It's late, it's Tuesday night, it is time to review this evening's BRAPA event as we got back on track with our West Yorkshire challenge with the much anticipated first mini-crawl of Bradford, that much improving multi-cultural City, still with plenty of edge in that summer evening heat, I felt, on an interesting evening.
479 - City Vaults, Bradford - following a sticky, heaving and delayed train (due apparently with some woman having a heart attack on the Skipton bound service) I made it here just after 5pm and it was probably the pub of the night. Beer range wasn't too much to write home about but a quality Pendle Witches Brew (Moorhouses) was enjoyed in a surreptitious corner overlooking the beautiful illuminated stained glass design in old wood paneling. This made for a superbly atmospheric pub despite a fairly bog standard summer evening clientele (which sounds horribly snobbish I know!)
480 - Ginger Goose, Bradford - Open planned, fairly unatmospheric town centre fodder followed with another Moorhouses which was less good, as were the locals as I felt about the least tattooed person in there. I found a nice seat in a sunny window but my relative peace was short lived as a man called Paddy, not Irish, decided to join me having been turned off the outside area by a Palestine / religious demo taking place in the square opposite. I sympathised before his unconvincing racist rant. He had Leeds Utd and anarchist tattoos, told me his ex boyfriend had topped himself, we had a chat about ghosts and Derek Acorah but really, it was time for me to move on!
481 - Castle Hotel, Bradford - The sign said "try a real ale" as I walked into a totally empty pub with two nice guests. The barman was a nice Indian chap which is notable because, although yes I was in Bradford, this must be a rarity. Amusingly, he seemed very Indian until a local walked in and after a mock-greeting and bow, he turned into your archetypal West Yorkshire man - I'd like to have known what Paddy would've made of it all. My 'One Eyed Jack' was a nice local pint, really felt sad the last pub was heaving and here was empty. Do the people of Bradford have no taste?
On that note, I decided that with dentist tomorrow, I'd walk back to Bradford Interchange so I could be sat here writing this later! Part two next week perhaps? With Thursday and Friday off, I have ideas floating around my brain for BRAPA. Wed eve (30th) I could do Bradford part 2 or even be more adventurous and venture out to the likes of Harecroft and Cullingworth. If I'm feeling fit after the gig on Fri 1st August (also Yorkshire day), I am contemplating a "Worth Valley Railway" day which would actually mean Stanbury, Silsden, Goose Eye and Keighley.
Options are everywhere, but now we'll concentrate on Barnsley Saturday, back in South Yorks.
Si
How heavily delayed was your train to Drabford. If you can't remember exactly, what time did you leave TWS?
ReplyDeleteHi Phil, hope this works and keep up the good ice bath work at Bradford. Think the 16:10 got cancelled, all got on 16:35 which set off about 5 mins late if I am not mistaken.
DeleteSadly, you were 15 seconds short of 30 minutes late into Drabford, so no chance of any refund. I think Northern are an hour anyway, so you probably wouldn't have got anywhere.
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