retiredmartin

April 2026. Skipton. Still in Skipton last Sunday, we explored the little strip of shops between the High Street and Sheep Street with entrances off both. “Yorkies” looks like a dolls house, but it’s actually a chippy (small fish and chips only £7 !); the third building is Hustle, a cute little bar I was… Continue reading DO THE HUSTLE

April 2026. Skipton. I had (genuinely) brought Mrs RM to Skipton last Sunday for reasons other than beers (pork pies and canal basins, mainly), so it was disappointing when she stopped me on the walk to ask “What’s that pub like ?“. I assumed she meant the venerable Devonshire, with its attractive salted caramel fudge… Continue reading “Go outside your comfort zone” insists Mrs RM.

April 2026. Bradford. I miss Richard Coldwell. A funny, intelligent, opinionated man, he would have had interesting things to say about pork pies and pub opening times. He’d have had an opinion on cafes like the Dales Cottage putting their entire menus on blackboards along the wall, too. I’d been putting off a trip to… Continue reading THE YORKSHIREMAN

April 2026. Skipton. I seem to have upset my many esteemed Yorkshire readers, something to do with gravy, so to redeem myself here’s a post on saving yourself £12.80 on your visit to Skipton Castle. OK, you won’t actually get inside the castle by walking round the woods, but there’s no pub inside the walls… Continue reading SKIPTON CASTLE ON THE CHEAP

April 2026. Skipton. Last week we went to Skipton again. Three (3) reasons; a re-opened GBG new entry to tick, a blog post series idea to explore, and a pork pie to audit. In 2022 I had declared Stanforths the best pork pie in England, but a recent change of ownership (if not name) had… Continue reading THE SKIPTON PORK PIE AUDIT

April 2026. Salford. Greater Manchester’s pubs complete, I headed back to Wigan Wallgate, ignoring the lure of the Bass in the Swan & Railway, and joining a group of bewildered young women on a train heading to Todmorden via Victoria. “Where’s Todmorden ?“ “Never heard of it !“ “Somewhere near Blackburn ?“ What do they… Continue reading SALFORD BRIDGE

April 2026. Wigan. My final Greater Manchester GBG26 newbie is a good couple of miles west of town, and which man doesn’t want a 45 minute slog through industrial wasteland and retail parks to an industrial estate brewery tap. Despite being in one of the world’s great pub towns, I decided on moderation, and had… Continue reading THE LONG ROAD TO WIGAN PIER

April 2026. Wigan. Another weekend, another trip to Manchester, but this time for a rare Saturday gig. Not that the lack of football means Piccadilly is any quieter, Platform 14 showcasing the nation’s favourite train beers. Perhaps. A change from a train at Platform 14, toward Blackpool rather than Liverpool, though you wouldn’t notice the… Continue reading SOMETHING BREWING IN WIGAN

April 2026. Guisborough. North Yorkshire. This next “pub” had been irritating me for a year or more with its Friday and Saturday 3pm-7pm hours, but you take the rough with the smooth as a GBG ticker, and Guisborough is a nice little saunter in the sun. The priory grounds are free to wander, and picnic,… Continue reading GUISBOROUGH – AN OLD PRIORY AND A NEW INDUSTRIAL ESTATE TICK