January 2024. Ely. Mum needed me to pop to Ely on an errand. I needed a pint. I phoned my sis, who escaped from Waterbeach to Ely’s lovely riverfront last year. “Fancy a pint ?” She did. She’s a Pint Woman. Ely is easier by rail (12 minutes) than the A10, busier than ever due… Continue reading MR RM’S SISTER NEGOTIATES THE CAMRA DISCOUNT AT ELY MINSTER
Author: 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.
THE ACLE STRAIGHTS
January 2024. Acle. I spent a night in an Acle Travelodge. I really did. £29, and Alfie, Baa Baa and Charlie get a decent night’s sleep, while I get a new GBG tick and a chance to explore the main settlement (pop. 2,732) between Norwich and Great Yarmouth, on the road to the Broads. Nice… Continue reading THE ACLE STRAIGHTS
A HALF DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY. No. 30 – MERSEYSIDE
Another county where your picks don’t pick themselves, as it were. A county that’s a lot more than Liverpool, though you only really feel you’ve arrived when you get off the train at Lime Street. Which reminds me of a song; Picking one from the Big City was tough. How do you leave out Doctor… Continue reading A HALF DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY. No. 30 – MERSEYSIDE
DUAL DISAPPOINTMENT AT CARLETON RODE SOCIAL CLUB
January 2024. Carleton Rode. Attleborough. It’s a small world. Two days after visiting the Carleton Rode (pop. 785) Social Club, a remote Norfolk tick, I actually met someone from Attleborough. On his birthday (it wasn’t 22/12). He didn’t believe I’d been to Carleton Rode, which sounds like a member of Graham Taylor’s 1993 World Cup… Continue reading DUAL DISAPPOINTMENT AT CARLETON RODE SOCIAL CLUB
A WALK FROM BOROUGHBRIDGE MORRISONS
January 2024. Boroughbridge. As is traditional, Mrs RM had left something behind in the Durham Hotel, so we had to return home via Seaton Carew, which added 2 minutes to our homeward journey. 2 minutes might not sound a lot to you, but it all adds up and I have entered it into the Register… Continue reading A WALK FROM BOROUGHBRIDGE MORRISONS
SHOCK THE MONKEY TO LIFE
January 2024. Hartlepool. It was, perhaps, a brave choice for Hartlepool Tourist Office to ask Peter Gabriel to be their brand ambassador as the town looks to capitalise on Blackpool Jane’s recent endorsement. But his 3 word slogan encapsulates the revival of the monkey-hanging capital of the UK in recent years, and there’s plenty of… Continue reading SHOCK THE MONKEY TO LIFE
HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY. No. 29 – GREATER MANCHESTER
The toughest GBG “county” so far. I was tempted to go with 10 and get you to name another two. As it is, my choices seem to cruelly ignore Saddleworth, Bolton, Leigh and Rochdale. As all great things must, we start in Stockport. Right next to that view of the Underbanks, which helps give it… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY. No. 29 – GREATER MANCHESTER
STRONGARM – DECENT, BUT WHERE’S MY BANKER ?
January 2024. Hartlepool. We checked into our Travelodge at 3pm, and set up Alfie, Baa Baa and Charlie (l-r) up with a nice view of the derelict car parks and marina. Alfie and Charlie dreamed of escaping the harsh winters of Teesside (they have no sense of time) and emigrating to Chile. But then Mrs… Continue reading STRONGARM – DECENT, BUT WHERE’S MY BANKER ?
THE HARTLEPOOL CULTURAL EDITION
January 2024. Hartlepool. 11% Imperial stouts have a lot to answer for. My plans to use 2 nights in Hartlepool as a base to tick pubs in Sunderland, Morpeth and Hexham went in the bin after overdoing it in the Golden Smog, and I never wanted to drink again as we parked up in Travelodge’s… Continue reading THE HARTLEPOOL CULTURAL EDITION
WORKIE TICKET AND UNTAPPD MADNESS
January 2024. Hartlepool. Quite a lot of short posts coming up. Clear your busy diaries. A big Thursday night out in Stockton meant a slow start to Friday in Seaton Carew, after a typical budget hotel full English breakfast (inedible sausages) enlivened by the owner’s singing. He was sanguine when I admitted I’d broke the… Continue reading WORKIE TICKET AND UNTAPPD MADNESS
retiredmartin 