--- title: General Musings | Simon Nott Blog description: Simon Nott Blog | Odds thoughts not to do with racing or music. --- # General Musings Select Category 1960's Nostalgia AK and the self-published Skint Mob! Tales from the B Angina BEATING THE BOOKIES Ben Keith Best Odds Bookmakers Best UK Bookmakers Bet Goodwin #BettingPeople Bookmakers Butlins Butlins Minehead Cheltenham Festival Church Bells Corn Fed Cornwall Costa Coffee Dave Pipe Dean Valentine Devon Echocariogram Edward Chanin Epsom Fat Shame Free Bets Free Money Grand National Greyhound Derby Heart Bypass Holidays Horseracing hUMUNGOUS Introductory Offers Jeff Laughton Jerry White King Charles III Lambourn Martin Pipe Matched Betting Mick Fitzgerald Music Naked Cyclist Newbury Racecourse Newquay Nigel Hawke Obese Octopus Energy Philip Hobbs Plum Plumbing Professional Punter psychobilly Punchestown Raceshare Racing Ahead Redcoats Rockabilly Rupert Mackeson Safer Gambling Simon Nott Simon Nott Blog Simon Nott Diary Simon Nott Music Simon Nott Racing Star Sports Steve Lewis Hamilton Tales From The Betting Ring The Derby The Oaks Thorne Farm Vive Le Rock Witheridge Posts about: ## Simon Nott Blog ![As 2025 dawns we won't miss 2024 too much. #Devon ](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/hubfs/image0%20-%202024-04-19T163627.985.jpeg) [#BettingPeople,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/bettingpeople) [BEATING THE BOOKIES,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/beating-the-bookies) [Simon Nott Blog,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/simon-nott-blog) [Devon,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/devon) [Horseracing,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/horseracing) [AK,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/ak) [Tales From The Betting Ring,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/tales-from-the-betting-ring) [Star Sports,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/star-sports) [Free Money,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/free-money) [Free Bets,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/free-bets) [Dean Valentine,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/dean-valentine) [Jeff Laughton,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/jeff-laughton) [Safer Gambling,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/safer-gambling) [Best Odds Bookmakers,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/best-odds-bookmakers) [Jerry White,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/jerry-white) [Professional Punter,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/professional-punter) [Best UK Bookmakers](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/best-uk-bookmakers) ### [Simon's Racing & Devon Diary #9 Welcome 2025](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/simons-racing-devon-diary-9-welcome-2025) Jan 3, 2025 8:40:34 AM To say that my blogging under this title has been a little tardy would be quite an understatement, it's been almost a year, I only wrote one in 2024. Mind you, I haven't had anyone notice so I'm guessing it doesn't matter that much.   [Simon Nott](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/author/simon-nott) [Read More](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/simons-racing-devon-diary-9-welcome-2025) ![](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/hubfs/Birdie.jpg) [#BettingPeople,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/bettingpeople) [Simon Nott Blog,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/simon-nott-blog) [Devon,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/devon) [Simon Nott Diary,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/simon-nott-diary) [Witheridge,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/witheridge) [Rockabilly,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/rockabilly) [Mick Fitzgerald,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/mick-fitzgerald) [King Charles III,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/king-charles-iii) [Corn Fed,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/corn-fed) [Lambourn,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/lambourn) [Nigel Hawke,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/nigel-hawke) [Vive Le Rock](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/vive-le-rock) ### [Simon's Racing & Devon Diary #3](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/simons-racing-devon-diary-3) May 15, 2023 5:07:19 AM   It's been a fairly exciting week, I went to Lambourn to visit Mick Fitzgerald to interview him for the Star Sports [#BettingPeople ](https://www.starsportsbet.co.uk/betting-people/)series. This one is out now, it was a very frank and at times emotional interview, don't miss it. Last week's was with Irish betting industry character of the highest order Dave O'Reilly who was top class with some tremendous stories.  [Simon Nott](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/author/simon-nott) [Read More](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/simons-racing-devon-diary-3) ![](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/hubfs/Birdie.jpg) [and the self-published Skint Mob! Tales from the B,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/and-the-self-published-skint-mob-tales-from-the-be) [Bookmakers,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/bookmakers) [Simon Nott Blog,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/simon-nott-blog) [Simon Nott Diary,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/simon-nott-diary) [Witheridge,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/witheridge) [Tales From The Betting Ring,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/tales-from-the-betting-ring) [Punchestown,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/punchestown) [Racing Ahead](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/racing-ahead) ### [Simon's Racing & Devon Life Diary #2](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/simons-racing-devon-life-diary-2) May 4, 2023 9:00:28 AM   [Simon Nott](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/author/simon-nott) [Read More](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/simons-racing-devon-life-diary-2) ![](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/hubfs/IMG_5579.jpg) [Butlins Minehead,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/butlins-minehead) [Obese,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/obese) [Simon Nott Blog,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/simon-nott-blog) [Fat Shame,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/fat-shame) [Butlins,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/butlins) [Martin Pipe,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/martin-pipe) [Dave Pipe,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/dave-pipe) [1960's Nostalgia,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/1960s-nostalgia) [Redcoats,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/redcoats) [Holidays,](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/holidays) [Costa Coffee](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/tag/costa-coffee) ### [Butlins](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/butlins) Aug 13, 2022 12:12:42 PM The last time I went to Butlins would have been in the late 1960's I know I was very young but I do remember a fair bit about it, albeit all in sepia. Where do I start? OK, the fairground, cable cars, the monorail, a bar called the Beachcomber that had bamboo all over the place and looked very exotic, fountains at either end of the outdoor pool where the big kids used to stand at the top and make the water spray around, being able to have something to eat and watch people's legs swimming in the pool through glass windows to it, Red Coats, two tiered chalets, litter bins shaped like pigs that sucked in your rubbish, 'baby crying in chalet 42' announcements, now do I remember that or was I that baby? Oh and my Auntie Betty finding a caterpillar in her salad, happy memories from a very early age.  [Simon Nott](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/author/simon-nott) [Read More](https://www.simonnott.co.uk/general-musings/butlins)