Evening all, hope that headline drew you in! Of course, it wasn't quite as exciting as all that on Wednesday night as I once more found myself in that friendly/threatening outer Doncaster corridor.
The Donny bus station muzak CD seemed to have been stolen, and my bus driver was so relaxed, not only were we 10 minutes late into Bawtry but he'd have quite happily let me use my Donny PlusBus ticket all the way to Worksop had I wished.
Bawtry seemed a strange place for South Yorkshire. It appears to have been shuffling towards Nottinghamshire over the last few years, embarrassed by it's roots, but not quite able to make it across the county boundary. With it's set back market place and main road running through the centre, it felt more like one of those North Yorkshire villages around the Northallerton area.
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| Deliberately shaped like a ship? Good effort! |
The pub was eerily quiet on arrival, and I managed to embarrass the older of the two barmaids by accidentally catching her singing to herself. I'd actually thought it was the central heating kicking in, but etiquette prevented me from criticsing her "dulcet tones". I'd come straight from work, so with the Auckley "chef mistaken identity" incident still in my mind, I'd thought ahead and popped to the loo to change into less chef like clothing! When I returned some 3 minutes later, it was like walking back into a different pub. Now, a third stern barmaid was presiding over a local community of drinkers, you know the type "Your usual pint of Fosters, Frank? White wine spritzer Rita?" Had I walked into a different pub dimension? The new barmaid was eyeing me with much suspicion, where HAD I appeared from? I returned to the corner and drank one of the three Marston's beers that were on (4 are always on according to the GBG). Excellent quality Burton Bitter, I might add. The pub had a couple of nice old mirrors, but I can't help feeling that a recent attempt to modernise it has made it lose something of it's soul - it lacked the magic of Barugh Green and Auckley. There was a growing hubbub though, and original barmaid reappeared to sing "happy birthday" to no-one in particular, then she sang an old Pizza Hut advert, finishing with a jaunty dance and ditty about a boy falling off a boat (or something odd). Not so embarrassed now are ya luv?
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| Time to tick off another new pub on my midweek travels. |
No midweek BRAPA for next two weeks due to family demands/nice events so I'll be back in the Barnsley area on 29th March most probably. But now I need to sleep cos I'm on the 6:01 to Laaandan Taaarn tomorrow morning. Phew, BRAPA never rests for long.
Have a good weekend all, Si
I like your short posts best. I have a short memory.
ReplyDeleteShip impressed me, though it was prob 10 years ago now. I'd have sworn it was in Notts (it isn't). Apparently I have a cousin there but I don't do genealogy.
Tom and you were right about Donny bus station. I walked through from the train and it was like a zombie movie. Will post about Donny tomorrow as otherwise it was astonishing.
You should have stayed onto Worksop - have you had that joy yet ?. The Unicorn is your sort of pub.
Thanks Martin, I am wondering whether to split down my blog posts so I do one post for each pub, or two max. What do you think? Might make it more manageable for the Twitter masses? I could trial it on my Reading Beezer in April, though that might mean 24 blog entries and people might get sick of me, tricky!
ReplyDeleteI am sure a Mr Taylor came in asking for a pint of Bass from a jug, could that be him?!
I am looking fwd to Worksop, went to Cricket there once and didn't go in any pubs! A wasted opportunity, think I will do it by train though.
Not Bass in Bawtry, surely.
ReplyDeleteTricky one how many posts to do. I try to keep to 500 words and post on different places. You might want to split, say, Reading from Caversham from Wokingham so folk who hate neighbouring towns can ignore the other posts.
Do what you f*****g want, as they might say in the Rose & Crown in Blackpool in August (or in their primary schools in September).
Worksop ideal train target (Mallard on the station); the Spoons will no doubt get in the Beer Guide again by the way.
Martin, funnily enough flicking through my 1982 GBG, they sold Bass in Bawtry as their main ale!
DeleteYes I don't want to upset the folk of Reading by bracketing it in with Caversham.
Speaking of which, have you seen Ember Ale (Black Sheep brewed, seems fitting) is alive and kicking? Free pint with a flyer I got in What's Brewing. Cav might be the place to
Take advantage?
I've only seen Ember Ale once; like Nicholsons Pale I assume it's rubbish. To be fair I've had a good Brakspear and Pedigree in Embers recently; it's the pubs I despair of (that Brum one isn't bad).
DeleteI opted for electronic What's Brewing some time back so I don't get sent that dreadful BEER. WB is equally dull now as well. So I haven't got an Ember voucher ! Use yours in Cav.
1982 GBG - wow. Wish I'd kept mine from '94 onwards, but I always enjoy the symbolism of ripping up the old one when I've completed my new GBG bookwork.
WB has got a bit boring, I read the letters and Keg Buster (so bad it is good almost) and the GBG amendments and that's about.
ReplyDelete1982 GBG was oldest one I could find second hand for a reasonable price, love the no nonsense 4 word pub descriptions and slagging off the evil big breweries. It's too nice nowadays!
Ripping it up? Wow, may have to try that! Or burning it?