Product Description

The most comprehensive gay guide available to the UK and Ireland. Full listings of pubs, clubs, club nights, saunas, accommodation and cruising grounds. Listings too for regional switchboards, helplines and support groups as well as escort agencies, retail and local media. This is the first title of what promises to be the gay travel series that all others will be judged by. Gay Times is probably the world’s best-known gay identity.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1253504 in Books
• Published on: 2001-08-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 672 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Not every gay man can afford, or even wants, to pack up the suntan lotion and shorts for an exotic vacation so the Gay Times Great Britain and Ireland guide is perfect for those who want to explore Gay Britannia. Written by John Szponarski, the book covers the gay scene in the country's most popular cities such as London and Manchester, and also takes in the new gay scenes exploding out of the depths of rural England too. Bars, clubs, pubs, saunas, hotels and cruising grounds are all covered here in a lively and down-to-earth style. Szponarski has really done his homework and the information is as up to date as you will find. There's also more than a little sense of humour to this guide, making it a good read even if you aren't planning on going anywhere just yet. But if you are planning to sample the now diverse gay culture on your own doorstep, this is the most important item you should pack. This is the first in a new series of travel guides that plan to cover most of the world's gay hot spots and if the quality of this guide is maintained it looks as if Spartacus may have some competition. --Jonathan Weir

About the Author
John Szponarski is the author of critically acclaimed John Szponarski is already the successful published author of The Ultimate Gay Guide. He is also an experienced journalist and travel writer and one of the most refreshing and distinctive voices in gay guide writing around.

Customer Reviews

Possibly of some use if you are visiting from abroad
I'm sorry - this book is a disappointment and, frankly, a waste of money. The majority of listings are freely available in magazines you can pick up in any bar, or on websites such as queercompany.com. I was hoping for some real discoveries (e.g. the gay guesthouse hiddden away in the North Yorkshire moors, or the gay-friendly restaurant that's down the road when I visit my family). Instead it is a repetition of the usual lists of bars and clubs in the usual locations (london, Brighton, Blackpool......YAWN) .

If you are coming to the UK for the first time you might find this of some use (although your money would be better spent on a few hours resarching on the Internet). If you are a Brit just pick up a freebie magazine, or call Gay Switchboard. This book will only disappoint.

This is a necessary book
..If it's honest, comprehensive info on ALL of the country's pubs, clubs, saunas et al then there simply is no better guide book out there. And this book does not just stick to the usual suspects of London, Brighton, Blackpool: it covers the whole of Britain and Ireland -- from the cruising grounds of Amersham to the gay accommodation of Galway. Milton Keynes' only gay club? What night to go dancing in Peterborough? The best gay knees-up in Dundee? These are real places off the beaten track, revealed with the same care and focus as the obvious choices in and around the country's capital, and there are many, many more of them. But, if it is London and the rest that you want to know about, then you will not be able better and more gory details than you will here.

Szponarski's tone is relaxed, witty and to the point -- it's as though you're being escorted around by your best mate.

The publisher's site suggests that Szponarski will soon be delivering two new guides: I for one am looking forward to having him along for the journey.