is a little tired and run down.  Closed shops abound.  Derelict building sites pepper the town and you can see loads of evidence of poverty and homelessness.

On the plus side, there are many beautiful buildings which are great to wander amongst.

When we arrived we had an hour to kill before we could pick up the keys to the cottage so we made tracks to the "Hovelling Boat": a micropub near the harbour.

We  were greeted enthusiastically by the lady serving and she'd soon brought us a couple of local pints  (Gadd Green Hop and Margate IPA) which were very nice.

The other folk in the pub were clearly regulars.

We only had time for one but vowed to come back (we did another 3 times).

Venturing out later we walked up to the Montifiore Arms - a small corner local (also in the GBG).  It was pleasant but the beer choices were a little limited.  Once again, we enjoyed a single pint and then left.

One of the good things of the new CAMRA app is that it will list all drinking establishments so you can read the descriptions and make your own mind up if you might like to try it.  So we tried the Ravensgate Inn which promised craft beers.

The beers were good, but it being Friday, it was quite noisy and busy so we drank our pints and went around the corner to the supermarket to pick up provisions and go back to the cottage.

The next day was spent ambling around the harbour, enjoying the industrial nature of parts of it.  Ascending "Jacob's Ladder" from the far reach of the harbour up to the top of the cliff road we decided to try the other Micropub in the GBG "Conqueror".  Again, this was clearly a place that has its own clientele and there seems to be an expectation that all patrons join in the conversations. In addition, it has to be said that the choices of beer "Betty Stogs" and "Muggy Porter" weren't really what we were hoping for.  Nevertheless we stayed for a pint, joined in the conversation and walked some more.

Admiring regency terraces and intriguing public buildings we made our way to the Admiralty.  Another traditional corner pub.  The beer was a little more interesting here:  5 or 6 beers, including one from Oakham and we enjoyed a quiet pint at the back of the pub.

As we hadn't eaten properly, we decided on an early dinner and relax in our cottage.

Our plan was always to visit the other resorts in Thanet:  Margate and Broadstairs.

To be honest, the story was pretty much the same in all of them - relatively narrow range of cask ales available and nothing to scare the horses.

Decent beer was easy to find.  Great beer elusive.

Probably the Chapel in Broadstairs and a pub in Margate (I forget the name) - which are sister pubs offered the best beer  but there was no establishment that we visited that we really wanted to linger and return to.

We weren't that surprised, to be honest, but we were both secretly hoping for more.

No matter.  We had a lovely holiday - minor illnesses notwithstanding - with our usual balance of much walking, staring at the tide coming in and out and that sort of thing. 

Now we're wondering when we can get back up to Bristol to recharge the hipster-beer-batteries...