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