The best of 2024, in words and pictures

Well, it’s time to present my annual round-up and look back at the year 2024. I’ve been keeping some rough notes which unfortunately demonstrate that I didn’t achieve as much as I would have like to, in certain areas of my life, especially the number of pubs that I managed to visit. Overall, in 2024, there were just 70 different pubs that I set foot in, although there was a handful that I visited on multiple occasions. This number was down somewhat on the previous year’s total of 84, but on the plus side 38 of them were pubs that I’d never been in before.

Those figures were probably close to what I was expecting, and whilst they obviously pale into insignificance, when compared to the exploits of legendary pub men such as Retired Martin, Simon Everitt, Stafford Paul and Pubmeister, it’s important to remember that the whole beer and pub experience is much more than just a numbers game. As in 2023 these pubs ranged from town centre locals, unspoilt rural gems, modern craft beer bars, plus a significant number of pubs listed on CAMRA’s National Register of Heritage Pubs.

As in previous years, the numbers were boosted by days out spent in a number of towns and cities, up and down this fair land of ours. Places visited this year, were the Black Country, Salisbury, Bath, East London and Northumberland. The first location was a longstanding commitment between myself and Stafford Paul, after the original August 2023 date for our carefully choreographed Black Country walkabout, was scuppered when I copped my third dose of COVID.

The reconvened visit took place back in March, when after meeting me off the train at Wolverhampton, Stafford Paul guided us both on a bus trip, south to Brierley Hill. It’s been many a year since I saw people queuing up, outside a pub, waiting for the doors to open, although having now set foot inside the Vine, I can understand why. The Vine, also known as the Bull & Bladder, the tap for the adjacent Batham’s Brewery, and squeezing ourselves into this multi-room pub allowed us to enjoy Batham’s Best Bitter for just £2.60 a pint, plus steak pie, chips and mushy peas for a fiver. Yours truly was in pub heaven and could quite happily have spent the rest of the afternoon there.

There were more delights to come though, including the Old Swan at Netherton, one of the original four surviving home-brew pubs that were around at the time that CAMRA was founded. We were joined there, by Retired Martin who accompanied us to the legendary Beacon Hotel - the 3^rd pub on our itinerary. 

The latter keeps old-fashioned hours, and closes at 3pm, so with our bus delayed in heavy traffic, Martin selflessly volunteered to leave the bus a few stops before we reached Sedgley. He then power walked to the Beacon, arriving several minutes ahead of Paul and I. When we eventually reached the pub, Martin was waiting there with three dimple pint mugs of Sarah Hughes Ruby Mild. Thanks Martin, I still owe you for that!

May saw me visiting the historic city of Salisbury, which was my first return to the city since stopping off there, as a sixth form student, on his way to a geology field course in Cornwall. Some 50 years on, there was little I could remember from that initial, fleeting visit, but once in the city I liked what I saw. 

The Wyndham Arms, original home of the Hop Back brewery was the obvious highlight, along with Salisbury’s majestic cathedral, with its 404-foot-high spire. Also visited was the Haunch of Venison, the oldest pub in the city, dating back to the 14^th century with an interior that’s in keeping with its historic origins. So, plenty for foreign visitors to enthuse over, with a magnificent exterior of beams and plaster, plus a similar interior of oak panels and yet more beams.

Next on the list, was the equally historic, Wig &Quill, the first Wadworth tied house I'd set foot in, after 50 years chasing around the country, and enjoying beers in many different locations. I’d obviously drunk many pints of 6X, over the years, but the brewery’s tied houses are mainly confined to their Wiltshire heartland. Unfortunately, my visit was memorable for all the wrong reasons, with the pie of the day I’d ordered for lunch arriving at my table in a very “well-done” condition, that bordered upon burnt. The diced beef filling was worse - dried up, and stringy, with a complete absence of any gravy. I dubbed the affair as “Piegate,” and ended up emailing Wadworth to expressing my dissatisfaction, particularly at the off-hand way in which my complaint was handled.

I purchased a new car at the start of the year, a Skoda Karoq, SUV which is easier for Eileen and me to get in and out of. I reverted back to a petrol driven car, after my previous diesel engine vehicle developed problems with two of its fuel injectors, leaving me stranded on the so-called “smart” section of the M25 motorway. I subsequently discovered that diesels are prone to “coking-up”, unless there are plenty of lengthy runs to allow sufficient time for the engine to properly warm up. 

My 12-mile return journeys to and from work, don’t allow this, whereas coking-up is not so much an issue with petrol engines. I also paid cash for my new vehicle, in the belief that I would get some sort of discount. It turns out that had I gone for one of the finance packages available, I could have got benefits such as a couple of free services, plus MOT tests. In the long run though, I’m sure that I saved money by not playing interest charges on any loans taken out.

I put my new set of wheels to the test at the beginning of September, when the family and I embarked on a lengthy road trip to Northumberland and back. This was a part of the country that none of us had visited before, although I’d passed through the county by train, on journeys to Edinburgh. 

We based ourselves in the historic and attractive town of Alnwick, stopping off in the North Yorkshire town of Harrogate on the outward journey, and then a rather anonymous Premier Inn close to Huntingdon, on the return trip. We thoroughly enjoyed our time in the county, with its spectacular coastal scenery, imposing and historic castles, some classic pubs - especially the Old Ship, at Seahouses and even a brief day trip across the border into Scotland, just so Matthew could say he’d made a trip abroad that year.

The highlight of the year, in terms of locations, distance travelled and just sheer enjoyment, was a second Mediterranean cruise, which this time took place in June. Although no new countries were visited, there were plenty of new locations, along with one or two familiar ones. These included return visits to Barcelona and Sardinia, but this time to the north of the island, and the lovely old town of Alghero. Our stopover in Civitavecchia, which is the official port for Rome, was the opportunity for a coach trip to the eternal city. So, leaving Mrs PBT’s behind on the ship, I joined 40 or so of my fellow passengers on a guided tour of central Rome.

On a blistering hot, midsummer day we visited the Colosseum, the Circus Maximus, the Forum, the Victor Emmanuel II Monument, and on the other side of the River Tiber, the Vatican and St Peter’s Square. His holiness wasn’t in residence, but the square in front of the basilica was crowded with sightseers, and presumably pilgrims as well. At the end of the official tour, I found a nice little pavement café, in a shady location, just a short hop from St Peter’s, where I enjoyed a bite to eat with a cool glass of beer (Moretti, sadly), to wash everything down. Having now got my bearings, it would be good to make a return visit to Rome, perhaps when temperatures are a little cooler. 

Later in the cruise I made a second trip by coach, this time to the fascinating city of Cordoba, in the heart of Andalusia. Cordoba has links to three of the world’s major religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam, along with monuments and relics to prove the connections. 

On another hot day we had a guided tour around the heart of this ancient city, although fortunately there was plenty of shade in the old Arabic quarter, or souk. A meal at a local restaurant, was included in the price of the tour, before a speedy, two-hour coach ride back to Malaga, where our ship was waiting to depart. We saw a different, and much greener side of Spain, on our voyage back to the UK, with stops at Vigo and La Coruna, which are cooler, and much greener than towns on the Mediterranean coast.

A family wedding awaited our return, with the High Rocks Inn hosting the reception. The High Rocks themselves provided the perfect backdrop for the wedding photos, and this was the first time I had seen these impressive, sandstone outcrops, at close quarters. It was a nice day, and everything went according to plan, with the bride (Eileen’s niece) looking lovely, and the groom equally well turned out. Everyone behaved themselves as well, with those who might have been expected to over-indulge, behaving themselves.

A personal achievement was my completion of the Tunbridge Wells Circular Walk. It’s only 27.5 miles in length, and some show-offs have allegedly, completed it in a single day. I took a much more leisurely approach, and followed the route outlined in the TWCW Guidebook, which breaks the walk down into four, manageable sections, moving in a clockwise direction around Tunbridge Wells. 

 Despite its modest 27½ mile length, the TWCW is still quite a challenge, in terms of terrain, quality of footpaths - especially the absence of way-marks from where they perhaps should be, and the availability of public transport to convey walkers to and from the various section start and end points. I commenced the walk-in late February 2023, but didn’t finish it until August 2024, a combination of poor weather and other commitments having stymied my progress.

As for other walks, the CAMRA Weekend Walking Group seems to have going into hibernation, so this year I shall be looking for a new walking companion, because Mrs PBT’s is getting a little bit overprotective, and is not keen on me going off into the great outdoors on my own. She's concerned that I might collapse in a location miles from anywhere and not be found.  This is despite me being quite happy walking alone, and in reasonable health.

2024 didn’t see quite as many bus trips, as previous years, although I enjoyed rides out to Mayfield and eventually Rotherfield. I also took a bus to Crowborough, and then walked down to Jarvis Brook, where the lovely little Wheatsheaf pub, is located. With Crowborough station nearby, I enjoyed a train ride home. Visits were also made to Sandgate, Folkestone and Bexhill-on-Sea, where several excellent pubs were visited, but these trips were all made by train.

Finally, at the start of December, I travelled by both train and bus, to the attractive village of Lenham, a settlement that is a rare beast these days, in so much that it supports two pubs – the Dog & Bear, plus the Red Lion. I met up for lunch, in the latter, with an old friend I knew from when we both lived in Maidstone.

The above is a rather brief synopsis of the year that bows out in a couple of days’ time, so I haven’t covered everything. I’m still toying with writing a “Golden Pints” type post, even though I think the title is both corny and rather dated. I’m still not sure yet, so watch this space just in case.