retiredmartin

  Eagle-eyed readers, normally called Tim, Peter or Dave*, may have noticed I ignored the looming presence of the colossus that is Sutton-in-Ashfield in the Tibshelf post.. No longer. This is Sutton’s day. When we visited Mansfield 18 months ago, I was urged by Nick (here) to check out Sutton again.  It’s taken this long to… Continue reading A PUB VISITORS GUIDE TO SUTTON-IN-ASHFIELD

  You’ll know I’m not a Beer Festival fan.  There’s too many beers you won’t be able to drink in an evening, or ever see again in your local pubs, and as soon as the sun comes out the beer is a little too warm for my liking. But local CAMRA branches clearly enjoy putting them… Continue reading EVIL KEG FILTH AT CAMBRIDGE BEER FEST 2017

Pub Cat is just there to grab your attention. While I upload 367 photos to OneDrive, here’s 2 issues I’d appreciate some thoughts on. Firstly, forming queues in Wetherspoons.  What’s so bad about it ? The alternative is eight people strung along a bar, and a barman asking desperately; “Right, who’s next ?” “Pint of Carling”  says… Continue reading PAYING FOR BEER – A QUESTION OF PROTOCOL

  My first pub for ten (10) days, which tells you how much catching up I’ve been doing on the blog.  Mansfield/Sutton. Lymington and Ancrum still to come. But I need to bring you up to date on a great lunchtime session in Barrington today. The Royal Oak isn’t in the Beer Guide (yet), but… Continue reading BARRINGTON’S ROYAL OAK CEMENTS IT’S REPUTATION

Another in my occasional series of pubs you can walk to from the Motorway Service Station if you’re not quick (and you’re not driving, of course). A sort of alternative to Mr Protz’s guide to the Great North Road, perhaps. I haven’t heard from Alan Winfield for a while, I hope he’s OK. There’s something… Continue reading TIBSHELF SERVICE STATION PURPLE PUB

  Much of north Sussex looks like my in-laws home in the Wells; green, prosperous, as cluttered as an antiques dealer, but with faded charm. A place they put the tea in before the milk*. Attractive towns and villages like Crowborough and weatherboarded Rotherfield are really suffering from the effects of traffic these days.  They’ll get… Continue reading ANGELS IN THE (ROTHERFIELD) ARCHITECTURE

Trips down to Kent and West Sussex do seem to involve a lot of halves of Harveys.  I’m not sure any regional beer is as ubiquitous in local Beer Guide pubs as Sussex Best.  I’m a fan, but it’s rarely stunning, except (as here) in Hailsham. Twenty years ago Mrs RM and I stayed in… Continue reading EEYORE CONTACT AT POOH CORNER