BRAPA - Donny / Welly Day

It's funny how days out evolve over time.  This one, Sat 19th July, was due to be our 'Welly gang' (the people we drink with at football, mainly in the now defunct Wellington in Hull) day out, but with so many of them pulling out of the plans to get on the Worth Valley rail line, I was encouraged to change it into a full on BRAPA day (I had already been planning on hijacking part of the day for BRAPA purposes).

I rested on Doncaster and the surrounding villages, as a lot of them were alphabetically near the start of the South Yorkshire section, and with a pre-season trip to Barnsley next week, it all seemed to tie in.  Also, Donny's proximity to the Hull/North Lincolnshire area meant I may still tempt certain people to come.

In the end, some people did turn up, and rather than me hijacking a day out, they kind of hijacked a BRAPA day and I got less done as Auckley and Bawtry had to be shelved for another day.

473 - White Swan, Doncaster - Myself and Tom found Christine and Colin in this lovely old traditional town centre pub, selling a gorgeous Glentworth at a ridiculously cheap price.  This pub used to have the tallest bar in the UK at six foot tall but a silly ex-landlord removed it, why would you deprive your pub of a stand out quirk like that?  Bet they regret it.  Though at least I could get served.  Nice to have a catch up with friends in a proper pub and had a good local feel.

Cheap Glentworth & good company at White Swan

474 - Plough, Arksey - Waiting at level crossings for trains on the York-Doncaster line meant our bus in both directions was seriously delayed.  Tom had local knowledge as he makes 'deliveries' in this village.  This was the first time he'd seen this, the 'first South Yorkshire guide pub' open due to restricted hours so was definitely worth the experience.  We were the only customers in, had a decent Imperial beer from nearby Mexborough and helped landlord solve his crossword (moth was the answer!)  Felt very much a village pub and had farmer type decor (horse brasses etc)

475 - Three Horseshoes, Bentley - After the first real soaking of the day waiting for the ridiculously delayed bus (how they can even have a timetable on that line I don't understand!), we found our way to this very unassuming local on the way back in to Donny.  It only had Acorn Barnsley Bitter on so luckily this is one of my favourite pints.  Lightning nearly struck our pub, full of characters, mainly a crazy 8 year old!  Really great old feeling pub again, we sat at the bar it felt that comfortable (not something I normally like doing).

476 - Corner Pin, Doncaster - One of those 'how have you never been before Si/' type pubs, I'd heard it was quirky and the locals were even madder than those in the brilliant Little Plough nearby.  They had a liquorice and vanilla stout on which seemed gorgeous though was hesitant as it said something about being designed for women!  In any case, I was ID'd - yes ID'd for the first time in years.  Wow!  I argued and got served eventually as I don't carry any but could not believe it.  Think I was bemoaning going into the over 30's only pub in Shrewsbury without an eyebrow being raised not that many weeks ago!  Tom and Ben were ok.  Even the local at the bar then claimed he thought I was about 16.  I wondered if it was one of their crazy banter things but apparantly not.  Not to detract, it was a lovely pub and a guy overheard my BRAPA talk and gave us some local knowledge, plus my pint was great. Just the IDing left a slightly sour taste.

Corner Pin - they thought I was a 16 year old!

Doncaster Brewery Tap - What Tom and Ben described as a pre-emptive BRAPA tick, as this brewery tap will surely be in the guide next year or year after.  Lovely beers.  Place felt like a car show room but nice enough, and very much like Cask Corner when that first opened!  Good real ale signs for the future in Donny, previously a town that didn't seem to embrace the best of all god's drinks!

477 - Red Lion, Doncaster - Colin and Christine were back with us, and a visit to this heaving Wetherspoons was a tick I needed but put paid to any Auckley or other village plans.  It was a decent dark old building but my pint (another Imperial) wasn't great plus the hot, sweaty busyness made it hard to enjoy the experience, probably caught at the wrong time.  With that rain, no one was going anywhere!

Well, I say no-one was going anywhere but we unwisely ran through the heaviest rain I've ever known in the UK to the (little) Plough, not a tick but a stunning pub and not sure what I had but pint number 7 of the day you can forgive me.  Coped so much better with the beer than in Nottingham last week so maybe the early cooked brekafast and the rain helped keep me sober, plus I did have snacks as the day progressed so dealt with it well.

Tom puked blackcurrant all the way home according to Ben, but before that he reminded me that pre-Charlton a few years ago, I'd been to the Prince Albert (Rose's in Woolwich) so am now on 478.  It's probably 481 in truth as we still can't remember Elsecar day exactly.  Frustrating.

Photographic evidence of Ben and Tom in Prince Albert (Rose's), Woolwich Aug 2012.

Good day on the whole, nice to have a bit of company though it's always true, the more people are involved, the more complex days out get, which must be why I'm sometimes reluctant to invite others along.   Next week, I'll be looking to get back on the midweek WYBRAPA trail before Barnsley on Saturday.

Si

BRAPA - Nottingham day

Good evening from a grey, overcast and quite windy York on this Monday evening.

Here's Saturdays report.....

Nottingham had all the ingredients for a great day out.  Excellent local beers (Castle Rock and Blue Monkey just to name two fairly local breweries), more intruging pubs than I could possibly hope to visit in one day, and daytime journeying which didn't need to involve one bus or taxi, simply a train and a bit of walking.

But it never really took off in the same way that my recent Darlington and Shropshire trips had, with that over-riding feel good factor.  Whether it is simply the East Midlands (I've always thought Leicester was very unfriendly, not Derby so much), or I was seen as another cricket tourist (the Test Match was on at Trent Bridge) or maybe I wasn't on top form (had been worrying about work for little good reason), or the summer stifling heat had everyone hot n bothered, it never quite clicked as a great day out.  Don't get me wrong, some great pubs were visited and some great beers drunk so not a total write off.

467 - Trent Bridge Inn - It all got off to a rocky start when, in trying to add a bit of excitement to proceedings and skirt with the hoards of cricketing fans 40 mins or so away from the end of the morning session, I took the mile walk down here only to realise it was a Wetherspoons, doh!  Not so bad you might think, plenty of them need to be visited, but despite it's 9am opening, bouncers outside and always selling Abbots Ale policy, it was only when I got my local pint of Magpie 'Angry Bird' that it twigged!  The Guide did not mention the fact, annoying.  Not a bad pint in the Gary Sobers suite (as I called it) but compared with my imagined version of this pub where I joked with jovial staff about beer being less flat than this Trent Bridge wicket, it was a bit of a let down.

468 - Trent Navigation - As I'd made the effort to walk this far, I thought I'd visit another pub in the vicinity and found myself here, next to Notts County's ground (it still wasn't lunch as England's record breaking tenth wicket stand went on).  This was pretty much a brewpub and my Navigation Stout, enjoyed outside where there was a decent sized group watching the cricket on a big screen, was a nice experience although the staff seemed to be a bit friendlier with foodies and locals but I kind of accept that's the way it is.  Seemed a nice pub inside too but when I heard a barmaid telling some locals how busy it was going to get when the cricket lunch bell sounded (do people really leave the ground to come here for lunch and expect to get back for the afternoon session?), I necked my summer stout and walked back into town.

469 - Kean's Head - Possibly my pub experience of the day as I was still very sober, and the staff, gave me one of those Castle Rock loyalty cards and were friendly in explaining it.  I'd come through the heaving centre to get here, suddenly it quietened down, became cobbled, some church bells rang and a waft of old fashioned scent drifted across me.  It really felt like some surreal back in time experience and though I don't normally like one roomed pubs, I'd make an exception for this.  My Castle Rock monthly guest (Red Admiral) was not really my type of beer but it all goes to show how little the beer influences pub experience.

470 - Lincolnshire Poacher - A long uphill walk in the heat followed next, I felt it was now or never.  Buoyed by my last Castle Rock experience, I had one here too and used my loyalty card, had to have a Screech Owl which is one of the best, at 5.5% strong too.  The barman was quirky, everyone seemed an inch away from very friendly but maybe I could've done more.  It was out of town enough to feel locally, but it still had quite a central feel.  Busy enough not to get a seat outside, but I had quite a sweat on by now as I headed back into town.

471 - Langtry's - Named after Victorian starlet Lillie Langtry, this was a lovely old building, felt the most town centre of all I went to, and had a cosmopolitan mix of tourists, people looking for food, so felt a bit like many of York's central crowd do.  It was here thay it really hit me I was struggling beerwise only 4 pints in.  The heat, the Screech Owl and the fact I'd not eaten a great deal all contributed.  With hindsight, as I didn't get a train til 10am, I could've been up at 8 and had a big fried breakfast, with snacks along the way but despite my usual chunks of cheese and a sausage roll, I felt woozy.  I drank this pint very slowly, a gorgeous Blue Monkey Infinity.  So I was all to blame for my downfall.

472 - Hand & Heart - I felt a bit better by the time I'd walked slightly out of town west to my final pub of the day.  And what a gem.  30's style music played, the decor was old fashioned but stylish, as was the look of the barmaids.  Tried to get some banter going.  Firstly I asked if my guest ale, called little weed had marijuana in.  Joke went down like a lead balloon.  Then I noticed the beer samples were tied up in little jam/honey jars, very quaint.  I joked if it was honey.  Lead balloon.  Finally, another barmaid turned the fan away from me ('twas very warm in the pub), I did mock despair but she didn't get it and turned it back in my direction, apologising.  Tried to insist she needed it more, she was working. Felt like a bastard.  Then, first barmaid went to take 2 chaps food plates away and laughed like a drain at everything they said.  I left with my head hanging low, kind of summed it all up in many ways!  Amusing looking back.

So a mixed day and another real lack of social media recognition, particularly on Twitter made me feel a bit disillusioned with whole thing but was pissed by then, if I wasn't already!  Still, I don't regret it and certainly a day I'll remember.  They can't all be 100% nicey nicey can they?  It'd be boring.

6 more pubs done and where next?  Well, another busy week means West Yorkshire BRAPA is again in jeopardy.  If Keighley/Oxenhope does go ahead on Saturday, I'll be looking to exploit for BRAPA advantages (Stanbury?  Keighley?  Goose Eye?) but if it doesn't, I'll do a North or West Yorkshire trip anyway, might even ask for some company ... now there's a novelty!

Si

BRAPA - 3 days off

I'll be off to Nottingham tomorrow for my latest Saturday, the last example of a day I booked in a fit of pique, probably drunk after our Bank Holiday Nottingham outing in April.  Still, despite the Test Match being on at the same time, I'm looking forward to it, looks like I'm going alone, just how I like it.  Is that healthy?

Nottingham's a strange town for me.  Despite going to many gigs, football matches and days out over the years, I've barely scratched the surface pubwise and am aiming to stay central in a bid to rectify that tomorrow.  Those North, West and South will have to wait for some 'outer' Nottingham day in the future - the Trent Bridge ones may be heaving.  It will be nice for a change not to feel tied to the Olde Trip to Jerusalem, Bell, VAT & Fiddle (despite it's brilliance) and that flippin' Canal House.  After all, the Malt Cross in particular showed me on Bank Hol that Notts has plenty more on offer.

Anyway, 3 days off work have allowed me to get a few extra BRAPA ticks under my belt.

464 - Ship, Strensall - One silver-lining to the cloud of having a crown fitted was that Dad was up for a new pub challenge post-dentist, happy to drive out to Strensall in the hope of food, great beer and a nice atmosphere.  What we actually found was a poor beer range, a town full of surly locals and roadworks just outside with that baking smell of tarmac.  On the credit side, the garden was nice (allowed us to eat some butchers bought pork pies) and excellent quality Landlord (but £3.40 a pint was way too much).  Overall, glad to get the 'tick' and delighted Dad had saved me a painful bus ride for an experience like that.

465 - Slubbers Arms, Hillhouse - On the outskirts of Huddersfield pre-Bronx gig, I dragged Jig a mile North of town to an interesting little suburb full of typically dark West Yorkshire bricked terraced houses and the friendliest pub experience you could hope, to a point!  The landlady was great, locals were lovely, interesting local ale range well kept (I had a Founders), and we were kind of 'locked' in their outdoor courtyard without really having a say!  Still, we weren't complaining (well, apart from Jig's burning bald patch!)

466 - Sportsman, Huddersfield - On the way back into town and this former CAMRA pub of the year lived up to it's billing with a superb ale range, more 'try before you buy' for Jig served by a polite young chap.  I had a good Mallinsons session ale, Jig's was even better.  The pub was a bit spartan (you could almost have hosted ballroom dancing in the main area!) but as it filled up with people knocking off work, you could picture it being quite a heaving loud venue on a Saturday evening.

467 - Vulcan, Huddersfield - A very locally pub in the town serving all real ales for £2.40 (take note Strensall's Ship!), it was full of characters and a friendly barmaid who looked like she'd been there a few centuries(!).  Ale range was a bit more limited here but nowt wrong with my McMullen's Tour De France themed 'Slip Stream'.  We sat in and Lu joined us, hope she realised she was part of my BRAPA side project!

So, I'll still need to return to Huddersfield for the much anticipated Grove, the Star (which didn't open til 5pm) and one out of town in Bradley which might need a bus or taxi.  That's for a midweek night in the coming months I reckon.

I received the 1982 and 1989 beer guides and what interesting reading they make (for a pub geek like me).  Could I possibly do a 'Bradshaw' of pubs when I (if I) finish this challenge and look for everything in the 1982 guide?  Best not think about such plans at this stage!  See you after Nottingham,

Si

BRAPA - North Yorkshire beginnings

It felt fitting on the weekend of 'Le Tour' that I should properly start concentrating on the North Yorkshire guide pubs, having started the West Yorkshire midweekers a couple of months ago now.

Having said that, I ended up doing 4 in County Durham and only 2 in North Yorkshire!  Hey ho, it's all for the greater good.

I gave myself an unexpected boost before when I realised that the Salamander in Bath (456) had indeed been my first pub visit there, and therefore, of the A-Z.  How could I forget such a momentous occasion with the old wood paneling, jolly touristy clientele and friendly smartly dressed staff serving top quality simplistic Bath Ales?  Well, obviously, I couldn't.

It got me thinking, I can't remember which Elsecar pubs I did for the letter "E" with Tom.  Am sure one was the Milton Arms, there were at least 2 more but I cannot say for sure so am still 2 or 3 guide pubs down on reality ... which is sad.  It begs the question, where else have I forgotten?

Never mind for now, on with Darlo and co ......

457 - Voodoo Cafe, Darlington - Samba South American themed and felt I just had to take advantage of the fact it was a 10am opener.  No real ales on probably due to a heavy night for them before (Brazil had played Columbia) but the brilliant landlord (his first day back) asked me why I was drinking so early(!) and when I explained BRAPA, he gave me my 'craft' beer for free!  Like Baschurch all over again but in a more generous, less pubby way!  He talked to me the whole time and I picked up loads of useful info about the Darlington drinking scene and their old building.  Superb effort almost made up for no cask!

458 - Stanwick, Aldbrough St John - One bus ride and one picnic later (where a dog called Molly tried to steal my sausage roll), I walked along the huge village green to a nice little Daleside pub which also featured Mithril ales, brewed in the village.  I had a Tour de France themed one (obviously!) and the event was on the TV too.  The landlady could've been friendlier (probably I'm spoilt from recent experiences) but she enjoyed horsey chat with the locals before a visiting cricketer from Richmond livened things up but not convinced his performance later that afternoon will have been at 100%!

459 - Crown Inn, Manfield - A scary roadside walk (why not have pavements on these roads, I thought of my Virginia Water experience) took me to my next venue.  A good couple of miles and a bit of sunburn but was wholly worth it for this little gem.  8 interesting ales and one of the most pleasant beer gardens you could hope for made me fully understand why this was the local CAMRA pub of the season, country side version!

460 - Quakerhouse, Darlington - I'd been waiting for this, the local town pub of the season, and after a delayed taxi back from Manfield and another BRAPA chat with the taxi driver, I was in this dark little cavern of a place which felt underground and I could imagine why it is also a popular live music venue.  Again, a huge range of ales was served by a nice barmaid and the locals were again friendly as I smuggled my chunks of cheese out of my bag (that's not a euphemism in any way).  Once again, I found myself explaining the challenge!  I'll be famous at this rate.

461 - Foresters Arms, Coatham Mundeville - My second bus trip of the day took me North and after a slightly fractious number 7 bound for Ferryhill found me stuck with chav girls and the local nutter(!), I was soon at my destination though I got off a bit late and had to walk back on myself!  It felt a bit too foody to be a proper pub and bad news early on as my Robinson's Dizzy Blonde was dodgy to start with and you could tell the vinegar overtones were only going to get worse.  Sadly, the barmaid's disbelief only made things worse but her protestations about cleaning lines and fresh barrels made me accept it's a pub that usually takes pride in their beer, even though she gave me evils for the rest of my time there!  My Golden Pippin was conversely one of the best of these I've had for some years now.  Maybe the dodgy ale could be explained by the many "mysterious goings on" in this pub that the guide claims it has!

462 - County, Aycliffe Village - Decided on another long walk to keep me fit, my beer belly down, and sober me up a bit.  Crossing the M1 wasn't the dangerous thing it appeared on google maps and about half an hour later, I was at my destination.  Again, I felt it had a bit of a restauranty feel but the superb range of local beers (Yard of Ale featured heavily) and quality of them made me realise that this was another quality establishment.  This was further enhanced by a front outdoor drinking area, a great sun trap facing out onto the beautiful village.  Little wonder all the people sat out were friendly and jovial, thus completing one of the best experiences of the day before my journey back into Darlo for the train home to York.

Overall, I couldn't have hoped for a better BRAPA day and that last pub finally proved Co. Durham can do good pubs in the villages after recent dodgy experiences, if I think back to Witton Gilbert as well.

I've just booked my first Oxfordshire trip for mid September (buoyed by Shropshire last week) and with midweek West Yorkshire BRAPA's hard to come by, I'm trying to get Jig to join me pre-Bronx for some new Huddersfield ticks.  That will take me to 8 or 9 and then I should reach my monthly July quota next Saturday in Nottingham.  Whether I stay central or try and go West or North (south isn't an option due to Trent Bridge test match!) depends on who, if anyone, comes with me.  Watch this space!

Si

BRAPA - Shropshire and the 10% is up!

Good morning on an achy Sunday post-BRAPA trip to Shrewsbury and beyond.  It was one of those days where every leg of the journey seemed to be fraught with travel delays, phantom cancellations, train time changes and at one point, a bus with a broken wing mirror.  Despite that, it was a very succesful day pub-wise and once again made me sorry that John hadn't seen a better quality day in Durham.

450 - New Inn, Baschurch - It seemed to take forever but just shy of 12 noon, I finally reached my first destination in a pretty little village North of Shrewsbury, despite a silly woman telling me this pub had been closed down.  The morning I'd had, I wouldn't have been surprised!  However, it was very much open and immediately made me feel welcome.  The barmaid and locals made this stranger feel welcome, the Stonehouse Station Bitter was superb, I told them about my challenge and it captured people's imagination as you'd expect.  I felt like a regular by the time I left 45 mins later.  This was perfect BRAPA and a fitting place to achieve 10% of guide pubs.

451 - Salopian Bar, Shrewsbury - I ticked this one off first as it was near the bus station I'd come back in to, also the locals in Baschurch hadn't been so enthusiastic.  Understandably as it was more bar than pub, but the very red walls gave it a warm feel, staff good, a nice vibe and a superb pint of Dark Star Summer Solstice - and it wasn't even a particularly young crowd, more middle aged really.  I'd recommend it.

452 - Nags Head, Shrewsbury - Famous for being old and haunted like all good Shrewsbury pubs, this was a cracking place I'd once briefly visited with Dad pre-football before we really paid attention to the CAMRA guide (if you can ever believe that of me!)  Cracking staff and locals, buzzing atmosphere and a nice local pint of Hobson's, the brewery had been recommended to me in Baschurch.  I should really have checked out the outside area where you can see ancient features of the original building.  Luckily I didn't see the legendary picture of the devil which causes insanity and suicide so has to be locked away!

453 - Prince of Wales, Shrewsbury - I nearly forgot about this one as it was out of town in the Northern suburbs of the city (which feels more like a town, silly cathedral rules!)  Not initially impressed with the 'geared up for food' layout that dominated almost every table in the main room but maybe they had a function on later so will give them benefit of the doubt.  Lovely Salopian beers and the quiet atmos was a culture shock after the previous three but at least I could smuggle some of my own food from my bag!  Decent.

454 - Admiral Benbow, Shrewsbury - It was nice to finally get this monkey off my back as John and I didn't attempt it on my last trip to Shrewsbury due to a over 30's policy.  Therefore, /I was expecting a real old working man's club style atmosphere but I couldn't have been more wrong, I probably wasn't even the youngest there!  Lovely pub though, another very comfortable easy atmosphere and cracking ale.

455 - Woodman Inn, Shrewsbury - Watched first half of Brazil v Chile with an old guy and two younger ones, washed down with another lovely pint of Salopian, Oracle this time in a pub that felt very old though it had to be rebuilt when it burnt down in a 1923 fire (they say the landlady still haunts the place).  It felt quite a locals pub despite being only marginally off centre and once again, I'd recommend to anyone in Shrewsbury and would be nice to do first if i ever return so I will be less drunk!

A great day and now attentions turn to Aldbrough St John and Darlington next Saturday.  Whether I'll squeeze a Friday night BRAPA trip in is unlikely, especially with the Tour De France dominating much of that part of the week.  Hope it doesn't affect my day!  Got to be selfish haven't we?

Si

BRAPA - Pub Blogger

My friend John often declares he "hates beer bloggers (apart from Roger Protz)" which always strikes me as a sweeping statement so I wonder what he makes of me, underground newbie "pub blogger"?  When I Google "pub bloggers", the majority of blogs are still more concerned with beer/real ale/craft with a bit of pub thrown in so I'd like to think one day, I may get close to cornering this niche market.

Early days of course, now on 449 pubs I'm still one off 450 which would be 10% of the guide.  I think that will be in Baschurch on Saturday, a little village in Shropshire.  I'll probably need to learn to a bit more critical but at the time, my immediate reactions to pubs are recorded on Twitter, with a limited number of characters especially if I take a nice picture!

I probably need to 'put my name out there' a bit more.  I was frustrated with the lack of reaction to any of the posts in yesterday's West Yorkshire BRAPA trip so have added local and national CAMRA societies on Twitter and deleted all the chaff!  I basically need to start whoring myself a bit more if I really want /care for the recognition.  BRAPAing alone, i love of course, but only gets lonely when you feel no-one's listening.

So, that was all boring.  Here's the latest pubs ticked off:

446 - Lord Collingwood, Poppleton - Finally, finally, been meaning to get here for ages and immaculate beer garden and great quality ale (and it's one of those tied Marstons houses) meant it really did live up to the hype I'd had to put up with for the past year.  I'd been at a beer festival so the only minus point was being a bit too drunk to totally, fully appreciate it's many charms.

447 - Bowling Green, Otley - A Wetherspoons, a nice smart one at that with a typically Wethers crowd if that doesn't sound too snobby!  I was lucky a real ale man stood at the bar warned me against getting the ale i wanted (it was cloudy and going off), barman admitted they were having problems keeping them in this heat!  So does it deserve it's guide place?  Well, my pint of Naylor's was fine and felt nicely sunburnt in the large suntrap front area.  But questions have to be asked.

448 - Hunters Inn, Pool in Wharfedale - Spiced up the midweek BRAPA by adding this pub, technically in North Yorks because North of the river Wharfe.  After a bus and traumatic country walk, I was rewarded with a beautiful pint of Black Rat in a lovely pub that might have recently had an extension.  Nice pub with great views and outdoor front area despite busy main road location.

449 - Junction, Otley - My manager at work isn't a fan, her husband is.  I sided with him, really liked the old fashioned beamed interior and was happier indoors than out.  Good interesting beers, friendly community feel despite central location and even got fleeced by some dodgy raffle where the winner then had to pick the right set of keys out of an envelope to properly win.  No surprise they didn't, rollover for about the 100th week in a row, hmmm.

So a good night and use of taxi on my own made me realise how valuable (but expensive) a means of transport this can be.  Back from Hunters, there was no way I was walking back into Pool down THAT road again.

The nearest place in that West Yorkshire North/Central corridor now is Bradford.  Loads of pubs to tick off, so thinking about the 3 beginning with a C next week.  Not sure which day because Grandma is visiting but knowing me I'll squeeze it in.

We are well above our June quotas, with more to come in Shropshire on Saturday.  Cannae wait for that, despite the early start and long wait for pub openings!

Si

BRAPA - burning the candle at both ends

I'm halfway through a working week of Detox, meaning no midweek WY BRAPA, no dice nights and no cheeky World Cup bottles, even when England are playing.  It all came about after my weekend double header left me feeling, well, less than healthy come Monday morning.

Still, on the plus side, 14 (count 'em) pub ticks including last weeks midweek event.  That started in a Tuesday evening rainstorm in Baildon, where I visited the Junction (432), one of best pubs I could hope to visit with their own beer brewed on site, soured only slightly by barman short changing which I couldn't be sure was 100% honest.  I then walked into Shipley where I drank a can of craft ale (kill me!) in Sir Norman Rae (433) Wetherspoons - been in better and worse ones - before finishing at the very no nonsense Ring o'Bells (434) which was local, uncomplicated, good but lacking star quality.

So, onto Saturday and I was more sad for my travelling companion John Watson II that back in his homeland, this return to Durham didn't really garner great beer range or particularly outstanding boozers.  A nice Wetherspoons brekkie and best range of the day was found at the Waterhouse (435) but a noisy fan and lively atmosphere meant it was never going to be a classic.  A bus to Witton Gilbert soon found as at the Travellers Arms (436), a real disappointment as one of only 3 boring ales went off and my Theakstons was bland as predicted.  The pub had some decent features but wasn't great.  Still in Witton Gilbert, the Glendenning Arms was a bit of an improvement (pub 437), it felt nicer and the old Vaux handpumps were a good touch but with the locals all focused on the horse racing and another disappointing range, you couldn't help but feel Durham villages like this are a bit out of touch.  We were soon back in Durham via a quick bus journey at the John Duck (438).  Now this used to be O'Neil's but my John (Watson, not Duck) was pleased with the improvement.  It felt a bit like an upmarket gig venue in places but had a nice feel around the bar even if we did opt to sit outside.  Some good beers too made it one of the highlights of the day.  My final pub tick was the Durham Rugby Club (439) and I was sure John would be pleasantly surprised at the improvement since he last went over 15 years ago.  Sadly, it was exactly as he remembered with well kept Tim Taylor Landlord and Black Sheep only.  Quality is more important than quantity and it was a good pint, great comfort, but felt very much like a sports club bar!  We ended in Half Moon, one of several Durham pubs I'd already 'ticked' off years ago and this reminded me what great pubs there are in Durham.

I'd barely had time to rest, watch England lose, and improbably stay up for Ivory Coast v Japan which finished 4am, before I was in West Riding Refreshment Rooms, Dewsbury for my first weekend West Yorkshire BRAPA jaunt with Jason and Richard from work.  What a cracker the WRRR is, shame it wasn't a pub tick but i can understand the "i missed the train.com" slogan and sympathise with all who have!  A short taxi ride later, we were at Leggers (440) in what must be "pretty Dewsbury", next to a canal and it was a lovely almost 'lodge' like building that felt enough like a pub and had a great Kelham Island on.  It also had an immaculate pool table, which are normally only found in dives in my experience (such a snob!)  Another taxi followed and today taught me how easy and useful taxis can be for BRAPA.  We were in Liversedge, a small place but has 3 pubs in the guide so I was quids in.  Firstly, Shears (441) the furthest up the hill and not on top form as there was a christening do happening.  Still, I got a Moorhouses Luddites brewed specially for the pub due to previous Luddite connections and it was good, as were the friendly staff and clientele. Black Bull (442) was next and this stood out to me and Jason as pub of the day.  A refurbished Ossett house, but with more pub hubbub than the likes of York and Leeds new Hop pubs.  Great beers went without saying.  Cracking place I'd recommend to anyone.  New Inn (443) is a former champion West Yorkshire pub and was good apart from their annoying foody policy.  They had locally brewed ales and I had the World Cup themed "Hand of Bob", very nice.  I was getting a bit worse for wear by now but not enough to realise what a great proper pub the Horse and Jockey (444) was.  Great jukebox, great hubbub, great beer, you couldn't ask for more, even bumped into Sarah from work's parents.  The final pub was Taproom in Batley (445) where Richard met his returning Batley Rugby League fans who'd won.  I felt it was a bit airy and like a Wild West saloon but I was drunk by this stage so maybe should give it the benefit of the doubt, the beer certainly wasn't a problem!

So as you can see, a productive time but at a cost to the old liver but I'm thoroughly enjoying the detox at the moment!  I'm well up for the month of June with 17 pub ticks and more to come next week.

I'm looking at the final Otley 2 for my next WY BRAPA meet one day next midweek but not Tuesday as England play in the World Cup.

The following Saturday brings a trip to Shropshire on Saturday (it was due to be Aberystwyth and Aberaeron but decided in the current climate, it was a step too far). I'm visiting Shrewsbury where I have 3 but have 5 still to do, including over 30's haunt Admiral Benbow.  Please let me in!  Maybe this could be my 450th, 10% of pubs done will be a landmark!  I'm also heading to the village of Baschurch because it is the first Shrops pub in the guide and will slow me down a bit.

Then onto July and hopefully, just hopefully, we can get cracking on the North Yorkshire trail.

Pg