February 2026. Back from Hull, Mrs RM taunts me with photos from her Rome weekend. Prize if you can name this one, quite famous I reckon. I’d been abandoned while she went off on her girls weekend, but I get to sit in my new favourite place, the big sofa at Sang Lung, waiting for… Continue reading A NIGHT AT THE MOVIES
THE HULL STATUE TRAIL
February 2026. Hull. I can’t leave Hull without another quick look at the Old Town, one of our very finest. The city really got its tourist act together for its spell as UK Capital of Culture, producing loads of trails for its wealth of museums (more than Sheffield) and statues. Quite a focus on William… Continue reading THE HULL STATUE TRAIL
MY LAST EVER PINT IN A BREWDOG
February 2026. Hull. Just back from a lovely evening with James at the “new” Harlequin, burgers and 12% Dutch banana bread pastry stouts, and finding it hard to find the enthusiasm to complete my blogs on Hull. Which probably sums up the whole problem with BrewDog. No-one cares any more. Leaving Sam Smith’s Blue Bell… Continue reading MY LAST EVER PINT IN A BREWDOG
FEBRUARY ’26 STOCKTAKE + MARCH PREVIEW
Only 30 different pubs, and 10 Italian bars in a month of just one revisit; the Fargate proving its popularity with Sheffield folk during trips with Ian and Rich (two top Pub Men), who would have approved of this pump clip. February was one of those months, looking a bit lighter on the map due… Continue reading FEBRUARY ’26 STOCKTAKE + MARCH PREVIEW
THE TORTURE OF A SAM SMITHS PUB
February 2026. Hull. Getting your GBG tick done early is a good idea, as anyone who’s been on Orkney worrying if the death of the Queen will mean your penultimate Guide pubs will close as a mark of “respect” will confirm. But it does raise the question, “What next ?”. There’s plenty of heritage pubs… Continue reading THE TORTURE OF A SAM SMITHS PUB
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOU’D DONE ALL THE PUBS IN HULL OLD TOWN…
February 2026. Hull. Great excitement in the Pub Ticker community as I note a Draught Bass check-in on the way to Hull, but sadly Nolan’s (next to Ye Olde White Hart) was experiencing a lack of the amber nectar. Has there ever been a cask beer so frequently out of stock as Bass ? Never… Continue reading JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT YOU’D DONE ALL THE PUBS IN HULL OLD TOWN…
AIN’T HULL LOVELY ?
February 2026. Hull. Mrs RM was away in Rome with mystery chum, leaving me to fend for myself in Sheffield. Middle age (59 to 99) is supposed to see you settle down to home comforts, isn’t it ? But by Sunday lunchtime I was itching to get out. Half an hour walk down to Sheffield… Continue reading AIN’T HULL LOVELY ?
CLAYTON HALL, AND A NIGHT OF MAGIC AT THE ETIHAD
February 2026. East Manchester. From Timperley, a tram back to Manchester interrupted by the racists in Piccadilly Gardens, and an hour in the Art Gallery, before continuing on the metro to Clayton Hall. Just beyond the Etihad stop, not many folk get off at Clayton Hall, but I had two hours before kick-off and it’s… Continue reading CLAYTON HALL, AND A NIGHT OF MAGIC AT THE ETIHAD
STUBBORN TICKING
February 2026. Timperley. Greater Manchester. At Sunday School we used to sing “Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam“. No, not the Wolverhampton pub serving 9am pints of Abbot, Paul. I guess I’ve maintained that positive outlook on life, finding the best in everyone and everything. Even Maidenhead. But that relentless positivity is occasionally tested by… Continue reading STUBBORN TICKING
TO BE FRANK, TIMPERLEY IS A CURATE’S EGG
February 2026. Timperley. Greater Manchester. On Saturday I dropped Mrs RM off at Manchester Airport after an exciting trip through Wynatt’s Pass and less absorbing trek along the A555, which let me tell you in no A57. Mrs RM was off on another planet-killing trip with a very famous pub blogger, but it wasn’t me… Continue reading TO BE FRANK, TIMPERLEY IS A CURATE’S EGG