Thirty Years and Two Durham Breweries to Work Out I Like Pale Ale
Thirty years of drinking the wrong thing, then two Durham breweries sorted it out. Hill Island, Durham Brewery, and finally knowing what I like.
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The Day After the Coronation
We drove to Windsor on 7 May 2023, the day after the coronation, expecting a walk in the park. We got William and Catherine at the barriers and a drone show over the Long Walk.
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Windsor: The Town Behind the Castle
Four visits, never once inside the castle. What Windsor is actually like from the outside: the riverside walk to Eton, the Crown swans, and the streets behind the tourist end.
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Windsor Craft Beer, Compared
Five venues, five different reasons to pick one over another. If you want the full rundown on each stop, it’s all in the Windsor Taps full line-up post. Here’s the quick-reference version. Quick comparison VENUE LOCATION TYPE PRICE BEST FOR FOOD VERDICT Windsor & Eton Brewery↗ Map Vansittart Estate Brewery taproom ££ Families & groups…
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Windsor Taps — The Full Line-Up
Windsor got more going on for craft beer than you’d expect from a town this size. Five stops, each with its own character. Here’s the lot, in the order you’d naturally hit them coming from the castle. Windsor & Eton Brewery (Unit 4 Taproom) Windsor & Eton Brewery sits on the west side of Alexandra…
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Royal Ascot: A First-Timer’s Honest Verdict
A guest post from Dylan — our daughter’s partner, attending Royal Ascot for the first time in 2025. I should state for the record that I am not a horse person. I have no strong feelings about horses in either direction, which I considered a perfectly reasonable position before attending an event where horses are,…
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Royal Ascot: The Day Itself
We got lucky with the weather both years — properly hot, occasionally a little too hot for the suit-and-fascinator combination, but that’s a reasonable price for actual sunshine at an outdoor event in England. The Royal Procession The Royal Procession is the centrepiece of the afternoon. The crowd lines the course, the carriages come through…
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Royal Ascot: Getting Ready — Tickets, Dress Code and Getting There
An ad for Royal Ascot popped up on my phone recently, and it sent me straight back to planning our two visits — the first a few years ago, and again in 2025. Both times it was Ian’s idea of a birthday present for me, delivered roughly a month after my actual birthday. Neither of…
