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10-11-2021, 20:17
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Under a cloud of uncertainty, I arrived in sunny Hitchin on the morning of Saturday 30th October.
The first few copies of the shiny new blue 2022 Good Beer Guide had been observed across southern regions, but with no copy making its way to BRAPA Towers in York as yet, I set off down south armed with the moth eaten old stager that is the 2021 copy.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCjA2dg0fD-GmQbFy_bzSfMVTb7ARdONqfNYB3b_U5FQ9rSPLJAkvMu6a-3gDlrR5IPNGGiHibMwWKRK9ZtDHmR7R5U_SPN1f5gUm6XwSL64 iDvqDbYX5sl2_CdQ0pt-hRHqrPZijVYPDYxbrI_wRt-L_Ee5dCBqvq5e656N5NBOWXwguSx4c5nnpCwA=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjCjA2dg0fD-GmQbFy_bzSfMVTb7ARdONqfNYB3b_U5FQ9rSPLJAkvMu6a-3gDlrR5IPNGGiHibMwWKRK9ZtDHmR7R5U_SPN1f5gUm6XwSL64 iDvqDbYX5sl2_CdQ0pt-hRHqrPZijVYPDYxbrI_wRt-L_Ee5dCBqvq5e656N5NBOWXwguSx4c5nnpCwA=s4032)
Talking of moth eaten old stagers, #PubMan and BRAPA hero John Depeche-Modem who lives local was propping up 'Bancroft Stop D' (a recent back problem means he had to pass a late fitness test just to make today). A few nosy old buggers listened keenly as we greeted each other, and I told John of today's pub agenda.
Being our Hallowe'en Special, we had a debutant in the shape of Pumpy, a little scamp of a pumpkin knitted skilfully by Sarah Morgans and sent to me by Christine Andrew #NorthLincsPubWomen - Pumpy would keep Colin on his toes all day .......
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOySvbPwc4d2S870oMrClU_mhZId-E_ETMhkCzbxaiYYimZKTLjC3tQJNiTKaW1gDDxWTReKQpOwM-agafHKFonxVBAO9Wu1D-MDSDnG5xrEMVO3UMYlog__0RIC5yc9H9vB_Kw_ZCgTIF3WZ9Gk xlL8B9THGzLw4zLLJ0dDGCiN_MFAvisXt6cqgfcw=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhOySvbPwc4d2S870oMrClU_mhZId-E_ETMhkCzbxaiYYimZKTLjC3tQJNiTKaW1gDDxWTReKQpOwM-agafHKFonxVBAO9Wu1D-MDSDnG5xrEMVO3UMYlog__0RIC5yc9H9vB_Kw_ZCgTIF3WZ9Gk xlL8B9THGzLw4zLLJ0dDGCiN_MFAvisXt6cqgfcw=s4032)
Pumpy tries to strangle Col with a phone charger lead early on. "It was only banter" he later claimed.
For a dude hellbent on getting Hertfordshire greened up as quickly as possible, I have a bloody funny way of showing it, straying into Bedfordshire at any given opportunity.
A bumpy bus ride took us firstly to the leafy village of Haynes, looking deliciously autumnal, for pub number one ......
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Greyhound, Haynes (2020 / 3450) was a rare modern day example of compulsory face covering, which seemed apt for a pub numbered 2020. It was a pretty desperate experience. The only customers, we wander in to an empty pub grasping at some long forgotten semblance of true village atmosphere. A dewy eyed barmaid blinks at us from behind the raft of cocktail menus and turned around pumpclips (only Greene King IPA on). It was excellent GK IPA, and I don't think I've ever said that before in my life! John, who plays the 'BRAPA ambassadorial role' better than anyone I know, tries his best to get some chat going, but pleasant as she was, she has no game. Quizzing her on whether this pub is likely to be included in the forthcoming GBG was always going to be a step too far, she admits she hasn't really heard of it, or CAMRA, I was already sat in a corner at this point, telling Pumpy that as debut pubs go, he'd been a bit unlucky. The pub needed something, anything, to save it. Suddenly, a strangulated squawk from beyond. Not a ghost, not John's breakfast repeating on him, but a beautiful Scarlet Macaw called Freddie, and finally, we got some chat!
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-JdysQJ-RFD4EvbA5hJCNFNyTVmkcpLjR9fpmDwEQvs5INeGp21IEi7zTf cuhp_X-QKU3cWbKpPWD5dkRMsw4WySMfb6vxp1oXecXfq3l5KHiEx-y3GFDqJQHfsRSRVu5kAG6DuNxHE5Vdx2B2WlCLiOIsGEv5d4YW c8y6C9uZw2aB3-xOQPM6PokqA=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj-JdysQJ-RFD4EvbA5hJCNFNyTVmkcpLjR9fpmDwEQvs5INeGp21IEi7zTf cuhp_X-QKU3cWbKpPWD5dkRMsw4WySMfb6vxp1oXecXfq3l5KHiEx-y3GFDqJQHfsRSRVu5kAG6DuNxHE5Vdx2B2WlCLiOIsGEv5d4YW c8y6C9uZw2aB3-xOQPM6PokqA=s4032)
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https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaJQ1axEIqR5Wcd2iAyUZtY9N1-Jn2IMMQht39dyhNAkVBM5SuwwcfA_cAVZhbb7pADg8XLpmHX45 GhWSEEIVu_muFpxExEb4hL7RdvGYRTj6wmxbXUTwqTnb-gNkjrsQGaz5UdsstroQak9Sw9zLgdN6EevKQVYYkDT9bXhO1LL L_Y_ovvQGl8FL7wg=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgaJQ1axEIqR5Wcd2iAyUZtY9N1-Jn2IMMQht39dyhNAkVBM5SuwwcfA_cAVZhbb7pADg8XLpmHX45 GhWSEEIVu_muFpxExEb4hL7RdvGYRTj6wmxbXUTwqTnb-gNkjrsQGaz5UdsstroQak9Sw9zLgdN6EevKQVYYkDT9bXhO1LL L_Y_ovvQGl8FL7wg=s4032)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-FVAjPrv3E3GsScdsPcFScrrkP82VztG4v2NNzj0bUFBGl4kR_n alZDuRj4ZGQ_tckGaJJpIhBaES6ShTi6dSOn-4nF7PUdrXVrKjOYgRe4iE5iGuvv5BRyUdb46osIeWagoLLtVzi pEBS-pmBkA3Ry_60uHUedzM-sIQ8bFG9vIZ6-vEFj-vuJtt0g=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh-FVAjPrv3E3GsScdsPcFScrrkP82VztG4v2NNzj0bUFBGl4kR_n alZDuRj4ZGQ_tckGaJJpIhBaES6ShTi6dSOn-4nF7PUdrXVrKjOYgRe4iE5iGuvv5BRyUdb46osIeWagoLLtVzi pEBS-pmBkA3Ry_60uHUedzM-sIQ8bFG9vIZ6-vEFj-vuJtt0g=s3280)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMHSnsFItf2h4FzavaY2Ay1VTMgpoH-qWxlCHCIqFR1pMW0P42G1YuGTaljbyFnyu4Z8nI-mHly7EYJ69tDn7sUjkkl8dtoG85BCh7r_v5Yi4nu04WZXqR8Zs opVqzjQWKGLalceRkmB282_3bcPwwCGgtsJjLceDGF7oKW1fb3 Jpx4IYN7XI5D-qmZA=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMHSnsFItf2h4FzavaY2Ay1VTMgpoH-qWxlCHCIqFR1pMW0P42G1YuGTaljbyFnyu4Z8nI-mHly7EYJ69tDn7sUjkkl8dtoG85BCh7r_v5Yi4nu04WZXqR8Zs opVqzjQWKGLalceRkmB282_3bcPwwCGgtsJjLceDGF7oKW1fb3 Jpx4IYN7XI5D-qmZA=s4032)
Friendly but may bite? Bit like Weymouth then.
My already fragile confidence was wavering further as we waited for the bus back in the direction we'd come from. "That pub's never going to make the 2022 GBG is it? Is it?" I whine to John between mouthfuls of Mini Cheddars to keep me sustained.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicfgZQQt7zM4jHeezo5-hZWoz0fJD9JjYNmK1q8vCDzDbU5QRioXSc0EUekRPtBB0TWV2h h5ClMMMZyoy78b4UdglpVvdBjs4HvkbPIZRk75gJAkZBKgZCgG x0kozMPr0rpJ9gJhLh8OyekYE5JC434x-Ann9AkxQvlm-rOTKyyrm_AhgTVmRdMbQzQA=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEicfgZQQt7zM4jHeezo5-hZWoz0fJD9JjYNmK1q8vCDzDbU5QRioXSc0EUekRPtBB0TWV2h h5ClMMMZyoy78b4UdglpVvdBjs4HvkbPIZRk75gJAkZBKgZCgG x0kozMPr0rpJ9gJhLh8OyekYE5JC434x-Ann9AkxQvlm-rOTKyyrm_AhgTVmRdMbQzQA=s4032)
Maybe Shefford could fare better? After all, their Brewery Tap had been decent in my formative Beds ticking years of 2014/15, and it is in a town, which in Beds ticking terms, usually outstrips the village efforts.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguj3dUEY6DQ7GyKP_Uw0hP9dTSdntfd_JaXee4yy4Wil ipP3kCgpKed_m7S4OTfPG-31d56BLIBVYdFkovYY-s02O6kFAmNANDA62v8nX3t_mpsSutVUmi8XYF_PYrYnLEIUVRo Wg90Wj-YtNG8MC01UJNik3VFSK2uHImvIucRqkRdzpoOn2rb_z_cQ=s32 0 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEguj3dUEY6DQ7GyKP_Uw0hP9dTSdntfd_JaXee4yy4Wil ipP3kCgpKed_m7S4OTfPG-31d56BLIBVYdFkovYY-s02O6kFAmNANDA62v8nX3t_mpsSutVUmi8XYF_PYrYnLEIUVRo Wg90Wj-YtNG8MC01UJNik3VFSK2uHImvIucRqkRdzpoOn2rb_z_cQ=s40 32)
Bridge, Shefford (2021 / 3451) was a bit of a contradiction, in that it was stripped back to a sort of bare minimalist dining blandness, but combined with a wholesome belts n braces style attitude of the staff and clientele, totally at odds with the decor. Nothing doing getting served round the front, John realises before me the action is round the back bar. The lady who serves us is wholly unresponsive of John's banter and I didn't warm to her at all, but the other two ladies and a lurking bloke, including a loud scouser, are proper salt of the earth. John needs a ciggie, so we head outside to the garden / sheltered courtyard. Not exactly the prettiest backdrop, but the unseasonably warm weather, smell of John's fag fumes, and a pretty decent Charles Wells (soz, Charlie Wells, he's been hipsterfied) makes for a pleasant experience. It gets better on the way out as I return from the bogs, John is doing his BRAPA ambassadorial duties once more (I really should pay the man) and they are absolutely LOVIN' it! Good folk, more proof that pubs really do live or die by the people who run them.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI2RMsXGlecfEtgkKQHwD0IYvY6wQ2Wxatid2oO1_jkq ElHgBy-yzxuDUfJSEMFBZ6MTHLUcQvVBCCHhvs_Hm1u5Veq5vMtucqOYi iERWC4YzVeyagRDe1-y52iem5aNB55aoER9GmfXEjMAJvWEkmbZavAY5BUDiA8hL0DFh LnwXxPVok9CkauFVQdg=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjI2RMsXGlecfEtgkKQHwD0IYvY6wQ2Wxatid2oO1_jkq ElHgBy-yzxuDUfJSEMFBZ6MTHLUcQvVBCCHhvs_Hm1u5Veq5vMtucqOYi iERWC4YzVeyagRDe1-y52iem5aNB55aoER9GmfXEjMAJvWEkmbZavAY5BUDiA8hL0DFh LnwXxPVok9CkauFVQdg=s4032)
The only ale on, and again, well kept (no surprise, but here, it felt more 'deliberate')
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVr3roKRqZnzjYaZ5osIbL63vPyPPf0gVdqE4Dv6HSv6 vVNiKHpPJX0AF-mtjV0cDycTeQg3ZNBwmPAM4Bp1uvrBL9jssn2REpRL1iOtMQBC OrGIjnZuWt-vAVK6-eiW6DYls00wYEOWNCZK09hXcyIjNzMmH5OG_2Xmg1OTQZAU4o9 BDIwocg9PgoEw=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgVr3roKRqZnzjYaZ5osIbL63vPyPPf0gVdqE4Dv6HSv6 vVNiKHpPJX0AF-mtjV0cDycTeQg3ZNBwmPAM4Bp1uvrBL9jssn2REpRL1iOtMQBC OrGIjnZuWt-vAVK6-eiW6DYls00wYEOWNCZK09hXcyIjNzMmH5OG_2Xmg1OTQZAU4o9 BDIwocg9PgoEw=s3088)
My mental state
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsti6BhubxTLgzM3-9d7lBzkInrsRSm57rB97Rig00E_5OqVJu5FW7PNhGtyHpbI5YQ 0Sw0yJJC5oIWVxOpGNkJVEpV5Mji89aPVh5DZNz6uH5RNu82Hs TsYVEGjwTreU53_6CNtPtHBnICV3KdP8CIBxkeQ_yeZgCCpOA2 1rSDuws8_T5bLU7OtG1Vw=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsti6BhubxTLgzM3-9d7lBzkInrsRSm57rB97Rig00E_5OqVJu5FW7PNhGtyHpbI5YQ 0Sw0yJJC5oIWVxOpGNkJVEpV5Mji89aPVh5DZNz6uH5RNu82Hs TsYVEGjwTreU53_6CNtPtHBnICV3KdP8CIBxkeQ_yeZgCCpOA2 1rSDuws8_T5bLU7OtG1Vw=s4032)
How Shefford residents view Shefford in their mind's eye
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhi8_gbesNe4_cr4jNh4K9YmnFhrgyK2LTNCGUs0g7q0d ZsXDeJR5dH-JnrQJ7Gwc2tJAxuk_P2mJfOSdkAi27knlHKCy5Bc2Zjmbn8RNW x44WuWJ8yhox5dd16nlOgngPURfMpTCiCzeZ0WL0emv8UWIdm6 QvJORPf4n3e0nOEIx-NnJ0AZDuZFBTgWg=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhi8_gbesNe4_cr4jNh4K9YmnFhrgyK2LTNCGUs0g7q0d ZsXDeJR5dH-JnrQJ7Gwc2tJAxuk_P2mJfOSdkAi27knlHKCy5Bc2Zjmbn8RNW x44WuWJ8yhox5dd16nlOgngPURfMpTCiCzeZ0WL0emv8UWIdm6 QvJORPf4n3e0nOEIx-NnJ0AZDuZFBTgWg=s4032)
Charles Wells : rebooted
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgindQgLpcLRf3JLn4FinuGjU_QkVnI3rJ-1GVq50DqqZIN4AdP-CL19mAjFruJtWINv4FjxZedRjZZiHWuPLYQLNu2ZtFr4gsp7li N3k-ceVP6fGSSP2bWYfIrmpPwoSWkDNGpyRYkVlE08l8pxvW6MHAm2 bQ54YDOQyq5rwquPQC8jgfw-RGiM05eLw=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgindQgLpcLRf3JLn4FinuGjU_QkVnI3rJ-1GVq50DqqZIN4AdP-CL19mAjFruJtWINv4FjxZedRjZZiHWuPLYQLNu2ZtFr4gsp7li N3k-ceVP6fGSSP2bWYfIrmpPwoSWkDNGpyRYkVlE08l8pxvW6MHAm2 bQ54YDOQyq5rwquPQC8jgfw-RGiM05eLw=s4032)
John looks like he's prepping a barbecue (he isn't)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiL7hFew3CJ7fMg8kyqQiAFJ8BqpCh5rfToR_Da6mODfa I1Spbx5QoPCK1CwMOsLTVpYmV3MieH-j6vXPbkFaw3Ute_8MAk4rCSmoz48xGiz-8VqBKd7A6ksKDlQ8viOVFuDdWo-GG65fvn3mhMY0RIvCZ0aqvkE7MB_eI5uQekwoEhR94I73qEHNx rzQ=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiL7hFew3CJ7fMg8kyqQiAFJ8BqpCh5rfToR_Da6mODfa I1Spbx5QoPCK1CwMOsLTVpYmV3MieH-j6vXPbkFaw3Ute_8MAk4rCSmoz48xGiz-8VqBKd7A6ksKDlQ8viOVFuDdWo-GG65fvn3mhMY0RIvCZ0aqvkE7MB_eI5uQekwoEhR94I73qEHNx rzQ=s4032)
Pumpy and Col getting a few rays
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtzfevI-bqOHr84fNVQBb4-UEtz-vlrLunfGaJ3aWPs3dxiUfNUSS9fDCDJrupwe0AhAyXibyMwplc 7GYxB94qigF254KruE_4QXjylmE_EgrSSok_t8VqPHbGmd0Q5f F8q2_6scWZ2G6JJvXUUW-WuA176voNLrGrtf7Ev-dBneOBJ3oT1QMYVvsprQ=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtzfevI-bqOHr84fNVQBb4-UEtz-vlrLunfGaJ3aWPs3dxiUfNUSS9fDCDJrupwe0AhAyXibyMwplc 7GYxB94qigF254KruE_4QXjylmE_EgrSSok_t8VqPHbGmd0Q5f F8q2_6scWZ2G6JJvXUUW-WuA176voNLrGrtf7Ev-dBneOBJ3oT1QMYVvsprQ=s4032)
"Most improved East Beds pub 2020" now THAT'S AN AWARD!
As we take the bus back into Hitchin, I'm still troubled. "That pub's never gonna make the new GBG either is it John? Is it???" I whine. Soon though, I'm distracted just as I was in Horsham by FA Trophy shenanigans. Yes, the fans are swarming in their half dozens towards the gates of Hitchin FC, cup fever is high, and a quick check of my phone shows they are taking on Leiston, wherever that is!
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A short walk takes us to the impressive looking third pub at a road junction, John seems determined to get some arty shot going on .......
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I don't even have to try the ale to know that Victoria, Hitchin (2022 / 3452) is a definite upturn in the quality of the day from the moment we step inside. Brimming with a large quantity of bright folk, about 50/50 split male/female, young n old, foodies and drinkers, has a cracking atmosphere. Being a Hitchin man, John was most looking forward to taking me to this one, in the hope bar manager Amy was working here, a larger than life character he says, and if John says that, must be true. In a familiarly reminiscent scene, I return from the bogs to find John chatting to her, giving her the BRAPA lowdown. Lovely lady, but got the sense she was busy and wanted to get on with whatever vital work these bar managers do - especially with a popular burger menu called 'Bun Loving Criminals' (eye roll) popular with a massive group of Euro students behind us. Pumpy declares this his favourite pub of the day and celebrates by eating a beermat. Another staff member in a Lou Reed top has full Hallowe'en face make up on but is walking around with an amusingly nonchalant air. The Mad Squirrel Autumn is tasty, my fragile confidence is given a boost. "I'd be surprised if this one doesn't make the 2022 Guide" I tell John. However, we are giving BB's Bar a miss on the basis John thinks it might miss out next time. John needs to buy a ticket to Baldock, so knowing he's walking slower due to a recent back problem, he leaves the pub first, and I set off five minutes later.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXTa9mrAoeEqigyTRQZb0GsrAcP-3uut5-vDHskM5qldawvHHlkCNQLmqBj44v6uP4vVZ2T7tmbMz6m4IllQ 7GEFTwgL-dIrRZ8N3kA5eSbPXxXT8FlE8wYF0u6k8gw7R5BB1VKeyyjn0yk nq28DiZS4NCZV0d4Tw7roWikuBrpCRjUzPtNVV9hMpbcA=w240-h320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXTa9mrAoeEqigyTRQZb0GsrAcP-3uut5-vDHskM5qldawvHHlkCNQLmqBj44v6uP4vVZ2T7tmbMz6m4IllQ 7GEFTwgL-dIrRZ8N3kA5eSbPXxXT8FlE8wYF0u6k8gw7R5BB1VKeyyjn0yk nq28DiZS4NCZV0d4Tw7roWikuBrpCRjUzPtNVV9hMpbcA=s403 2)
"Oh Pumpy, you really are a very naughty little pumpkin" (in Matthew Corbett voice)
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I power walk down to Hitchin station, but disaster at the barriers as my phone freezes and won't let me swipe to bring up my electronic ticket! I plead with about ten members of staff at the barrier, telling them my train is in three minutes, but they won't let me through.
Eventually, a hard re-boot fixes it and after glaring back at the barrier staff (not that it was their fault, it just felt like they weren't helpful at the time!) I jump on the train just in the nick of time and ring John to find out what carriage he's in. But because he didn't see me, he didn't get on and he's still in Hitchin!
He suggests it is best if I do the further out pub on my own, and then meet him at the second one later. Solid plan, so here we go, I set off through the spooky streets of Baldock alone in quest of pub four ......
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Noting this is by no means a GBG regular, those little pangs of doubt creep in yet again as I enter Cock, Baldock (2023 / 3453) and I'm delighted to find a dark, beamed creaky place with a fire, and a jocular kind of atmosphere. As I get served, the friendly barmaid with Sophie Ellis-Bextor-ish bone structure, totally unprompted, starts asking me how my day is going, where I've been and what I'm up to next! Well, first pub where my BRAPA ambassador wasn't here to get in first, and I'm able to effortlessly reel off the BRAPA concept in full. Poor SEBish, bet she wishes she hadn't asked! No, I didn't outstay my welcome at the bar, pub was a bit cramped for that, but I find a nice seat adjacent to some maniacal footie lads, hunched around the Gillette Soccer Saturday screen so no one else can see. After extolling the virtues of Bolo Zenden which seemed rather random (but might be an omen a new Middlesbrough GBG tick is on the horizon?) they are soon in a worrying state of ecstasy with shock Premier league goals n VARs flying in at Liverpool and Man City. Looking around the room, rest of the pub are all glancing at them like "shut the flip up guys, it is only soccer ball". Col has fallen asleep in my bag, so Pumpy is now my sole companion. Now I'm not saying the evil little scamp is drugging my companions, but first John goes AWOL, now Colin. Suspicious eh?
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Pumpy wondering which of the ladz to drug first
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYmaceetxVcCquOmwSs231guCOp1YaXSCynFYh2Vf6Ak gh0CWX0Jnb74RKd7Weoxli791JLUOchHMdMwWKLLJwPnHTfqR8 lI2CRYKhDWiQNNTMJrAcMfzlEGYjw-1cEQygMxeBn0cpPSx_tAdpN5tAJzxmKDzab10JD-4ZYAJ9gnabBHTEZmdusm27ng=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYmaceetxVcCquOmwSs231guCOp1YaXSCynFYh2Vf6Ak gh0CWX0Jnb74RKd7Weoxli791JLUOchHMdMwWKLLJwPnHTfqR8 lI2CRYKhDWiQNNTMJrAcMfzlEGYjw-1cEQygMxeBn0cpPSx_tAdpN5tAJzxmKDzab10JD-4ZYAJ9gnabBHTEZmdusm27ng=s4032)
No pumpy, these three men seem friendly, leave them alone
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My "this pub deserves to make the 2022 GBG but not sure it will & I've had 3 pints" expression
And part of the reason for my worry is that on the way to the next pub, I spy this pub, White Lion, which featured in the previous GBG instead of the Cock. Pop in for a pre/post emptive half? That's what a proper ticker would do. But John is at the next pub, he's seen a beer he knows I like, and I've kept him waiting long enough. I just hope it doesn't come back to haunt me.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyg9qDrkuPDoRLVO90QuXS4zmIPxQbw-5HTFshdctiHBlcGOeCdjd2EXnQXtWE6vk5-KwN3GmomUQ3Sr1ehC_qPEXxdOuIZw9Cbd4Rx7fr68ECZS4D1-KbK5hNamra4H9OD5v03ZapyFP9npRkn1gh8U2o-aBtCxKAN5KhbXqKqRUqYIhgxY0ocgCZHQ=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyg9qDrkuPDoRLVO90QuXS4zmIPxQbw-5HTFshdctiHBlcGOeCdjd2EXnQXtWE6vk5-KwN3GmomUQ3Sr1ehC_qPEXxdOuIZw9Cbd4Rx7fr68ECZS4D1-KbK5hNamra4H9OD5v03ZapyFP9npRkn1gh8U2o-aBtCxKAN5KhbXqKqRUqYIhgxY0ocgCZHQ=s4032)
A few side streets later, the pub we really really want is on the horizon, and I spy a John on the horizon lurking outside like a sinister man of the cloth ....
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John tells me off for approaching from the one direction he wasn't expecting me to come from. Blame Google Maps mate, not me.
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Faceless blurry me and shopmobility scooter - sign of a good pub
We go through to the small little room immediately to the left after entering Orange Tree, Baldock (2024 / 3454) and John wasn't wrong, Titanic Plum Porter. Yessss, the perfect beer to lead us into a Parcel Yard ESB. This is a cracking little pub, and a now recovered Colin declares it his favourite. My only gripe, so many people kept walking between rooms, straight through ours, it at times had the transient feel of a station tap and it deserved to be so much more than that. Always fascinated by the love of rugby union on TV when I am anywhere in the home counties, and here, they watched with a rugby fervour you'd only get for summat like Batley v Hunslet up in Yorkshire. Got a bit annoyed when I went through to the right hand bar to find the loos, it felt like I'd walked into a totally different pub, and they all stop and look at me like I've cheekily walked in off the street. Determined to protest my case that I'm here drinking Plum Porter in the other bar, they all suddenly turn away and start chatting amongst themselves! I don't know whether to be happy or not. John performs the final tick of the 2021 GBG, and fittingly, shows me the hidden unpublished pages of the 2022 edition (see below). A fine way to end '21 ticking.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSfoK2N_EytP4euzKnUNI32iD0EhwAx0a0U_txi9xz5Y qWAWj6gskSNeckfd3Bs6QcpiFWABxutfK51_617Bn7mJ7hcWoG ShsmMxMTh4JQfxZ72Uk1bnWYX136PAECvaeMn_caCM7a5mxvrx QLjfmXnyYVj5iygMKJHCloTwdyqpsrGfsDvbP4F2PIaw=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSfoK2N_EytP4euzKnUNI32iD0EhwAx0a0U_txi9xz5Y qWAWj6gskSNeckfd3Bs6QcpiFWABxutfK51_617Bn7mJ7hcWoG ShsmMxMTh4JQfxZ72Uk1bnWYX136PAECvaeMn_caCM7a5mxvrx QLjfmXnyYVj5iygMKJHCloTwdyqpsrGfsDvbP4F2PIaw=s4032 )
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So many of these sound like genuine Antic pubs, you gotta laugh
As I stood on Baldock station, the sun setting for the final time before the clocks go back, it is decision time .......
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A rushed sixth tick at Letchworth Garden City? Or a nice relaxing ESB in Parcel Yard? I had to think about it for about three seconds. After all, no guarantee LGC would make the 2022 GBG is there? Is there?
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The train home was a more pleasant experience than I could have imagined. The Hartlepool fans, so boisterous and full of optimism on the way down to Orient, being charged only a fiver to get in, had lost 5-0 and were very quiet, poor things!
The young lass across from me whose Dad plonked her near me and then went back to drink with his mates (top parenting mate!) finally stopped looking like she was going to puke on me, and told me the ref was to blame for a decision he made at 3-0!
I was less happy when I got back to BRAPA Towers, STILL no GBG. The wait would go on til 13:35 on Monday. Even Paisley got it before me, but not Sheffield. #JusticeForRetiredMartin
See you all on Friday morning where I'll tell you what the cross-ticking has done to BRAPA!
Si
More... (http://brapa-4500.blogspot.com/2021/11/brapa-in-tick-little-piece-of-my-herts.html)
Under a cloud of uncertainty, I arrived in sunny Hitchin on the morning of Saturday 30th October.
The first few copies of the shiny new blue 2022 Good Beer Guide had been observed across southern regions, but with no copy making its way to BRAPA Towers in York as yet, I set off down south armed with the moth eaten old stager that is the 2021 copy.
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Talking of moth eaten old stagers, #PubMan and BRAPA hero John Depeche-Modem who lives local was propping up 'Bancroft Stop D' (a recent back problem means he had to pass a late fitness test just to make today). A few nosy old buggers listened keenly as we greeted each other, and I told John of today's pub agenda.
Being our Hallowe'en Special, we had a debutant in the shape of Pumpy, a little scamp of a pumpkin knitted skilfully by Sarah Morgans and sent to me by Christine Andrew #NorthLincsPubWomen - Pumpy would keep Colin on his toes all day .......
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Pumpy tries to strangle Col with a phone charger lead early on. "It was only banter" he later claimed.
For a dude hellbent on getting Hertfordshire greened up as quickly as possible, I have a bloody funny way of showing it, straying into Bedfordshire at any given opportunity.
A bumpy bus ride took us firstly to the leafy village of Haynes, looking deliciously autumnal, for pub number one ......
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Greyhound, Haynes (2020 / 3450) was a rare modern day example of compulsory face covering, which seemed apt for a pub numbered 2020. It was a pretty desperate experience. The only customers, we wander in to an empty pub grasping at some long forgotten semblance of true village atmosphere. A dewy eyed barmaid blinks at us from behind the raft of cocktail menus and turned around pumpclips (only Greene King IPA on). It was excellent GK IPA, and I don't think I've ever said that before in my life! John, who plays the 'BRAPA ambassadorial role' better than anyone I know, tries his best to get some chat going, but pleasant as she was, she has no game. Quizzing her on whether this pub is likely to be included in the forthcoming GBG was always going to be a step too far, she admits she hasn't really heard of it, or CAMRA, I was already sat in a corner at this point, telling Pumpy that as debut pubs go, he'd been a bit unlucky. The pub needed something, anything, to save it. Suddenly, a strangulated squawk from beyond. Not a ghost, not John's breakfast repeating on him, but a beautiful Scarlet Macaw called Freddie, and finally, we got some chat!
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Friendly but may bite? Bit like Weymouth then.
My already fragile confidence was wavering further as we waited for the bus back in the direction we'd come from. "That pub's never going to make the 2022 GBG is it? Is it?" I whine to John between mouthfuls of Mini Cheddars to keep me sustained.
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Maybe Shefford could fare better? After all, their Brewery Tap had been decent in my formative Beds ticking years of 2014/15, and it is in a town, which in Beds ticking terms, usually outstrips the village efforts.
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Bridge, Shefford (2021 / 3451) was a bit of a contradiction, in that it was stripped back to a sort of bare minimalist dining blandness, but combined with a wholesome belts n braces style attitude of the staff and clientele, totally at odds with the decor. Nothing doing getting served round the front, John realises before me the action is round the back bar. The lady who serves us is wholly unresponsive of John's banter and I didn't warm to her at all, but the other two ladies and a lurking bloke, including a loud scouser, are proper salt of the earth. John needs a ciggie, so we head outside to the garden / sheltered courtyard. Not exactly the prettiest backdrop, but the unseasonably warm weather, smell of John's fag fumes, and a pretty decent Charles Wells (soz, Charlie Wells, he's been hipsterfied) makes for a pleasant experience. It gets better on the way out as I return from the bogs, John is doing his BRAPA ambassadorial duties once more (I really should pay the man) and they are absolutely LOVIN' it! Good folk, more proof that pubs really do live or die by the people who run them.
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The only ale on, and again, well kept (no surprise, but here, it felt more 'deliberate')
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My mental state
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsti6BhubxTLgzM3-9d7lBzkInrsRSm57rB97Rig00E_5OqVJu5FW7PNhGtyHpbI5YQ 0Sw0yJJC5oIWVxOpGNkJVEpV5Mji89aPVh5DZNz6uH5RNu82Hs TsYVEGjwTreU53_6CNtPtHBnICV3KdP8CIBxkeQ_yeZgCCpOA2 1rSDuws8_T5bLU7OtG1Vw=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsti6BhubxTLgzM3-9d7lBzkInrsRSm57rB97Rig00E_5OqVJu5FW7PNhGtyHpbI5YQ 0Sw0yJJC5oIWVxOpGNkJVEpV5Mji89aPVh5DZNz6uH5RNu82Hs TsYVEGjwTreU53_6CNtPtHBnICV3KdP8CIBxkeQ_yeZgCCpOA2 1rSDuws8_T5bLU7OtG1Vw=s4032)
How Shefford residents view Shefford in their mind's eye
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhi8_gbesNe4_cr4jNh4K9YmnFhrgyK2LTNCGUs0g7q0d ZsXDeJR5dH-JnrQJ7Gwc2tJAxuk_P2mJfOSdkAi27knlHKCy5Bc2Zjmbn8RNW x44WuWJ8yhox5dd16nlOgngPURfMpTCiCzeZ0WL0emv8UWIdm6 QvJORPf4n3e0nOEIx-NnJ0AZDuZFBTgWg=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhi8_gbesNe4_cr4jNh4K9YmnFhrgyK2LTNCGUs0g7q0d ZsXDeJR5dH-JnrQJ7Gwc2tJAxuk_P2mJfOSdkAi27knlHKCy5Bc2Zjmbn8RNW x44WuWJ8yhox5dd16nlOgngPURfMpTCiCzeZ0WL0emv8UWIdm6 QvJORPf4n3e0nOEIx-NnJ0AZDuZFBTgWg=s4032)
Charles Wells : rebooted
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgindQgLpcLRf3JLn4FinuGjU_QkVnI3rJ-1GVq50DqqZIN4AdP-CL19mAjFruJtWINv4FjxZedRjZZiHWuPLYQLNu2ZtFr4gsp7li N3k-ceVP6fGSSP2bWYfIrmpPwoSWkDNGpyRYkVlE08l8pxvW6MHAm2 bQ54YDOQyq5rwquPQC8jgfw-RGiM05eLw=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgindQgLpcLRf3JLn4FinuGjU_QkVnI3rJ-1GVq50DqqZIN4AdP-CL19mAjFruJtWINv4FjxZedRjZZiHWuPLYQLNu2ZtFr4gsp7li N3k-ceVP6fGSSP2bWYfIrmpPwoSWkDNGpyRYkVlE08l8pxvW6MHAm2 bQ54YDOQyq5rwquPQC8jgfw-RGiM05eLw=s4032)
John looks like he's prepping a barbecue (he isn't)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiL7hFew3CJ7fMg8kyqQiAFJ8BqpCh5rfToR_Da6mODfa I1Spbx5QoPCK1CwMOsLTVpYmV3MieH-j6vXPbkFaw3Ute_8MAk4rCSmoz48xGiz-8VqBKd7A6ksKDlQ8viOVFuDdWo-GG65fvn3mhMY0RIvCZ0aqvkE7MB_eI5uQekwoEhR94I73qEHNx rzQ=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiL7hFew3CJ7fMg8kyqQiAFJ8BqpCh5rfToR_Da6mODfa I1Spbx5QoPCK1CwMOsLTVpYmV3MieH-j6vXPbkFaw3Ute_8MAk4rCSmoz48xGiz-8VqBKd7A6ksKDlQ8viOVFuDdWo-GG65fvn3mhMY0RIvCZ0aqvkE7MB_eI5uQekwoEhR94I73qEHNx rzQ=s4032)
Pumpy and Col getting a few rays
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtzfevI-bqOHr84fNVQBb4-UEtz-vlrLunfGaJ3aWPs3dxiUfNUSS9fDCDJrupwe0AhAyXibyMwplc 7GYxB94qigF254KruE_4QXjylmE_EgrSSok_t8VqPHbGmd0Q5f F8q2_6scWZ2G6JJvXUUW-WuA176voNLrGrtf7Ev-dBneOBJ3oT1QMYVvsprQ=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtzfevI-bqOHr84fNVQBb4-UEtz-vlrLunfGaJ3aWPs3dxiUfNUSS9fDCDJrupwe0AhAyXibyMwplc 7GYxB94qigF254KruE_4QXjylmE_EgrSSok_t8VqPHbGmd0Q5f F8q2_6scWZ2G6JJvXUUW-WuA176voNLrGrtf7Ev-dBneOBJ3oT1QMYVvsprQ=s4032)
"Most improved East Beds pub 2020" now THAT'S AN AWARD!
As we take the bus back into Hitchin, I'm still troubled. "That pub's never gonna make the new GBG either is it John? Is it???" I whine. Soon though, I'm distracted just as I was in Horsham by FA Trophy shenanigans. Yes, the fans are swarming in their half dozens towards the gates of Hitchin FC, cup fever is high, and a quick check of my phone shows they are taking on Leiston, wherever that is!
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMzZ4IdIp7T7dSdg0YASOWjuAss4ImLw6ZtbWJeGa75x 6ZGkkwWM1Ru3oraB9KFDaBLY4gL44oDOD1MYnxkhcQlec3aFUC Pm21Y1RRKIv9_Jz-rHZ1d47_UQBPSf-oKL1eXx1AjWvzx5KnjS-fUW5xK5oHrR-hcXzF5_z3XSdunXgyIYgwMaJYiWbLaw=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhMzZ4IdIp7T7dSdg0YASOWjuAss4ImLw6ZtbWJeGa75x 6ZGkkwWM1Ru3oraB9KFDaBLY4gL44oDOD1MYnxkhcQlec3aFUC Pm21Y1RRKIv9_Jz-rHZ1d47_UQBPSf-oKL1eXx1AjWvzx5KnjS-fUW5xK5oHrR-hcXzF5_z3XSdunXgyIYgwMaJYiWbLaw=s1334)
A short walk takes us to the impressive looking third pub at a road junction, John seems determined to get some arty shot going on .......
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgasWP6C1ntQ8CAwvUY8ePC6O1-brdi2JM8_lRKmow4IkwfJ6A8eMy7v1NTw5oHSK6iftysIbz4X0 WIQrr4VhJbLsSfcZv_itS5i-V9iubJs3zdNe2THFBg3g-T-soSqNHE6prQfaHKpFGIi9OxdgfDUqDBw_cpNXcxl9_bTufKw-2JCBq92YoCfl0OmA=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgasWP6C1ntQ8CAwvUY8ePC6O1-brdi2JM8_lRKmow4IkwfJ6A8eMy7v1NTw5oHSK6iftysIbz4X0 WIQrr4VhJbLsSfcZv_itS5i-V9iubJs3zdNe2THFBg3g-T-soSqNHE6prQfaHKpFGIi9OxdgfDUqDBw_cpNXcxl9_bTufKw-2JCBq92YoCfl0OmA=s964)
I don't even have to try the ale to know that Victoria, Hitchin (2022 / 3452) is a definite upturn in the quality of the day from the moment we step inside. Brimming with a large quantity of bright folk, about 50/50 split male/female, young n old, foodies and drinkers, has a cracking atmosphere. Being a Hitchin man, John was most looking forward to taking me to this one, in the hope bar manager Amy was working here, a larger than life character he says, and if John says that, must be true. In a familiarly reminiscent scene, I return from the bogs to find John chatting to her, giving her the BRAPA lowdown. Lovely lady, but got the sense she was busy and wanted to get on with whatever vital work these bar managers do - especially with a popular burger menu called 'Bun Loving Criminals' (eye roll) popular with a massive group of Euro students behind us. Pumpy declares this his favourite pub of the day and celebrates by eating a beermat. Another staff member in a Lou Reed top has full Hallowe'en face make up on but is walking around with an amusingly nonchalant air. The Mad Squirrel Autumn is tasty, my fragile confidence is given a boost. "I'd be surprised if this one doesn't make the 2022 Guide" I tell John. However, we are giving BB's Bar a miss on the basis John thinks it might miss out next time. John needs to buy a ticket to Baldock, so knowing he's walking slower due to a recent back problem, he leaves the pub first, and I set off five minutes later.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXTa9mrAoeEqigyTRQZb0GsrAcP-3uut5-vDHskM5qldawvHHlkCNQLmqBj44v6uP4vVZ2T7tmbMz6m4IllQ 7GEFTwgL-dIrRZ8N3kA5eSbPXxXT8FlE8wYF0u6k8gw7R5BB1VKeyyjn0yk nq28DiZS4NCZV0d4Tw7roWikuBrpCRjUzPtNVV9hMpbcA=w240-h320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgXTa9mrAoeEqigyTRQZb0GsrAcP-3uut5-vDHskM5qldawvHHlkCNQLmqBj44v6uP4vVZ2T7tmbMz6m4IllQ 7GEFTwgL-dIrRZ8N3kA5eSbPXxXT8FlE8wYF0u6k8gw7R5BB1VKeyyjn0yk nq28DiZS4NCZV0d4Tw7roWikuBrpCRjUzPtNVV9hMpbcA=s403 2)
"Oh Pumpy, you really are a very naughty little pumpkin" (in Matthew Corbett voice)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbGzb3-ewkTe2OJO6nUipTvfIZd4vY9n1abb3itUTdfqsOJhwqAmTfWKf Nni2-P8m5ztnOvs2wdTw8F8-aQGKaHhO3at7OSx9oLivLBugHIhXXflP6W-_aEzEuVocnN8vai0CG5sN3lvLS8Q0bnxHVAI5vwzyRJqxJ0Qcj Mf8RZSsQNDWmqaG1DMHjMA=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhbGzb3-ewkTe2OJO6nUipTvfIZd4vY9n1abb3itUTdfqsOJhwqAmTfWKf Nni2-P8m5ztnOvs2wdTw8F8-aQGKaHhO3at7OSx9oLivLBugHIhXXflP6W-_aEzEuVocnN8vai0CG5sN3lvLS8Q0bnxHVAI5vwzyRJqxJ0Qcj Mf8RZSsQNDWmqaG1DMHjMA=s4032)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8Rx5MnqwI-D6ebUkw7nw2VRkHy0IMBd1SLV379OTfGwKg0jlACAx7NVhZ-dr9sVkCFxN8H9HLaGh5CMEDyNuXHfFVaO7SOgviaeOQgx4l6Ig 8cZRqhTRWFSwujZ_MqN35_6Y3SDEdpT66mIAwLqL0EuxuoYyhu aZ3ggvxA5FIqVw7F9w57lYg7yZi0A=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj8Rx5MnqwI-D6ebUkw7nw2VRkHy0IMBd1SLV379OTfGwKg0jlACAx7NVhZ-dr9sVkCFxN8H9HLaGh5CMEDyNuXHfFVaO7SOgviaeOQgx4l6Ig 8cZRqhTRWFSwujZ_MqN35_6Y3SDEdpT66mIAwLqL0EuxuoYyhu aZ3ggvxA5FIqVw7F9w57lYg7yZi0A=s4032)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3nBAlHbC9W8zKQqXOi-xa2PprmNvHGKBWHLJzxzfFoQYqqbpr8Hn-_4idpHHWb7_kQt9yJGFgk9xnvylBHIYGJGTvjk9KzTcJNLl1xB x7uLr730m8x2zuQO1GCJQ60OxpWViDRPDoq6H5ohWOXn7jp7Ed 1gPBjCnneSJ5KqE4zFTiCy6SNMbZA1wi8A=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi3nBAlHbC9W8zKQqXOi-xa2PprmNvHGKBWHLJzxzfFoQYqqbpr8Hn-_4idpHHWb7_kQt9yJGFgk9xnvylBHIYGJGTvjk9KzTcJNLl1xB x7uLr730m8x2zuQO1GCJQ60OxpWViDRPDoq6H5ohWOXn7jp7Ed 1gPBjCnneSJ5KqE4zFTiCy6SNMbZA1wi8A=s4032)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhubgeDaOHLMYqHuOHuJ6F0JProchosJhFiU7reDIMQS9 qVBcIt_DegILvfpcYTa15B2h_7HiIiPEBjVA3S-Gxu28G1kWiyeoafw-M4hsc4sNXTeyewpBJTHqaSeW_nsjPq35sMu0lllDtDSK8Cw_Hw 6AJTUoD2S_XuNjrPluA8-1sWsWMRtQMSS1fGjg=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhubgeDaOHLMYqHuOHuJ6F0JProchosJhFiU7reDIMQS9 qVBcIt_DegILvfpcYTa15B2h_7HiIiPEBjVA3S-Gxu28G1kWiyeoafw-M4hsc4sNXTeyewpBJTHqaSeW_nsjPq35sMu0lllDtDSK8Cw_Hw 6AJTUoD2S_XuNjrPluA8-1sWsWMRtQMSS1fGjg=s4032)
I power walk down to Hitchin station, but disaster at the barriers as my phone freezes and won't let me swipe to bring up my electronic ticket! I plead with about ten members of staff at the barrier, telling them my train is in three minutes, but they won't let me through.
Eventually, a hard re-boot fixes it and after glaring back at the barrier staff (not that it was their fault, it just felt like they weren't helpful at the time!) I jump on the train just in the nick of time and ring John to find out what carriage he's in. But because he didn't see me, he didn't get on and he's still in Hitchin!
He suggests it is best if I do the further out pub on my own, and then meet him at the second one later. Solid plan, so here we go, I set off through the spooky streets of Baldock alone in quest of pub four ......
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHu7k-M0tIbUarrIzHQUbAdhQJcJm4Tg2PZ8PnJk1jnLbPQT98OvAQTZ r3wrRF4xrQJ9MIl48LIctqyu3UDlgJsUv4Szj9z5SoD6K6dtr5 F7CXFauCV4H-Kj1JRjmlYYGrOujjzrbEnTO4FVl2gSjjqciyCf7phE-kGXJYwWc1oa1lrtbRLxNbfbWINQ=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgHu7k-M0tIbUarrIzHQUbAdhQJcJm4Tg2PZ8PnJk1jnLbPQT98OvAQTZ r3wrRF4xrQJ9MIl48LIctqyu3UDlgJsUv4Szj9z5SoD6K6dtr5 F7CXFauCV4H-Kj1JRjmlYYGrOujjzrbEnTO4FVl2gSjjqciyCf7phE-kGXJYwWc1oa1lrtbRLxNbfbWINQ=s4032)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_q4baullx9wg3RjsT8idn2-GvNBp0nn6d959JZfwly1L7bQA2kYHGgCgMNZkNH6KcwciDFWEC UqOlXSB9NjpYGYVl_1SLc1Aa3uo5TZVw_-hipiA7JAPKQfY8V_te2Hqw8ZIy8b_dcx3oE0KJuMAQjNhzRduh kEJ2MkjUmxb0Uf_uCQzjNA-jrlXpYA=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg_q4baullx9wg3RjsT8idn2-GvNBp0nn6d959JZfwly1L7bQA2kYHGgCgMNZkNH6KcwciDFWEC UqOlXSB9NjpYGYVl_1SLc1Aa3uo5TZVw_-hipiA7JAPKQfY8V_te2Hqw8ZIy8b_dcx3oE0KJuMAQjNhzRduh kEJ2MkjUmxb0Uf_uCQzjNA-jrlXpYA=s4032)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTxVeqZvTT9UUx7ESOQUQ7Grc7Gw0DkKt43FWBNgOodR jOqg-2KkyXgSUlRhh_d-oCUfSGCzmU1kaJ9OhKpkTBL1wCRNRbh128YeTmk7VikjpyZVGT v8_jsQ29x-l_zlm36oFAP8qiPH_aIJnGzjtPpHT4ISuhFQvfQD2PjCVVogBK C14WGSTQLf4HMg=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjTxVeqZvTT9UUx7ESOQUQ7Grc7Gw0DkKt43FWBNgOodR jOqg-2KkyXgSUlRhh_d-oCUfSGCzmU1kaJ9OhKpkTBL1wCRNRbh128YeTmk7VikjpyZVGT v8_jsQ29x-l_zlm36oFAP8qiPH_aIJnGzjtPpHT4ISuhFQvfQD2PjCVVogBK C14WGSTQLf4HMg=s4032)
Noting this is by no means a GBG regular, those little pangs of doubt creep in yet again as I enter Cock, Baldock (2023 / 3453) and I'm delighted to find a dark, beamed creaky place with a fire, and a jocular kind of atmosphere. As I get served, the friendly barmaid with Sophie Ellis-Bextor-ish bone structure, totally unprompted, starts asking me how my day is going, where I've been and what I'm up to next! Well, first pub where my BRAPA ambassador wasn't here to get in first, and I'm able to effortlessly reel off the BRAPA concept in full. Poor SEBish, bet she wishes she hadn't asked! No, I didn't outstay my welcome at the bar, pub was a bit cramped for that, but I find a nice seat adjacent to some maniacal footie lads, hunched around the Gillette Soccer Saturday screen so no one else can see. After extolling the virtues of Bolo Zenden which seemed rather random (but might be an omen a new Middlesbrough GBG tick is on the horizon?) they are soon in a worrying state of ecstasy with shock Premier league goals n VARs flying in at Liverpool and Man City. Looking around the room, rest of the pub are all glancing at them like "shut the flip up guys, it is only soccer ball". Col has fallen asleep in my bag, so Pumpy is now my sole companion. Now I'm not saying the evil little scamp is drugging my companions, but first John goes AWOL, now Colin. Suspicious eh?
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxxqgoLa-Kh2t9LOtqXV6932He9HEy0_qWbOiYiIce2XOW_Z4OzR--54KJ-yLwpEd_DZRl3TeNbOYzElCd2zt5rajJbpggRO3iky4_c71rHvL Y6nCDqm4Dr-R0GUOk3kVyyjRgzJeuQ9SFfYvmNxOX60rqgTu2EDkd3uBNrVLC J6XCDFXRoVkxL6OTNQ=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjxxqgoLa-Kh2t9LOtqXV6932He9HEy0_qWbOiYiIce2XOW_Z4OzR--54KJ-yLwpEd_DZRl3TeNbOYzElCd2zt5rajJbpggRO3iky4_c71rHvL Y6nCDqm4Dr-R0GUOk3kVyyjRgzJeuQ9SFfYvmNxOX60rqgTu2EDkd3uBNrVLC J6XCDFXRoVkxL6OTNQ=s4032)
Pumpy wondering which of the ladz to drug first
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No pumpy, these three men seem friendly, leave them alone
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTw8OD4mpvQUtFMRJGofBvLyNmrGVnhb1JbbwIJPSlTN KSLioT0ySbeF_8YmUgFFrTjEOqYLYR3LLAGligp9BnsQbillmK 2b4SxPZrBJytI_DHP2bkqG3AMo26X1FHkR1_XJy_CpP6XfVlO8 mN2OxBUR3B2ZiKivSkYIy5dUhS-0QiTwW1U0eFOhf7NA=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgTw8OD4mpvQUtFMRJGofBvLyNmrGVnhb1JbbwIJPSlTN KSLioT0ySbeF_8YmUgFFrTjEOqYLYR3LLAGligp9BnsQbillmK 2b4SxPZrBJytI_DHP2bkqG3AMo26X1FHkR1_XJy_CpP6XfVlO8 mN2OxBUR3B2ZiKivSkYIy5dUhS-0QiTwW1U0eFOhf7NA=s3088)
My "this pub deserves to make the 2022 GBG but not sure it will & I've had 3 pints" expression
And part of the reason for my worry is that on the way to the next pub, I spy this pub, White Lion, which featured in the previous GBG instead of the Cock. Pop in for a pre/post emptive half? That's what a proper ticker would do. But John is at the next pub, he's seen a beer he knows I like, and I've kept him waiting long enough. I just hope it doesn't come back to haunt me.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyg9qDrkuPDoRLVO90QuXS4zmIPxQbw-5HTFshdctiHBlcGOeCdjd2EXnQXtWE6vk5-KwN3GmomUQ3Sr1ehC_qPEXxdOuIZw9Cbd4Rx7fr68ECZS4D1-KbK5hNamra4H9OD5v03ZapyFP9npRkn1gh8U2o-aBtCxKAN5KhbXqKqRUqYIhgxY0ocgCZHQ=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjyg9qDrkuPDoRLVO90QuXS4zmIPxQbw-5HTFshdctiHBlcGOeCdjd2EXnQXtWE6vk5-KwN3GmomUQ3Sr1ehC_qPEXxdOuIZw9Cbd4Rx7fr68ECZS4D1-KbK5hNamra4H9OD5v03ZapyFP9npRkn1gh8U2o-aBtCxKAN5KhbXqKqRUqYIhgxY0ocgCZHQ=s4032)
A few side streets later, the pub we really really want is on the horizon, and I spy a John on the horizon lurking outside like a sinister man of the cloth ....
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6hSHZOyW0DMLOl-mVHLNpPkBMDD61GujPWlMjzStwIQDWAzmBIsqn0yqoupkG-uDzpe0kb9-a8RsUwV7-pMJ_4oBana0x5cZ39YHZ6LBKWks_DqM1Zt-ywLOnCnp82yHw1fL0QaqLzMWvKBBdEi2C4et2Btz2YziDSpxB_ rsACgbteB1t6KrtwCIyLg=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh6hSHZOyW0DMLOl-mVHLNpPkBMDD61GujPWlMjzStwIQDWAzmBIsqn0yqoupkG-uDzpe0kb9-a8RsUwV7-pMJ_4oBana0x5cZ39YHZ6LBKWks_DqM1Zt-ywLOnCnp82yHw1fL0QaqLzMWvKBBdEi2C4et2Btz2YziDSpxB_ rsACgbteB1t6KrtwCIyLg=s4032)
John tells me off for approaching from the one direction he wasn't expecting me to come from. Blame Google Maps mate, not me.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-21PXhjqhHuQtTLY1C9K4fzqlMLG0_N0WIdhFcA6daKzEBU1YuN TzLUnAPiXrKVNFXD3r8eP2H1Y9dUk21xjgamQpWDvdBVez4XOL-N96l8rxil0mkI6De_-w8f9-F-Ix06Ng1ILgUGPHUwR_0ohrXmmXgrJNdA0riY4AhRiFqSJQF-9DqmUbEzs65g=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi-21PXhjqhHuQtTLY1C9K4fzqlMLG0_N0WIdhFcA6daKzEBU1YuN TzLUnAPiXrKVNFXD3r8eP2H1Y9dUk21xjgamQpWDvdBVez4XOL-N96l8rxil0mkI6De_-w8f9-F-Ix06Ng1ILgUGPHUwR_0ohrXmmXgrJNdA0riY4AhRiFqSJQF-9DqmUbEzs65g=s976)
Faceless blurry me and shopmobility scooter - sign of a good pub
We go through to the small little room immediately to the left after entering Orange Tree, Baldock (2024 / 3454) and John wasn't wrong, Titanic Plum Porter. Yessss, the perfect beer to lead us into a Parcel Yard ESB. This is a cracking little pub, and a now recovered Colin declares it his favourite. My only gripe, so many people kept walking between rooms, straight through ours, it at times had the transient feel of a station tap and it deserved to be so much more than that. Always fascinated by the love of rugby union on TV when I am anywhere in the home counties, and here, they watched with a rugby fervour you'd only get for summat like Batley v Hunslet up in Yorkshire. Got a bit annoyed when I went through to the right hand bar to find the loos, it felt like I'd walked into a totally different pub, and they all stop and look at me like I've cheekily walked in off the street. Determined to protest my case that I'm here drinking Plum Porter in the other bar, they all suddenly turn away and start chatting amongst themselves! I don't know whether to be happy or not. John performs the final tick of the 2021 GBG, and fittingly, shows me the hidden unpublished pages of the 2022 edition (see below). A fine way to end '21 ticking.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSfoK2N_EytP4euzKnUNI32iD0EhwAx0a0U_txi9xz5Y qWAWj6gskSNeckfd3Bs6QcpiFWABxutfK51_617Bn7mJ7hcWoG ShsmMxMTh4JQfxZ72Uk1bnWYX136PAECvaeMn_caCM7a5mxvrx QLjfmXnyYVj5iygMKJHCloTwdyqpsrGfsDvbP4F2PIaw=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhSfoK2N_EytP4euzKnUNI32iD0EhwAx0a0U_txi9xz5Y qWAWj6gskSNeckfd3Bs6QcpiFWABxutfK51_617Bn7mJ7hcWoG ShsmMxMTh4JQfxZ72Uk1bnWYX136PAECvaeMn_caCM7a5mxvrx QLjfmXnyYVj5iygMKJHCloTwdyqpsrGfsDvbP4F2PIaw=s4032 )
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTpDwnYYEkiSLfvbf07sftPv7YaBZEeyyRGnVC8quzM4 yK-Uc4ksGWJJOzz1K2wZQBZaBxI-3tAZHXnvkTL4JonK9Zd-Y-6QIkNJNJT1q0VDz5IKgagGRJwopsjmsbVYx8kFe5Vp-zfr7scfkxvNsbXeJLgHNNStKDugkhYmRHKP8iH-SV36cSA7svYQ=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTpDwnYYEkiSLfvbf07sftPv7YaBZEeyyRGnVC8quzM4 yK-Uc4ksGWJJOzz1K2wZQBZaBxI-3tAZHXnvkTL4JonK9Zd-Y-6QIkNJNJT1q0VDz5IKgagGRJwopsjmsbVYx8kFe5Vp-zfr7scfkxvNsbXeJLgHNNStKDugkhYmRHKP8iH-SV36cSA7svYQ=s4032)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrfON_RBRS5l0X_S4saCIrSfmb8jbUjm-jp8SzbL3HnAC_mcHHpXJVlhCFfbM1CkMZg3XaKREiOPoa04aLM-59nj0ILdnXszEezYYEOPMbY1H480FBe3t6sLL-d6yKQsHJ8qdQD_-Xpg0JpZ6B2nxTNVS0iu27nTA5korBpEjFk-sjCluYvviOePFgcg=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgrfON_RBRS5l0X_S4saCIrSfmb8jbUjm-jp8SzbL3HnAC_mcHHpXJVlhCFfbM1CkMZg3XaKREiOPoa04aLM-59nj0ILdnXszEezYYEOPMbY1H480FBe3t6sLL-d6yKQsHJ8qdQD_-Xpg0JpZ6B2nxTNVS0iu27nTA5korBpEjFk-sjCluYvviOePFgcg=s4032)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXN7c7wCXr8nSrvs_F5JFxEKauRkr6oeNYUTqyRxnp-CAOh_-UG119QxgqqQGF_tYy5rMT19MZdx0uXw05GaB-y_nsRw0SPNO5kYPUt1a36wF8TJM5yoPAjRUOrAelTd_NjhmTN_ aWSsn6O4YH0yjp9J74Cap3yCb41MCfeiSDjd1ujf4QfchvuEuF-w=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjXN7c7wCXr8nSrvs_F5JFxEKauRkr6oeNYUTqyRxnp-CAOh_-UG119QxgqqQGF_tYy5rMT19MZdx0uXw05GaB-y_nsRw0SPNO5kYPUt1a36wF8TJM5yoPAjRUOrAelTd_NjhmTN_ aWSsn6O4YH0yjp9J74Cap3yCb41MCfeiSDjd1ujf4QfchvuEuF-w=s4032)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhT198wc3RfaehKjsj2WV7tf-4w5naZHU0jeI_DpwT6J65vUcyTgcxzhIhK-isBNahAEw0Pf8qYfZSXlRX2x9ntUGsIRYlAu_-ba7CVu7mUtROso3IOy4NecqQkwrntLaY2VDj1TcjFtpK-JdC5hjtf1MgFddxjtlx9_zoHUNidOJakoHCJ_zKelWFzDw=s32 0 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhT198wc3RfaehKjsj2WV7tf-4w5naZHU0jeI_DpwT6J65vUcyTgcxzhIhK-isBNahAEw0Pf8qYfZSXlRX2x9ntUGsIRYlAu_-ba7CVu7mUtROso3IOy4NecqQkwrntLaY2VDj1TcjFtpK-JdC5hjtf1MgFddxjtlx9_zoHUNidOJakoHCJ_zKelWFzDw=s40 32)
So many of these sound like genuine Antic pubs, you gotta laugh
As I stood on Baldock station, the sun setting for the final time before the clocks go back, it is decision time .......
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtdu6NjutiAQYgQSDSOCe74KOnHopQ1bsakFySi80UpI-tWwLYtiPLxZmak4XCiyW_9F2pKgEhnbXW9so1Gd8CqP4GF5mhG DYmqQpMVx5JvjJX2c3Glt0ANpHN3HyauYGkMunn9yNcUuJ3vbW Mz83JVivzMXooX-f5D9ZK7FSYtJnniyLJdn9RIc4ijg=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjtdu6NjutiAQYgQSDSOCe74KOnHopQ1bsakFySi80UpI-tWwLYtiPLxZmak4XCiyW_9F2pKgEhnbXW9so1Gd8CqP4GF5mhG DYmqQpMVx5JvjJX2c3Glt0ANpHN3HyauYGkMunn9yNcUuJ3vbW Mz83JVivzMXooX-f5D9ZK7FSYtJnniyLJdn9RIc4ijg=s4032)
A rushed sixth tick at Letchworth Garden City? Or a nice relaxing ESB in Parcel Yard? I had to think about it for about three seconds. After all, no guarantee LGC would make the 2022 GBG is there? Is there?
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnCYPHi8sWZ7tI6_OwfPolfxo99q5hAQqJxjBQ61zrCA 96Bmia2fvCcQAnjyW7HEviCtnmUcRcciyk23mQgYIdGt5mUwiv Se3nmUuirESOfoBmtl_UBSyV8g5WCid5b1g19GE9RSqxXSSSgu-MTM1nVe1T6fHo-VGKzvmOnzqw-8y9dQNpZNBtUm3syw=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjnCYPHi8sWZ7tI6_OwfPolfxo99q5hAQqJxjBQ61zrCA 96Bmia2fvCcQAnjyW7HEviCtnmUcRcciyk23mQgYIdGt5mUwiv Se3nmUuirESOfoBmtl_UBSyV8g5WCid5b1g19GE9RSqxXSSSgu-MTM1nVe1T6fHo-VGKzvmOnzqw-8y9dQNpZNBtUm3syw=s4032)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj21IcFs-w-Dl-7WgL8t6PD3DvxDsVo9RBb7zR8x-s2Io2eg6rb9nu7AQTvsG1rrL1-_--oI91g2ITKjRC5PbT49ifCOKkkdVS54EeKFAphAQsYtE0IP_kVH 3f6L31y7j-9CpH-ADd6o6ZqcSb36rTNTU0XhzIa_eDx2kieaIi2bPr6F7svr0EdDG JM7g=s320 (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj21IcFs-w-Dl-7WgL8t6PD3DvxDsVo9RBb7zR8x-s2Io2eg6rb9nu7AQTvsG1rrL1-_--oI91g2ITKjRC5PbT49ifCOKkkdVS54EeKFAphAQsYtE0IP_kVH 3f6L31y7j-9CpH-ADd6o6ZqcSb36rTNTU0XhzIa_eDx2kieaIi2bPr6F7svr0EdDG JM7g=s3088)
The train home was a more pleasant experience than I could have imagined. The Hartlepool fans, so boisterous and full of optimism on the way down to Orient, being charged only a fiver to get in, had lost 5-0 and were very quiet, poor things!
The young lass across from me whose Dad plonked her near me and then went back to drink with his mates (top parenting mate!) finally stopped looking like she was going to puke on me, and told me the ref was to blame for a decision he made at 3-0!
I was less happy when I got back to BRAPA Towers, STILL no GBG. The wait would go on til 13:35 on Monday. Even Paisley got it before me, but not Sheffield. #JusticeForRetiredMartin
See you all on Friday morning where I'll tell you what the cross-ticking has done to BRAPA!
Si
More... (http://brapa-4500.blogspot.com/2021/11/brapa-in-tick-little-piece-of-my-herts.html)