I’m not sure any month in which your Mum dies can should have “highlights”, but after the 13th, and following of a month of barely leaving the family home in Waterbeach, it was important to clear my head a bit, even if the travel map looks resolutely Sheffield/Cambridge/Kent, and (as in Lockdown) it’s the inability… Continue reading JANUARY ’25 STOCKTAKE + FEBRUARY PREVIEW
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 DRAYMAN’S SON GETS THE CASK RIGHT
January 2025. Ely. The paper trail gets relentless now; driving from Sheffield to a Cambridge funeral director to deliver a green slip of paper because (“that’s how it works“), then a train to Ely to spend two hours with banks and building societies being asked to fill out forms in pen. Death is a paper… Continue reading THE DRAYMAN’S SON GETS THE CASK RIGHT
THE OLD NAG’S HEAD, EDALE. FOR WHEN YOU NEED THAT PINT OF OLD PECULIER.
January 2025. Edale. A flying visit to one of the honeypot villages on the Dark Peak line from Sheffield to Manchester, where Mrs RM had successfully delayed our assault on Kinder Scout by nipping in the closest pub to Edale Station, and so, ill-prepared and with dusk an hour away, we disappoint Kentish Paul by… Continue reading THE OLD NAG’S HEAD, EDALE. FOR WHEN YOU NEED THAT PINT OF OLD PECULIER.
EDALE WITHOUT THE HIKING BOOTS
January 2025. Edale. Everyone told me that death (don’t panic, not my own) would be time-consuming, but it also casts an invisible barrier over your travel, daring you to travel too far from home (whatever that is) lest something unexpectedly requiring your presence to find a green slip for no obvious purpose crops up. So… Continue reading EDALE WITHOUT THE HIKING BOOTS
IS THE RUTLAND ARMS A TOP 3 PUB ?
January 2025. Sheffield. To Mrs RM’s chagrin (always loved that word) I failed to buy a funeral suit in Cambridge, but partially redeemed myself but buying her a sumptuous slice of millionaire’s shortbread on the way home from arranging Mum’s memorial service. The Railside Café at Alfreton Station (long story) is highly recommended for the… Continue reading IS THE RUTLAND ARMS A TOP 3 PUB ?
CAMBRIDGE CONTRASTS. FROM THE PINT SHOP TO THE REGAL
January 2025. Cambridge. So, I failed to buy a funeral suit in Cambridge. Do I need one, anyway ? That Bass Star t-shirt is fine, surely ? Instead, I drift to the market place and the Pint Shop, drawn by the certainty that a post with a £17 pint is always a winner with my… Continue reading CAMBRIDGE CONTRASTS. FROM THE PINT SHOP TO THE REGAL
STEALING THE PRINCE OF CAMBRIDGE’S SEAT IN THE FORT ST. GEORGE (IN ENGLAND)
January 2025. Cambridge. The route from Cambridge North station past Haymakers and along the Cam (until you’re stopped by Rowing Club “Keep Out” signs) to the home of the May Beer Festival is a tranquil pleasure, and the view across to the Fort St George (in England) from the footbridge at Peterhouse RC one of… Continue reading STEALING THE PRINCE OF CAMBRIDGE’S SEAT IN THE FORT ST. GEORGE (IN ENGLAND)
NO-ONE SHOULD WALK PAST THE HAYMAKERS 3 TIMES
January 2025. Cambridge. Or Chesterton, if we’re being pedantic. In the morning I’d had to be very pedantic as I attended the Cambridge registry office to record my mum’s death correctly, without misspellings and errors that might muck up the nasty financial stuff later. I am so thankful no-one in my immediate family is burdened… Continue reading NO-ONE SHOULD WALK PAST THE HAYMAKERS 3 TIMES
CURRY IN CAMBRIDGE. THE TIFFIN TRUCK, ORCHARD PARK
January 2025. Cambridge. Back in Waterbeach for another day of searching through Mum’s endless treasure trove of photos and every card received in 30 years, we collapsed on Sunday evening and looked for an early tea. Surprisingly, Mrs RM turned down my offer of driving her to the Haymakers for a pint of 7.5% Marcus… Continue reading CURRY IN CAMBRIDGE. THE TIFFIN TRUCK, ORCHARD PARK
A BURNING SKY IN WALKLEY BEER CO.
January 2025. Walkley. Sheffield. Bonus mini post, highlighting just how good Sheffield is outside the GBG. 2 minutes walk up Walkley’s main drag on a rare Friday night at home. The eponymous off -licence with a communal drinking table was my first real introduction to Walkley back in James’s fresher year at Sheffield Uni. A… Continue reading A BURNING SKY IN WALKLEY BEER CO.
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