January blues

Well, we’re just over a week into the new year, and I didn't really expect to be scratching around for something to write about. It's not a classic case of writer's block, instead it's much more a general and very weird feeling of melancholy. This feeling of lethargy peaked on Tuesday, and fortunately subsided somewhat, the following day. There’s no logical reason for me to feel down in the dumps, as I've got absolutely nothing to feel bad about. I'm living a good life, I've got a loving and supportive family, and I've got some good friends as well.

A new year should mean a new beginning, but sadly at the moment, it's more an instance of the same old, same old. Coming as it does, after all bright lights, glitter and razzmatazz of the Christmas and New Year celebrations, the opening week of January has been marked by some very bleak and cold winter days. I haven’t been out on any rambles this Twixmas, an activity I would normally do over the Christmas period. I also haven’t seen many local buddies this year, mainly because I haven’t attended much in the way of CAMRA socials.

This year the weather seems a repeat of the last few Christmases, with flooded fields, muddy paths, and cold driving rain. Not exactly conducive to a cross-country hike, especially when combined with the wet slushy snow, we’ve experienced over the past few days. Fortunately, the sun came out this morning, which certainly helped lift my mood, but this left me wondering whether I’ve been suffering from SAD seasonal affective disorder.

Today, one of my work colleagues is flying out to Egypt, for some winter sun. He told me, that the sun will help lift the mood of his partner, who is affected quite badly by a lack of sunshine, during the winter months. Coming originally from South Africa, this perhaps isn’t surprising, but he was confident that once his girlfriend gets out, by the pool, and starts soaking up those golden rays, she will be a different person. SAD isn’t a condition that I’ve given lot of thought to, but it certainly makes a lot of sense.

Shortly before Christmas, I booked a mini cruise for the whole family, which means Matthew will be joining Mrs PBT’s and I on a short return sailing, across the North Sea, to the former Hanseatic, north German port city of Hamburg. It will be Matthew’s first visit to this part of Germany, as well as his first cruise. It will also be a nice family break for all three of us, especially as it will be a pre-cursor to the late spring, "round Britain cruise" that Mrs PBT’s and I will be embarking on, in the last week of May.

Back to the melancholia for a moment or two, global events haven’t exactly helped. The world economy still hasn’t recovered completely from the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Many governments had to either borrow heavily, or to accept a bail from organisations such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The global pandemic of 2020-23, didn’t help either, as with populations across the world forced into lock-down and isolation, in order to contain and prevent the spread of COVID 19, governments were forced to introduce furlough schemes, just to keep economies and indeed populations afloat. Sovereign debt has therefore increased still further.

Set against this background are the selfish actions of four individuals, all male, and all people who might be described as mavericks. That might be too kind a description, and disruptors would be a more appropriate term. Even that is far too good for a bloodthirsty, warmongering, despotic dictator like Vladimir Putin, who tops this group of disruptive malcontents. Nigel Farage, with his unfortunately, successful campaign to remove the UK from the European Union, was the person who lit the spark, and emboldened Putin and his campaign to resurrect the corrupt, oppressive, bankrupt, and totally burnt out, Soviet Union.

We then come to Donald Trump, an egotistical, narcissist loudmouth who, if you though was bad enough first time around, well you ain’t seen nothing yet. Voters in the recent US presidential elections, seem to have developed a collective madness, by returning this joker to the White House, and I’m sure we shall all be worse off as a consequence. Trump now has his No. 1 fanboy, Elon Musk opening his mouth and throwing his weight around. The world’s richest man has plenty of money to throw around, with the mistaken belief he can buy politicians, governments and even entire countries. Given the massive size of the egos of these two men, there’s fortunately a strong chance they will have a falling out, sooner, rather than later, but the whole sorry saga of Farage, Putin, Trump and Musk, isn’t really a cause for optimism.

Right, having got all that off my chest, it's high time for a beer, or three!

No bull at the Bullfinch

Back in April 2023, I wrote a piece about a McMullen’s pub that is a short drive from my home. McMullen & Sons Ltd are a long-established family brewer, based in Hertford, the county town of Hertfordshire. Against the odds, the company has survived into the first quarter of the 21^st century and is about to enter the second one. Like many family breweries of a similar age and heritage, the McMullen’s tied estate is quite a tight-knit affair, based mainly in Hertfordshire, whilst touching a few neighbouring counties, such as Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, and London (mainly north of the Thames).

There are a couple of lone “outposts” further afield in Surrey and Kent, and seeing as my home is in the latter county, it is the McMullen’s pub that I want to write about today, albeit for the second time in 18 months. The Bullfinch  is situated in the village of Riverhead, which today forms part of Sevenoaks. It is an attractive looking pub which is just a short hop from the massive Tesco superstore, just off the London Road. Formerly owned by Grand Metropolitan and listed in a 1993 CAMRA Guide to Kent Pubs as stocking Websters Yorkshire Bitter and Ruddles County, it has been a McMullen’s pub since 2009. Today the Bullfinch advertises itself as a Kent country retreat, offering relaxed country dining, with a roaring log fire in winter, and a spacious beer garden, for the summer months.

I’m not sure why this family-owned brewery from Hertfordshire decided to purchase a pub in Kent, but Mac’s has certainly proved a welcome addition to the local beer scene, despite the disdain shown to the company by a former West Kent CAMRA branch chairman. I shan’t say too much more, as the gentleman in question is no longer with us, and it doesn’t do to speak ill of the dead. We suspect the antipathy expressed by Scottish Iain dated back to when he lived in Hertfordshire, although strangely enough he wasn’t the only person I’ve known who wasn’t keen on the company’s beers.

So, what exactly is Kent’s lone McMullen’s outlet like? Surprisingly spacious, is the answer, and judging by the number of vehicles in the car park, popular too. Following a couple of earlier visits, I called in at the Bullfinch a few days after Christmas 2024, whilst Mrs PBT’s picked up some groceries from the nearby Tesco Superstore. The store was packed with shoppers presumably stocking up with goodies ahead of the following day’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, but I knew a crowded store would work to my advantage, as it would take Eileen much longer to navigate her way around the store.

“You’ll be grabbing yourself a coffee?” she said. “Probably”, was my resply, although the Costa Coffee outlet, that forms an integral part of the store, looked as busy as the shop itself. So, after a quickly nodded goodbye, I headed off to the Bullfinch, situated on the far side of the Tesco’s carpark. As with Tesco’s, the Bullfinch was busy, but not so busy that there were no free tables or seats available. I had already noticed a clip on one of the hand pulls for Boot Warmer Winter Ale, a 5.2% seasonal beer, described as dark, smooth bodied & rich – another one for Untappd! McMullen’s IPA and Country Best Bitter were the cask ales available, along with a beer called Harlequin, from the company’s Rivertown Brewing subsidiary. 

In summary, the Bullfinch is a proper pub, with a cosy lounge bar, a modern and spacious restaurant, with a varied and interesting food offering, plus McMullen’s beer. It looks a good bet for a reasonably priced meal, as well as somewhere for meeting up with friends and family. Definitely worth calling in, if you are in the area, and as an added bonus, the Bullfinch is an entrant in the 2025 Good Beer Guide, thereby finally burying the undeserved prejudice of an ex-CAMRA branch chairman.

Seeing out the XXXX Old with a drop of Eiche

Tuesday 31^st December, the last day of 2024, and yours truly set off in search of something that little bit special on the beer front. Harvey’s was what I was looking for, but not just the common and widely available Sussex Best Bitter, but rather the dark stuff in the form of the brewery’s XXXX Old Ale, but more precisely the company’s strong and quite rare, Christmas Ale. The latter is a darkish and rather strong barley-wine, style beer that that tops the scales at 7.5% abv.

Christmas Ale is available in bottles, and if truth be known I’ve got a couple stashed away at the back of the kitchen. Instead, it was the cask version I was after, and to get hold of some I knew I would need to visit a Harvey’s tied house. Having said that, cask Christmas Ale from Lewes, had been spotted at Tonbridge’s Nelson Arms, over a couple of days before the run-up to Christmas.

By all accounts, it went pretty quickly, which wasn’t surprising, although it does beg the question why didn’t the Nelson order several casks, rather than one? It might be a simple question of supply and demand, but if cask Christmas Ale is in short supply, why haven’t I seen it on sale? Well, I haven’t been in that many Harvey’s pubs recently, so I can’t really say, but what I do know, and this is something that dates back to when Eileen and I had our off-licence, is that the brewery offer Christmas Ale packaged in small 4 ½ gallon casks, known as “pins.”

Small containers have the advantage that the beer therein sells out quickly, but equally should the beer prove popular, it’s unlikely that to be around for long. Our off licence managed to shift a couple of pins, most Christmases, proving that in certain cases, there is a demand for strong beers, but I still feel that Harvey’s are veering on the side of caution, regarding the supply of this excellent, strong, darkish winter beer. Back to the search, and as logic dictated, I’d be more likely to find Christmas Ale on sale at a Harvey’s tied outlet, that in the free trade, I jumped onto a train and headed down to Frant station, just three stops down the line from Tonbridge. Frant station is one of those anomalies, that date back to the original coming of the railways, back in the 19^th Century, because Frant station is a couple of miles away from the village of Frant, and the location where trains actual stop is a small hamlet, known as Bells Yew Green. And it is at Bells Yew Green that the Brecknock Arms, a small and unassuming Harvey’s pub,  overlooking a cross roads in the middle of the settlement,  can be found,

I’ve known the Brecknock over many years, almost as many as I’ve lived in Tonbridge, and like may rural pubs it’s has its ups and downs. From what I’ve heard, it’s a pub on the up, although I must confess that it’s quite a while since the last time I visited. This time around, I left the train and walked the short distance along to the pub. There was a couple standing outside, having a puff when I walked up, although after seeing me, one of them made her way in and popped up behind the bar.

Disappointed at seeing no pump clip for Christmas Ale, but relieved at the presence of a clip for XXXX Old Ale, I ordered a pint of the latter. It took the barmaid a fair bit of pulling to draw the beer through, which left me thinking I might be getting the first pint out of the lines that day. Fortunately, my fears proved groundless, and I was presented with the perfect looking glass of Old which, fortunately tasted every bit as good as it looked.

There were a few people in the pub, two of whom had just finished eating, the other smoker reappeared from outside, and found a spot, at the end of the bar, where he’d probably been standing, before my arrival. He seemed quite chatty, but unfortunately loud with it, as he continued questioning the barmaid as to who had been in, and who hadn’t. Doubly unfortunate, as every other word seemed to be a profanity. That was enough to convince me only to stay for the one pint. I was sat just the other side of the bar, and was thinking to myself, do I want to be listening to this irritating individual for longer than I have to?

South East Trains were operating a Sunday service, which meant trains back to Tonbridge were running on at 60, rather than a 30-minute basis. With the next return train due to depart in 13 minutes, there was just enough time to finish my pint and take a leisurely stroll  along to the station, rather than wait for the next one, and suffer mouth almighty for a further hour. A shame, but some you win and some you lose, and that time and that occasion wasn’t the right one, so onwards and upwards, as I waited for my train to arrive. A significant amount of passengers boarded at Tunbridge Wells, presumably revellers heading up to London to watch the fireworks and see the New Year in. On the other hand, I alighted from the train at Tonbridge and then walked up to the north end of the High Street, where I knew Fuggle’s Beer Café had a beer on tap that I was eager to try.

Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche Dopplebock is a seasonal, smoke beer from Bamberg’s legendary Schlenkerla Brewery. Located in the heart of the city's historic old town, Schlenkerla can trace its history back to the 14^th Century. Today, the brewery is owned by the 6^th generation of the Grasser/Trum family, and their smoky flavoured beers are still brewed from malt that it kilned, in the traditional way, over beech wood. Before the advent of modern kilning methods, it is thought that all Central European beers would have had a smoky flavour. Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche is different from the brewery’s usual smoke beer, because the malt is kilned using oak wood, rather than beech.

According to the brewery, this gives it a smoother and more multi layered smokiness than the intensely aromatic beech wood. When paired with the bitterness of finest Hallertau aroma hops and matured for several months in the deep brewery cellars beneath Bamberg, it creates a special Christmas treat for lovers of smoke beer. With an abv of 8.0%, it’s not a beer to be trifled with, and whilst I have enjoyed the beer in bottled form on several occasions, here in the UK, it is rare to see it on draught. Only once have I experienced that pleasure, and that was 14 years ago, at the Aecht Schlenkerla tavern, in the heart of Bamberg.

Seeing its availability on Fuggle’s website, was too good an opportunity to miss, hence my visit to their Tonbridge café. It was by far the best beer that I’ve drank so far over this Christmas period, and I was left wishing that I’d ordered a pint, rather than a half, but given its high gravity, is definitely is a beer to be treated with respect. Also drinking in Fuggle’s was Keith, from West Kent CAMRA, who’d called in with his small, canine companion. It reminded me of our own dog, now sadly long departed, but the perfect excuse for calling in for a “swift one” at the local pub.

Although tempted to stay for another glass of Eiche Dopplebock, I thought it best to call it a day, and get the bus home. Mrs PBT’s was surprised to see me home so early, but I knew there was a long evening ahead, until the chimes of Big Ben would be heralding in the New Year. I also knew that my lovely wife had cooked a nice fish pie for our supper, and a posh one as well, containing smoked haddock, salmon and prawns. She certainly knows the way to a man’s heart, and with son Matthew staying over at his cousins, for New Year, there was all the more for us.

 

"Golden Pints" 2024, for want of a better term

As 2024 rapidly approaches its conclusion, and after a reflective look back from a beer and visiting different places perspective, there’s one final task to undertake, before drawing the curtain on the year. As I said last year I’ve never really ran with the “Golden Pints” idea, even back in its heyday a decade or so ago, and now I see it’s more of a lingering beer blogging tradition than anything else.

Perhaps it needs putting out of its misery, although veteran bloggers Boak & Bailey don’t think so, but for now, I’m going for what will probably be the last Golden Pints, mainly to tidy up a few loose ends. I didn’t spend a lot of time over it, and there’s certainly been no navel gazing when trying to come up with suggestions for each category. The categories themselves seem to have shifted over the years, so I’ve simply gone with the flow, and followed what seemed the best, at the time of writing.

So here goes, these are the beers, beer moments and beer locations that, for me, stood out over the course of last year.

Best beer on home turf

Thornbridge Union Jaipur. Brewed using one of the rescued, Burton Union sets, recently acquired by the brewery. I enjoyed a couple of pints of this incredible beer, at Fuggles Beer Café in Tonbridge, although, regrettably, I haven’t come across this rather special beer since.

(For those who’ve been hiding under a stone, during the last year, the Burton Union system is a means of clarifying fermenting beer and separating off the yeast. It was once commonplace, especially in the town from which it takes its name, but due to the high maintenance costs involved with such a system, has gradually been dropped.

Bass scrapped their unions, back in the mid 1980’s, leaving Marston’s as the sole custodians of this unique system. The inevitable happened in 2024, when Marston’s parent company, Carlsberg – a company only interested in promoting its own bland, pilsner-style lagers, pulled the plug. Renowned Derbyshire based brewers, Thornbridge bought one of the redundant sets, and I believe at least one other independent brewer, did the same.

Best beer abroad

Mystery beer at Cafè Can Martí, Majorca. Last June, on a blisteringly hot day, in the narrow back streets of Palma de Mallorca’s old town, and desirous of a refreshing, cold beer, I found the excellent, Cafè Can Martí. I sat at one of the shady tables at the front of the café and ordered myself a spot of lunch. My order quickly arrived, and it was one of the best tortilla de papas (Spanish Omelette) I have ever experienced.

Naturally I ordered a beer and given the scorching hot temperatures (mid 30’s), that beer really hit the spot. Despite asking the waitress for details, I have no idea what brand, or even what style it was, but it was dark amber in colour, apart from a feeling it was a beer from the San Miguel stable.

The café itself has received rave reviews, online, and fortunately its name was “in shot” on my photo, otherwise I’d never have tracked it down.

Best location on home turf to enjoy a beer

The Vine, Brierley Hill. The brewery tap for the excellent Batham’s Brewery, situated just behind the pub. The first pub I’ve seen in a long time where customers queue outside, waiting for opening time. With good value beer, and equally good value food (beef pie, chips, peas & gravy), what more could you want on a Friday afternoon? Apart from perhaps, a couple more pints of Batham’s, whose mild was equally as quaffable as their Best Bitter.

Best new pub find

Wheatsheaf, Jarvis Brook. An attractive looking, white painted, weather boarded, Harvey’s tied house, dating from the 1700s. Set on the edge of woodland with two bars, open fireplaces and, at the time of my visit, Harvey’s delectable, Old Ale. My visit to the Wheatsheaf, last October, was well worth the 30-minute walk down from Crowborough Cross, or the 10-minute walk to Crowborough railway station, for the return journey.

Best brewery visit on home turf

Five Points Brewing. For the first time since before the pandemic, I managed to visit a brewery. The brewery in question was Five Points, who are based in Hackney, and their light and airy taproom that, adjoins their brewery, acted as a venue for last August’s summer party, organised by the British Guild of Beer Writers. 

 There was plenty of beer from Five Points, plus some excellent pizza, and those of us sufficiently interested, were given a guided tour of the adjacent brewery. Although the brewery, which was commissioned in 2015, is all shiny, stainless steel, it operates along traditional lines with mash tun, wort kettle, and whirlpool. Keg accounts for 75% of Five Points output, with cask making up 20%, and the remaining 5% being bottled beer.

Best brewery visit on foreign soil

Estrella Galicia. Regrettably, I didn't visit any foreign breweries during 2024, although I could have taken a tour of the Estrella Galicia plant, when our cruise ship docked at La Coruña, on Spain’s Atlantic coast. Btw, this company should not be confused with Barcelona’s much better known, Estrella Damm , brewery.

Best beer city

Not so much a city as a distinct area of the West Midlands, the Black Country wins hands-down here, with locally brewed beers from the aforementioned Batham’s, along with Holden’s, plus two surviving traditional, brew-pubs. These are the Beacon Hotel at Sedgley - home to the Sarah Hughes brewery, plus the equally famous Old Swan at Netherton, also known as Ma Pardoe’s.

Best beer festival(s)

Cooper’s Arms, Crowborough. The Dark and Delicious Winter Beer Festival is an annual event hosted by the Cooper’s Arms, Crowborough, at the end of January. It normally features a dozen or so strong, “winter ales”, most of them on the dark side, although not exclusively so. In 2024, participating brewers included Burning Sky, Goacher’s, Arkells, Kernel and Tonbridge. There was also a couple of aged casks from Dark Star (Critical Mass) and Moor Beer (Old Freddy Walker).

Dovecote, Capel, near Tudeley. The pub holds two beers festivals each year, the first being a Green Hop Festival, during late October, plus its own Dark Beer Weekend which takes place in February. Both festivals are quite low-key events but are none the worse for that.

Best beer city

Bath. If we're talking about a city, then Bath ticked all the right boxes, back in November. This was my second pub related visit to this charming Georgian city in two years, with the wonderful Raven pub coming out tops for both beer and food.

 

Best day out

Salisbury. I’ve already mentioned the Black Country and Bath, so the day I spent on my own, visiting the historic city of Salisbury has to feature here. My trip there, back in May, represented my first visit to this charming Wiltshire town, since a since a brief stop over there whilst en route to Cornwall by coach. It therefore represents, my first proper visit to Salisbury.

Best beer book

Cask – The Real Story of Britain’s Unique Beer Culture, by Des De Moor. Unlike 2023, when I confessed that I hadn’t yet read Des’s book, I ploughed my way through this this meticulously researched, and well written book, eventually completing it in May last year. As well as a real labour of love, it is almost certainly the definitive book on cask conditioned beer, or "real ale" as CAMRA still like to call it. Cask isn’t an easy read, and from a casual reader’s point of view, the book is far too long, but if you’re prepared to stay the course it’s well worth the effort.

Best new location UK

Northumberland. A new, and unexplored part of the country for the Bailey family, and we really liked what we saw. Friendly people, attractive and well-kept towns, unspoilt and uncrowded beaches, and plenty of history. We based ourselves in the town of Alnwick, and enjoyed a real relaxing early autumn break, despite the lengthy drive, there and back.

Bucket list places visited for the first time

Rome. Whilst not on my original list, bucket the chance to visit the eternal city was not one to be missed, and on a blistering hot, midsummer day I was part of a tour party from the Queen Anne cruise ship, as we trudged around the Colosseum, the Circus Maximus, the Forum, the Vatican and St Peter’s Square. Worth it, on its own, for the history and the sightseeing experiences.

Cordoba. Again, not on my original list, but no one should turn down the opportunity of visiting this fascinating city. Set in the heart of Andalusia. Cordoba has links to three of the world’s major religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam, with monuments and relics dating back to the middle ages, and before.

That’s it, as far as any “Golden Moments” are concerned. There’s probably stuff that I’ve left out, but it’s getting late, and I need to see the New Year in. Speaking of which, wishing all readers, commentators and critics, all the best for 2025, and thank you for your encouragement and support over the past year.

 

 

 

 

 

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.