BRAPA - Ledsham

Finished 'ticking off' an entire double West Yorks page - a satisfying moment!

There's more than one way to skin a cat, so they say.  None of which are very pleasurable, I assume.  And it is this analogy which I will apply with the conundrum of how to best get to and from the impossibly inaccessible outpost of Ledsham.  I thought being between York and Leeds, it'd be one of my easier BRAPA ticks.  Wrong, I may as well have been going to Eversholt again!

Finishing at 5pm, the last bus went from Cas Vegas, but that would have meant paying extra on a train to Cas unless I didn't get "gripped".  A free train to Micklefield or even South Milford offered hope, it was only a 2-3 mile walk from there but negotiating the A63 on foot looked dangerous to say the least.

Luckily, people at work heard my gripes, and before I knew it, I was in the car of Sherburn-in-Elmet's favourite mother/daughter partnership Shirley and Hannah North, going errrm east!  They dropped me off, wouldn't accept any petrol money, didn't wanna come in for a drink either.  

673 - Chequers Inn, Ledsham

It really did appear a picture postcard village and pub exterior as I arrived in the evening sun,  The first quirk was the entrance.  The main way in seemed to be through the back car park, with only a side garden gate at the front.  I walked through a friendly, smiling group of drinkers enjoying the mild weather and sunshine and finally found the bar.  It was one of those creaking old lowdown ancient pubs, I could really buy in to the 15th century origins.  I ordered a White Dragon Brown Cow(!), beautiful pale and just as well as apparently the brewer was lurking in the garden.  It was a superb beer garden and I joined the masses at a table round the corner, the smell of the flowers and pollen certainly added something to the pleasing ambiance.  Work drinking legend Stuart Jackson (who supposedly sups 2 pints of lager every lunchtime!) had warned me about the pubs pricing, and it was only when I went back in for a Tim Taylor's Landlord that I noticed £3.90 was a bit/lot steep!  To rub salt into the wound, the young bar chap (who didn't convince me) failed to give me change from a fiver until I asked.  Probably just forgetful as he was serving two other people, but it makes you wonder.  The Tim Taylor's tasted like vodka, maybe that explained the pricing!  I returned to bask in the evening sun, a woman made dog noises and a girl did cartwheels until she was dizzy.  Such is village life.  The Lady of the Manor haunts this pub I was told, she banned Sunday drinking here when some local farm workers verbally abused a passing lady in a carriage - I assume this was centuries ago but sunday drinking here has only recently been revived so she ain't happy!  Overall though, a very good pub worth the effort to get to, even better if you are driven.....

More like summer - superb evening outdoor drinking at Ledsham's Chequers.

My taxi insisted that taking me back to Garforth was better the Micklefield, but "better for who?" I thought as they are based next to Garforth station!  The train (delayed 18:27) was there within seconds and I was back in York for 7pm, a BRAPA evening record.

Other News

• It's very pleasing that my Mum is really starting to grasp the importance of BRAPA.  She rang this evening, assuming I was on a trip when I'd long since got home.  She then proceeded to organise a walking date on Sunday for Dad's fathers day treat .... but with the promise of a new BRAPA pub to give me that extra motivation to come along!  Great Kelk, here we come.

• I've joined the Good Beer Guide Privilege club.  This means I get the 2016 GBG at a discount price and before it goes on sale in the shops in September.  If anyone deserves/needs this, surely it's me.

• Saturday is a beer festival so June hasn't been the BRAPA ticking fest I'd expected now the football season is over.  But I should still well exceed the quota of 15 pubs.  Oh, and speaking of the football season, two things - Accrington away in the league cup helps me get three 'ticks' in Lancs, my most neglected county of the year.  And the league fixtures come out tomorrow (Wed) so we can finally push on with some August / September BRAPA & away day plans.

• Leighton Buzzard / Heath & Reach (with added Tring or Berkhamstead potential) has been booked in for Saturday 5th September.  I've got two pre-emptive ticks that look like "musts" for L.Buzzard, which seems to be Beds real ale capital.  Great advice Tom, thanks! 

• The race for "first county to be completed" is hotting up.  Forget Beds.  It looks like East and West Yorkshire are both going to pip it to the post.

• North Yorkshire meanwhile is such a huge undertaking.  I've got a lunch date / BRAPA meeting next week with Sally at work who might be able to help me do the Sicklinghall, Wetherby and Colton ticks.  In any case, Colton is now a pressing concern, as is Coxwold just north of York so I'm looking at a cheeky bus tour of outer York in mid July.  

• And BRAPA's summer interactivity just keeps on giving.  Next up on the midweek West Yorkshire trip, the lovely Christina Anderson (living the student lifestyle, working in a bank) will take me to her local Kirkstall Bridge Inn - cannot wait for that one.  The following Saturday sees more work people involved with the long anticipated "Heavy Woollen Tour - Part 2".  The Saturday after that is the annual Welly Trip (Scarborough and surrounding area) and after that, York friends are joining me on a Goole & surrounding area tour.  Phew, you can tell it's summer, since when was BRAPA this sociable??  

See you soon, Si