August 2024. Chorley. Matt was in recovery when we arrived back at Buckshaw’s shiny hospital, an advert for health care under a US Libertarian model if ever I saw one*. The receptionist phoned the surgical team for a release time, which we judged it too tight to visit Blackpool but more than sufficient for an… Continue reading ASTLEY HALL

August 2024. Buckshaw. Chorley. An early start on Friday morning, driving Matt the short hop from our luxury Travelodge to Buckshaw Hospital for an NHS contacted out nose job under general anaesthetic. I helpfully reminded Matt there was a 99%+ chance of survival as he booked into Ramsay Health’s swish facility (free parking, WiFi, cheery… Continue reading THE GREEN MAN OF BUCKSHAW

August 2024. Chorley. Well, Greater Chorley, really. Clayton-le-Woods, really, but although that’s got a lot of pubs, or did have till recently, Wiki has nothing to say about Whittle. The most interesting feature on the 3 miles north to our hotel for the night is the Mormon Church dominating your M61 journey from Manchester to… Continue reading ” Pubs closing before 11 ? Wimps ! “

August (finally !) 2024. Chorley. Family dramas have meant a “difficult” start to August, in the same way that the lockdown of November 2020 meant a “difficult” month for pub ticking. Six trips from Sheffield to Cambridge and back, a visit to Tunbridge Wells, and a rush to Chorley to get Matthew to an early… Continue reading TOP 100 PUBS – MALT N HOPS, CHORLEY

July 2024. Ely. Just looking at this map extract now, I noticed the Roswell Pits and wondered if Donald Trump got told the TRUTH about the Roswell alien when he was sworn in as the best President ever and how he kept it secret when he left office. Oliver Cromwell, whose house we passed (he… Continue reading WEST END GIRL (STEALING PUB ELECTRICITY)

July 2024. Ely. Another glorious Summer night in England. You only get glorious Summer nights under a Labour government. Just the one pub that Tuesday, the 13% Azvex in the Drayman a crawl killer. Straight on to water in the plainly named Ely Turkish, whose mixed grill for two was superb value, though the dips… Continue reading ELY – QUITE GOOD

July 2024. Ely. Among Ely’s many attractions for the visitor to Greater Waterbeach are a plethora of free parking options, and Mrs RM chose the option with a hedge behind for the first of two nights on Eel Island. Three Blind Mice, crafty murk brewers from the Fens, have just taken on Ely’s first micro,… Continue reading THREE BLIND MICE

July 2024. Sheffield. The question I’m most prepared for is “What’s new and exciting in Sheffield then, Retired Martin ?“. It’s not a question I’d get if we’d moved to Dereham or Milton Keynes, for sure. Not a lot brand new since The Old Shoe a year ago, I thought, but then suddenly remembered the… Continue reading DEYA, PICKLED ONION MONSTER MUNCH, DONKEY KONG AND THE CLASH

July 2024. Sheffield. Tramlines Fringe, a genuinely wonderful weekend of largely original live music across Sheffield. And not just in the usual suspects of the real ale bars like the Shakespeare. The late opening clubs along West Street that serve Madri till 4 in the morning deserve massive credit for promoting live music. So from… Continue reading ALL THE PUBS IN SHEFFIELD – FIREPIT ROCKS

July 2024. Sheffield. My Saturday afternoon in London declared on three (3) new Guide ticks and no (0) pre-emptives or revisits to the Parcel Yard, whose disgraceful toilets put me off the traditional closing pint of ESB. Those toilets almost, but not quite, put me off a late night Chung Hwa. I’m edging away from… Continue reading ALL THE PUBS IN SHEFFIELD – THE HALLAMSHIRE HOTEL