I took an early retirement last fall, and don't regret it a bit. The health insurance is covered, and we can live on my pension. It took a little time, with the outgo greater than the income until we adjusted, so I'd suggest you start with Kat's plan as soon as possible.

If running a pub is what you want to do, go for it. Do you have a local that you frequent, where you can sit down with the owner and get a reality check? I don't know a thing about pub management, and not a lot about business in general, but there are classes available (at least where I live) in small business management. I remember a statistic that said that one out of three new businesses fail in the first year, so do everything possible to assure that you are on the good side of the equation.