June 2025. Cambridge.
It’s not just pubs that close on Mondays; the top takeaways in Waterbeach shut up shop, too. Leaving Mrs RM to add the final touches to her blog (she is Kate Bush to my Mark E Smith when it comes to blogging) I took the £2.45 return to Cambridge.
I was born in Mill Road, the blue plaque is probably in Latin, and most of Cambridge’s best known pubs are here, west of the bridge that’s now closed to traffic.
There’s less to excite you over the bridge in Romsey Town,
where the Cons club has outlived its Labour neighbour. What can it mean ?
The pick of the pubs was converted back from a stint as a curry house a decade ago,
and the Royal Standard has largely been a GBG flagbearer for Romsey since.
This is a classy sister pub to the Cambridge Blue and Blue Moon. A bit less keg, a bit less craft, a bit more food (Greek street).
Van Morrison, The Proclaimers and Fleetwood Mac (“Put Gyspy on” shouts someone), a woman declares “I’m a wine person“, a waving baby makes friends with everyone at the bar.
And the young barman, despite the heat, tells everyone they’ve made the right choice. “We’ve got wine !“, “Ooh, Release The Chimps, great choice“.
Yes, I had Nene Valley’s signature keg. Who drinks cask in this weather ?
retiredmartin 
I haven’t been back to Cambridge now since a college reunion almost 10 years ago. Since then I’ve lost two of the best people I’ve ever known, both of whom I met in that unique city. I’ll be there some time over the next few months , but I’m sorry to tell you that it’ll be for a RUGBY MATCH.
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Sorry for your loss, always hits hard to lose friends from that stage in your life.
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“It’s not just pubs that close on Mondays” – but not everywhere.
One of my four Stafford pubs this afternoon was the newly refurbished Shrewsbury Arms where I happened to meet Crewe Martin, who you’ll remember from Wolverhampton.
He confirmed that he no longer works here but comes to Stafford on a Monday because the pubs are open.
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