retiredmartin
retiredmartin
Martin
Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.
Latest Posts
December 2025. Old Harlow. A day in Southborough with the in-laws; a cancelled medical appointment causes irritation but a Meal for 3 from Meows compensates a little. Now this will come as a surprise to Mrs RM but I reckon the landlady...
December 2025. Tankerton. Whitstable. Finally we come to the end of our Whitstable overnighter, ignoring the call of the seafood bistros in favour of the Tesco Express yards from our campervan in Tankerton. See ! I can do Christmas...
December 2025. Folkestone. Leaving the Old Neptune, and the glorious sunset Mrs RM had just missed, we headed over seashells and pebbles towards Whitstable’s oyster beds. I’ll eat (and drink) anything, but I doubt oysters could match...
December 2025. Whitstable. I’d only been gone those 67 minutes in Sittingbourne, leaving Mrs RM in Whitstable Spoons to do what Spoons are there for; recharge your phone, use the free Wi-Fi, pop to the loo, and drink unlimited coffee...
December 2025. Whitstable. “Sittingbourne !!! Why on EARTH would I want to go there ?” said Mrs RM, crossing the road to Whitstable Spoons. And so I left her to charge her phone in the Peter Cushing while I nipped to the Park Tavern on...
December 2025. Sittingbourne. Back to my campervan overnighter in Whitstable last week, as I leave Mrs RM in the glamour of the Spoons and nip off to Sittingbourne to tick the sort of new GBG entry our Mudgie would appreciate. He did...
I just heard the news that Peter Edwardson aka Old Mudgie aka Pub Curmudgeon has died. Rather than be reflective or attempt an eloquent memorial I’ll just say, for now, that I’m going to miss Peter very much. From reading and commenting...
December 2025. Whitstable. A Proper Day in Whitstable must include oysters and beer and pashmina shops and pebbles on the beach. Mrs RM fancied something “authentic” but the seafood restaurants were both expensive and fussy looking, and...
December 2025. Whitstable. Plenty of pubs in Whitstable, but then I’m surprised it has a population of 32,196; although a lot of those are in the suburbs away from the pubs (and the artisanal muesli boutiques). 20 minutes from our...
December 2025, Tankerton. Kent. A short break from pubs as Mrs RM and I head to North Kent. Don’t worry, it’s the posh bit, we’re not savages. Six (6) posts coming up from Whitstable, with a night in Tankerton, where the MoHos were...
December 2025. Sheffield. 2 nights in Sheffield, 2 laundry washes, 1 trip to Manchester, 3 meals of Sang Lungs Singapore Rice and Crispy Beef (thanks to Chat GPT for the reheating advice). And then back to Rye on the greyest day of the...
November 2025. Manchester. Back in Piccadilly Gardens from Sale only slightly later than hoped, I admired the Manchester Christmas markets, apparently only second to Nuremberg, who are therefore the Arsenal of Christmas tat. All you need...
November 2025. Sale. Greater Manchester. A 3pm Saturday kick-off against Dirty L**ds, and just time before the match to meet Matt and tick off one GBG newbie in Greater Manchester with a half hour metro trip down into Trafford. There’s a...
November 2025. Rye. “At least the trains from Rye are reliable” I tell Mrs RM, as I head for the bus into town to start my latest 3:15 hour rail trip north (Sheffield not Waterbeach this time). “18:48 cancelled” flashes the sign,...
November 2025. Mayfield. My mystery trip into the Sussex Weald took us from Batemans to Mayfield, a village half an hour from the in-laws; a journey that Mrs RM made far too regularly when her mum drove my brother-in-law to the Catholic...