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
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All posts (723)
December 22nd 2025. St Leonards on Sea. And so, I awoke, 61 up, another year ahead. Never look back, folks. You’ll know my view on anniversaries and celebrations; don’t do them. My only requirements for my birthday are NO presents or cards, just make sure I’m somewhere I haven’t been before, crispy beef and a new...
December 2025. Ashford. Kent. The journey from Sheffield (Home 1) to Rye (Home 3) ticked into an 8th hour as we pulled into Ashford International, which I’ve seen far too much of these last two months. 36 minutes between trains, too long to admire the art trail, so I felt compelled to seek solace in Spoons. Grief,...
December 2025. Sheffield. Ely. King’s Cross. London. Not actually a road trip but it took longer than 7hr 41 by rail You’ll be wondering by now what’s happened to my birthday (22nd December, make a note on your new Retired Martin calendar). That’s coming soon, and rest assured it’s not as bad as last year, but first...
December 2025. Manchester. Walking back from the City v Hammers match I got a text from Matthew; “Fancy a beer ?“, which is exactly the sort of thing you hope a child will grow up to ask you. Quosh had recommended a new brewery tap under the Piccadilly arches (“ANOTHER one ?“), only a 5 minute deviation from the...
December 2025. Manchester. Normally I meet Matt in Manchester near Piccadilly before a City game, but last Saturday I just fancied getting to the Etihad early and jumped off at Ashbury’s. Note, map above, the astonishing number of sports stadia in East Manchester, a legacy of the Commonwealth Games of 2002 and the...
December 2025. Bredbury. Stockport. A flying visit back Home (No. 1) at least gives me chance to do the laundry, discuss viscosity with Will, and get to the final game of the year. The last Saturday before Christmas was always going to put strain on the Sheffield-Manchester-Liverpool rail “service”, especially with...
December 2025. Sheffield. I’ve not much to say about our final stop on Black Eye Friday, but it’s a gorgeous stop, and a favourite of Mrs RM (as long as they don’t say she can’t have a pint of the strong one). She has now told this tale more than the one about me being teetotal when she met me (also true). I go for...
December 2025. Sheffield. Leg 4 (of 5) of my attempt to get to the heart of Black Eye Friday in my own city. But first ! I nip into Marks & Spencer’s, ignoring the lure of Alpine Bar, a Top 100 pub as recently as 2021 but which may lose that status as I need to maintain the integrity of the hundred, as pure a...
December 2025. Sheffield. Will had curated an itinerary for our mini-Sheffield Black Eye Friday crawl. As a southerner, he’d never actually ever heard of Black Eye Friday, but then unlike me he’s not slave to biblically-inspired Christmas rituals like dressing up as Santa and falling over. Pic : Daily Mail (sorry)...
December 2025. Sheffield. Back in Sheffield on Black Eye Friday with just enough time to put the laundry on, open the Christmas cards that will never be reciprocated, and make the sort of arrangements that on Mumsnet would take 3 months. “Fancy a pint Will“. “OK. Bath at 2:30 ish.” “See you there“. As Joe Jackson...
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