retiredmartin

August 2026. Ross-on-Wye.

Surely you’ve caught up on the blog after subjecting us to a torrent of posts, Retired Martin ?

Er, no.

Last weekend saw a third big trip of the week (nothing compared to the real ticker who cross continents on a daily basis) as we headed down to Cardiff for the traditional curtain raiser to the football season friendly defeat to Arsenal.

The highlight of the weekend would be meeting top Welsh pronunciation corrector and Pub Man Rhys, a “tick the ticker” if you like, but I did finish Herefordshire for another year.

Once again, it’s in Ross on Wye, so practically Worcs/Gloucs/Gwent. Why aren’t there any more remote drovers inns new to the GBG in the Marches ?

Ross is a curate’s egg of a town (pop. 10,978).

A bit of colour, some touches Bridgnorth would be proud of,

but a lot of charity shops and some fairly plain unfussy pubs on the main drag.

But approaching the Market House where the lanes meet it’s pleasant,

with the odd (very odd) architectural curiosity. Like this shop called Curiosity, in fact.

I reckon there’s a good chance the old lock-up could be a future micro, like that Corbridge Pele tower,

In fairness, it’s an impressive recovery from the catastrophic flooding of 2024 (remember rain, anyone ?),

though I note the impressive Ross Tap House hasn’t been able to re-open its doors yet.

So it’s the King’s Head, the town’s major hotel, for now,

though I managed five (5) pubs here in an hour when Mrs RM was DES in 2003 (she still holds it against me).

£129 your opulent four-poster (it was more in the Travelodge to be fair), £2.40 a half of the Corn homebrew from next door and a soda. Pub who give you a soda free deserve credit.

And it’s a nice wood-panelled bar,

checking some youthful locals in grown-up clothes for ID, Radiohead and breweriana.

It’s a quality place for a drink; just a shame the performative home brew is so dull, I bet they’d do a good Bass.

We pondered ordering bread and butter from the bar snack menu, but left just before the free hour’s parking ran out. It’s a tradition.