Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: UK

  • Ely – Flying Dustman

    Ely – Flying Dustman

    I’ve never heard about this rail operation before, although that’s no great surprise since the transportation of rubbish isn’t something that I’m an expert in. Anyway, Biffa have two locomotives which operate across the rail network which transport waste around, meaning that at least journeys don’t have to be undertaken by road.

    I have to give credit to the operators for their train name, the Flying Dustman. Others seem equally impressed, as Biffa are encouraging rail users to post photos of the locomotive to post on Twitter. But just posting here will suffice me, but it’s still all a marvellous idea and, without sounding like a train spotter, I saw this at Ely railway station.

  • Norwich Beer Festival 2019

    Norwich Beer Festival 2019

    And that was a lovely two days of volunteering at Norwich beer festival, my sixth year in a row. Always a friendly environment and I was sad to report that I didn’t even get one grumpy customer this year, although I did get the obligatory one who thought that there was unlimited beer for £3.

    And, primarily for my own record since I can’t imagine anyone is in the slightest bit bothered, these were my favourite festival beers.

    Orange Blood by 3D

    Dark Drake by Dancing Duck

    Robin Goodfellow by Papworth

    Mild by Shipstones

    Stain Glass Porter by Star Wing

    Lemon and Basil by Blackjack

    Cinder Toffee Mild by Half Moon

    Hygge Figgy by Brass Castle

    Dark Matter Custard by Turning Point

    Stagecoach by Tombstone

    Blackberry Porter by S&P

  • Norwich – Brasov Romanian Restaurant

    Norwich – Brasov Romanian Restaurant

    The Hike Norfolk monthly meal was this month at Brasov Restaurant on Dereham Road in Norwich, a relatively new dining option for the city which is well reviewed. The welcome was friendly and seemed genuinely personable, despite the meal’s organiser being concerned about the whereabouts of some of the group (I might have arrived fifteen minutes early…..). Anyway, the table for eight of us was ready and the dining environment was clean and comfortable, with quite a modern design to it.

    The whitebait starter, with the fish being at the appropriate temperature and they were reasonably well coated with the batter. They had a pleasant taste and the portion size was perfectly acceptable. The homemade garlic sauce wasn’t though really to my taste, it was very watery and had no complexity to it other than a very strong garlic flavour which was too overpowering for the whitebait. I think I’d rather have had a tartare sauce with garlic flavouring, but nonetheless, the whitebait themselves were fine.

    I can’t claim any attempt at Romanian cuisine with this little effort of mine here…. The Greek salad was though entirely satisfactory, with a decent quality feta cheese crumbled on the top and cucumber, olives, onions, tomatoes and lettuce underneath. The portion size was reasonable and the quality of the ingredients was fine, with the chips being suitably firm on the exterior and fluffy on the interior. The homemade sauce was very moreish (so moreish I ate most of it, forcing Gordon to get more for the table) and flavoursome.

    Some of the others had Romanian dishes of various types and I think there was a view that they were well presented and interesting, although perhaps lacking a little in seasoning. But Gordon, who as usual ordered the most expensive on the menu, was content with his steak. Although he had the same problem with the garlic sauce as I’d had with my starter.

    The staff were also very tolerant of our group, which as usual went off the rails somewhat when Gordon changed the subject to talk about his money. Or, something like that, I can’t quite recall…..

    We weren’t going to have desserts, other than Gordon who messed the friendly and ever tolerant waitress about, but I doubt he’ll read this for some weeks so I can put that. However, the restaurant brought out this dessert for free, a Papanași, which was a doughnut type pastry with blueberries. This was a very kind gesture and the blueberries and the sauce were delicious and the pastry was light.

    These weren’t my beers, I temporarily stole Dave and Gordon’s beers to take photos of a couple of the Romanian options. My ever more specialist beer tastes inevitably weren’t met at the restaurant, although that’s more to do with me than them. Although I do remember from my last trip to Romania, there were some dark beers available, including a dark version of Ursus. I couldn’t taste the difference between the above beers, I have no ability to really differentiate lagers as they all taste broadly the same to me.

    All told, the service at this restaurant was well above average and it felt a welcoming environment, with the staff member being engaging and personable. I get the feeling that this place is a popular cafe during the day, with some intriguing cakes and coffees available for customers. For food, I was content with my choices, the prices were reasonable and the quality of the ingredients was fine. Ideally though, I’d have liked some better quality bread on the table and that garlic sauce was quite punchy. But, it’s another interesting addition to the city’s dining options and I hope it does well.

    And, I have a week in Romania in February, which will be rather lovely.

  • Woodbridge – 2019 Whole Hog

    For the third year running, I thought it’d be a good idea to take part in the Hike Norfolk team who ran (I say ran, it was more of an occasional fast walk) the eight-mile Whole Hog challenge. I’ve given up being concerned about the whole arrangement now, which is testament to just how brave I’ve become. Or something like that. Above is the photo of us somewhere around half-way round, at around the four-mile mark.

    I think everyone was very brave, although I think I was particularly brave, and we got round together with no injuries. Unlike someone else we met on the route who was surprised into taking part by his wife and then promptly cut his hand open during the course. I seem to be pretty much immune to the cold, but it was apparently colder than during the last couple of years, and certainly muddier. Although since that’s the point of the event, this is a positive.

    There are numerous photos of me from around the course that I insisted the course photographer took, including the above. A few people from the group couldn’t make this year’s event who hoped to be there, but I do hope that everything can make it next year. Especially Gordon, who would very much enjoy it.

    And a photo of Liam and if this isn’t an inspiration to his two children, I don’t know what is. It remains to be seen if the little ones (the children that is) take part in the younger version of the event in future years. My only complaint this year is that there wasn’t a free drink at the end as in previous years, although apparently this is because Adnam’s aren’t sponsoring the event this year because of Brexit. I won’t give my opinion of that situation here.

    As for a review of the course, it was all well laid out and there are some changes every year so it doesn’t become to staid. It’s just about the suitable challenge for me in terms of difficulty, because, I have to face the fact that I’m never going to do a Tough Mudder. Even my bravery doesn’t stretch quite that far.

    And, I’ll enter again for 2020, hopefully this time with a joint Hike Norfolk and an LDWA team, in a bid to get my fourth medal.

  • Norwich – Brewdog

    Norwich – Brewdog

    I’ve been slowly working my way around numerous Brewdog outlets across the UK and mainland Europe, having been won over by their beer and food. Although, it’s the service element that Brewdog seem equally strong at, all combining to make this a popular and on-trend location.

    I had reserved a table for James and myself to try their unlimited chicken wings. This allows diners to have as many chicken wings as they’d like for £10, with the staff bringing out more on request and there is also a vegan alternative involving cauliflower. We didn’t really investigate this option, but I’m sure it’s, well, lovely. We managed to arrive early and the staff member at the bar was helpful and suggested that we order drinks and then we could take a seat in the bar whilst waiting to be shown through to the restaurant area. This all happened efficiently and our table was reserved with a clear sign, it was just like being back in Liverpool for my Deskdog experience….

    This is the first plate that is brought out, with something like twelve chicken wings on it. This is a perfectly generous portion in itself, with a blue cheese sauce and the wings looked appetising and well presented. They also tasted of an excellent quality, with the outside being crispy despite there being quite a thick sauce on them. The sauce was also flavourful, with a slightly hot taste to them, mixed in with some honey. The chicken was also tender and they were very moreish. Which is handy. Also, they were served hot and they seem to have been freshly cooked.

    One thing which is quite unlike Brewdog is that they seem to have fixed some rules to this promotion, although I’m not sure what they are. The first rule is the clearest and is that this promotion must be booked in advance, whether on-line or in the bar in advance (although perhaps it’s possible to negotiate with the bar staff and take part if it’s otherwise quiet). With regards to the other policies, I’ve only discovered these rules from reading reviews of Brewdogs across the country, where some people think they have one hour to order, others two hours and others mention no limit. We weren’t told of any limit and nor we were stopped at any stage, so I imagine that the process is a little informal and flexible. James kept going much longer than me, as I’m far too concerned about maintaining my recent weight loss.

    Another policy is that the blue cheese sauce provided with the first set of wings is expected to last the entirety of the promotion. When diners finish their first twelve wings, they can request another portion and then five wings are brought over. This seems sensible and avoids waste, although the staff member varied in pro-activeness in offering more wings. When James wanted more blue cheese, they didn’t mention this was possible only with an extra payment, which seemed unusually unclear for such a precise chain. It didn’t seem worth querying this 50p when the bill arrived, although if they’re going to charge like that, they should perhaps mention at the beginning that only one portion of blue cheese sauce is included.

    Overall, I was entirely satisfied with the whole promotion and the staff were warm and friendly. Service was sufficiently prompt, although it could have been more pro-active for anyone who wanted to plough through a lot more wings, and I’m sure that there are some. But, Brewdog didn’t fail in terms of providing a clean environment, as well as a comfortable and fun atmosphere. All rather lovely. But they should have mentioned the blue cheese sauce.

    And, I don’t want to make this some Man vs Food blog post, but James went through ten more wings than I did (I think I stopped at 22 wings) which was very impressive.

  • Liverpool – Mathew Street YHA

    Liverpool – Mathew Street YHA

    This YHA is located at the end of Mathew Street, located close to the Cavern Club and the heart of Beatles territory. It was operated by another hostel company until just a few weeks ago and it’s now marketed as a “hip hostel”. I mean, that clearly describes me doesn’t it? Hip? Yeah, maybe not. Anyway, they had an offer of private en-suite rooms for £12 per night, so I was tempted by that alone.

    This was, until recently, a four bed dorm room, although it’s now a double room. The cleanliness was a bit skin deep, as visible surfaces were sort of clean, but other surfaces such as under the bed, and indeed, under any surface weren’t at all clean. But, it’s a little hard to complain at a price of £12 per night.

    I think a lot of the decor actually comes from the previous hostel operation, which was itself not that old. From what I can see, the YHA have tried to take over the ‘hip hostel’ theme here, although it’s all a bit muddled now as it doesn’t quite fit with their usual branding. Although that probably doesn’t matter, it’s just providing cheap and cheerful accommodation.

    Mathew Street is popular with stag and hen groups, as I discovered during my three-night stay. Fortunately, I actually like this sort of background noise, although I can imagine it might irritate some guests. I was pleased they allocated me this room though, it was quite enjoyable people watching down the street.

    The building that the YHA is located in is a former shop and there are some traces of the history of its original use, although it’s not all in great condition. I’ve seen some of the YHA’s recent efforts and I think it’s fair to say that they throw cash at some sites, with refurbishments often being multi-million pound projects. I’m not sure where they get all this money from, as some sites now have the appearance of hotels and seem over-spec’ed, but perhaps that’s what customers demand. This YHA doesn’t seem to have had the same love, it seems to just be a takeover of what was here before, with I imagine some changes now planned in phases.

    The whole set-up was very unlike a YHA though, there’s a strange lack of structure to the site, with an absence of food menus visible at the location, although they are on-line. And the prices for the food are, frankly, way out of proportion with the local competition. They’re charging the best part of £15 for a cheeseburger and pint of beer, which might be tolerable in a quiet out of the reach location in the countryside, but they are literally fifty feet away from a Wetherspoons. It was no real surprise that every time I walked by the cafe there was nearly no-one in it and I never had any idea what time breakfast was served, and that menu isn’t available on-line to check (although I did find the breakfast times on-line when writing this). I’m not really sure why the YHA don’t just set up a cheap bar on the ground floor so that visitors can drink there if they want. If they’re determined to offer a mid-price point restaurant on site, they probably need to put menus in the room, or at least in more visible locations.

    Anyway, I can’t complain too much about this stay as it was so cheap and the location couldn’t have been much better for reaching Liverpool city centre. The YHA seemed quite quiet when I was there, but I’m sure it’ll get a lot busier when people get used to it being there, as for groups it’s a convenient and easy option which isn’t too expensive. For the money, it was all very lovely.

  • Norwich – Spice Valley

    Norwich – Spice Valley

    Thanks to the observant Brian, we managed to get seats at the one year anniversary of the opening of Spice Valley, on Magdalen Street in Norwich. I was aware of this Indian restaurant, but it was one of those places that I hadn’t quite got round to visiting. Free food and drink is though always a way to encourage me to visit….

    The decor was modern and bright, with a staff member welcoming customers on entry. Since the restaurant wasn’t charging for food and drink, it was busy, but there was an orderly feel to proceedings and our party of five was promptly seated.

    The restaurant’s generosity included not just free food, but also free drink. There was a wait on the drinks order being taken, but I can hardly fault that situation given they weren’t charging for them, and I’d add that later on they were pro-actively offering more drinks to customers. I think it’s fair to say that I wouldn’t usually drink Kingfisher, but it was at the appropriate slightly chilled temperature and all that. I understand that the restaurant does sell local beers as well, but their on-line menu doesn’t mention that. If, however,  I discovered that they were selling craft beers, that would be an extra reason for visiting…..

    All very clean and tidy, the dining environment was comfortable and organised.

    It was a little hard to get a photo of the food given how busy it was, but there were some poppadoms, starters and mains. The poppadoms were decent, with some flavour to them, and the onion bhajis and meat samosas were excellent, with the onion bhaji being crispy, but not too hard. I was slightly unsure what the curry was, I think it was chicken korma, with the meat being tender and it had taken on the flavour of the sauce, although it was quite a lightly spiced dish.

    There was nothing at all wrong with the food, although it inevitably wasn’t possible to see how the food would usually be presented because of this one-off service style. And I very much like this whole gesture of inviting customers to have a free meal and drink, it shows that the restaurant is proud of their cuisine and keen to show it off. Since I’m also easily bought, I will likely come back in the near future, so their generosity won’t be entirely wasted on me. One thing that I felt was evident is that if a customer did have a problem, I’m pretty confident that the management would fix it promptly.

    All very lovely.

  • Liverpool – Thomas Rigby’s

    I’ve been to this pub a few times before over the years and it’s an intriguing building with a rich heritage. It takes its name from Alderman Thomas Rigby, a businessman who made his fortune through pubs and hotels.

    The service was excellent and although I was initially a little unexcited by the beer options, I opted for the Nene Valley Brewery’s Dicks’s Extraordinary Bitter (DXB). The ratings for those beer aren’t great, but I thought it was well above average, a malty beer with a rich flavour.

    The back room of the pub which had some character to it, although the television did perhaps get a bit in the way of the whole atmosphere of the room. This pub is listed in the Good Beer Guide, and it’s another entry which I, for what it’s worth, think is entirely justified.

  • Liverpool – The Captain Alexander

    This is a new Wetherspoons for Liverpool, which opened in the city centre in July 2019. It’s perhaps a little generic inside in terms of the design, especially given the money spent on it (£2 million), but it was all clean and comfortable.

    One interesting element to the frontage of the building is that there’s a balcony, which can be accessed by customers, and this was once where a walkway entered the building from the railway station on the opposite side of the road. It was part of the failed, and expensive, attempt in the 1970s by the city council to develop a system of elevated walkways across Liverpool. The new sign installed by Wetherspoons has obscured this slightly, but it’s on the right-hand side, above the “Free House” section of the sign.

    The pub is named after Captain Alexander Allan and he looks an interesting character…. The text about the pub on the Wetherspoon web-site says:

    “On 23 May 1819, Scottish-born sea captain Alexander Allan advertised that the 169-ton brig Jean would shortly set sail for Canada. It was the forerunner of the Allan family’s large North Atlantic fleet of sailing ships. By the 1830s, the shipping-line company had offices in Glasgow, Liverpool and Montreal. Its Liverpool office closed in 1917.”

    I don’t really understand the logic Wetherspoons have had here with the naming of the pub though, Alexander Allan himself didn’t have particularly strong connections with Liverpool. His company did have offices next door to Victoria House, which is the home of the new pub, hence the pub name, but it’s all a bit tenuous. Personally, I’d have thought there were more relevant and interesting stories to be told.

    I opted for the Mash Brewing Challenger which came in at marginally over £1 for half a pint, very reasonable indeed in terms of the price. There is meant to be a taste of fruit (apricots and orange), but I didn’t really get that, but it was a perfectly pleasant IPA and was at the appropriate temperature. It’s not normally the type of beer I’d order, but it’s part of the JD Wetherspoon beer festival which is taking place at the moment.

    The service was all good, efficient and professional, despite the pub being pretty busy when I visited. All rather lovely and although I wasn’t entirely excited by the beer options, at least there were several to choose from.

  • Liverpool – North Western

    The JD Wetherspoon operated North Western pub, located at Liverpool Lime Street railway station. This was the ground floor of the long since closed North Western Hotel, which was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, who also was the lead architect of London’s Natural History Museum.

    The ground floor retains its grand appearance, with plenty of space and some very competitive pricing for a railway station hub.

    Today is the first day of the JD Wetherspoon beer festival, and there are a number of intriguing and interesting options on the pub chain’s list. They’re not all available at once, so it’ll require multiple visits to try and get to see most of them, but I was pleased to see a beer from the Titanic Brewery. The half of this beer, the Another Pint in the Wall, was perfectly well-kept and drinkable, although this wasn’t a drink with strong flavours.

    I’m not quite sure why this pub isn’t in the Good Beer Guide, it has more character and more beers than some of other Wetherspoon outlets in the area. No doubt there is a natural limit to how many of their pubs can be listed in the book, but it’s perhaps unfortunate that this isn’t one of them.

    Staffing in the pub was efficient and there were no delays to the service, even though the pub was reasonably busy at the bar. The environment was comfortable and the choice of beers, and their prices, was excellent. All rather lovely.