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
Samuel Pepys wouldn’t have skipped writing up visits to the local Wetherspoons for a burger and beer, so why should I ? Spoons remains divisive. I still read a fair few comments on Blue Moon that insist the beer is cheap because it’s...
May 2026. Elsecar. Barnsley. There’s a lot more to Elsecar than an industrial heritage site, a chippy and a classic pub. “The village now attracts over 500,000 visitors each year, to its heritage centre, historic sites and award-winning...
May 2026. Elsecar. Barnsley. An aimless lunchtime in rural Barnsley, but now with a tummy full of fish, chips and curry sauce; what to do ? Elsecar is a pretty village, exemplified by the Long Row of late 18th century* miners cottages...
May 2026. Elsecar. Barnsley. Whenever I get bored of being at home, generally after being in the house more than 3 hours, I’ll walk down t’station and hop on the first train stopping somewhere I haven’t been for a year or two....
May 2026. Stockport. Having a son living in Stockport presents a challenge; will I impose on him to put me up in his spare room after a night out in Manchester ? In honesty, I’m grateful our two lads still seem to want to meet their...
May 2026. Stockport. Back from Romania, we dashed off to Stockport the next morning to help Matt and Emma with their move from central Manchester (Emma’s Dad had already done the hard yards) to Heaton Norris. Just look at the stress on...
May 2026. Cluj. Romania. I could write far more about Cluj’s architecture, but you’ve got the idea by now. How about the bars ? All the attractive looking cafes in the cobbles off the main square seem to have a craft beer in a can; I...
May 2026. Turda. Romania. I’ve enjoyed spending time seeing unsung Romania, away from Drac’s castle and the bears and the brewery taps. The cities are colourful, spotless and efficient, though of course efficient isn’t always a good...
May 2026. Cluj. Transylvania. Another nervy wait for a mini-bus at Targu Mures bus station, regretting that morning craft beer/coffee combo before a 2 hour trip to Cluj to complete our Romanian road trip. It’s not so much that the buses...
May 2026. Targu Mures. Transylvania. Targu Mures was the surprise of our Romanian week, as classy as anywhere we’ve been in Europe, and in the Palace of Culture (£5) you’ve one of Europe’s undiscovered gems. A startling collection of...
A month after the relief of selling Sunnyside, the joy of seeing Matt and Emma move to Stockport. I am so jealous. Forty-four pubs (plus whatever in Romania) in May, not a dud among them, though that heatwave was affecting cask quality...
May 2026. Târgu Mureș. Central Romania. An early night in Medias, before a 6am start on Wednesday morning . Only (great) coffee and ice cream on sale at the kiosk at the Autogare before the early bus to Târgu Mureș, where we arrive with...
May 2026. Medias. Transylvania. Our 7 night, 5 city trip round the heart of Romania had taken in a few of the less obvious stops, a bit like adding nights in Mansfield and Rotherham to your big Yorkshire tour. “Most people who visit...
May 2026. Biertan. Transylvania. Due to Mrs RM’s immaculate travel planning (she could be a pub ticker) we’ve managed to avoid any transport disasters in eastern Europe so far, bar that two hours stuck on a gravel track in small-town...
May 2026. Transylvania. Mrs RM had refreshed her knowledge on dealing with bear attacks (“Play dead. Oh, too late“) as we planned the next stage of our Transylvanian tour over an “autentic” Romanian buzz bar. No crumbs left for the...