December 2025. Sheffield. Perhaps only Will the Sheffield Hatter is as passionate about beer quality in the pub as I am, starting many a scrap reasoned debate on CAMRA Discourse of late. Like Will, I reckon that quality can vary by the day, or session, even in the best of pubs, and discussion about “good”… Continue reading CHECKING WILL’S SHEFFIELD BEER SCORES
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.
RETIRED MARTIN’S MARVELLOUS MUSICAL MELODIES FOR 2025
Dave mentioning the brilliant Lola Young reminds me I’ve still to delight you with my Top 10 albums for 2025, so you can start playing them and get your “Spotify age” down from 64 to 24 next year. Goodness know what my actual 24 year old son’s Spotify age is, Matthew having watched Springsteen, Neil… Continue reading RETIRED MARTIN’S MARVELLOUS MUSICAL MELODIES FOR 2025
THE FEAST OF BOLSOVER
December 2025. Bolsover. We’d ticked the last new entry in Derbyshire, Mrs RM had expressed complete disinterest in walking the bounds to Snipe Bogg and Carr Vale Flash, so all that was left of Bolsover was a trip to B & M bargains to get a calendar to write my 2026 Proper Days Out on.… Continue reading THE FEAST OF BOLSOVER
FISH BISCUITS IN BOLSOVER
December 2025. Bolsover. From folk debating the Beast of Bolsover in Wakefield to the actual town where Dennis Skinner was MP for 49 years. Sometimes this blog doesn’t feel completely random A last tick in Derbyshire for GBG26. Eagle-eyed readers will note I haven’t pinked in the whole map, just put a ring round the… Continue reading FISH BISCUITS IN BOLSOVER
THE RED SHED
December 2025. Wakefield. I mean, who waits patiently at a station between connections ? 20 minutes, or 45 in Wakefield Kirgate on the way back from Todmorden, is the ideal time for stretching your legs to explore regal street art, deciding which heritage acts to avoid next year, and wondering how a fast growing cathedral… Continue reading THE RED SHED
RETIRED MARTIN’S CULINARY 2025
“Man cannot live by The Word alone“. He also needs pints of Bass and a balanced diet, like the one in Wigan’s Swan and Railway (above). Rushing between 3 homes, Mrs RM has done miracles with a slow cooker, but rarely spending 3 days in a row in the same house means there’s barely time… Continue reading RETIRED MARTIN’S CULINARY 2025
DECEMBER ’25 STOCKTAKE + JANUARY PREVIEW
Almost forgot ! I wrote the annual awards edition so promptly I missed the monthly round-up that’s part of your contractual entitlement. And who can forget December ? A month of magic and Martin’s birthday, if short on trips to Merthyr and Motherwell Maidenhead. Sixty (60) different pubs; those points on the travel map above… Continue reading DECEMBER ’25 STOCKTAKE + JANUARY PREVIEW
TOP 100 PUBS – NAN MOOR’S, TODMORDEN
December 2025. Todmorden. “Look after yourself” says the Old Boy in the Fox with whom I’ve bonded over 5 minutes of dissing trad media, which says a lot about the joy of pubs. My state of mind will depend largely on whether Nan Moor’s is open. Unexpectedly closed half an hour ago, I search Instagram… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – NAN MOOR’S, TODMORDEN
DISCUSSING “FAKE NEWS” IN THE FOX, TODMORDEN
December 2025. Todmorden. I’d really needed to get away, anywhere, after the boredom of the Christmas visits, and Todmorden (via Mirfield) provided the perfect day trip. Two hours, two changes of train, perfect winter Calderdale scenery, and two (2) new GBG ticks in a town I hadn’t visited since 2018, when I described it as… Continue reading DISCUSSING “FAKE NEWS” IN THE FOX, TODMORDEN
WELCOME TO MIRFIELD
December 2025. Mirfield. Enough of this “Christmas” nonsense scuppering rail plans, the 27th brings a chance to escape Sheffield and gets some steps in. My route skips Leeds for a change, with a stop in Wakefield Kirkgate’s artistic tunnel, and another in Mirfield. Something to do with Star Wars, I guess. I guarantee you can… Continue reading WELCOME TO MIRFIELD
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