Qype: Swingrite Golf Driving Ranges in Haydon

Haydon - Sport - Golf - Driving Ranges


Good old Swingrite! I have very fond memories of coming down here and hitting a bucket full of balls over half terms. Well, last weekend i came back (about 15 years later!)

What's new:

- Pitch and Putt (a 9 hole, short pitch and putt)
- Putting Green
- Extended car park

What's stayed the same:

Pretty much everything else! Still the same old chap behind the counter who limits the number of clubs you can rent at any one time. Still the beat up old Ford Cortina that everyone tries to hit on the driving range AND still the same prices after 15 years. Magic.

Check out my review of Swingrite Golf Driving Ranges - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Blackbrook Tavern in Ruishton

Ruishton - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs


Usually pubs next to Motorways and bordering Premier Inn's are dingy, rough places. The Blackbrook tavern is actually pretty decent though and we ate and drank well here.

Food is cheap and i can recommend the Jungle Chicken Curry. It's nowhere near the level of a "high street cuzza" but the portion size was good and the poppadoms crisp. 3 local ales on tap and very friendly staff. The Blackbrook also puts on breakfast for Premier Inn guests in the morning. Bottomless Full English for £7.50 is a pretty good deal if you ask me!

I won't be rushing back, but i'd recommend it to friends staying in Taunton or driving to the South West.

Check out my review of Blackbrook Tavern - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: All Star Bowling Lanes in London

London - Sport - Nightlife - Bowling - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - American - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Bars


A very cool, 4 lane bowling alley between Holborn and Russell Sq. tube stations. They're going all out on the All American, Happy Days theme here and they kind of pull it off. Ok, Our waitress was called Tracy and she was probably from Dagenham but the outfit was spot on :)

Bowling is pricey, but the lanes are in great condition. We had a couple of technical glitches on Lane 3, but they were soon fixed.

The food here is also decent - Half slab ribs, bacon cheeseburgers, mac n' cheese, philly cheese steaks and all that fatty, American goodness is served up here. I'm also told they do alcoholic milkshakes but i didn't try one.

A fun night out and it probably has the edge on Bloomsbury Lanes just around the corner.

Check out my review of All Star Bowling Lanes - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Taunton Vale Golf Club in Creech Heathfield

Creech Heathfield - Sport - Golf


A very decent Golf courses about 5 miles outside of Taunton. 9 holes will set you back about £14 which is reasonable given the quality of the course. The course itself is relatively forgiving, so it's good for beginners and seasoned golfers alike. Golf shoes and golf dress is not required on the 9 hole course, so if you fancy rocking up and playing in your jeans and t-shirt that's fine (different rules on the 18). Club hire is £5 for a bag of decent clubs.

I'll be back!

Check out my review of Taunton Vale Golf Club - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Old Barn Owl Inn in Taunton

Taunton - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs


The Old Barn Owl Inn is a very nice little pub in rural Somerset. It's a bit off the beaten track, but it's definitely worth the trip.

We came here at the weekend for my grandpas 90th birthday and a good time was had by all. You can get a 3 course meal here for £14 (I can recommend the carrot & apple soup, the chicken in mushroom sauce and the apple pie.) which i think is great value. Excellent outdoor space (with Llamas!) and friendly staff.

Try the real ales! They're local and delicious.

Check out my review of Old Barn Owl Inn - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Premier Inn in Taunton

Taunton - Hotels & Holidays - Hotels


Not a bad Premier Inn and pretty decent value for money. We stayed 2 nights (a Friday and a Saturday) and it worked out at £73 for 2 nights based on 2 sharing a room. Bargain! Beds were reasonably comfortable, shower was hot and powerful and there was no noise from the M5 (I was worried about this when we checked in). Bottomless Full English in the morning was decent (bacon very salty, but that was about my only complaint).

My only gripe with the Premier Inn, Ruishton is the odd smell. The corridors smell like someone was trying to cover something up with industrial cleaning products and the Loos smell like, well, they smelt like wee. Not very pleasant, but what do you expect at such a low price.

All in all a good stay and a good experience.

Check out my review of Premier Inn - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: The Coach and Horses in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Restaurants - British - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs


Now this is a good pub.

Personal service, great real ale, a cracking quiz night and phenomenally good, cheap food. I can highly recommend the Indian style and sausage and beans scotch eggs. They sound strange, but they're absolutely delicious. It's this sort of unusual, but wonderful cuisine which seems to have really triggered The Coach and Horses' popularity beyond EC1 to across the whole of London. It's just a really good pub, and now that i've been, i can see why people are willing to travel great distances to come here.

I'll be back, but i'll be sharpening up my food trivia before i'm back for the quiz!

Check out my review of The Coach and Horses - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: The Punchbowl in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs


The Punchbowl is not your everyday sort of pub. Tucked down a side street in Mayfair, this Guy Ritchie boozer is about the most opulent place serving Bombardier I think I've ever been in. Clientele are local (and filthy rich as you would expect), save for a few American tourists and a couple of stilletoed, Saturday night slappers looking to bag a millionaire. Plenty of ales on - Deuchars, London Pride and 2 or 3 more. What really makes this pub so good though is the food. The posh sausage and mash was awesome. Toulouse sausages, creamy mash and tasty gravy. Not cheap (£14.95), but to be honest, I'm happy to pay £5 over the normal pub rates for a meal of such quality. Service was friendly and attentive even though they were quite busy.

Will I be back soon?

Probably. It's near my office and it would be a decent place to take a date or celebrate a special occassion. It's expensive and I definitely wouldn't come here on a Friday night with my mates, but if you're looking for something a bit special, this could be the place for you.

Check out my review of The Punchbowl - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Chuckle Club in London

London


The Chuckle Club has been running for 24 years and proudly labels itself "central London's best comedy show". While i wouldn't go that far, it is still a cracking night out. We came here on Saturday night and saw 3 great comedians (one was a bit iffy, but then that's always the case with comedy clubs isn't it!?).

The King's Union is a nice venue and the beer was dirt cheap. Entry for Joe Public is £13 and students only have to pay a fiver.

Check out the list of people that have performed at the Chuckle Club (below)! Pretty impressive, but i can't help but feel this place has had a slight fall from grace since the glory days of Mike Myers and Robin Williams.... Anyway, it's a good night out

Comedians that have appeared at the Chuckle Club:

Al Murray
Eddie Izzard
Frank Skinner
Harry Hill
Lee Evans
Mike Myers
Robin Williams
Paul Merton
Russell Brand
Simon Pegg

Check out my review of Chuckle Club - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Imbibe Bar & Restaurant in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs - Nightlife - Clubs


A bit of a weird one this....

I couldn't work out whether it was a pub or a restaurant when i walked in. Part of me wanted to wait to be seated and the part wanted to canter up to the bar and order a pint of Amstel. Very odd.

In Imbibe's defence, they do have a very decent outdoor area, decent beer selection (although limited ale) and what looks to be quite nice food (although they do serve it on chopping boards, so expect the price of your meal to be bumped up by £2!).

I won't be rushing back, but i can see this as a nice summer watering hole for those living and working around southwark/London Bridge. Might be worth checking out the Pub Quiz on Tuesday nights.

Check out my review of Imbibe Bar & Restaurant - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: Macaron in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Cafes & Coffee Shops


For some reason i always assumed that "Macaron" (or "Boulangerie" as i call it) was part of the Pavement Cafe. It's not. Figured that out at the weekend.

They do an excellent croque monsieur in here and i can also recommend the sandwiches and pastries. For residents of clapham, this is a fantastic place to pick up a french stick in the morning (although it is kinda pricey).

A hidden gem of Clapham.

Check out my review of Macaron - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: White Hart in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs


The White Hart is a cracking pub and, even though i don't know Crystal Palace that well, i'm assuming it's one of the finest boozers in the area.

What makes it so good then?

Beers - Cracking selection of real ale (including locally sourced wandle and junction + classics like doom bar). The also stock German wheat beer Franziskaner which is always nice to see!

Roast - My roast dinner yesterday was outrageously big (but still very, very tasty). If you're coming here for your sunday dinner, i'd recommend skipping breakfast.

Quiz Machine - It wasn't switched on, but i'm sure it works. You score extra points in my book if you have a quiz machine ;)

Staff - Everyone seemed very friendly and our meals arrived relatively quickly given that they were quite busy.

I'll be back for the monday night pub quiz!

Check out my review of White Hart - I am ahunter - on Qype

Qype: The Alma in London

London - Eating & Drinking - Pubs & Bars - Pubs


If you've got a picture of Optimus Prime on the side of your pub, you're alright in my book :)

The Alma is a very nice little pub on church road in the heart of Crystal Palace. This boozer was our starting and finishing point for this weekends "London Classic" bike ride and was the perfect venue for drinking beers in the sunshine after the race.

We didn't try the food, but the beer selection was solid and the staff were very nice. What makes this place special though is the outdoor area. Enough space to seat at least 50, the Alma is a perfect pub for catching some rays on a warm sunday afternoon (i'm told they do barbecues too!)

I'll definitely be back.

Check out my review of The Alma - I am ahunter - on Qype