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.
July 2026
August 2026
September 2026
Top Words
- pubs
- pint
- sheffield
- spoons
- bass
- cask
- beer
- stocktake
- preview
- arms
All posts (723)
January 2026. Lytham St. Annes. A confession. The things that stress me aren’t the things that should stress an approaching middle-age boomer. I detest cars. Last Autumn (America – “Fall”) our Citroen’s gears started playing up, the main dealer quoted us £5k just to take the box out, and even with my lucrative...
January 2026. Watton. Norfolk. I knew you’d want a proper post on Watton (pronounced Wotton) ahead of the holiday you’ve just booked on account of the NBSS 4 that I just gave Greene King IPA. Assuming you’re going, here’s some accommodation for next Friday; Personally I would always go for a hotel with “Vibe” in it,...
January 2026. Watton. Norfolk. Obviously no pressure to visit the GBG newbies anymore, but there’s something compelling about them, even if my pinking is a bit half-hearted these days. The places I’d circled were the newbies, and as I’ve completed Norfolk every year since Delia Smith did her “Let’s be ‘avin’ you”...
January 2026. Sheffield. Enough of me, I’m sure you’re all keen to know how Mrs RM is getting on with her 0.0 January. Well, she holds on to the lie that alcohol-free beer tastes just like the real thing, and was ready to have temptation placed in her way with a Sunday in Kelham Island. Kelham gets new housing by...
January 2026. Sheffield. Back home in Sheffield on Saturday lunchtime, I hid under the covers avoiding the Manchester derby. Unless I’m physically at the match, I have to avoid the score till the final whistle and last VAR review. “Ooh, are City losing ?” asks Mrs RM. All her friends are United supporting glory...
January 2026. Widnes. A confession. I intended to make that post on Mudgie’s funeral a long read including the post-wake pubs, but Mrs RM had finished her pint/wine/Amaretto Disaronno in St Annes Spoons and I had to press “PUBLISH” in case the WiFi ran out in our Travelodge (£29.99). It would have been rude not to...
January 2026. Widnes. A really good turnout for Mudgie’s send off, with loads of friends from Stockport CAMRA. Good to catch up with Tandleman from over the border, too. With some lovely poems from Peter’s next of kin Pam this was a poignant service. I offered to direct Cheadle Charlotte to the Rugby Union Club for...
January 2026. Widnes. From a morning in Liverpool to mourning in Widnes, as Peter is laid to rest with his parents. “Anyone for Widnes needs to move to the front carriages” says the nice guard in his guttural Mersey accent, confirming that the station doesn’t have a long platform, but it’s the only one they’ve got...
January 2026. Liverpool. A night in Liverpool before Old Mudgie’s funeral on Friday in Widnes. He’d have been pleased with the last couple of Proper Pubs, and no doubt with the Excelsior across from my £24.99 Travelodge if I’d gone in, but I was done for the night by six. In the morning I exchanged my worn out...
January 2025. Liverpool. One of my (few) guiding principles in life is that I will never stand still (literally) when there’s a walk to be done, and “Your food will be ready in 10 minutes” is an instruction, not invitation, to skip out of Big Bowl Noodle Bar to find a pub. I’m not sure what the area between the...
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