retiredmartin

September 2024. Newmarket.

Most weekends are still based in Waterbeach, but at least there’s a chance of a snatched tick in GBG25, with a first furtive foray across the Suffolk border last Friday.

“Why didn’t you pop in here when we stayed in Newmarket last month ?”

Well, that’s an annoying question, Mrs RM, almost implying you asked me to pop in the Bull.

It had certainly looked the liveliest pub in a GBG desert, but as I recall Mrs RM just wanted to sleep, and I didn’t fancy multiple wee trips up those steep steps in the Pink House.

I felt immediately guilty about not inviting famous local Maltmeister out, but since we literally had 12 minutes till we needed to collect Mum’s pizza and chips from the Pharmacie cafe it would have been an annoying meetup.

I’m fairly sure I must have been in the Bull before, Newmarket is well-worn territory, but like that Mexborough Spoons it’s not on The Spreadsheet.

And anyway, it was great, full of racegoers on Madri and Prosecco.

This guy had brought his horsey seat (?) with him.

Yet another example of how plain chain pubs can get in the Guide in 2024,

though this felt closer to a Greene King flagship than anything I’ve seen in Bury, and the Abbot was sumptuous.

As was Mum’s 🍕. Same one the Southworths had on the their culinary exploration of Waterbeach.

I bet they’re missing that pizza already.