INSIDE THE WORLD OF MEETUP

  I'd been given an organizers spot on a drunken night out years ago but never got round to actually using it. I used a day off work to plan a route that I posted on meetup. Initially I was a bag of nerves especially having to post details on parking (I don't drive), planning for bad weather and what to do if people turn up late. The attendee list never went higher than 16, overall 26 people signed up, 7 attended including myself, some dropped out on the day and some dropped out without updating on the website. Expecting a mud bath we headed into Cotgrave country park and followed the Grantham canal all the way to Bassingfield. The ground was reasonable, the weather was mild and the conversations were flowing. It's a lot easier with a  small group. We crossed the fields, the busy main road and had a short pitstop at the garage before heading into Skylarks nature reserve. The path to the river Trent was the only major muddy part which we overcame in a few minutes...

  Arrived early with accommodation booked expecting a very busy night out. Walked into town and it didn't seem any different to a normal weekend night. Met in Weatherspoon's expecting it to be 3 deep at the bar but we all found a table without any problems. The plan was to stay in there until 11pm then head to the fan club. Some of the "usual suspects" didn't turn up and it had an "older crowd" feel about the night.  The fan club quickly filled up and it turned into a "good but nothing special" kind of night. Left around 2:30am.  

  Met in the Bell Inn where we stayed for a couple of hours before taking a walk around the Christmas market.  Unfortunately a small error in judgement ruined most of the night. I waited for a tram to pass while the others ran across the road just before the entrance. In doing so I lost the group in the tightly packed crowds for the next 2 hours. I walked around and grabbed a venison burger (nice but overpriced). Giving up I went to Weatherspoon's for free Wi-Fi to find they had gone to the Pit and Pendulum, only on arrival to discover they had gone to pitcher and piano.  By the time I caught up with them there was less than an hour to my train and the group was starting to disperse. 

  Not the sort of thing I ever envisioned myself doing on meetup but nothing else was happening that day and the weather was awful. I'd debated with Chris on numerous issues on walks and was persuaded to join his group. They meet in a downstairs room at the malt cross every 6-8 weeks.  It began with a 30 minute slideshow highlighting the good and bad of the pharmaceutical industry (which to be fair was well balanced). Followed by a debate, I thought 20 people was far too many but about a dozen people including myself did the majority of the talking. For the record I'm pro science, pro vaccine and consider the alternative medicine industry a scam. Needless to say a hardliner who promoted the theory that covid vaccines make you magnetic (a fringe theory even among antivaxxers) dominated most of the conversations. I expected a lot to be like her but the group was balanced, the debate was civilised. There were a wide range of subjects which off topic such as face to face...

  Meeting in Weatherspoon's for a well needed breakfast it was cold crisp but clear day, perfect for walking. We headed downriver across the suspension bridge onto Melton road, I thought it was going to be a mostly urban walk until we got to an old trainline called the green line all the way to Edwalton.  The half hour stop for coffee was well needed.  We headed past the gold course and followed the canal back to the city as it was starting to get dark. An excellent walk, unfortunately no pictures.

  Essentially the same meetup at 3 weeks earlier but started in a different pub. "The Bell" was a far better venue than last time as all of us fitted around2 big tables and it was easy to socialise. The venue was busy and I felt a big pushed by the group organizer to be the one to talk to a socially awkward guy who was sitting alone. Moved up to the stage as per last time where the older crowd gradually dispersed after 7PM. Another fairly average night.  

 An evening out in Nottingham with few expectations. Met the group in Faradays which seemed more of an eating places with lots of tables reserved. A dozen of us turned up most of which were older than I was. Due to limited space we got split up across the venue which limited conversations for the first 2 hours. We then moved up the road to The Stage which far more lively and suitable. After the initial few drinks the night improved, but people started leaving. By this point I was clock watching for the train and left around 8:30. An average night at best.

  I was originally meant to be going walking but the event got cancelled a couple of days before. Hockley Hustle was a massive event advertising 400 acts over 40 venues. Far too big to be researching on YouTube, the little research I did do I forgot to transfer to phone and turned up clueless anyway. We met for breakfast in Weatherspoon's before being taken on a walking tour of the venues. This was interesting as I seen many streets and pubs I'd never seen before. Starting off in rough trade we seen the first 2 acts, Jonny Olley then Kelsey and the Embers. Both were entertaining and it was a good start to the day.  Everyone wanted a change of scenery so next stop was Billy Bootleggers, nice venue but too quiet for my taste.  Then it was onto the very modern looking metronome to see Sancho panza which I liked. The others went to back to rough trade but I stayed to watch these a bit longer. But the time I arrived it was getting crowded and there was no chance of gettin...

  I was not up for a big night out so turned down the opportunity to go to Nottingham. The pub was completely packed out and it took 10 - 15 minutes before I found the group tucked into a corner.  It's wasn't a cheap place with a beer costing 30% more than in my local. While the food was also overpriced the burger I had was far more filling than expected. I met a couple of people from previous meets but overall it was a much older crowd. Most dispersed as soon as we finished eating.  There was talk of going to the White Hart but I was clock watching for the bus by that point and went home an hour earlier than planned. 

    I had a choice of Strelley on Saturday or Beeston canal on Sunday. Having done Beeston only a few months earlier I opted for the Saturday walk. We met at Strelley hall and headed west crossing the M1.  It was a warm sunny day and a flattish, easy enough walk. We headed south then back to the road near where we started. Had an hour of coffee and cake at Strelley hall then headed home.

  This wasn't such a "night out drinking" as more of a meeting. A newcomer to meetup was starting his own group and wanted ideas. We sat in a corner of the Jam Garden pub in Loughborough for a couple of hours. I went to this because Loughborough needs a successful meetup group and it would vastly cut down on the amount of traveling I would have to do.

  It was a good turnout of around 20 people and great weather, meeting outside the very busy Jenno's coffee house. The walk followed the canal north past the past the tea rooms where we previously had an issue with the owner.  I was hoping that we wouldn't be repeating too much of that walk but we only did about 20% of it in the end. We turned around following an old railway line back for more coffee.

  Derby Sociables has been a bit thin on the ground for suitable events so it was good to get a walk not too far from home. Despite the weather forecast the turnout was around a dozen in Aston on Trent. I'd never been here before.......... We set off across the fields in the direction of Shardlow where the festival was taking place. It was very busy in terms of people and boats. There was a temptation to have a stop in a pub but the queues and risk of getting "too comfortable" made us decide against it.  The route back was along the canal, by this point the heat was getting far too much and it was very uncomfortable. I was glad to get to the malt for a large diet coke with ice. 

  I hadn't previously planned to do this walk due to having covered 90% of the route before in the last year. However after a recent family bereavement I needed to get out the house. It was a hot sunny day but there was a big turnout of over 20. Starting off at Trent bridge we followed the river south towards Clifton.  Had a stop at Owen's beach which in reality was just a big Stoney riverbank. Going away from the river we stopped at Macdonald's for a much needed shade stop. Passing some expensive looking houses we went mostly via road towards Ruddington. We stopped for one drink at the Frame breakers pub before the bus took us back to the city.

  The Birmingham pub crawl almost didn't happen due to train strikes, the rail companies only confirming that a few trains would run to and from Leicester a couple of days earlier. I'd been to the city just once in my entire life (train connections don't count). Only 8 of us were there from the original 30 but it was enough. The weather was perfect not to hot but warm enough to sit outside. We met at the Basshouse before heading down to the Malthouse. The pub scene was lively and I had an instant "why have I never done this before feel".  Next up was the Tap and Spire followed by the canal house which was a little too busy and had long waits for drinks. Thanks to the trains we were unfortunately clockwatching and a few of us managed to squeeze one drink in at a place near the train station before the uncomfortable journey back to Leicester.

  It was a simple repeat of the walk we did last summer. Straight down the canal path then turn off to the Victoria pub. Stayed for about 90 minutes then headed home. A good sunny day after some terrible weather.

  It was a refreshing change to do a walk in my own area, especially after all the travelling of the last few weeks. I'd done Coalville before but it was a slightly different route this time. We headed round Coalville town football ground, I even covered ground I'd never walked on before. It was through the industrial estate to Swannington, where we followed the train line until a blockage caused us to make a detour. Crossed the field to Thringstone where we has a pitstop at the Bulls Head. After Gracedieu ruins a couple got lost and a couple more bailed out of the walk to the bus stop. We were doing far more mileage than planned so it was slightly rerouted going back.  At least the rain held off......................

Other than a band in a pub and beat the streets I'd not done any live music events with meetup. Originally it was just one day but then they changed it to two days. I figured that if it was good I'd do the full weekend next year. I'd stayed the night at the excellent and very social Igloo Hostel. I walked to the park and soon found the group. We headed passed security where it would have been easy to smuggle my own alcohol through. We had a "base" where at least someone was all day. This eliminated my fear of spreading most of the day alone or searching for others in the group. The weather was bad all day with on and off rain. I'd reached the point where I couldn't get much wetter by 2pm. As for the music I pre planned which bands I was going to see a week earlier. Cam mannix were not great but listenable. Jealous nostril were a bit better. Motormof at the small stage wasn't my thing but a better option than cheesy stuff like the Sugarbabes. I took a b...

Walking friends put on a 4 miler every Friday evening. Normally I wouldn't attend due to travel time vs length of walk. However I was in town for the weekend music festival so I thought "why not". We met at the train station and proceeded in the direction of Beeston and passed the marina. It was a warm sunny evening with a lot of people.  We went by the river Leen which in reality is a wide brook. Onto the river Trent then back to the train station via the meadows.

  Meetups in Derby had dropped off to the point where I nearly considered not paying my annual subscription fee. But breakfast in Wetherspoons followed by the Caribbean carnival seems definitely worth going to. After a year it was good to catch up with some old faces. After an excellent breakfast we headed to the start point for a mingle then waited for about 45 minutes for the carnival to start. The parade consisted of around a dozen music lorries followed by mostly women in bright colourful costumes. I was expecting groups of drummers like I'd seen in Guadeloupe, apparently they were there the previous year. I was under the impression that we were heading to a park where they had live music and food stalls. Unfortunately the weather was constantly changing between sunny and heavy rain. So I had a drink back in Wetherspoons while waiting for the bus home.

Nottingham bound for a Birthday party with a night in a hotel booked. It was simple itinerary drinks at the magic garden until 11 then mojo until late. The rooms upstairs were like putting a bar in someone's house. Nice place but at 6 pounds 50 for a pint extortionate even by city centre standards. It was still a good night and good to catch up with some old faces.  Mojos was a bit different as a large percentage only stuck around for the first half. I had a few drinks but it felt something was lacking. When the security removed one of our group who appeared to have done little wrong I decided that it was time to leave at around 2am.

I couldn't help but notice that this meet up was almost identical to one we did exactly a year ago. We met in the distillery which was booked up for a party so the eaters went elsewhere. Next was a rooftop drink at the Rutland and Derby followed by the Globe which was one pub I'd don't recall being in before. Finally was the exchange bar where the weather was still good enough to sit outside. There was talk of moving onto the clubs later but I'd started far too early for that and bailed out.

  I was amazed this walk was even happening, first I'd been on the pub crawl yesterday but woke up feeling ok. Then the heatwave reduced the 30 walkers by the hour to 8 by the time I arrived at the start. To be honest it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We headed north then along a footpath due east, before joining the back of the airport trail. The airport was one side and soulless warehouses on the other. The rest point was Greggs in the terminal before the most interesting part of the walk. It was surprisingly scenic for saying we were so close to the airport with ponds and shaded woodland. There was about a mile of road before the aeropark where loads of people were plane spotting. Then a short walk through the estates back to the start point.

This was one meetup I was looking forward to, a day out in a completely new town. No accommodation thanks to a wedding so it was going to have to be a late bus/train home. The only quiet pub in town was the Admiral Nelson slightly out of the centre, where we started before heading into town. While the Mercado lounge was not really a pub we did come across some nice places.  The town had an upmarket feel to it, by Fernie hall some of the group started getting loud and annoying the bar staff. I finished off at the Freemasons arms after an impressive day where most of the venues were busy.

  Fan club night was a long time coming with some of the group I'd not met since before lockdown. I'd also managed to get a hotel room for the bargain price of 40 pounds per night. We met at Weatherspoon's where the service was slow but thinned out as the night went on. Personally I like to do a bit of a crawl before a club but we went straight in at around 11 and it was empty. It did however gradually fill up, I must have got lost in the action as I looked round and only a handful remained at around 2:30am. Headed out shortly after, not the most memorable night but ok. 

  Halfway between Nottingham and Newark it was a bit of a trek but well worth it in the end. I initially thought we would be doing the ponds and canals but went in the opposite direction. We stopped off for a drink at the Cross Keys in Epperstone before heading back to the starting point.

  Under normal circumstances I wouldn't have travelled for a walk of just 4 miles. But it was a new group and I had nothing else going down that day. A cancelled but meant I had to walk from east midlands airport to Melbourne hall before we even started. Only 4 people turned up, but it was a scenic walk out past the ponds towards Breedon Hill. We thankfully took the less steep, shadier route to the top of the hill. It turned out that one of the organisers recently had heart surgery which was why the walk was only 4 miles. On the way back we stopped at the Bulls Head pub in Wilson, before heading back to the start. Thankfully the bus turned up. 

I'd not set foot in Abbey park during daylight hours for at least 30 years. So it was more than long overdue... We headed north out of the park doing a loop around Wolsey island before heading south along the canal. Leicester seems to be a strange contrast between the brand new apartment blocks and old abandoned factories with broken windows and pigeons flying out. We went past Frog island following the canal down towards Leicester castle. We stopped for a short break and headed back to Abbey park. 

  It was a simple one big lap of the park which I nearly missed thanks to mistiming the walk from the bus stop to the top edge of the park. It was a warm sunny day with a good turnout. For some reason we didn't see any deer but it was a good walk all the same. Stopped for coffee at the end and got invited to a birthday party later in the year. Bonus got a lift back to the airport.

  If you didn't care about the King's Coronation then walking with meetup was the best way to escape. About a dozen of us met at the park entrance and did the standard clockwise route around the park. It was strange being empty with the slight rain and thick fog. We walked to old John and walked back to the entrance. On the way back one of the girls slipped into a puddle. We stopped off at The Bradgate for a meal, I opted for just a drink.

  After the success of last year I quickly signed up for this years event. I stayed the 2 nights instead of getting the train home after a long day. It was very much a carbon copy of last year , down to the route. Starting at the Elephants head and progressing down to the locks. We visited about 8 pubs finishing around 9PM. Most of them left to go home while 2 other went to a cocktail bar (over 20 pounds a drink). 

  A nice day for a walk, meeting at the boathouse site and heading south along the canal. It was a walk of less than a couple of minutes before stopping at the Kings lock tea rooms. This was unusual as we always have a meal before a walk or at a halfway point not 5 minutes in. Then there was an issue at the tea room which I reviewed as follows. Stopped by in a walking group of 7, all ordered drinks, 5 ordered food (4 sandwiches, 1 cooked). A couple that ordered food had to wait ages, one made a casual remark when going back to the counter to find out why. The owner/older guy got angry with us, saying they were short staffed (which they could have pointed out when we arrived). He also said we should have precooked, seriously!!! It was a few sandwiches not a 3 course gourmet meal. When one of the group pointed out she worked in catering at the hospital in far busier conditions the owner had a fit and demanded she left. She said, "yes when I have finished eating". The owner stor...

  Walking friends had been the group providing the most walks (obviously). So with a slightly different crowd than usual we met at Lambley lane park which had been wrongly put on the map as Lambley road which was several miles away. I figured out the mistake but some others didn't and missed the walk. The walk was straightforward enough around a well defined pathway. A little bit sterile to be honest but the weather and the company were good.  I even got a lift back to Nottingham which helped.

  Following the afternoons drinking we headed to the second meetup. Coppers was a strange place to start, a dead quiet café type place an hour before closing time. Is was a good place to talk to new people so we spent an hour then headed to the Slug and Lettuce. Easter Sunday was busy but not completely packed, a pint of Peroni was a hefty 6 pounds 20 which was bad even by city centre standards. The atmosphere was good and we moved on to Revolution de Cuba. Not as good as the one in Derby but a reasonable night. Headed back to hotel at midnight.   

  A drinking day in Nottingham was long overdue so I joined 2 consecutive meets and booked a cheap hotel. We met in the canal house which was busy but not packed. It was a bit cold sitting outside which contributed to the slightly lower than expected turnout. About a dozen of us moved onto olde trip to Jerusalem which was a good place to sit outside. The organisers had the other meetup in mind so we headed into the city centre.