Tonight was simple, train to Huddersfield, walk to bus station, enjoy the calming classical music juxtaposed by angry swearing teenagers on phones, get bus to Longwood where 20 minutes later, it terminated 1 minute walk from my pub in a turning circle, where it then arrived 32 minutes later to take me back to Hudds. Even for a travel idiot like me, this was almost too simple.
I was a bit concerned that luminous blue lighting shone through the front quarter of the bus, so presumably Longwood's heroin users don't like to venture too far down the bus, unless of course, the drivers are the ones 'chasing the dragon' (not literally, that'd be hard on a WY Metro service).
738. Dusty Miller Inn, Longwood
I must confess I only spent 28 minutes in the pub, thus breaking my own code of conduct! But it was 28 minutes of pure West Yorkshire midweek evening pub, goodness, almost like a highlights package of my 2015 Tuesday evening experiences. A no nonsense but friendly landlord serves me a Black Jack from the local Milltown brewery, for which this pub is the de facto brewery tap. "It's a Porter you know!" he said in a warning voice. "Even better!" I say to calm his fears. A woman (possibly his wife and landlady getting slowly drunk) smiles at me, a local eats pork scratchings loudly at the bar, and a nervous man in red loses some money on a fruit machine. A local group (two men, two women) come in for after work drinks and laugh happily about weather and their kids and hating modern technology despite using it throughout. Smiling lady must work here as she reassuringly alludes to this pub being ancient as, despite the ridiculously mild weather, it is freezing cold upstairs. Haunted I assume. Sadly, I can't see any signs of the homemade pies and chutney that the GBG offers but I wasn't planning on staying long. The pub has that nice exposed brickwork, old pictures of Longwood and a nice loungy feel where I'm sat, but a stoney bar area, no menus or cutlery I'm glad to see. If this pub was in Bedfordshire, it'd win every CAMRA award going.
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| All that is good in West Yorks pubs at the Dusty Miller |
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| My Black Jack by Mill Town slipped down too easily! |
So the mini-challenge to finish West Yorkshire before the end of 2015 goes on, Headingley next Tuesday. Just a shame it is generally hard to combine/link these pubs on evenings without massive cost that I simply can't afford so I'll plod on, one (occasionally two) at a time.
But attentions turn back towards Beds on Saturday, see you Sunday for the report on that.
Si
The Code of Conduct states: "There is no rule, but you should be in the pub for 30 mins strictly speaking, well 25 absolute minimum!" so I don't think there is a problem with 28 minutes. I certainly won't be referring it for prosecution but then I'm not the BRAPA gestapo, so you may not be entirely out of the woods.
ReplyDeleteWhat was the fare you paid for Hudders - Longwood? Also, what is the situation regarding ticket barriers and the two pubs at Hudders? Not that I'm thinking of ever doing anything untoward, that would be terrible.
A thought occurs to me on the finances. As you state that you don't think you'll manage South Yorks every week due to financial worries, would it be a sensible idea to start on South Yorkshire now and alternate it with West Yorkshire, thus hopefully giving you an affordable trip every week. Either that or rob a bank, though I'm not sure on the strategy of that. Rob your own where you would have more knowledge but would fall on a reduced list of suspects, or rob a different one.
Glad I didn't break the CoC, funny you know it better than me!
ReplyDelete£3.90 day ticket was sold to me when I asked for a return so must have been cheaper, I hope!
I found a locked door from head of steam last time I tried to get straight to Hudd platform. Dewsbury WRRR was same. Not sure on Kings head, don't think it is joined to platform but could be wrong.
Maybe robbing my own bank is the way forward. Especially whilst changes are afoot to the business! I am going to do lottery religiously in new year and get rich that way, will probs get told off by the BRAPA number 3.
South Yorks plan is sensible but I have my heart set on trying to do WY by 31st Dec and also I have a couple of NY evening ideas up my sleeve. So not thinking SY yet.
It is quite a common thing for buses these days to not have day returns but instead to have day rovers. In Grimsby they have one but it is a few pence more than 2 singles, but to go to Immingham it is cheaper to get an Immingham inclusive rover than two singles. Research is always required. In this case, a Plusbus would have been valid and would have been £3 on the nose.
ReplyDeleteI am disappointed that they have removed cunning barrier avoidance moves at Hudders. I once had my ticket inspected in the Head of Steam in the days of random manual checks.
Is the BRAPA number 3 who I think she is? If so, I shall refer her if I see her on Wednesday to this post.
One of the treats of reading these old posts is trying to remember which pub you're talking about, particularly in places like the Huddersfield suburbs where the pubs merge into one another.
ReplyDeleteThere were 2 decent stone built locals in Golcar, just down the road, a few years ago. Obviously you'd never get the Sair mixed up, but I struggled to place this one till I remembered the Mill Town glass. As you say, would be PotY in Beds or Bucks.