retiredmartin

July 2023. Little Matlock, Sheffield.

I had a real scare the other day, I can tell you.

On the walk up the hill into Sheffield, just past the Crow, a young bloke overtook me. Granted, I was dawdling a bit, and I’d overtook him a few minutes earlier so he may have had a point to prove. But NO-ONE overtakes Retired Martin.

Perhaps finishing the GBG has slowed me down; tickers have to keep fit to get to the micro before early closing. Time to get back in shape.

Yes, I know it’s what you put in your mouth, not the steps, that determine your weight, but a few days of c.25k of steps in Sheffield hills certainly helps get the speed up.

The other day I told you about a mammoth 15 mile walk back in 2007, when I ticked a pub called the Robin Hood out in Little Matlock just before it closed.

Well, I was starting to doubt the Robin Hood ever existed, and headed out beyond the Rivelin to check.

Somewhere over there, beyond Stannington. It actually took an hour as I took the route via the schools and then had to find a place out of sight for a “comfort break”. I’ll vote for any party that instals urinals in copses and woods.

I met two dog walkers in an hour. Dogs are allowed to pee wherever they like, of course.

There’s lot of places with “Little” in their name that are completely unconnected to their better known places. See “Little” Downham and “Little” Thetford. Well, actually, don’t bother; they’re both dull.

But Little Matlock, overlooking the Loxley, is gorgeous.

What a shame the pub is now flats, but frankly most folk these days wouldn’t have stamina to walk to it from Loxley, let alone Meadowhall as I did 16 years ago.

There’s a nice information board which tells you that Robin Hood was born on the edge of Sheffield, rather than in Mansfield, and given the quality of pubs in north Notts who can blame him ?

The sign tells you to acknowledge the privacy of the residents of Robin Hood House, so I didn’t take the provocative pub sign as an invitation to bang on the door and ask for a pint of Bradfield Blonde,

but I guess you’ll know my strong views on folk who close “much-loved” pubs (was it ?) and keep the sign up.