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retiredmartin

On permanent exploration of places, pubs, people and new music.

Month: December 2019

PERRY BARR – BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE

PERRY BARR – BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE

December 19, 2019December 30, 2019 21 Comments

You left me admiring the loos in the Barton’s Arms, wondering about the merits of pressing onto Perry Barr on foot. No, best not risk it. I’m not scared of anything except not having a loo stop within 5 minutes walk. Si knows how I feel. On the bus I had time for the quiet… Continue reading PERRY BARR – BACK IN THE HIGH LIFE

Arthur RobertsonBirminghamPerry BarrWetherspoons
AN ELEGANT LOO STOP

AN ELEGANT LOO STOP

December 18, 2019December 19, 2019 20 Comments

  Three glossy pubs safely ticked in central Brum. It was time for Perry Barr. I decided to walk. Now some folk have got scared walking north of glossy Brum to cosmopolitan Aston and Lozells, but I have zero self-awareness, as Mrs RM will tell you ad nauseum.  I was quite safe walking round that… Continue reading AN ELEGANT LOO STOP

BAVARIAN CRAFT IN BRUM

BAVARIAN CRAFT IN BRUM

December 18, 2019December 18, 2019 12 Comments

You left me in the posh bit of Birmingham with a combination of fried onions, mustard and ketchup oozing down the front of my fleece (a Christmas present from 2004). I’d just been the tardiest person in Pint Shop, and now it was time to repeat the trick in Head of Steam, which was clearly… Continue reading BAVARIAN CRAFT IN BRUM

DROPPING THE BRATWURST IN BRUM

DROPPING THE BRATWURST IN BRUM

December 17, 2019December 18, 2019 25 Comments

I do hope that’s not a euphemism. If there is one, Curry Charles will find it. More to the point, should there be an umlaut in Brum ? Just like that, I’m up to yesterday (Monday 16th) with the blog. And it’s the Birmingham German Christmas Market, second only on Trip Advisor to rough backstreet… Continue reading DROPPING THE BRATWURST IN BRUM

DORDON-ZOLA

DORDON-ZOLA

December 17, 2019December 17, 2019 20 Comments

More exciting micropubs in Midlands mining villages for you, and a cultural reference for the ages. As you’ll know, Émile Zola wrote J’Accuse, and many accuse micropubs of being run purely for the benefit of middle-aged mates of the Landlord. Not this one. Where is Dordon ?, you ask. The Wiki page for Dordon is… Continue reading DORDON-ZOLA

NUNEATON’S £2.20 PINT

NUNEATON’S £2.20 PINT

December 17, 2019December 17, 2019 30 Comments

Into Warwickshire, always a joy (no, really) and a long-awaited return to That Nuneaton, Back in 2016 it produced a memorable night of top quality beer and curry, but craft hasn’t quite taken hold as I predicted and the Longshoot Hotel hardly enticed me back. There was a newbie near the suburb of Hartshill last… Continue reading NUNEATON’S £2.20 PINT

Black Swan In HandCheap beerNuneatonWarwickshire pubs
THE BOURNE (END) ULTIMATUM – WHERE’S MY SCOTCH EGG ?

THE BOURNE (END) ULTIMATUM – WHERE’S MY SCOTCH EGG ?

December 16, 2019December 17, 2019 2 Comments

The last Buckinghamshire GBG tick. Always good for a blog title. Don’t feel too sorry for me. Only eight pubs to tick in the GBG20, and I end the county (as I often do) on a cracker. Last year Bourne End gave us KEG (which was cask); this year’s B’Ender was a classic BBB Boozer.… Continue reading THE BOURNE (END) ULTIMATUM – WHERE’S MY SCOTCH EGG ?

THE MANY WILES OF CHALFONT ST. GILES

THE MANY WILES OF CHALFONT ST. GILES

December 16, 2019December 16, 2019 4 Comments

Astonishing. In June this year I’d never been to a pub (or anything else) in any of the eighteen Chalfonts in bubbly Bucks. Now, thanks to Mrs RM’s good fortune in having a Head Office in Maidenhead (!), and the weirdness of the GBG, I’ve been to St. Peter and St. Giles in the space… Continue reading THE MANY WILES OF CHALFONT ST. GILES

DOWN TO THE RIVER (TO FINISH THE LONDON GBG)

DOWN TO THE RIVER (TO FINISH THE LONDON GBG)

December 15, 2019December 16, 2019 19 Comments

Three to go to finish this;` Note the effort to provide the contrasts in colour in those two photos. The travel map for the last three gets a bit messy. You’d left me in Lewisham, waiting for the short journey to London Beer Dispensary, one of those pubs that Deserter write about but which you… Continue reading DOWN TO THE RIVER (TO FINISH THE LONDON GBG)

TinSEL(ondon)town in the rain

TinSEL(ondon)town in the rain

December 15, 2019December 15, 2019 13 Comments

Three down, five to go to finish South East London and the world London. SEL, as they call it in CAMRA-land, has the capital’s best pubs but worst transport. I really needed Tom Irvin to plan my routes, The problem with logistics is it doesn’t take into account a) Micro opening times and b) the… Continue reading TinSEL(ondon)town in the rain

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