Mrs RM has halved her workload to spend more time with me read Russian novels, so I took her into Cambridge to celebrate her nearly freedom. It’s the first time we’ve been out drinking in Mill Road since a great afternoon with BRAPA which ended with him almost missing his last train and boarding without… Continue reading DUCHESSE DE BOURGOGNE
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 10 COUNTIES – No. 5 – THE ISLE OF MAN
It’s NOT a county, it’s a a self-governing British Crown dependency, you scream. I beg to differ; It’s a GBG county, it really is. Best approached from Heysham, since Liverpool is out of bounds. Oh, sorry, the Isle of Man doesn’t want your plague either at the moment. Shame, because it really is one of the… Continue reading TOP 10 COUNTIES – No. 5 – THE ISLE OF MAN
GBG20 – THE BIG SPREADSHEET ISSUE
I was going to do an overnighter in the Isle of Wight this week and complete the GBG entries there, but; a) The Isle of Wight doesn’t actually exist, does it ? b) I couldn’t get up at 4am so I could catch the 9am Southsea hovercraft c) Honestly, have you ever suffered the Southern… Continue reading GBG20 – THE BIG SPREADSHEET ISSUE
SUPER ALE IN COOPERSALE
The new GBG should “drop”, as annoying people say, sometime soon. Am I excited ? Not really. But frankly it’s getting tough getting more pink ticks in GBG20 as my nearest new Guide pubs are now 4 hours away and it’s getting darker. So I’m doing a bit of “random pubbing“. You should try it.… Continue reading SUPER ALE IN COOPERSALE
WELFORD’S WHARF – AS GOOD AS IT GETS
From Bristol, the by now weekly slog back up/down the M5/M42/M6/A14 was completed in just under the 3 hours, there being no pressing reason to stop in Bromsgrove until the new GBG comes out. But Mrs RM needed a refreshment stop (new term) half way. “Pub stop do you ?” “Oh yes.“ You’ll remember the… Continue reading WELFORD’S WHARF – AS GOOD AS IT GETS
GLOUCESTERSHIRE COMPLETE
Colin the Cauliflower may be cuter, but Baa Baa Toure now has a fan in Saudi Arabia. At least, I assume he’s the reason a Saudi would log on to this site. Baa Baa was delighted to see my Gloucestershire section fully pinked after a last triumphant march from the Coronation to the Tobacco Factory,… Continue reading GLOUCESTERSHIRE COMPLETE
BED MONSTER
No, not me being nasty about Bristol’s ever enchanting suburb; see the address on Bing Maps; The Apple Tree (keg, “lively”), was the pub we could see from our campervan as we braved a night wild camping in a big city. Tucked between city farm, closed church and light industrial estate, we slept soundly on… Continue reading BED MONSTER
SO WHERE IS STAPLE HILL, EXACTLY ?
Regular readers, the ones who get my blog posts early and on shinier paper, may remember me moaning like a spoilt child about geographical oddities in the 2020 Guide. The Wooden Walls in Staple Hill is probably described as “Bristol” by 99% of people who live there, the exception being a bloke called Colin who… Continue reading SO WHERE IS STAPLE HILL, EXACTLY ?
THE BUTCHER’S HOOK – NO MORE A THORNBURY IN MY SIDE
Mrs RM is winding down her IT gigs a bit so she can spend more time winding me up (joking, joking). On our first joint trip away in months we headed to Gloucestershire, coincidentally home to my final 4 Guide ticks in that intriguing county. Back in the Olden Days when people travelled to go… Continue reading THE BUTCHER’S HOOK – NO MORE A THORNBURY IN MY SIDE
MORE McMULLENS MAGIC
Yet more Hitchin highlights for you. Could I yet become an ambassador for the town, after slagging it off a week ago ? Well for a start, there was nothing in Hitchin as scarily unwelcoming as THIS obstruction heavy craft bar in Letchworth… And you arrive at Hitchin Railway Station on this lovely train. As… Continue reading MORE McMULLENS MAGIC
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