Just as I was getting to love the railways, they stopped running. Despite all the gripes folk have, I’ve had a pretty good service from Sheffield, apart from all the pricing anomalies. A lot of travel for one tick, like the hour to Granvilles in Horsforth, one of those towns that could sit under “H”… Continue reading A HORSFORTH HOP
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.
TOP 100 PUBS – THE TAMWORTH TAP
7th December 2022. Having found my Tamworth GBG tick unexpectedly closed for a staff party (should have got my butler to phone ahead like Duncan does) I had 47 minutes before the next train to civilisation Derby. Ooh, there’s one of the Top 4 pubs in the country according to CAMRA. It would be stupid… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – THE TAMWORTH TAP
HOW WILL I COPE WITH TAMWORTH TORMENT ?
7th December 2022. I’d planned it all so well. No new GBG ticks in Stafford, but a genuine Guide newbie in Tamworth on the way home. There’s multiple rail routes to Stafford from Sheffield, and about 44 different fare combinations depending on whether you dare stop in Uttoxeter and whether you’re old or not. I’d… Continue reading HOW WILL I COPE WITH TAMWORTH TORMENT ?
A STAFFORD (IM)PERFECT 10
7th December 2022. I enjoyed Stafford, a lot. Ten (10) varied pubs, half of them new, and a sense of getting to grips with the town. The two Mudgies performed their sacred duty to CAMRA by declaring the Grapes cask-free, so we met up a minute away in the Sun. Now, pubs called the Sun… Continue reading A STAFFORD (IM)PERFECT 10
STAFFORD GOES ALL BLUEBERRY MARTINI SOUR
7th December 2022. It was all going swimmingly. Seven (7) pubs in 3.5 hours, some good beer, some bad beer, some lively debate. But now to the schism. Will and I wanted to visit the new craft bar Ship Aground, Peter and Paul said (figuratively) “Away from me, craft Devil” and opted to try out… Continue reading STAFFORD GOES ALL BLUEBERRY MARTINI SOUR
BEER v COMFORT
7th December 2022. It’s taking longer to write up Stafford than we actually spend in the town (about 4 hours). Here’s pubs 6 and 7. From the disappointing and empty Vine we crossed a couple of roads to the Rose & Crown, where Joules’s gleaming handpumps appealed, but not as much as the Old No.… Continue reading BEER v COMFORT
Sometimes, one beer is MORE than enough
7th December 2022. Pub No. 5 on the Great Stafford Winter Wander, which came after the massive disappointment for Paul that the brand new craft keg Empourium was shut. I look forward to Paul revisiting and giving his verdict on the games area; I really wanted to go in the Vine Hotel, rather than the… Continue reading Sometimes, one beer is MORE than enough
THE MARKET VAULTS – THE GOOD, THE DULL AND THE BONO
7th December 2022. Pub No. 3 (of 10) on the Stafford “pub crawl”, sorry tutored pub exploration, and one of the few places in town I hadn’t been in before. Actually, I didn’t think I’d been in the Market Vaults before, but now I see it used to be the Joxer Brady when it had… Continue reading THE MARKET VAULTS – THE GOOD, THE DULL AND THE BONO
STAFFORD CRAWLING PART 2
The Annual Awards post is always the hardest to compile; the fear of making it too long, or missing out something vital or witty. So I’m pleased to put that one to bed and get back to the diary, even if it returns us to, 7th December 2022. The number of pub visits ticked past… Continue reading STAFFORD CRAWLING PART 2
THE 2022 RETIRED MARTIN AWARDS ISSUE
As someone who treats every day as important as the next (except 22 December, obviously) you may be surprised I even recognise the end of the year as a thing. But the Awards issue is a contractual obligation, and you know how seriously I treat my obligations, particularly to Patronised reader who can view the… Continue reading THE 2022 RETIRED MARTIN AWARDS ISSUE
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