July 2024. Ely. Just looking at this map extract now, I noticed the Roswell Pits and wondered if Donald Trump got told the TRUTH about the Roswell alien when he was sworn in as the best President ever and how he kept it secret when he left office. Oliver Cromwell, whose house we passed (he… Continue reading WEST END GIRL (STEALING PUB ELECTRICITY)

July 2024. Ely. Another glorious Summer night in England. You only get glorious Summer nights under a Labour government. Just the one pub that Tuesday, the 13% Azvex in the Drayman a crawl killer. Straight on to water in the plainly named Ely Turkish, whose mixed grill for two was superb value, though the dips… Continue reading ELY – QUITE GOOD

July 2024. Ely. Among Ely’s many attractions for the visitor to Greater Waterbeach are a plethora of free parking options, and Mrs RM chose the option with a hedge behind for the first of two nights on Eel Island. Three Blind Mice, crafty murk brewers from the Fens, have just taken on Ely’s first micro,… Continue reading THREE BLIND MICE

July 2024. Sheffield. The question I’m most prepared for is “What’s new and exciting in Sheffield then, Retired Martin ?“. It’s not a question I’d get if we’d moved to Dereham or Milton Keynes, for sure. Not a lot brand new since The Old Shoe a year ago, I thought, but then suddenly remembered the… Continue reading DEYA, PICKLED ONION MONSTER MUNCH, DONKEY KONG AND THE CLASH

July 2024. Sheffield. Tramlines Fringe, a genuinely wonderful weekend of largely original live music across Sheffield. And not just in the usual suspects of the real ale bars like the Shakespeare. The late opening clubs along West Street that serve Madri till 4 in the morning deserve massive credit for promoting live music. So from… Continue reading ALL THE PUBS IN SHEFFIELD – FIREPIT ROCKS

July 2024. Sheffield. My Saturday afternoon in London declared on three (3) new Guide ticks and no (0) pre-emptives or revisits to the Parcel Yard, whose disgraceful toilets put me off the traditional closing pint of ESB. Those toilets almost, but not quite, put me off a late night Chung Hwa. I’m edging away from… Continue reading ALL THE PUBS IN SHEFFIELD – THE HALLAMSHIRE HOTEL

July 2024. Fulham (I think). It had been deadly quiet in the back streets just north of Fulham FC as I approached the Crabtree to finish off my London mini-crawl. And then I open the door. And that’s the quiet bit. The restaurant is busier, the wet trade spilling out to the patio and along… Continue reading CONSTANT CRAVEN (COTTAGE)

July 2024. Fulham (or is it Hammersmith). The last of a mixed trio of London ticks, as I finally clear that awkward W6 entry by the Thames that’s been bugging me all year. “A man who is bored of visiting London pubs is a man who’s actually just tired of £7 pints” wrote Samuel Johnson,… Continue reading LILLIE ROAD

July 2024. Kilburn. Not only does the swathe of North West London beyond Regent’s Park feel a bit underwhelming pub wise (but wait), but it’s also resolutely grim, lacking green spaces bar the odd cemetery. So Kilburn Grange Park brings relief, albeit with the most oppressive smell of weed I’ve yet encountered. And I’ve lived… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE BLACK LION, KILBURN

July 2024. Finchley Road. London. New Beer Guide pubs are a rarity in the weird looking blob of North-West London. It starts OK in Euston, Camden and Hampstead, then loses the plot in featureless Brent, Harrow and Hillingdon. To be fair, the curry and dosas round here aren’t bad, and as I leave the underground… Continue reading THE LOST CATS OF FINCHLEY ROAD