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
- cask
- bass
- beer
- stocktake
- preview
- arms
All posts (720)
November 2025. Ely. Two hours to kill in a freezing Ely before the 3 hours back to Sheffield, with all the pubs that would have offered warmth and comfort packed with a Christmas market crowd. Celebrating Christmas ! On the Cathedral grounds, too. Cromwell, latterly of this parish, would turn in his grave, if we...
November 2025. Ely. A late lunch in Ely before the cheapest rail fare back to Sheffield (Again. And repeat). It’s a good job the trains are always late; Delay Repay is main source of income these days Ely is bustling on Saturday afternoon, but visitors aren’t here for the quaint streets and the Cromwell and the Zion...
November 2025. North Walsham. Norfolk. Obviously if this were a beer blog I’d have followed my new North Walsham tick with a return to the excellent Hop, but ChatGPT tells me that 137.2% of my blog views are referrals from ClassicChurches.com, and ChatGPT is 100% fallible. It’s also rude to walk past an open church,...
November 2025. North Walsham. Norfolk. Next up, an instant classic in rural Norfolk. No, really. The Peasants’ Tavern is Norwich & District CAMRA Pub of the Year, open Noon till 11pm all week, some bench seating, lined glasses, terrific beer, mostly local, but all that is secondary to the sheer joy in this pub on a...
November 2025. North Walsham. Norfolk. A first visit to North Walsham (pop. 12, 829) since 2018, a good year for City fans. Manchester City fans, that is. The half hour trip from Norwich was “enlivened” by young lads discussing the Canaries terrible form. “When we played Portsmouth we went 3-5-2 with an overload and...
November 2025. Norwich. 3 visits to Dad in his care home this week, he’s barely woken when I’m there but he grips my hand which is enough. I took a trip out to Norfolk on Friday, someone has to brave the flatlands, and found myself on a busy train from Ely in a four seat arrangement where one chap had clearly bought...
I recommend this guy on Instagram (great name). He answers questions about life, the universe and everything from his sofa. “What’s important, Martin ?” Well, obviously for me, it’s living long enough to see Simon complete the GBG, my lads join CAMRA, and me visit all the Chinese takeaways in the UK. OK, I’ll settle...
November 2025. Cambridge. Never change, King Street. A row of cars competing for penalty charges on one of the parking lanes closest to town. I laughed about it with a lad coming out of the Prince who then said ” **** I forgot to pay“. That new craft bar with its trestle tables won’t win Stafford Paul’s affections,...
November 2025. Cambridge. Forgive the dull blog title; I’m just back in Sheffield from Rye (via Waterbeach) and a bit brain dead after the UK’s slowest rail journey, in which the train seems to be subject to weird gravitational pulls either side of Grantham. Mrs RM seemed a bit worried about me as I left Rye Harbour...
November 2025. Lewes. Back from Newhaven to Lewes for a fourth new GBG tick by 3pm. Four in the bag so early in the week used to set me up for those 20 pub weeks that BRAPA knocks off on the way to Beer Guide glory, but in 2025 I don’t have that stress anymore. Actually, I wish I’d taken Lewes at a more leisurely...
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