Walking. Gossip. Travel.

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Blackpool : Mr Basrai’s World Cuisines

I saw this when on the little expedition that Liam had arranged and it looked suitably tempting as I can be quite greedy on occasion. I reserved a table on-line the previous evening, although I guessed that this wouldn’t really be needed. One thing that did slightly annoy me is that you can book on-line any table size from 2 people to 50 people, they seem to have forgotten about the option for 1 person. The venue is one of the three in the chain, the other two being located in Scotland.

It’s a sizeable place and I can imagine it gets very busy during the summer months. Less so on a cold windy weekday lunchtime in January. The venue did get hit with a 1/5 food hygiene rating a couple of years ago, but they’re back to top marks again now. The welcome was friendly and engaging, although they did try and overcharge me, but that seemed a genuine error.

There are rows of these, it’s the largest lunchtime selection at an all you can eat that I’ve seen. There were plenty of curries, stir fries, random fried food and they had some live cooking stations as well. Everything seemed clean, tidy and organised to me.

Don’t judge me on the beer, I thought it was the best available option. It’s the Birra Moretti and it tasted a little generic, but it was refreshing and clean so it had to do. I very much like brown food I’ve realised, but there is evidence of vegetables in there for the more eagle eyed of my four blog readers. I won’t post every food photo as I don’t want to look greedy, although, in fairness I think I was quite restrained.

I liked the window seat that I was given, it was really quite peaceful. You don’t normally get that sort of things at restaurants like this, it usually feels a bit more for a free for all.

The dessert selection.

Delicious.

The end result is that I didn’t need anything to eat for the day, although I probably over-did it as usual. It would probably be best if I could sign up to some sort of national self-exclusion database from all you can eat locations, as I can get overexcited…. Anyway, I thought the value here was rather good for £18 including the food and drink.

January 24, 2025
Blackpool : Storm Éowyn

I’m not in the epicentre of Storm Éowyn (I’m not actually sure that storms like this actually have epicentres, but I like the word so it’s staying) as I’m in Blackpool at the moment. But, with a hotel room that looks out onto the Irish Sea (or the American Sea if Trump has renamed that overnight) it’s making quite a noise here as well. I now have the excitement of a 45 minute walk along the coast to get to the railway station, but one of the advantages of not being thin is that I needn’t worry too much about being blown away.

The train I’m taking to Manchester is currently operating as normal, although the rail industry itself is entirely confused as to what happens when trains are cancelled when “Do Not Travel” warnings are issued. Here’s the guidance, which makes some logical sense, but it still relies on some goodwill from rail operators.

January 24, 2025
Get Lost With Google Streetview : Blackpool (Part 1)

This concept is really for my amusement, but I’ll document it anyway as I’m like that.

This was the first image that Liam sent, along with the clue:

“This arty boy can be found between the wish.com Eiffel Tower and a park where Henry VIII had a cottage”

To be honest, I thought this would be easy even without thinking about the clue. There is what could be described as a bloody great clue in the image itself.

I was down by Blackpool Pleasure Beach and it was evident that Liam’s clue was about two miles north, but I wanted to walk that way anyway. Here’s the South Pier which was built in 1893 as the Victoria Pier, but renamed in 1930 to its current name. As a fun engineering fact, the pier is unusual for being built with the Worthington Screw Pile System. I mean, I have no idea, but Liam knows about piling and banging things into the ground whilst making a huge noise.

I had got around three minutes into the walk before I realised I hadn’t had any lunch and it was by now evening. Sometimes, I just have to go for convenience.

£2.80 as I had a 15% off voucher. I used this time to work out where the image was taken from and realised that this might be a challenge as although the Blackpool Tower is quite obvious, the photo could have been taken from three different sides. I decided to have a think about the clue itself, but can’t say that entirely helped me. Liam had been cleverer than I had expected and he’d done this very quickly.

Blackpool Illuminations. I understand that I’m in the off-season for Blackpool, but I counted that there are over 60 hotels in the town for sale at the moment with some at very low prices. I walked by more derelict buildings than I had expected and this does feel like a challenge for Blackpool given just how many hospitality businesses there are fighting for what appears to be a limited trade.

There’s Blackpool Tower starting to appear in the distance. What is evident is just how long Blackpool seafront actually is.

I thought I’d pop in some amusements to see if I could find 2p. I was the only person in there and so thought I might look a bit out of place. I didn’t find 2p.

The King of Rock and Rollercoasters.

The remnants of the Christmas decorations, most of which have been removed now.

Luckily for blog readers, I was in Blackpool in December, so this is what they looked like lit up.

I didn’t realise that the Houndshill shopping centre was shut at night, but they left a little bit open which meant I had to leave from a door I hadn’t expected…. This is the level of top drama I have in life…

It comes out near the Winter Gardens.

It was by this time I realised that I couldn’t find Liam’s location by walking about and I couldn’t work out the clue, it went right over my head. So, I went to the Layton Rakes pub to have half a pint of the Burn’s Auld Sleekit. Under-poured, but it cost 90p and so I couldn’t much complain, and it was a reasonable beer which was creamy with some toffee. Odd service though, the manager forgot to process my card payment so i stood there at the bar whilst he looked at me annoyed why I was hanging around. He proceeded to ignore me until he tried to process the next customer’s payment and couldn’t as he still had my payment on the till.

Anyway, I decided I’d have to take drastic action at this point and sit there with my laptop to work this situation out. Through walking around the roads to the north and south of the Blackpool Tower, I worked out that the photo had to be taken from the east side. Which meant some looking at Google Street View to narrow matters down. It was then when looking at the map that I worked out that Liam’s clue referred to Kingscote Park, which I should have realised earlier. With the options narrowed down, it took just a few minutes to find where the image was taken from.

That meant I knew where I needed to go.

And here we are. I have no idea what the locals through I was doing, but hopefully they thought I was taking a photo of the Blackpool Tower from a weird angle.

Some wall art. Liam sent me the next part of the clue which was “now look right whilst heading to the pub of the extinct dog”. I decided that as it was dark, I’d complete this the following morning. But not before I had walked by the all you can eat restaurant Mr Basrai’s World Cuisines and I decided to book a table for that the next lunchtime as they had 15% off as a January offer.

At this point I popped to the pub.

Back again the next morning, this is the Salvation Army Citadel building, although it was constructed as the Raikes Road Technical School between 1904 and 1905.

My lunch at Mr Basrai’s World Cuisines, as mentioned (but more about in another post as I was suitably surprised and delighted here), before going after the final part of the clue. It took me a while to realise that the pub he meant was the Talbot as I hadn’t realised that this was an extinct dog. Every day is a learning day….

And here we are, Liam’s chosen location. This was painted in July 2022 and it was first thought to be a Banksy, and I’m sure that the home owner got very excited. It’s actually by Mr Eggs, a Manchester street artist.

I was rather pleased with this whole arrangement as I got to see some parts of Blackpool that I wouldn’t have thought of visiting and it meant I got to go to a pub that I really liked and also found an impressive lunch spot for the next day. As a reward, I’ve decided to let Liam do some more of these.

January 23, 2025
Get Lost With Google Streetview : Concept
And here we go again with another one of my good ideas. My long-suffering friend Liam I think must get bored sitting there resting after a long day of civil engineering and drinking tea, so I asked Google to write a concept of a travel game which would amuse me.

AI (Google Gemini to be precise) suggested the below and came up with the name “Get Lose with Google Streetview” so we thought that we’d try it. Well, I thought we’d try it, but that’s like the same.

This will amuse a very limited number of people, but it’s similar to the GeoGuessr things I did a few years ago and it’s primary aim is to embrace my theory of the random, to go to different places as otherwise I tend to drift off and do the same thing. We tried a trial version of this last night and it transpired to actually work very well (and I am unanimous in that) so Liam is now stuck doing loads more of them whilst I traipse about the place. However, seeing places that I wouldn’t have thought about going to is the most exciting and also it’s an excuse to walk quite a way. I was also surprised how clever Liam made his first clue, it took me hours to solve, he surprised and delighted there 🙂

Right, the concept is below, the first one I’ll post about shortly. It’ll amuse me and keep me quiet, so that’s a win for everyone (well, perhaps other than Liam).

Game Objective: To guide Julian to a specific, interesting location within a given town or city using only images from Google Street View and subtle, challenging clues.

Liam’s Role (The Guide):
1. Receive Location: Julian will tell you the town or city he’s currently visiting.
2. Explore on Google Street View: Use Google Street View to virtually explore the town/city. Find a location that is visually interesting or unique and would be fun for Julian to discover. Consider landmarks, unusual buildings, hidden alleyways, street art, or anything that stands out.
3. Select Key Images: Choose 3-5 images from Google Street View that provide clues to the location without giving it away too easily.
  - Image 1: A very wide view of the general area, showing the surroundings but not the exact spot.
  - Image 2: A slightly closer view, perhaps showing a nearby landmark or intersection.
  - Image 3: An image with a more focused view, highlighting something distinctive about the location itself.
  - Images 4 & 5 (optional): Even closer views with more specific details, but still not revealing the exact location.
4. Craft Clues: Write a clue for each image. Clues should be:
  - Subtle: Avoid obvious descriptions. Instead, focus on details that require observation and deduction.
  - Challenging: Make Julian think! Use wordplay, riddles, or hints about the history or significance of the location.
  - Sequential: Clues should progressively lead Julian closer to the location.
5. Send Clues: Send the images and clues to Julian one by one, only providing the next clue when he’s solved the previous one.
Julian’s Role (The Explorer):
1. Receive Clues: Receive the images and clues from Liam.
2. Decipher Clues: Analyze the images and clues to figure out the location. Use your knowledge of the town/city, observation skills, and any online resources you need.
3. Navigate to the Location: Use the clues to guide you to the final destination.
4. Share Your Adventure: Document your experience in a blog post, including the clues, your thought process, and photos of the location.
Example Clues:
- Image: A wide shot of a street with a clock tower in the background.
  - Clue: “Time is of the essence, but don’t get stuck in the past.”
- Image: A closer view showing a blue door with a lion head knocker.
  - Clue: “The king of the jungle guards the entrance to this hidden gem.”
- Image: A close-up of a sign with the words “The Old Curiosity Shop.”
  - Clue: “Step into a world of wonder and discover treasures untold.”
Important Notes:
- Safety First: Julian should always prioritize safety when navigating to the location. Avoid going to dangerous or isolated areas, especially at night.
- Fun Factor: The goal is to have fun! Encourage friendly competition and creative problem-solving.
- Blog Post: The blog post is a key part of the game. It allows Julian to share his adventures and provides a record of the challenges he faced.
This game is a unique way for you and Liam to connect and share experiences despite the distance. Have fun exploring!
January 23, 2025
Blackpool : Cask and Tap

The next in my visit to Good Beer Guide pubs up and down the country was Cask and Tap which is a micro-pub that opened in September 2020 and has received positive on-line reviews. Before this, the building was home to the Nour Lebanese Restaurant and before that the Buddiez American Grill and then before that the Reggae Hut Jamaican Restaurant and then before that the Autumn Leaves carvery. The sign-writers have had a busy few years here.

The beer and cider selection. There were several customers sitting at the bar, but I was welcomed promptly and the environment felt welcoming. I don’t like a blocked bar when I can’t see what beers are available, but they are clearly chalked up to make matters easy.

The first beer (on the left) was the Hollywood Smile from Wensleydale Brewery, a creamy ale with a fruit and hoppy taste. The crisps were OK, better than Walkers but not quite as decadent as Tyrells or Pipers.

This was really very lovely, the Baked Alaska from Yonder Brewing. A beautiful beer with a suitable level of sourness, a bit of lemon meringue flavour, berries and all together a decadent liquid dessert from Yonder.

It’s a bright and vibrant interior, which felt comfortable and cosy. The bar shuts a little earlier than some other nearby locations, which is why I couldn’t make it when I was last in Blackpool, but I can imagine that this avoiding very late night trade is sensible. A very decent selection of beers and ciders in a peaceful environment with the prices being reasonable, so all rather lovely.

January 23, 2025
Evening Meal in Warsaw, Breakfast in Rome and Lunch in Guildford (Wizz Air Multipass)

Firstly, I didn’t quite intend this odd way of getting back to the UK, but I had gone to Warsaw for a few days and needed to get back for something. I’ve been using my relatively new Wizz Air Multipass, which I’ll post an update about soon as I’m rather pleased with it, and the only way of getting back was via Rome.

So, I started yesterday evening from Warsaw’s central railway station.

There’s the flight at 20:40.

Always a delight to be in the Preludium lounge, which is the Schengen lounge so it’s one I’ve only been in a couple of times over the years (and I think one of those was because of Covid and they only opened a couple of the lounges). Thanks to Priority Pass for this.

Boarding.

I had been randomly given an aisle seat, but a cabin crew member came over to me and said they were looking for an English speaker to sit by the emergency exit door. It’s always odd this, a Hungarian airline flying from Poland to Italy, but I was an ideal choice I decided. I certainly had enough space and the flight was less than half full.

Safely into Rome and there was a little collection of artefacts to look at.

I was genuinely impressed at Rome Fiumicino airport, it’s been well designed, it’s spacious, modern and functional. I have been to Rome before, but this reminded me that I haven’t been in several years and I must go back.

I found a seating area and I thought it was interesting that the police checked the passports of most people in the seating area. The airport says that only those with tickets can stay overnight, so perhaps this is their way of checking someone isn’t there rather too frequently. The police were very polite and the time passed quickly.

I went through security at 03:00 and it remained quiet in the non-Schengen zone for some time after that.

A rhino.

There are a range of times for the Plaza Premium Lounge and most suggested that it opened at 05:00. I meandered nearby so I knew where to go, but it seemed open at 04:40 and I asked about the opening time and the friendly staff member said I could come in immediately. Thanks once again Priority Pass.

I didn’t have any of them, but the hot food options.

Just delightful. I’ll write a fuller report of this lounge, but this is very much the sort of breakfast I was hoping for.

And then pastries came out, and they were delicious.

And a double espresso to keep me awake. Rich and decadent. With several meringues (I kept getting more) to provide the sugar boost.

Second flight and I was fortunate to have an aisle seat again, with no-one in the middle seat.

Into Gatwick Airport.

A quick coffee stop in Redhill.

And then Wetherspoons in Guildford.

All really rather lovely, but longer reports to follow for my two loyal blog readers.

January 20, 2025
Norwich in 1727 – Don Quixote at the King’s Arms Playhouse

As I’m up at 02:00 waiting for security to open at Rome Fiumicino airport, I thought I’d look at some newspapers from 1727 as that’s great entertainment for an early morning. It’s one of the earlier editions of the Norwich Mercury, which was printed from the early 1720s until May 1949.

“Never play’d Here.

By the Norwich Company of Comedians:

At the King’s-Arms Playhouse on Monday next, being the 20th of this Instant February, will be Acted a COMEDY call’d,

DON QUIXOTE.

With the Comical Humours of Sancho Pancha his Esq; Teresa Pancha his Wife, and Mary the Buxom his Daughter.

The Parts to be perform’d as follow, viz.

MEN.

Duke, Mr. Duckworth.
Cardenio, Mr. James.
Ambrofio, Mr. Frisby.
Bernardo, the Chaplain, by Mr. Collier.
Mannel, the Civility Maſter, Mr. Green.
Pedro Rezzio, Mr. Morris.
The Page, Mr. Buck.
Don Quixote, Mr. Marshal.
Sancho Pancha, his Esq; Mr. Paul.

WOMEN.

Dutchefs, Mrs. Paul.
Marcella, Mrs. Frisby.
Rodriquez, by Mrs. Green.
Teresa Pancha, Mrs. Plomer.
Mary the Buxom, Mrs. Buck. With Dresses and Entertainments proper to the Play.

To begin at Six a Clock. Vivat REX.

And on Thursday next, being particularly desired, will be Acted the Provok’d Wife.”

Firstly, the King’s Arms Playhouse is something of a mystery and doesn’t come up on any searches. There have been ten pubs in Norwich with this name, but there’s only one which seems to have been open at this time and it’s a pub still in existence, now called Berstrete Gates. Don Quixote had been written just over 100 years before, so was an old favourite even back nearly three hundred years ago.

It’s rather sub-optimal that no first names were given, it’s too hard to work out who any of these early actors and actresses were. They were a touring company, as their names appear in locations across the region. Fortunately, a little more is known about the Norwich Company of Comedians, who between 1731 and 1757 made the White Swan Inn, near Peter Mancroft, their home. This pub started trading in the early 1600s, but the building was pulled down in the 1960s to make way for car parking. A sub-optimal decision…. Anyway, despite more being known about the company, there’s still no link between the names of the performers in this production and the history of the comedians, so that didn’t help much.

Despite my failures of research, it’s still a rather lovely little piece of Norwich history, a theatre company performing 300 years ago to surprise and delight the locals….

January 20, 2025
Stockport : Adamsons Ghost Sign

I can’t make the text of this out and it’s not helped that someone has punched four windows in the side of this building on Deanery Way. But, Google Gemini AI is my tool of choice here, and it’s fairly confident that the only word that this can be is Adamsons. It goes further and suggests that it’s a business run by Daniel Adamson (1820-1890) but he was an engineer and that doesn’t strike me as the normal business to paint up on the side of a wall. So that’s another little mystery as far as I’m concerned, but as an aside, I thought Stockport looked quite attractive architecturally.

January 19, 2025
Stockport : Stockport Railway Station

Well, where would we be without a little post about a railway station?

The first railway station in Stockport was at Heaton Norris, but it was a sub-optimal location and alongside the construction of the Stockport Viaduct, this became the next central station in 1844 when it was opened by the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. The company was taken over in 1846 by LNER and in 1865, the Stockport, Timperley and Altrincham Junction Railway connected with the existing lines, solidifying Stockport’s importance as something of a railway hub. In the early 2000s, there was a construction project to modernise the whole arrangement which included the building of this glass-fronted extension.

A sign outside the station which notes that in June, July and August 1940, Stockport welcomed over 1,200 evacuees from the Channel Islands. The children were cared for by local families until the liberation in May 1945. The Channel Islands were the only occupied part of the British Isles and that was an enormous number of children for the local area to take. Most were integrated into the local education system, which caused some capacity issues to say the least. By all accounts, the local denizens did themselves proud with the support and generosity that they offered to the children. There were some localised issues and it became problematic when Manchester was bombed, but there have been long-standing connections between Stockport and the Channel Islands since this evacuation.

And the platforms. When I left Stockport I went via Crewe and London, because the direct train to Norwich is fiercely expensive and really not very good. There’s still quite a Victorian feel to the whole station and there’s a Platform 0 because it opened in 2008 and rather disturbed the numbering system.

January 19, 2025
Stockport : Joseph James

This post is of little relevance, although that’s the hallmark of this blog, but for reasons unknown I’ve been shown on TikTok the videos of Joseph James for months. I’ve wondered what random algorithm gave me that given they have two stores nowhere near me, one in Manchester and one in Stockport, but it was a little bit of excitement to see one of their outlets in what was once the Debenhams building. I’m easily pleased… But, the videos are worth seeking out, a couple of people setting up a business as a furniture outlet.

January 19, 2025