retiredmartin

July 2024. Morpeth. A day of snatched halves on the way to Wooler, where I’d snagged the accommodation bargain on another weekend of outrageous UK hotel pricing. Morpeth is the smart stop 20 minutes north of Newcastle Central, akin to Marple or Ely I guess. I thought I’d been loads of times, but there’s only… Continue reading PLEASED TO MEET YOU, MORPETH

July 2024. Newcastle. A stressful 5 days down in Waterbeach, and returning to Sheffield last Thursday I felt in urgent need of a few quiet days at home a night somewhere completely different. Actually, what I wanted was a few new Northumberland Beer Guide ticks, and by noon on Friday we were passing the Angel… Continue reading TICK ON THE TYNE (AMATEUR ROWING CLUB) IT’S ALL MINE

July 2024. Cambridge. The “problem” with walking as fast as I do is that it frees up time for an extra half in a busy schedule. Stafford Paul will be familiar with this “problem”, though I expect he’d have skipped “Dirty Hanks” on my route back from Cambridge’s colleges to the station. “Dirty Hanks” ?… Continue reading NO CASK, STAY FOR HALF OF GAMMA RAY

July 2023. Cambridge. Congratulations if you guessed this pic from Mill Road was the maternity hospital where baby Retired Martin was born (blue plaque currently being cleaned of graffiti). For a second rapid Cambridge pint in my 2 hour respite I headed across a quiet Parkers Piece, and found the market place and colleges unexpectedly… Continue reading A PINT IN THE PINT SHOP

July 2024. Cambridge. Five stressful days down in Waterbeach, with a bit of respite in the pubs on the Mill Road run, continuing with a pint from Waterbeach’s finest brewery in one of Cambridge’s most unspoilt boozers. The Dev is the place I ended my leaving do in 2014, a pub revived (but not TOO… Continue reading BENCH SEATING IN THE DEVONSHIRE ARMS

July 2024. Clacton-on-Sea. Not much enthusiasm for the election last Thursday, except in coastal Essex, where posters advertising the arrival of Sir Nigel Farage greet you in Greater Clacton. Nigel may be heading back to the States before he’s even had time to open the Jaywick fête, but it seems he’s already boosted the town’s… Continue reading WELL, I’M GOING TO CLACTON, ANYWAY

One of the very best of “counties”, an uneasy alliance of Anglesey, Conwy and Gwynedd that made Number 9 in my Top 10 series during lockdown. Forget the pubs, this stretch of coast and mountain is one of the world’s scenic highlights. Top Victoriana, some of the UK’s best gardens (Bodnant, below), and nothing beats… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY No. 57 – NORTH-WEST WALES

July 2024. Cambridge. Two pints in Cambridge on a Monday afternoon, and an abject failure to bring you anything new and exciting. But I understand some folk prefer old and brilliant to new and inconsistent, so I’d recommended the Cambridge Blue to the lovely Histon (via Walsall) couple I’d bee chatting to in the Kingston.… Continue reading THE CAMBRIDGE BLUE – A GWYDIR STREET GEM

July 2024. Cambridge. A half-hearted attempt to visit all the Cambridge pubs for you while I’m staying with the parents falls at the first hurdle as I leave the station and head towards the old favourites. I welcomed back the Kingston Arms from an il-fated gastro spell last year, and was later delighted to see… Continue reading FORGET THE BASS – THE REAL REASON I GO TO PUBS

July 2024. Milton (Cambridgeshire). After a glorious sunset in Sheffield on Friday, I headed south to the parents for 5 days mainly focused on helping Dad escape the house. Labour had just announced plans to accelerate housebuilding, citing the Northstowe development near Cambridge. 25 years after it was first being touted as the answer to… Continue reading MACARONI CHEESE AND BBB IN MILTON