We
announced the integration of some pretty cool new app features at the
beginning of this year, and so far it would appear that they’re
going down pretty well!
With
a number of features launching at once, we feel we couldn’t do each
one justice at the time in telling you guys how good each one is,
what they offer and what each can add to your M8 experience. That’s
why we’ve decided to give each one centre stage on our blog in the
next little while - the first one up is the Good Pub Guide feature!
Here
at M8 we understand how important the Great British Pub is to the
culture of the UK. To locals and tourists alike, pubs play a
massively important role in our society and we all agree that a visit
to a good pub is almost unbeatable. If you’re looking to experience a slice of local culture, to talk to locals and to get the inside scoop on an area, the best place to head will always be the local pub.
Good
pubs mean a great number of things to a diverse range of people in
the UK. They can exist as places for socialising, or indeed spaces
for quiet reflection; they can form the hub of a rural community, or
a meeting point for UK city dwellers. During the summer months we can
enjoy socialising - if it stops raining - in one of the many pub beer
gardens, and warm ourselves in front of open fires when Jack Frost
nips throughout winter. Sometimes delicious food is served under the
genre ‘Gastro Pub Grub,’ while other fine establishments pride
themselves on a no-nonsense menu of pork scratchings and crisps to
nibble with drinks.
To
make sure that our M8 community have access to the best, most highly
rated and recommended pubs in the UK, we’ve welcomed aboard our
mates at The Good Pub Guide to help you explore and find exactly what
kind of pub you’re looking for. Entering its 28th year, The Good
Pub Guide remains Britain’s bestselling travel guide and holds core
values that we really respect - local knowledge, careful attention to
detail, and an independence achieved by focusing on reviews.
Showcasing the UK’s best and most loved watering holes, The Good
Pub Guide is fully integrated into the M8 app and is available to all
M8 app - for iOS, Android and BlackBerry Touch - users through a
single purchase.
From
within M8, you can select the Good Pub Guide widget on the homescreen
and use this to search for nearby pubs if you’re desperately
parched and need then-and-there refreshment, or you can explore pubs
a little further afield by searching by town, county or postcode. You
can even search by "worth a visit" and "Top Pubs".
If you know what you’re looking for - but you’re just not sure
where it is - or you need a little more information you can search
for a specific pub by name. We’ve even included "all you need
to know" - great for checking out opening hours, awards, live
entertainment and that sort of thing. Handy, eh?
Containing
all of the accurate information held in the latest Good Pub Guide
2013, M8 enables you to access the most comprehensive range of
reviews and information - considering the already integrated Trip
Advisor, Yelp & Lonely Planet info - to make sure that you make
the right decision whether you’re looking for classic country pubs,
city-centre inns, riverside retreats, historic hideaways and cutting
edge newcomers, gastropubs or even those pubs specialising in malt
whisky or craft beers. Cheers!
Looking
at the information given in The Good Pub Guide, we’re confident
that experts Alisdair Aird and Fiona Stapley have it covered when it
comes to planning a Sunday roast with the family or a night out with
friends; a weekend away or a more lengthy staycation in the UK; or if
you’re simply looking for a local pub to have a quiet pint and read
your paper in.
- Invaluable (Sunday Telegraph )
- The Good Pub Guide...what an amazing thing that is (Suggs, Madness)
- Good Pub Guides...the quality is high throughout so you won't be disappointed (Jason Masala Waterstones )
- The UK Pubgoers' bible (Daily Mail )
- Britain's most indispensable book. God save the Pub! (Oz Clarke)
We’d love to hear about your favourite local pub, oh, and let us know if you find any gems of pubs on your travels - we’ll be chatting about them on Twitter @localm8 and over on the M8 Facebook page!
* The Good Pub Guide is available to M8 UK app users as a one off purchase.
By Telmap Mate