retiredmartin
retiredmartin
Martin
Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.
Latest Posts
November 2025. Norwich. I’ve taken more rail journeys these last 3 years than I had in all the previous 57, and despite the overcrowding on the Sheffield to Manchester routes and the unpredictable late cancellations I’m glad to get away...
November 2025. Sheffield. Back from Leeds on Monday morning, quick walk to RM Towers to take the brown bin in, check taps, put heating down, then return to Sheffield station for the train south to Waterbeach. Wash and repeat. The rain...
November 2025. Leeds. My last train back from Leeds to Sheffield would have been a ridiculously early 22:37, with a half hour walk from my gig out in Hyde Park’s student land. Could I possibly make it back ? I asked ChatGPT for my...
November 2025. Leeds. A few minutes at bucolic Bramley station, waiting for the train back to Leeds. It’s late, but is it late enough to Delay Repay ? In Leeds, which is one of the most confusing stations in the UK to escape from, I head...
November 2025. Pudsey. West Yorkshire. Back in Sheffield at the weekend for a couple of days to a) collect post (there isn’t any, except the Caravan Club glossy), b) put the bin out (it’s empty, but habit), c) make sure the heating is...
November 2025. Ely. Two hours to kill in a freezing Ely before the 3 hours back to Sheffield, with all the pubs that would have offered warmth and comfort packed with a Christmas market crowd. Celebrating Christmas ! On the Cathedral...
November 2025. Ely. A late lunch in Ely before the cheapest rail fare back to Sheffield (Again. And repeat). It’s a good job the trains are always late; Delay Repay is main source of income these days Ely is bustling on Saturday...
November 2025. North Walsham. Norfolk. Obviously if this were a beer blog I’d have followed my new North Walsham tick with a return to the excellent Hop, but ChatGPT tells me that 137.2% of my blog views are referrals from...
November 2025. North Walsham. Norfolk. Next up, an instant classic in rural Norfolk. No, really. The Peasants’ Tavern is Norwich & District CAMRA Pub of the Year, open Noon till 11pm all week, some bench seating, lined glasses, terrific...
November 2025. North Walsham. Norfolk. A first visit to North Walsham (pop. 12, 829) since 2018, a good year for City fans. Manchester City fans, that is. The half hour trip from Norwich was “enlivened” by young lads discussing the...
November 2025. Norwich. 3 visits to Dad in his care home this week, he’s barely woken when I’m there but he grips my hand which is enough. I took a trip out to Norfolk on Friday, someone has to brave the flatlands, and found myself on a...
I recommend this guy on Instagram (great name). He answers questions about life, the universe and everything from his sofa. “What’s important, Martin ?” Well, obviously for me, it’s living long enough to see Simon complete the GBG, my...
November 2025. Cambridge. Never change, King Street. A row of cars competing for penalty charges on one of the parking lanes closest to town. I laughed about it with a lad coming out of the Prince who then said ” **** I forgot to pay“....
November 2025. Cambridge. Forgive the dull blog title; I’m just back in Sheffield from Rye (via Waterbeach) and a bit brain dead after the UK’s slowest rail journey, in which the train seems to be subject to weird gravitational pulls...
November 2025. Lewes. Back from Newhaven to Lewes for a fourth new GBG tick by 3pm. Four in the bag so early in the week used to set me up for those 20 pub weeks that BRAPA knocks off on the way to Beer Guide glory, but in 2025 I don’t...