Cycle friendly Wetherspoons

[Sweep]

He's also believed to be the source of finance for the EDL.

I'm sorry, this has to be challenged/a request for a source made.

We've already had the thread, about pubs that may be handy for cyclists, turned personal with various charges made against the boss.

Funding anti cycling rants plural - not substantiated with a single reference.

Not selling stuff from places that don't speak English. No reference for this either.

A charge that he is "obnoxious" though no response to a polite response asking why exactly.

and now this.

That is a very serious charge.

I did a quick google for this "believed" but could find nothing.

Do you have a source for this?

Or is something else going on?

Nice day/evening by the way for a sit in the fine Fox on the Hill Denmark Hill garden - possibly one of the best "beer gardens" in London, great view of the capital, these days very often full of folk, several with bikes. Not ranted at. I would upload a pic but don't have one and the online pics don't do it justice.

and no - in case a variant of a charge upthread is made - I don't represent the company or the boss. Never met him. Or communicated with him.

[pete75]

He's also believed to be the source of finance for the EDL.

I'm sorry, this has to be challenged/a request for a source made.

We've already the thread, about pubs that may be handy for cyclists, turned personal with various charges made against the boss.

Funding anti cycling rants plural - not substantiated with a single reference.

Not selling stuff from places that don't speak English. No reference for this either.

A charge that he is "obnoxious" though no response to a polite response asking why exactly.

and now this.

That is a very serious charge.

I did a quick google for this "believed" but could find nothing.

Do you have a source for this?

Or is something else going on?

Nice day/evening by the way for a sit in the fine Fox on the Hill Denmark Hill garden - possibly one of the best "beer gardens" in London, great view of the capital, these days very often full of folk, several with bikes. Not ranted at. I would upload a pic but don't have one and the online pics don't do it justice.

and no - in case a variant of a charge upthread is made - I don't represent the company or the boss. Never met him. Or communicated with him.

I thought someone mentioned his rumoured EDL funding way back in this thread. That's where I got the info from. It's not a serious charge BTW - Mr Martin is entitled to his own political views and is perfectly at liberty to fund any legal political organisation he chooses. The fact that you or I disagree with an organisation he may fund doesn't make him wrong to do so. It certainly doesn't stop me from using his pubs.

[Sweep]

Well thanks for your swift reply Pete.

But your reply is priceless.

And just shows how baseless rumours start.

The only person who mentioned EDL in connection with Wetherspoons (though not the boss) upthread was me!

But not to make the charge you did upthread.

To point out how certain sections of the press, and some people, have it in for spoons.

I mentioned that a journalist (possibly on the Guardian) reported quite gratuitously that SOME marchers on an EDL march had met in a Wetherspoons before the march.

No mention of funding of anything was made by me.

I commend your post, while I await news of the foundations of the anti cyclist rants plural and "obnoxious " charges.

Cheers.
note: besides being an atheist I am a guardian reader - but the Guardian has its faults.

[mjr]

But your reply is priceless.

And just shows how baseless rumours start.

To be fair to Pete, that's nowhere near the start of that rumour. If you search for things like "Wetherspoons" "English Defence League" and "support" or "funding", you can find the accusation circulating on some sites at least back to 2011. It may be just because EDL marches have often started or finished at their pubs and people are putting 2+2 together - but is what they're getting 4 or 5?

Wetherspoons do seem to welcome a lot of far-right groups while banning some immigrant charities, as discussed on scads of sites like https://wessexsolidarity.wordpress.com/ ... -vote-ukip - is it smoke or fire?

[pete75]

The only person who mentioned EDL in connection with Wetherspoons (though not the boss) upthread was me!

But not to make the charge you did upthread.

To point out how certain sections of the press, and some people, have it in for spoons.

I mentioned that a journalist (possibly on the Guardian) reported quite gratuitously that SOME marchers on an EDL march had met in a Wetherspoons before the march.

No mention of funding of anything was made by me.

I commend your post, while I await news of the foundations of the anti cyclist rants plural and "obnoxious " charges.

Cheers.
note: besides being an atheist I am a guardian reader - but the Guardian has its faults.

My mistake - it was in a different thread on boycotts (not Sir Geoffrey ) viewtopic.php?f=15&t=122812&p=1243498&hilit=wetherspoons#p1243498 .

Mr Martin seems very much against paying his staff a decent wage https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/m ... ew-6426547.
It does annoy me when large companies expect to have their wage bills subsidised by the taxpayer. They pay low wages which the taxpayer then has to make up though tax credits, housing benefit etc.

[Sweep]

In the meantime on this wonderful sunny day anyone got any more suggestions for bike accessible spoons gardens/yards/bikeparking? Particularly info on the Norfolk and Suffolk line-up, which I do intend to visit later this year.

The Cambridge spoons does have sheffield stands in the street at the back - I think you may just be able to see them if you sit in the open at the back. I have parked there but as I was using two decent locks felt easy venturing inside. A nice roomy pub, an old cinema. I went there for a nice breakfast having cycled through the night London to Cambridge to check out the Ridgeback Expedition I subsequently bought. Then, fuelled by spoons bacon and beer and several drink-as-much-as-you-want coffee cycled back.

[Graham]

Please avoid unnecessary unpleasantness in your arguments.

[paddler]

that's quite a few awavey - am impressed

Feel free to add any others that come to mind.


The ones in Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft do though have street Sheffield stands outside visible from the pub - I know as I've been. From memory neither are particularly nice pubs but that doesn't mean, as very often the case with spoons, the beer isn't excellent. Seem to vaguely recall drinking something very nice in the Yarmouth one - much appreciated as I'd ridden fully loaded non stop from south London.

They have opened a new one in Gorleston but haven't been.

The Beccles pub is very nice though and had local beer when I popped in for a swift half en route to Reedham Ferry. Agree not cycle friendly as such - seem to remember I fastened my bike to a bit of their street furniture then popped inside for the beer while I friendly local kept an eye on my bike. Then sat outside. One to visit without a bike I think. Thanks for the tip on Bury St Edmunds - one hell of a building - grade 1 listed.

edit - yes I also understand that the short-dated beer thing is urban myth/stuff put around by folk with an agenda

edit edit, may check out the Ipswich one on my pedal back - thanks also for the info on those other two Norwich ones - they sound promising - Queen of Iceni I know as above - modern pub (the cruel might say therefore lacking character) but from experience it is sometimes the modern ones that are more cycle friendly as they have better sight lines/bigger windows for checking the bike - for this reason on my ride Birmingham to London I chose the White Hart in Aylesbury for breakfast.

https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pubs/all- ... -aylesbury

over the far more attractive looking and historic The Bell.

No-one would say the White Hart was an attractive building, looks more like an office from outside, but has its own handy railings at the edge of the seating area. Had a large breakfast in there, several coffees to revive me after an interesting night, then a beer or maybe two for the onward road.

Just to add The Whiffler on the Norwich Ring Road, north side. Had a quick half in there a few weeks back while we discussed a cycling day trip to the Peaks. Can't really say too much about it other than it was very busy ( a Friday evening) and the beer was ok. Just had a good look on Streetview and there was nothing to lock a bike to and no garden - just some picnic tables in the front car park. I've texted my friend who lives nearby so if he has anything to add I'll come back.

May not be an area anyone would cycle through though and not really worth a diversion for.

Dave

Well, my friend did have a look. There is a small garden at the back. The lady in the pub who he spoke to didn't seem all that keen on the idea of bikes in there though and said there was a place to lock them up - but he couldn't find it unfortunately.

Dave

[Cunobelin]

But your reply is priceless.

And just shows how baseless rumours start.

To be fair to Pete, that's nowhere near the start of that rumour. If you search for things like "Wetherspoons" "English Defence League" and "support" or "funding", you can find the accusation circulating on some sites at least back to 2011. It may be just because EDL marches have often started or finished at their pubs and people are putting 2+2 together - but is what they're getting 4 or 5?

Wetherspoons do seem to welcome a lot of far-right groups while banning some immigrant charities, as discussed on scads of sites like https://wessexsolidarity.wordpress.com/ ... -vote-ukip - is it smoke or fire?

Good to see high quality, unbiased journalism without an agenda to promote.

This is the same group who at one point accused Wetherspoons serving cheap beer and Breakfast as pro-Fascist support

the lure of cheap beer from breakfast time could have been made for the E.D.L. to organise its political piss-ups for feckless bigots.

Still at least we haven't had the babies on the menu claim, although the tick box accusations are getting closer

[Sweep]

Please avoid unnecessary unpleasantness in your arguments.

no unpleasantness in anything I have posted in the entire thread, despite being accused of taking payment for posts.

I have always played the ball/issue.

[pete75]

This is the same group who at one point accused Wetherspoons serving cheap beer and Breakfast as pro-Fascist support

the lure of cheap beer from breakfast time could have been made for the E.D.L. to organise its political piss-ups for feckless bigots.

That isn't quite what they're saying is it?

[Sweep]

But your reply is priceless.

And just shows how baseless rumours start.

To be fair to Pete, that's nowhere near the start of that rumour. If you search for things like "Wetherspoons" "English Defence League" and "support" or "funding", you can find the accusation circulating on some sites at least back to 2011. It may be just because EDL marches have often started or finished at their pubs and people are putting 2+2 together - but is what they're getting 4 or 5?

Wetherspoons do seem to welcome a lot of far-right groups while banning some immigrant charities, as discussed on scads of sites like https://wessexsolidarity.wordpress.com/ ... -vote-ukip - is it smoke or fire?

Good to see high quality, unbiased journalism without an agenda to promote.

This is the same group who at one point accused Wetherspoons serving cheap beer and Breakfast as pro-Fascist support

the lure of cheap beer from breakfast time could have been made for the E.D.L. to organise its political piss-ups for feckless bigots.

Still at least we haven't had the babies on the menu claim, although the tick box accusations are getting closer

Yes exactly.

I would encourage all readers of the thread to look at that wessexsolidarity link posted by mjr and mysteriously left in place by the mods, despite apparently wanting to avoid unpleasantness.

The briefest glance allows you to click on the "c" word as a tag for enlightening articles, plus the "w" word and many many others.

The whole site is one long four letter word splattered rant.

Last time I looked it also had an expletive littered take on Brexit which some of the self declared delicate souls on the thread might wonder about. Mr Martin's editorial on the same issue was up in the stratosphere compared to that. A model of lucidity and politeness and Mr Benn. I am of a certain age, as a liberal leftie, where I remember leaflets handed out by the old Class War. It rather reminds me of those.

I must admit to being in a London heatwave spoons at the moment - yard at the back - not a terribly nice yard but OK and accessible from the street. Fine beer - currently on something from these fine folk:

https://loddonbrewery.com/beers

Tasting notes provided.

Will try to dredge up other cycle friendly ones from my memory, pending further researches.

Others welcome from cycle tourists/people of the world.

[Sweep]

This is the same group who at one point accused Wetherspoons serving cheap beer and Breakfast as pro-Fascist support

the lure of cheap beer from breakfast time could have been made for the E.D.L. to organise its political piss-ups for feckless bigots.

That isn't quite what they're saying is it?

do you really want more quotes from that page Pete?

Have you read it?

[pete75]

This is the same group who at one point accused Wetherspoons serving cheap beer and Breakfast as pro-Fascist support

That isn't quite what they're saying is it?

do you really want more quotes from that page Pete?

Have you read it?

I have read it. Most of the article is about Wetherspoons barring travellers from their pubs - something reported by several newspapers and for which they've paid out quite substantial damages.

[Sweep]

I meant have you read that site?

It's a remarkable read.

Do you really want me to treat the thread to some of its expletive ridden insights/opinions?

The travellers/fascist thing is a smokescreen.

My local spoons has allsorts in.

One I can think of never buys a drink.

But is tolerated/accepted.