BRAPA - The Villages of Bedford

Water-side drinking at the Plough in Bolnhurst (see pub 623).

My quest to complete all Bedfordshire pubs by the end of 2015 started slowly yesterday.  Firstly, engineering works meant a 3 hour plus journey to London via L**ds, and Bedford's new bus station was a confusing affair, typically the bus I needed to get to my first destination was one of the few still going from a replacement stop across town so I missed one of these.

And then, when bus 28 did arrive, the driver had no idea where Bolnhurst was so a local old lady from nearby Keysoe and former bus driver who looked about 200 years old were on hand to advise him.  Even then, he stopped in the wrong place.  And even at the right stop, it was a 0.8 mile walk along a un-paved road to the pub with motorbikes storming past.  The North Beds scenery was at least, picturesque but 1pm before my first pint?  I'm glad all BRAPA pub ticks aren't such a huge undertaking!!

623 - PLOUGH, Bolnhurst - Set back off the road was a large white building which I took to be the Plough.  It took some getting in, with a weird latch almost destroying my last ounce of patience after all the effort it had taken to get here!  I was expecting a gastropub from the descriptions, and the first words I heard on entering the pub were "yes, but do you get tomatoes with that?!" and you could see through the bar to a gaggle of white-clad cheffy people in the kitchen.  However, a couple of interesting ales and very friendly staff made up for this, and being a nice day, I took my pint of Church End Hooker outside to stop me resenting the almost restuaranty set up too much.  In fact, a helpful barman opened the conservatory door for me (I could've chosen a more straightforward route near the loos) and then brought me some complimentary crisps, the proper thick handmade type.  It is little touches of class like this that you remember.  As I sat on the smart patio in the sun alongside a pretty pond (which looked more like a stream), this was as content as I felt all day, maybe I'd peaked too soon as the taxi arrived to take me back into Bedford.

The Plough was one of the trickiest BRAPA pubs I've ever tried to get to! 

My taxi driver reflected that, Bedfordshire has become prime London commuter area with people wanting the buy up property and land, with little sentiment for old British traditions like the humble pub.  Thus, pubs like the Plough at Bolnhurst have to 'evolve' to stay open and successful,  Sad maybe, but true and it was a similar story at my next 'pub'. 

624 - KNIFE & CLEAVER, Houghton Conquest - After a delayed no. 42 bus where a friendly bus driver lady seemed to instinctively know I was visiting Houghton Conquest for this pub, she dropped me off right outside.  I had a few reservations having read about Michelin stars and French chefs so although you could never describe it has a traditional pub, it certainly felt pubbier than expected with the dining area hidden away to the back.  I saw York Terrier was the guest ale, so ordered this with a sense of irony which back fired when I was charged £4 a pint by a grungy barmaid who later described a new wine as tasting like "cat wee", though my general feeling was again of a hardworking, well run pub with lots of barmen running round asking if I wanted another drink, something to eat etc.  I shuffled into an alcove to enjoy my pint and a strange sad sense of being alone suddenly hit me, not sure why, maybe I was channeling a ghostly energy of a murdered French chef!

Arriving in the brilliantly named Houghton Conquest

625 - OLD SUN INN, Ampthill - The day was really warming up now, both in a weather sense and in a BRAPA sense and this was a "big tick" for me being the second pub in the GBG, meaning I had completed page one.  Geek I am.  I'd canvassed local opinion on this pub before, answers like "it's okay", "it's decent" and "it's fine" were amongst the opinions.  In the blazing mid afternoon sun sat on benches on the main road at the front, I grew to really enjoy this experience.  Again, the ale range wasn't spectacular but my Adnams Broadside (not traditionally a summertime quaffer) was top quality.  Had I sat inside, I doubt I'd have enjoyed it so much.  The place was running with dogs (and smelt of them) and kids belonging to the outdoor adults were playing with them.  Kids in pubs = it's a no from me!  There was quite a friendly community hub building up outside, and a shame that a much anticipated beer garden behind the pub still hasn't been finished, everyone agreed.  A couple of MILF's with young teenagers chatted with a friendly family who's kids had a craving for bags of Quavers, and I was just getting included in the conversations when my taxi arrived, so I said a cheery bye and went on my way.

Outdoor fun in the sun at the Sun (which wad fun)

626 - CHEQUERS, Wootton - I took a taxi because otherwise, I'd have had to get a 42 back to Bedford and start again, and time was starting to tick on and I was just getting into my stride.  £18 later, I was regretting the decision thinking a 7 mile journey should surely cost less, even if it was a very meandering route we took.  Was I fleeced?  Well, it didn't matter as I arrived at the lovely, creaky ancient looking Chequers and it was easily the friendliest pub of the day.  A young chap and the barmaid were soon learning about BRAPA, and I then went to sit with two older ale drinking chaps called Cliff and John and we chatted on beer festivals, and pubs in Beds and Yorks.  This was the proper village community pub I'd been craving all day, such a happy atmosphere and although I heard it had almost closed for similar reasons to so many Bedfordshire village pubs - it would have been a tragedy.  Cliff & John kindly offered to drive me to my next pub, as they live at Kempston anyway, but not before another pint, so I was clock-watching and trying not to look impatient, aware I had to be in London for my connection to York.  Probably pub of the day.

Old, friendly, a bit creaky - and I don't just mean Cliff and John.

Cliff, the older of the two, was our driver.  I just sat in the back and closed my eyes, not really wanting to know how many pints they'd had.  They then gave me old gossip relating to my next pub, intriguing tales of cancer, cheating wives & barred regulars!  

627 - HALF MOON, Kempston - There was no sign of any of the above drama these days, just another friendly community style village local.   The barman/landlord was very impressive, giving me a choice of football matches to view, he reminded me a bit of Karl Beattie from Most Haunted fame.  However, the real star of the pub was a bulldog who was introduced to a bar area of local dog lovers (I kept my distance though he waddled over for a stroke at one point!) but he went from hero to zero in a matter of seconds when he farted, almost clearing the place out.  This was as dramatic as things got, I was disappointed that local favourite Wells Eagle IPA (reassuringly tasting of copper coins) was the only ale on with two handpumps turned round, whilst the pub lacked a certain cosy feel though the people were warm (not literally, well I don't know, I didn't rub against any one!) Christina at work's sister lives in Kempston, and as I walked to the bus stop, it seemed a picturesque high class suburb of Bedford.  

Bulldog action in the Half Moon, before he farted! 

I needn't have panicked about train connections, I even had time for a very leisurely pint at the Parcel Yard in King's Cross.  More engineering works and a mixture of Leeds, Sheff Wed, Hartlepool and Scunthorpe fans made for one of the most agonizing journey's home ever.  And this was a dry train. You'd never have known! I even had to change at Leeds, but was back in York for 00:03 as expected.

All in all, another successful Bedfordshire outing, it now moves into 7th in the "pub" league table and I'll be back next month for some Dunstable based fun, my first real venture to the south of the county.

Si

BRAPA - Hipperholme

One of the many beers I tried in Cock o the North (pub 622)

Hipperholme is, this year at least, listed under Halifax in the Good Beer Guide but lying somewhere between Halifax and Brighouse, it seemed very much a place in it's own right as I hopped aboard the 548 bus on a sunny Tuesday evening.

621 - Travellers Inn, Hipperholme - Ten minutes and two miles later, I was walking down a steep hill where I found yet another Ossett pub (the theme of the moment), again this one was of the traditional ilk like recent Elland and Sowerby Bridge efforts.  The locals seemed friendly, I'd already been nodded to and grunted at by a few in the street by the time an elderly chap let me get served first.  I went for Ossett's new regular ale, Inception which I'd read about last week and it was very drinkable, maybe a touch watery.  The barmaid was good, service with a smile.  It was busy in, with a good mix of age groups and sexes, so I sat at the (temporarily) sun drenched benches outside.  Although these were on the road, it wasn't busy as not much traffic was coming down the hill by this time.  Annoyingly, the sun started moving behind the pub so I kept "following" it til I was almost 'off the bench'.  A few more locals nodded and said things like "aye" and "reet", places like this always make me feel like a posh York idiot.  I could hear the strains of laughter and chat coming through an open window as I took my empty glass back in, you've got to love Ossett brewery pubs when they are as good as the last three midweek West Yorks ones I've visited.

My first outdoor BRAPA pint of 2015 was here.

I was aware my next pub was lurking in some industrial park, but not to the extent my stupid GBG app had me believe.  The pushpin was all wrong, and after ten minutes of searching, I found the pub on the main road a lot less hidden than I'd feared.  Luckily, it proved a classic.

622 - Cock o' the North, Hipperholme - Some places are so unique, they have to be seen to be believed.  This was one of them.  I entered the "pub", more like a large barn or industrial unit, with a beer garden across the car park from the entrance.  I was greeted by a characterful landlord, resplendent in sunglasses despite the relative darkness indoors!  He sold the product well, their own "Halifax Steam" brewery which in a rare moment of negativity, the GBG describes as having beers that are bit too chilled!  Even more intriguing.  I briefly explained BRAPA for my reason for being here, but he then asked me what my drinking 'strategy' was (i.e. start from your left and work you way along!), I was a bit flummoxed and ended up opting to get the last bus at 19:50 so I could try a good number of halves - well, the place had impressed me and I may never return.  The quirkiest feature of the pub was the huge tropical fish swimming in tanks which make up the bar, crazy stuff!  A toddler was enjoying watching them, and again there was a great mixture of people with a group of students, a businessman on a laptop, a young family and a few grizzled locals.  Not to mention me perching in the centre, looking around in awe!  I tried a Jamaican Ginger ale, a guest one called Peaches, a Child Catcher (I waited til the toddler had gone to order this) and finally, a nice stout called Old John, just when I thought they only did pales.  Only the Child Catcher seemed too chilled, a bit harsh of the GBG I think.  The music also deserves a mention, a right mixture with the Dickies one minute, a North Eastern folk song the next.  An incredible place, I'd really recommend it.

Tropical fish and plenty more at the remarkable Cock o' the North

The bus and train back went more smoothly than imagined, I had my now standard Chicken Royale with extra bacon n cheese from BK, and I was back home before 10pm.  Job done!  

OTHER NEWS ......

I must get into a habit of leaving my cards in pubs.  I forgot in both last night, must do better on Saturday.

So yes, 'outer Bedford villages day' on Saturday and I am now fine-tuning bus times, taxi numbers etc. and working out which pubs are highest on the priority list.  

Not only is Dad up for helping me with the next leg of East Yorkshire (Goodmanham - it's somewhere near Market Weighton if that helps), friends are asking about our "Goole day" (also including Snaith, Rawcliffe and maybe Thorne too) so we are looking well set on that front.

Next Tuesday, we can put Halifax to bed with our 'Halifax : North night' as we had to Swalesmoor and also Bradshaw, a place I'd almost done back in the late summer of 2014 before the new GBG decided to pool it all in Halifax.

I'll also try and get the next archives out on Monday night which I'm designating "archive night" now.  These blog entries garner a much higher readership than ones such as this, probably cos I talk marginally less bollocks.  Ho hum.  

I'll be back on Sunday, Si

BRAPA : the archives (181-190)

Welcome back to the latest edition of GBG pubs I'd previously visited in those dark days pre-BRAPA.  Today, we finish off in Ipswich, take a trip to Brighton before getting our hands and knees dirty in the North East .....

181.  ST JUDE'S BREWERY TAVERN, Ipswich - We first arrived here a matter of days after it had actually been opened as Ben had read about it on a website just before an Ipswich away game on 19th Feb 2011.  It could have been an inspired move, but both me and Dad came away thinking it was a load of old bollocks.  The staff were overly ingratiating, constantly coming over to tell us "this is what we are trying to achieve", "we hope you like it", "here's a little comic strip we've had made for us, please read it", but it all felt a bit fake.  What did they want?  A pat on the head?   All of this was happening against a backdrop of disorgansation, we were sat there about 20 minutes before they managed to get a drinkable pint out of one of their barrels.  Note to self : let a pub bed down before visiting it!  The beers all come from barrels behind the bar, I don't think even one was to my taste, they had sawdust on the floor, and were obviously trying to recreate some very old pub experience that had been lost in Ipswich.  It was very cold.  I'd always suspected Ben would be happy to drink from a sewer as long as it had a range of 20 ales on, and this was as close as I've seen to proof of this.  We were roped into joining him and Mark for their post-match on 13th August 2011 where I did actually have a beautiful stout, but post-match pints are rarely classic experiences with your mind on the train journey home, plus I lost my wallet but it'd be churlish to blame St Jude's for this too!

182.  HAPPY MAN, Englefield Green - One of the highlights of my Virginia Water A-Z day in January 2014, I'd had a hell of a walk from the lake to this pub totally underestimating the walk AND going a long way round.   So I was sweaty and ready for a good pint!  It didn't let me down.  Despite looking very traditional on first glance, it had quite a light airy modern feel, something halfway between a country inn and a country hospital,  The clientele was generally young, and then the whole of the local women's netball team came in for a drink.  I wasn't complaining, although ordering my Twickenham 'Naked Ladies' suddenly seemed a bit trickier, as did cooling down from the long walk!  Well, it was the restorative pint and 30 min rest I needed, a nice small pub with a welcoming feel.

I was a 'happy man' when I finally arrived here after a back breaking walk.

183.  BASKETMAKERS ARMS, Brighton - 9th Feb 2013 and a second trip to Brighton's new AMEX stadium saw me on my own for the first three pubs of the day, this is the only one still currently in the GBG.  On the face of it, I was walking to this street corner pub in the gentle but famous Laine's area of town about 12 noon, so was expecting a fairly quiet, low key drinking experience.  Well, the pub was heaving!  Totally unexpected, not only were no seats available but it seemed the 'swell' of the crowd took me on a wave and before I knew it, I was standing in the only available place, right next to the toilets (not a bad outcome with my bladder).  This was after having to stand on tiptoes and screech at the barmaid for a pint of the nearest Fullers pump I could see.  I rang Mum to hide my feeling of "idiot away fan wanders into wrong pub" but I think looking back, it was shoppers dropping in for lunch as much as a pre-match atmosphere.  It's hard to tell in a place like Brighton, which I do incidentally, think is a wonderful place to visit.

184.  EVENING STAR, Brighton - A deservedly famous pub and easily the best I've visited in Brighton despite the often bustling pre-match atmosphere , we first came here October 15th 2011 before a teatime kick off at the newly built AMEX stadium, though our 'gang', especially Chris Irvin had been raving about it for years.  On this occasion, it was justified.  Despite the date, we'd been sat on the pebble beach earlier and arrived here to find the gang in full swing.  'Dark Star' is a great brewery and their beers featured heavily, I'm sure I was served by a punk lady I often see at the Rebellion Festival in Blackpool.  The pub is a proper wooden, bare boarded minimal drinkers one, friendly locals, simple and uncomplicated, I'd love to come here when no-one else was in but can't imagine it!  Dad's pub claustrophobia meant we ended up outside on this day, it was still warm on the street, and we saw the hilarious sight of Mark Bainton straining on the leash to get to the pub, with his wife just wanting a slow stroll down the street arm-in-arm!  The locals are friendly too and on my second visit 9/2/13 we got sat with a great group of Brighton fans including some who'd travelled from New Zealand.  Wonderful pub.

Me and friendly BHA fans on 9th Feb 2013

185.  PRESTONVILLE ARMS, Brighton - When Brighton played at the Withdean, it was hard to find a walkable pub from the centre (we didn't do trains, taxis, or trust the Park & Ride in our early days of travel when we often drove to games).  However, hidden at the top of a steep street, we parked up at this pub on the evening of 16th December 2005.  I love pubs that look just like another house on a terrace, such as Wellington in York or Big Six in Halifax.  I seem to remember the beer range being a bit limited, the quality being of the southern 'no sparkler' variety, but the place had a nice local feel and we sat of the higher of two split levels.  We had our sandwiches pre-prepared in a Tesco bag, and as Brighton's kit famously looked like a Tesco bag at the time, we somehow thought that gave us the right just to eat our food in their pub, despite my Hull City away top.  Ben was supposed to join us, but I think he met as at the ground about 10 mins in and left 10 mins into the second half so he could get home!

186.  CENTRAL, Gateshead - Hull City's reserves away to Gatehead reserves was a flimsy excuse for John Watson II to introduce me to some 'new' North East pubs and after an interesting day time, this was our main pre-match pub after getting the Metro in.  Gateshead may be a shithole, and was a mess of roadworks & temporary traffic lights on this visit, but this pub stood alone is a building of wonder, and the range of ales, food and friendly hubbub totally uninkeeping with everything we'd just witnessed on the walk here.  John had been raving about this for a while, attending rockabilly gigs here on Sunday afternoon's in an upstairs room, the music was also good.  But my abiding memory was that this is my all time "best food smell in pub ever" almost like they'd piped in some foodie scent, it was unbearable as we didn't really have time to order any.  To cut a long story short, picking Dele Adebola and Seyi Olifinjana in central defence didn't work, Jay Simpson was wasteful, and we were well beaten 2-1.  12th March 2012 was the date.

Gateshead International Stadium - wish I'd stayed in the Central!

187.  ROBIN HOOD, Jarrow - A chilly 5th Jan 2013 saw my double "J" day A-Z trip to both Jesmond and Jarrow, the former would have been enough when we realised how far out of Jarra' the Venerable Bede actually lived!  After a long, fraught walk, we arrived at this little gem but it was surprisingly dead for a Saturday afternoon.  As you might expect, it had a good selection of wonderful Jarrow beers on and I'm sure I had at least one out of Rivet Catcher or Swinging Gibbet, or perhaps the Irish Stout.  We were sat near some jolly old locals who seemed to be the only other people in the pub, so perhaps it was "their" seats, designated!  I tried (successfully as it happened) to shuffle out to get to the loo without disturbing them but according to Krzb and John, apparently they saw this as a rude gesture for NOT asking them to move.  Glad I was unaware at the time.  Never mind, I doubt I'll be back.

188.  CLUNY, Byker - 'Once visited, never forgotten' might be a nice cliche for this pub, but three visits makes that sound a bit hollow!  It was never with real ale in mind when I first came here, for a "punk all dayer" with Leftover Crack as headliners, Hangmen pulling out (boo), and a few other bands we semi knew.  Not sure we even associated it with ale, in fact I remember drinking an array of unusual foreign bottles from countries like Greece and Russia!  28 June 2003 was the likely date so maybe it either didn't do cask back then or we weren't aware, it had several seating areas separate from the venue.  We then went for lunch on 12th March 2012, nearly 9 years later and it was nice to be back, this time ale was certainly on the agenda, though the nice tattooed barmaid was a bit unsure on the whole "nut allergy/pesto" conundrum which didn't inspire confidence.  We were back here 31st July (with Lu and Lisa this time) 2014 for another gig, Big Sandy and his Fly Rite Boys which was superb and some amazing ales on show, sure a few crazy drunk women on wine tried to spoil it but a great place to sit and have drink or a meal, very relaxed in that modern style, and stopped me wishing I was watching Hull City at some godforsaken Europa league place!

John, Lu and Lisa enjoy an ale in Cluny before Big Sandy

189.  CUMBERLAND ARMS, Byker - Back to the Gateshead reserves day on 12th March 2012, and after lunch at the Cluny, John and I crossed the river and went uphill to this pub overlooking the picturesque Ouseburn Valley, and just as well we had a good view because the pub didn't open til 3pm so we had plenty of time to sit on the outside benches and admire the view.  Luckily, the staff were tooling around moving barrels, cleaning and stuff so at least gave us hope they were opening soon.  It was well worth the wait, a fantastic old style basic boozer with a great range of ales (I'm sure I had at least one by Wylam) and some interesting decor, funny signs - you know the thing.  I even seem to remember other levels where they have music nights and stuff so quite a popular institution with students from what Lizzy was telling me 'live' on facebook, ah them were the days!  We stayed there for 2 or 3, the longest we spent in one place all day and it was easy to see why.

190.  BACCHUS, Newcastle - My memories are very hazy of my two visits here, as is the case with most of my trips to Newcastle, but I have a very good excuse.  On my first visit, which I think might well have been 14th Jan 2009 when we beat the Toon in the FA Cup thanks to a Daniel Cousin goal on a freezing night, I accidentally ordered a 10% stout.  Ooops, I drank half of it (I'd already been in about 5 pubs), strategically placed it behind an impressive pillar, and told an equally drunk Geordie to mind it while I went for the loo.  I scarpered!  I hope he enjoyed it.  And then, to my total disbelief, I was here I think with Lu and John Watson II before a Dreadnoughts gig 24th Feb 2011 and I repeated my faux pas!  I sat and drank it slowly this time, the pub had a very different atmos with post work goers and pre theatre goers all merging into one cackling, mutton dressed as lamb style mess.  John and I criticised their attempts at the CAMRA logo on the blackboard, that's the only other thing I remember though I think Lu tried to get some vegan food.  Hazy memories, understandable.

So, there's your lot for now.  I'm not looking forward to the next lot as a Newcastle is a confusing place to remember when drunk, and I'm sure the rest of Tyne & Wear won't be much better! 

Si

BRAPA - Sutton upon Derwent & Ellerton

You often hear 'quality over quantity' and over the past couple of months, I've realised how much this can apply to BRAPA trips aswell.  By which, I mean of that you can easily hop on a train and have visited seven pubs in Oxford before you know it, but a two or three pub day around more rural parts with no discernible bus or train routes is just as valuable.  After all, they all have to be done at some point.

Having said all that, it's easier when you have a chauffeur (sadly, a rarity!) and Dad was happy to drive us east out of York for a couple of new East Yorkshire pub ticks......

619 - St Vincent Arms, Sutton upon Derwent - We arrived at this pub that has been on my radar for long before BRAPA was in my mind, shortly after 2pm knowing that it is due to close from 3-6pm, as is still the case in some rural pubs, particularly noticeable in the Yorkshire region  The atmosphere was at a real lull, somewhere between that post-lunchtime winding down and that pre-last orders winding up.  There was also a sense of 'waiting', but what for, I can't be sure.  Judging by the regulars average age, 'death' could have been the answer.  Unusually for anywhere in the north, this was a Fullers pub but the ales were supplemented by local standards including Tim Taylor Landlord and York Terrier, resplendent with old style pump clip before York went all harsh, dark and angular.  Dad was particularly impressed with the quality of the ale, and cheap too at £2.60 a pint.  The food menu looked ridiculously outlandish with things like Lobster Thermidore and Guinea Fowl for prices that make the eyes bleed.  Because of this, it didn't quite feel pubby enough to be a classic, though when my phone rang, the locals glared as though I had no right to own such a device.  Perhaps they were right.  There was a rush to be bar about 2:55pm, so sensing last orders, I got a refreshingly northern tasting Fullers Chiswick in before the barman called 'time'.  The locals sat for a further 20 mins reading newspapers, totally unphased, refusing to even make eye contact with their spouses, so I spanned out my pint for as long as possible,

Arriving at the St Vincent, named after a Nelson battle, in S.O.D.

Grey Horse, Elvington - A good idea of Dad's this, a pub that in Good Beer Guide terms, has been in & out of it which much regularity (currently out).  We'd been kicked out of the St Vincent at 3pm, our Ellerton pub didn't open til 4pm, so we needed to fill in some time.  This was really a pub of two halves, a kind of downtrodden locals sports bar to the left and a modern but darkish lounge to the right.  Dad had apparently been here after a ten mile walk with Grandma on her 80th birthday, they'd stayed in the sports side and not been impressed.  The pub has since gentrified, selling off land that was once a beer garden and now a rather uninspiring new housing estate and car park are behind the pub.  Sad, but maybe the only way the pub could survive financially.  We entered into the sports bar side, which showed the full range of ales, it was a no-brainer for me, Bradfield Farmers Blonde which was well kept but not quite Bluebell York standards.  We thought we were watching the Grand National (it was the race before, oops) so when Dad exclaimed 30 of the runners must have fallen, no wonder the locals looked a bit confused!  Having embarrassed ourselves, we went to sit in the lounge side where for me, the highlight was a fine array of old GBG's dating from 1985.  Pub geek?  Me?  Never!  It was comfy enough, but lacked a bit of light and warmth of personality.  A decent pre-emptive tick if it gets 'listed' again, though I wouldn't bank on it this year.

Unusual and slightly pervy barstool in Elvington's Grey Horse

620 - Boot & Shoe, Ellerton - With it's 4pm opening time really reflecting how isolated the village of Ellerton is, I was just relieved to see this one open when we arrived about quarter past.  What I wasn't expecting was a genuine early contender for "2015 BRAPA pub of the year".  Why have I not heard people raving about this pub before?  Possibly, because it really is, to coin a phrase "a hidden gem".   We entered to find an ancient building, all creaking warped wood and beams, low ceilings and door-frames where even a short-arse like me had to duck.  After walking past many tiny rooms laid out for evening dining, we found the main bar.  A hive of activity with rattling old dominoes players, locals happily chatting and joking, and a bit beyond with a TV showing the football scores coming through, but initially, the result of the Grand National (the real one this time!) where my horse had come 4th.  So I was buoyed by this further!  A landlord behind a sunken bar saw us eyeing up the ales, and described them all.  Two Dark Horse ales are brewed for this pub and we had one of each, excellent quality, and then a half of a 'Half Moon' ale, the brewery is next door to the pub in Ellerton.  This really did feel like George Orwell's Moon Under Water, one of those where you have a stupid smile on your face throughout.   Friendly too.  When I came back from the loo, two locals were asking Dad if him and Mum were a "holding hands" couple or not!  'Not' was the answer.  Even seeing Hull City had lost (again) on the TV didn't spoil my mood.  I later heard there's a tree wrapped round the back of the pub forming part of it.  Another quirk I missed!  Amazing pub, you must visit.  

If I was smiling on the way in, I was ecstatic on the way out!

Other BRAPA News .....

Yesterday's two East Yorkshire pub ticks (now at 27) move it above South Yorks (25) in the 'pubs leaderboard' into 4th place, behind West Yorks (103), North Yorks (82) and Greater Manchester (33).

Dad enjoyed it so much, he's offered to drive us to tricky East Yorks pubs in Millington and Goodmanham in the summer, I'm penciling in 6th June for that one.

It'll be normal service resumed on Tuesday as I get back on the 'outer Halifax' trail with the trip to Hipperholme, providing I can get out of work bang on 4pm! 

Bedfordshire is next Saturday so a bit of planning around bus times, taxi numbers etc is needed at some point during the next week.

The business cards are here!  They look quite good,  Logo could be bigger, as could most of the text.  Should maybe have my Instagram and Twitter addresses on but that'd put pressure on me to keep them up to date at all times.  I'll have think between now and the last batch.  I left one in Ellerton yesterday but forgot about Sutton upon Derwent, but not sure they use computers.

See you for more archives and the midweek write up soon.

Si

 

  

BRAPA - Swansea & Sowerby Bridge

April started with a trip to Swansea, a near on 22 hour day may probably have yielded more than one pub tick but at least it was a good one .....

616 - No Sign Bar, Swansea - So just after 12 noon we arrived in this obviously ancient (1690) bar which Dylan Thomas apparently frequented, very much the Dick Turpin of South Wales in that regard!  A nice selection of 4 ales would have done me, but the lovely blonde barmaid advised us there was a beer festival on in at the end of this Tardis like long & thin building.  Bonus!  Though it took as a while to properly find it, never mind to embrace the beer fest experience.  Tom had arrived looking like someone who'd spent the last 24 hours on the rail network, and we sat under a rather pretentious food menu til Dad cracked, ordering us all Tapas but both mine and his (Calamari and Bruschetta) were rubbish, though full marks to all the staff who were excellent throughout - seemed like they needed a few more to assist.  All the ales were superb quality, the Elland 1872 Porter a highlight as I'd managed to avoid it on recent trips to Elland and Halifax, yet found it in Swansea!  Typical.  I wish we'd been able to stay there a bit longer, or a bigger "Welly" gang could have sampled this "away pub of the season" contender.  Tom did make a valid point, how can you have a pub called "No Sign Bar" when it has a sign displaying that very fact?

Fresh off the 5:55am from York.  Me arriving at the No Sign Bar, Swansea 12 noon.

Fast forward to Tuesday and probably still not recovered from Swansea, it was time for the West Yorkshire Midweek edition of BRAPA!  Now I was supposed to be going to Hipperholme for leg two of Halifax, but work had put me on "checking", so I had to stay to 5pm, and with a bus needed for Hipperholme, it put too much pressure on the situation.  So something more straightforward was needed ....

So after taking the Manchester Victoria train 40 mins, I arrived at the attractive canal town of Sowerby Bridge.

A fine spring evening in Sowerby Bridge

617 - Shepherd's Rest, Sowerby Bridge - After a 10 minute walk skirting around canals, hills and eventually rush hour traffic, I arrived in the 'village' centre to find this Ossett owned pub and am pleased to report it was more along the traditional lines (think Drop in Elland or Fox at Holgate, York) than the modern efforts of Leeds and Sheffield.  I entered in a weird triangular shaped bar and after buying a very drinkable Saltaire Citra from a friendly young bar chap, I sat in the lounge area where the locals were, comfy bench seating, and supped my pint.  I often find myself judging pubs by the clientele, and the easy, jovial nature of the people here, helped give a great atmosphere, I was accepted as a visitor without any staring or forced conversation, so a good balance! A local referred to the place as "Soreby" Bridge, which I'd heard from a guy at work was the correct pronunciation, but when even the train guard didn't do it, I had been losing hope, so it was good to hear!  I read a leaflet on Ossett's forthcoming beers for 2015 and left, happy, contented, like so many, a tinge of regret I may never return! 

Decor and seating inside the Shepherd's Rest, a fine Ossett pub.

618 - Firehouse, Sowerby Bridge - Having read the GBG description, I had my reservations on this one with it's supposed emphasis on stone-baked pizzas, but whilst it was modern, I'm pleased to report in an excellent way which reminded me of Henry's in Sheffield.  Despite the street corner, big windowed feel, it didn't feel exposed and was warm and comfortable in, even if a big group of young ladies were ordering glasses of Prosecco as I arrived.  Friendly staff served me a fine Teleporter from Summer Wine brewery, who I thought had given up on cask altogether so this was heart-warming ale, both metaphorically and literally!  I found a large, curved green settee which had my name written all over it (not really) but I sat there and got hungry watching two middle-agers munching on goats cheese pizzas, the specialty I admit did look very yummy. I agonized over where the loo's were for ages looking for clues (it's almost a game at times for me!) and I was relieved (again, literally) to find them downstairs and not up a spiral staircase past the cackling Prosecco gang.  So, all in all, pleasantly impressed.  

There is a third pub in Sowerby Bridge, but with time ticking on and 40 minutes from Leeds, never mind York, I headed home knowing I have plenty of time to do combine the final pub with my final Mirfield tick later this summer.

Firehouse, Sowerby Bridge (Prosecco gang in second window on right)

LATEST NEWS .....

• My "business" cards have finally been shipped after some payment difficulties.  Could they make a surprise debut on Saturday?  
• Oh, the joys of village pub life and their irregular opening times.  Ellerton's pub appears not to open til 4pm, and with Sutton Upon Derwent's one closed between 3-6pm, Dad and I have had to work hard to come up with a plan around this!  All will be revealed in my next BRAPA report. 
• HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY to BRAPA!!  5th April 2014 was our official start date in Beds, I was around the 385 pub mark then.  Now at 618, not forgetting the 70 or so pub drop in September when the 2015 GBG came out, I've ticked off a lot of pubs!   
• I'm sure I won't be on "checking" at work two week's in a row, so Hipperholme will be back on for Tues 14th.
• I'm booking an overnight trip to Aberdeen on Thursday 9th July, I have two days off work so let's get on the BRAPA trail!
• Even more urgently, I'm looking at a birthday BRAPA outing in early May.  Greater Manchester is looking the most likely county at the moment.  
• The latest Bedfordshire trip is a week on Saturday.  Some high level planning is needed. Ampthill and Bolnhurst are the "must" pubs.  Houghton Conquest, Felmersham and Kempston would all be nice too.  
• Doing Sowerby Bridge made me realise the great progress I'm making in West Yorkshire.  I could well be finishing this county before Bedfordshire if I can stay in the Tuesday night groove through spring and summer.  Dirty Dick's in Halifax was my 100th West Yorks tick.

See you all in a pub (virtual or real) sometime soon,

Si

BRAPA - Halifax

View out on t'hills as I arrive into Halifax

March ended with a trip to Halifax, a town which in the 2015 Good Beer Guide has grown arms and legs with loads of surrounding villages etc all now in the "Halifax" bracket.  For this first of three trips, I kept it simple and visited the three most central.....

613 - CROSS KEYS, SIDDAL - Siddal appears to be a place in it's own right, and after a brisk healthy stroll in the evening sun from the railway station to a more leafy area, I was at the pub by 5:30pm.  I was greeted by Poppy the dog, who was quite fussy and I glad I didn't have food on my person!  The range of ales was excellent, and I was intrigued by the Abbeydale Black Mass, a 6.66% stout can you believe?  Well, the jovial landlord told me it was a "session ale", I definitely didn't believe that but went for a pint anyway based on it being a Tuesday.  According to the Guide, this pub was a shit hole til the current owners took it over in late 2012 (I'm paraphrasing them) and it had a superb ambiance, the locals very Yorkshire, the pub very down to earth, it was my pub of the night.  A man declared his love for Victoria Wood "hit me on the bottom with a women's weekly" and then told an enchanting tale about how on a stag do in Blackpool, he walked out on a Roy Chubby Brown routine cos he hated it that much.  Some kids helping their Mum celebrate a pre-40th birthday do didn't really spoil the hubbub, but then it darkened up outside and started snowing.  It's April tomorrow I thought, flippin 'eck!  It soon turned to sleet and subsided so I went on my way as a woman told me each regular has a designated seat in the pub - a minefield for visitors like me!

Before the snow came : a jewel of a pub in Siddal

614 - DIRTY DICK'S FOOD & ALE EMPORIUM, Halifax - As I'm now officially a pub heritage geek, I was highly anticipating my next pub (made with timbers from HMS Newcastle, 1931)  but it was hard to get a true picture of it's inner beauty and features with so many rugged 'Fax locals drinking and looking a bit intimidating.  Whilst this was again a no nonsense drinkers pub, it didn't quite have the same friendly charm of the Cross Keys - rural vs town centre perhaps the reason.  I felt like a real tourist when I asked for a pint of the locally brewed 'Dirty Dick's' at the bar.  They also did a lager of the same name so when I was given the choice and said "ale", a drunk local in a funny hat said "told ya" to his mates - still, a compliment I look more like an ale than lager drinker.  I'll have to wear my tracksuit and stick on tats next time! I sat in the quiet backroom to try and get a sense of the heritage element in a big wooden settle style seat.  I just felt more isolated.  My DD ale was, okay.  The young barman seemed to be a bit of a practical joker, and he "hanged" a teddy bear to the doorframe which belonged to a barmaid (India?  Surely not her real name!) but she didn't look too mortified.

Wasn't quite feeling the heritage lovin' at Dirty Dick's.

615 - BARUM TOP, Halifax - Pinned in totally the wrong place on my GBG App, I finally found this pub as the wind and rain whipped up a storm again.  It was a Wetherspoons but didn't look like it from the outside, more traditional than that but a vast indoor space was very Spoonsy (it used to be a garage).  I saw the award winning 1872 Elland Porter but after that Black Mass in the first pub, I went for a lighter Goose Eye beer which had just gone on, and it was very well kept and easily drinkable (just as well as I had a train back to Leeds not too far off).  I noticed an upstairs area and thought "I hardly ever get upstairs BRAPA drinking experiences" so shinned it up the stairs but every single seat was taken, mainly with what seemed like the whole of 'Fax having a nice cheap dinner.  So I came back down the other side, perched on a stool and pretended to be interested in the pre-election coverage.  A girl who looked Eastern European was also having a drink on her own and my vague thoughts of joining her with dashed when she vanished quicker than the eye could see - maybe a ghost mechanic who got killed in the old garage?  The 'Spoons reminded me of the one in Brighouse combined with one in the Isle of Wight,  I can't say fairer than that!

It was more 'Spoons in than out!

I made my train easily and was back in Leeds for a Burger King, and York for a fairly early finish considering.  I'll be back in the Halifax area (Hipperholme to be precise) for our next midweek BRAPA trip.  Thanks for listening.

My last tango in Halifax - terrible pictorial joke on train back to Leeds.

LATEST BRAPA NEWS ..... 

This is how drunk I was in Far From the Madding Crowd, Oxford (see below closed pub news)

• No news on my "business" cards yet.  Come on, I'm getting impatient already!  Not that I'll have much use for them this Saturday in Swansea.
• Sad to hear of another BRAPA pub closure.  Far From the Madding Crowd, Oxford wasn't making enough money so they closed it.  It had only opened in 2002 which made it very new by Oxford standards.  It was my 6th pub in Oxford last September, yes I was quite drunk but enjoyed my pint of Acorn Helga, the regulars and staff seemed a happy bunch and it's my opinion that it's weird location is the main reason it didn't attract enough custom.  Yes, I was drunk but walked around in circles looking for that Friars Entry!
• The Heavy Woolen Tour is back!  Yes, after last June's success, me and some work friends are having a six pub Saturday in Ossett, Horbury, Thornhill and Overton near where they live - all in the name of BRAPA.  The date we have in mind is 30th May.  As a result, Horbury will be taken out of "midweek WY BRAPA consideration" as it is due up soon.  
• And finally, my April agenda is finalised.  It doesn't look the most stunning month in BRAPA terms but hopefully some better weather and cracking on with Tuesday evenings will help, as BRAPA celebrates it's 1st anniversary on Sunday.

Sat 4th - Swansea away day

Tue 7th - Halifax II : Hipperholme

Sat 11th - "Dad day" inc Ellerton & Sutton upon Derwent

Tue 14th - Halifax III : Bradshaw & Swalesmoor

Sat 18th - Bedfordshire III - outer Bedford villages

Tue 21st - Heath

Sat 25th - Crystal Palace away day

Tue 28th - Hebden Bridge (w/ Cragg Vale)

(all dates subject to change as usual!)

• We achieved 25 pubs in March - a good effort in the end ... 16 of them in the last 10 days!  April I predict will be more like 20, even that might be a stretch.

See you later on, Si

BRAPA : the archives (171-180)

Welcome back to the latest edition of these amazing (or not so amazing) pubs, currently in the GBG, which I visited pre-BRAPA (so either early 2014 or before).

171 - Loggerheads, Shrewsbury - My first visit to this historic and wonderful pub was Tuesday 29th October 2002, our first pre-match pub before a 1-1 draw.  It was teatime so Countdown was on, and the locals were taking it very seriously, consulting a dictionary to possibly help them, not sure it worked!  I even remember what I drank, Crop Circle by Hopback - the less common "Summer Lightning" which was the "ale of the moment" back then.  It is a superb old Heritage pub, and it even had a "men only" room until 1975 - the sign is still there and you get the feeling people wish it was still the case!  This is where I sat on my return visit with John on Wed 7th Sept 2005, we noticed huge chunks of plaster out of the wall, this is proper old skool!  We then moved into the main bar to watch Northern Ireland beat England 1-0, where a local annoyed me by laughing that England were losing to a team with a "Hull City player in it".  I'd like to go back and ask him where the fuck are Shrewsbury compared with Hull City in the football pyramid, but it might be aggravational and this pub is no place for that!  Again, I can remember the beer we drank, Slater's Top Totty.  Superb pub.

172 - Three Fishes, Shrewsbury - Not far from Loggerheads, Dad and I had tea here on 29th Oct 2002 and it was our second pub of the night.  Dad and I slightly preferred this, it is a bit cosier with a lounge style feel and an annoying group of women he called the CLF (Canadian Lesbian Front) spent ages ordering their food and slowing us down.  I also remember a great beer range and the fact it was no smoking well before 2007.  The pub is on a cobbled street and has tudor style oak beams so Dad's often telling me he's seen it on films and TV programmes set in t'past.  I therefore took JW2 here on our mini-holiday, probably on Tue 6th Sept 2005 and this time, I slightly prefered the Loggerheads experience but it wasn't by much.  Too many diners on this occassion spoilt the atmosphere a bit.

173 - Raven, Bath - Pub number three of my inaugural A-Z trip in July 2012, this was my least favourite pub of the day based solely on the people.  Beerwise was fine as I went in and found a good range of locales, I had one from the Blindman's brewery.  There was no room downstairs despite being mid-afternoon (where I normally find a lull in pub activity) but I was chuffed with myself that I worked out another room and bar upstairs, unusually and impressive as it had all the ales on too.  This one was full of tourists (which I always try in vain to distance myself from) and some annoying Northern men were talking to a few locals, but I couldn't establish myself and felt a bit like the dunce in the corner!  So I read the pub's own leaflet from cover to cover, twice.  I think I just caught the pub at the wrong time for me.

The Raven in Bath - top upstairs bar, shame about the customers

174 - Star Inn, Bath - My 4th and favourite pub of the day, I'd been reading up about "snuff" as I heard they sell it free in the pub.  Terrified I'd be offered some and not know how to take it, I'd spent the previous evening on Wikipedia learning the full history!  In fact, all I did get offered was some free pie, leftover something to do with the fact there was a beer festival on outside (I'd never have known, it was so quiet and peaceful in).  It is a really old style quirky pub, National Inventory and the main bar was full of strange curios.  I sat in a side room called "Death Row" because it had one long table in the shape of a coffin.  The man I shared it really looked depressed like he was awaiting death!   John had been texting me asking me to try a pint of "Abbey Bellringer", and I was pleased to finally find it here.  Staff were really friendly too, made conversation and offered me samples of other ales. Overall, a very heartening experience after the difficult Raven.

175 - White Star, Stoke - I've been to this cracking Titanic pub 4 times now, the last 3 times it has been our main pre-match pub but we first popped in after finally realising the Locomotive(?) was rubbish on 29th November 2008, where Mark "Beefy" Bainton had the kind of polycarbonate drinking vessel incident which led to that particular anecdote being told for the next 5 years!  It has a range of about 5 Titanic ales and 5 or 6 guest ones, no away colours allowed but it's pretty obvious we aren't from Stoke (as our eyes aren't too close together - JOKE!)  It's not the most traditional pub, with either chairs and tables designed for eating, or some overly low settees - needs a happy medium.  I think the best part is actually the staircase area up to the loos, but maybe that's just me!  The best experience here was 29/3/14 when we got talking to a friendly bunch of Stokies who helped us get the bus to the ground.  Nice chips too.

Chips and great ale in Titanic wonderpub, the White Star 29/3/14

176 - Dove Street Inn, Ipswich - 13th August 2011 and after a bit of a wait for opening, I persuaded Dad to stick with it and join me here (neither of us had been impressed with the St Jude's on our last visit).  We entered to a tiny front bar and were glad to get a seat in the corner as the main long bar was very busy despite being only just after 12 noon opening.  They have a huge range of ales on, lots of different styles and plenty of locales you wouldn't normally see as a York based drinker.  The beers have to be listed on small blackboards above the bar such is a sheer volume of them, and it didn't take us long to work out it was our new favourite Ipswich pub!  We unsurprisingly returned on 13th April 2013 and there were murmurings Ben had got fed up of St Jude's and wanted to join us, but it didn't transpire so we resumed out text wars about which pub was best.  It was a glorious summer's morning so we sat in the garden on the astroturf, and then in the tent when it clouded over.  We eventually moved inside through the conservatory foody room to the main bar, but not before we'd had a dreadful pint of some local 'lager' style ale which tasted like Carling to me!  We weren't too sure about any of our beers on this day, just lacking that pzazz.  Things like Woodforde Wherry for example, good enough but a bit average. We won again on this day so a lucky pub!

Me enjoying a pint in the astroturfed tent at Dove Street, Ipswich  13.4.13

177 - Fat Cat, Ipswich - Travelling on a train to an away game was a new concept to me, and one that had blown Dad's mind so much that he didn't even travel.  So it was then, on 19th August 2006 that the era of away train travel began and I loved it.  The hard part was the fact it was a hot day and I legged it through Ipswich centre and out the other end in a thick leather jacket, dripping with sweat, and a mile later, finally reached this pub on the edge of town.  My urgency was that Chris and Tom were expecting me, and I knew they would be ahead of me.  Such was my thirst and urgency that I pushed past an old bloke at the bar, quickly apologised but he let me go first anyway, with the words "we do things a bit slower in this part of the world" in a thick Suffolk accent!  I eventually found the Irvin duo outside, and with an actual fat cat for company in a lovely beer garden, I'd say this is still the highlight of my Ipswich pubbing to date.  Chris moved us on well before kick off in search of other pubs, and we found Ipswich is a town with a serious problem in dealing with "visitors", something I've noticed every time since.  We returned here as a bigger group post match 4/5/08, an even hotter evening.  I remember the beer range being even better, there may well have been a festival on!  We sat outside again and ordered curries from across the road which apparently is the done thing,  and some Ipswich fans had a go at me for getting curry round my mouth - a weird thing to criticise I thought at the time!  A bit out of town, but still a very good pub.

178 - Albion, East Molesey - If there was one A-Z day where 'pubs' and 'drinking' weren't concepts at the forefront of my mind, it was H is for Hampton Court where I got lost in the wonder of the place.  I had also underestimated the length of time it'd take to get from here back to Kings Cross.  And thirdly, I was on medication for an infected leg so not technically supposed to drink.  I still had this pub earmarked though, and after a walk down an impossibly posh road full of weird shops (think Harry & Paul's 'I saw you coming' sketch), I entered to find a comfy if not overly friendly pub, full of red furniture and walls I seem to remember with a TV, plenty of food, more drinkers thankfully, and a slightly split level - in a weird way, I could think of it as Henry VIII's local, maybe that was just being fanciful!  The date by the way was 24th November 2012.

179 - United Services Club, Egham - A ridiculous walk to Englefield Green from Virginia Water on my "V" day (11th Jan 2014 so probably just before BRAPA was forming in my mind) eventually took me on to Egham.  I'm always a bit anxious in going in "clubs" rather than pubs with all this talk of showing your CAMRA card, being signed in, firm but fair policies etc etc but I could not have been made more welcome here.  On entering, I was surprised to see a huge vast function room style layout, it looked like an aftershow party, or at least, the remnants of a celebration.  The staff were friendly and I was charged £2,50 for amazing Hastings Porter and a lighter locale, unheard of pricing around this part of the world.  I settled down to watch the football scores and got chatting to a couple of locals about the perils of being a Hull City fan (we'd just lost at home to Chelsea so being Surrey folk, they seemed rather happy).  Before I knew it, the main chap was giving me a guided tour of the premises, and leaflet's on forthcoming beer festivals telling me about all the places from the "North" that people come from just to visit this festival.  I could see the attraction but he nearly made me miss my train so I had to scoot along, making polite apologies as I legged it for the station.

180 - Beehive, Englefield Green - I was quite underwhelmed by this, my second of three pubs on the memorable "V" day of 11th Jan 2014.  The area had seemed very well heeled and upmarket and this felt a bit like a protest pub, where the last bastion of no nonsense drinkers come.  That could have explained the large rather intimidating group of men stood around the bar watching horse-racing and the like.  I quickly got a pint and sat round the far corner in a fairly basic bar to the right of the entrance - I didn't even get chance to notice the landlady was German (apparently she cooks meals from her homeland which must be quite unusual pub fayre).  It was also very much a Fullers pub, and with only three or four on, I went for a well-kept Bengal Lancer as it seemed the rarest but for a 5% IPA, you'd expect a bit more bite.  Not the pubs fault though.  I put on my coat, took a deep breath, banged my empty pint glass on the bar, and said goodbye to the entire pub, never to return!

My Bengal Lancer at the unspectacular Beehive.

So there we have it, ten more off the list and after a bit more time in the south, we'll be heading up to that fictional county of Tyne & Wear for our next archive session in a few days time.

See you soon, Si