retiredmartin

November 2024. Castle Rising. King’s Lynn/Lynn. And here’s why I still use the GBG to plan our travel. A rare new Guide entry in That North Norfolk on the road to Sunny Hunny, and a chance to re-evaluate that odd bit of nothingness near Sandringham. In my mind I’d confused Castle Rising with Castle Acre,… Continue reading RESISTING THE GIANT SAUSAGE IN CASTLE RISING

Just “Central” will do, surely ? Who names a county after a lake ? Apart from Rutland, obvs. I mean, look at it… How would you describe that big empty blob above Gartmore ? I ticked much of this chapter during Scotland’s extended COVID nightmare, so the pubs weren’t in ideal shape, but there was… Continue reading HALF A DOZEN PUBS IN EVERY GBG COUNTY No. 68 – LOCH LOMOND, STIRLING AND THE TROSSACHS (CENTRAL)

November 2024. Bath. Seven (7) pubs in Bath, all worthwhile, only one below NBSS 3 and a trio (Raven, Star, Curfew) close to a 4. But what about life beyond pubs ? “What’s that ?” says Paul. I’d booked a £52 “Z” hotel again for Mrs RM and myself; for comparison Paul and Will paid… Continue reading CHEESE AND WINE. BATH 8/7

November 2024. Bath. The word on the cobbled street was that the second new GBG entry had dropped off the pace a bit, something that seems to plague new Guide pubs disproportiontely. But you can’t put pink marker on a page without popping in, and the Ring O’ Bells takes you to the picturesque little… Continue reading BASS, ESTRELLA, THATCHERS. BATH 7/7.

November 2024. Bath. These blog post titles could do with a BRAPA edit; staying in Waterbeach both expands your gut and rots your brain. Nearly at the end of our Bath trail, let’s see what six pints in five hours due to the mental state of Pub Men and Women. Mrs RM had finally made… Continue reading SAVED BY THE BELL. MRS RM ARRIVES AT BATH 6/7

November 2024. Bath. Stuck in Cambridge again this week my chances of new GBG ticks are looking a bit forlorn; 3 hours on public transport to my nearest new Guide pub (Cromer) and that would probably mean sleeping the night at Thetford platform. So let’s celebrate a couple of Somerset ticks at the end of… Continue reading NO CURFEW FOR OUR BAND OF BASS MEN – BATH 5/7

November 2024. Bath. Bath is gorgeous, a bit underrated I reckon, though I can’t really vouch for the gig and curry scene, and the lovely little craft bar that Stafford Paul had enjoyed so much in 2018 hasn’t lasted. But Paul set off at a fair lick as we reached the Paragon, a row of… Continue reading THE FOUR PINT JUG OF BASS IN THE STAR – BATH 4/7

November 2024. Bath. Back in the previous millennium, before the invention of the civilising influence that is The Internet, CAMRA produced a series of books (on actual paper) to help folk plan Big Days Out. One of those was a guided to Pub Crawls around UK towns which allowed you to take in the sights… Continue reading THE SALAMANDER – A BATH GEM ? BATH 3/7

November 2024. Bath. Seven short posts for seven pubs (great film title) for you, unless I add an eighth for the cheese and wine hotel at our Z hotel. That cheese (brie) had still been on my face the time I’d first gone in the Raven, which is the UK pub with the most complex… Continue reading SPILT BEER IN THE RAVEN. BATH 2/7

November 2024. Bath. I woke up this morning in a windowless hotel room to terrible news. I’m sure you heard it too. The bad guy has won, the next 4 years will be torment. But enough of City’s defeat in Lisbon and the End of the Pep era, and celebrate the fact we can still… Continue reading THE OLD GREEN TREE. BATH 1/7