RETIRED MARTIN’S BIG GOOLE BIRTHDAY

22 December 2023. Beal, nr Goole.

Thanks for all your birthday wishes, I really appreciate the love for Retired Martin Day.

Mrs RM spared all expense, adapting a card for her nan that been sitting in a draw for 12 years;

And of course Stockport’s own Phil Foden has just capped off the night by making City the champions of the world, not that you’d know.

But at 11:30am it looked like it might be the worst birthday ever, EVER, but the resolution of a difficulty I’d rather not discuss meant we were able to head off by noon.

Sadly, not to Seaton Carew, home of that fateful canoe trip, but Beal near Goole was at least a place I’d never been to before, home to a GBG tick, AND a rather fantastic surprise.

The Jenny Wren is a genuine cracker, with great seating in one of the pub rooms of the year.

Max Headroom on the TV, a roaring fire.

and some silky Rudgate Christmas beer (NBSS 3.5+).

But more than that, what a welcome. And handed the “Seniors” menu, too.

“She thinks we’re Seniors” whispered Mrs RM.

“SSSSHHHHHH” I replied. To be fair US Dave thought I was 60.

I told Dave the Jenny Wren felt a bit like Leek’s Blue Mugge; proper pub, proper steak pie and fish and chips.

Two hearty home-cooked two courses lunches and a pint and a half for less than £30.

Home-made jam roly-poly, on my birthday. What a day.

The pub is a warren of rooms, a bit of an Alice in Wonderland place with rooms hidden behind curtains and walls that seem to close in on you on the way to the Gents.

And such friendly people, all wishing us Happy Christmas on the way out.

But all that pubby wonder was as nought compared to the joy of seeing Chris de Burgh sweating on MTV.

“Look ! Chris de Burgh sweating” squealed Mrs RM.

What more could you possibly want from your birthday ?

Oh yes, the locals singing the Banana Splits theme;

I got that too.

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

11 thoughts on “RETIRED MARTIN’S BIG GOOLE BIRTHDAY”

  2. Some bloke on Twitter was saying the TV over the fireplace meant it didn’t qualify as a Proper Pub, but I responded that it ticked numerous other boxes, which it clearly does 😀

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      1. On last night’s Hillgate Stagger, there were two pubs with customers dancing, which would have horrified the purists 😛

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      3. Actually not, although they did have karaoke. The Wheatsheaf and the Red Bull. The Wheatsheaf on several levels was horrifying for the purists.

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