Pubs Walks Nominated as "Icon of England"

Pubs walks nominated as "icon of England"

A few weeks ago I happened upon a website "Icons – a Portrait of England" which seeks to capture all those elements of everyday life that make England what it is. It invites nominations for just about anything that people consider to be quintessentially English and has so far received over 1100 suggestions.

Nominations to date range from the unsurprising (roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, the English seaside town, afternoon tea and the red pillar box) to the rather more dubious (the word "blimey" and the TV programme "Countdown"). Real ale and our public footpaths are up there with the most popular too.

After a prospective icon has been nominated, visitors to the site simply click on a thumbs up “yes” or a thumbs down “no” to the question “is this an English icon?” and the site shows the percentage vote each way.

Given that pub walks combine two of our strongest traditions, I simply had to nominate them of course. And a Google search shows that this is almost uniquely an English hobby too.

It’s just a bit of fun I know but, if you think pub walks are an English icon, please go to Icons – a Portrait of England and click on the thumbs up “yes” vote! Thanks for taking part.

Today's pub walk: The White Hart (walk 3) in Campton, Bedfordshire.

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Pubs Show Community Spirits to Floods Victims

Pubs Show Community Spirits to Floods Victims

We've all seen the devastation and personal misery of the thousands of people caught up in what is being widely described as the worst floods for 60 years. Pubs themselves have suffered severely too with not only their homes but also their livelihoods under water.

But when a disaster like this occurs, it is always accompanied by a strong sense of community with people from all backgrounds pulling together and helping each other for the common good.

Pubs at the heart of the flooding are helping their communities too, like the publicans I know at The New Inn at Cropthorne, near Worcester. They gave food and overnight shelter to 200 souls who became stranded when a nearby road collapsed. Hopefully when life returns to normality, many of those people who were helped will return to support the New Inn as it works to recover its own business.

Read more at Pubs Show Community Spirits to Floods Victims.

Today's pub walk: The County Arms in Cambridge.

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National Trust beats Pubs in Steak Pie Contest

National Trust beats Pubs in Steak Pie Contest

Against the odds, in a championship cook-off final that included five pub chefs and a single National Trust chef, the sole non-pub contender walked away with the trophy in The National Steak Pie Competition 2007.

The winner was Wimpole Hall in Cambridgeshire with the runners up being pubs spread across the country. All the finalists were commended for the quality ingredients they had sourced so I shall now make it a personal challenge to try and get to try each one!

For details of the winners, click on National Trust beats Pubs in Steak Pie Contest.

Today's pub walk: The Filly Inn (walk 2) in The New Forest, Hants.

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St. Ives wins vote for improved coastal access

St. Ives wins vote for improved coastal access

The Guardian’s ‘Best Seaside Town Award’ has just been won by St. Ives in Cornwall with one of the reasons for it earning this award being cited as improved access for walkers.

The 22 judges included Chairman of the Ramblers’ Association who highlighted members’ enthusiasm for the improved coastal access with public transport around St. Ives helping walkers explore the South West Coast Path.

You might have seen in my previous posting on coastal access that the competition for the Nation’s Favourite Pub Walk has a special "Favourite Coastal Pub Walk" category with its own prize for the person submitting the walk - maybe St. Ives could be the setting for the winning entry for that too!

The coast path here is one of the best stretches in my view with some rugged walking and spectacular coastal scenery. St. Ives also has its share of historic pubs to entice pub walkers and I was already trying to book a last-minute holiday in the area. So keep your eyes open for some new pub walks there this summer (not that I would qualify for my own prize of course)!

To find out more click on coastal access helps St. Ives win award.

Today's pub walk: The Victoria Inn in Plymouth, Devon, which includes a section of the South West Coast Path.


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Natural England Welcomes Return of Goss Moor to the Wild

Natural England welcomes return of Goss Moor to the wild

Last week saw the first occasion when a major trunk road was diverted around a conservation area. It was great news for all those interested in preserving our countryside and natural habitats.

The A30 has been redirected away from Goss Moor, a European Special Area of Conservation and one of the largest areas of wetlands on the south west peninsula. Goss Moor National Nature Reserve in Cornwall has an abundance of rare wildlife such as dormice and adders with this time of year also being an excellent time to visit and see the dragonflies, flowers and heathland.

For more information , click on Goss Moor.

Today's pub walk: The Filly Inn (Walk 2) in the New Forest, Hants.

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Proud of Pubs Week

Are you Proud of Pubs?

The first ever Proud of Pubs Week is underway, running from 8-15 July2007. To mark the occasion there will be a host of special events being run by pubs across the country so it is worth checking out what your locals have up their sleeves.

Some of the events are known to include local cheese evenings, beer tastings, even a "champagne and chocolate" evening for the ladies (why only them?) so it could be a fun week

It is all about promoting our pubs and our pub heritage. Of course another way to support them is to submit a favourite pub walk and get some hungry and thirsty customers through their doors! However you choose to support them, enjoy Proud of Pubs Week!

Today's pub walk: The Fox Inn in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.

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South Downs National Park Campaign Walk with Brian-Blessed

South Downs National Park Campaign Walk with Brian Blessed

Sunday 8th July is the 60th anniversary since the Hobhouse Report recommended to the then Government that 12 areas of land should be designated National Parks. Only the South Downs remains to be made a National Park and there is a strong campaign team trying to make this happen at last.

The South Downs Campaign (SDC) comprises over 100 organisations and they are marking the 60th anniversary with a walk lead by Brian Blessed, outgoing president of the Council of National Parks and a high profile supporter of SDC.

If you want to show your support for the South Downs being made a National Park then why not join them on their walk from Harting Down, West Sussex. Further information can be found at South Downs National Park Campaign Walk with Brian Blessed.

Today's pub walk: The Edinboro Castle in Camden, London.

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Pub Walks Website Short-listed for Web Award

Pub Walks Website Short-listed for Web Award

I am very excited that our website MyFavouritePubWalks.com has just been shortlisted in the "Best Rural Enterprise Website" category of the Hantsweb Awards 2007. When considering the websites, the judges are looking for "good practice, accessibility, ease of use, relevance and, of course, good design".

As a very young website, recognition such as this is invaluable in helping to publicise the site and show what it has to offer all those interested in our pub walking tradition. It would be fantastic to be selected for the final but we'll have to wait and see - there is still plenty of competition out there and we are still working to improve the site all the time!

Further information on the awards can be found at Pub Walks Website Short-listed for Web Award.

Today's pub walk: The Cross Keys in Caxton, Cambridgeshire.

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Smoking Ban is now Law in England

Smoking Ban is now law in England

Today the ban on smoking in public places becomes law, coming into line with Wales and Scotland whch went non-smoking on 2 April and 26 March this year respectively.

This is great news for pub walkers, with fresh air now guaranteed inside the pub as well as on our walks! As pubs fear a loss in beer sales, they need to recover this by improving the quality of their food and this is another very positive outcome.

Add to that all the investment pubs are making in improving their outdoor spaces for the benefit of their smoking customers then meals outside may be even more enjoyable too.

CAMRA have conducted an interesting survey on how the new law with affect the public's use of our pubs and a summary of the results can be found at Smoking Ban is now law in England.

Today's pub walk: The Royal Standard of England in Beaconsfield, Bucks.

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