File our next seven pubs under the category 'what might have been'. Had circumstances been different, most could've finished higher. Though I can't imagine in any circs, they'd be in the running for any pub of the year awards. Let's try and find something interesting to say about them ..... Cromwell's Tap House, Shrewsbury In the shadow of one of Shrewsbury's snoozing spires comes this catch-all tap house, trying to evoke some kind of Tudor-esque atmosphere. I might be b

36 Good Beer Guide pubs ticked off on last week's little excursion to Shropshire, staying in an 8.75/10 Air B&B in the Frankwell area of Shrewsbury. 24 in Shropshire, 12 in Wales. I spent the train journey home ranking them in some kind of order of enjoyability. Don't sweat the outcome too much. I don't want any of your usual "Second from bottom Si? Disappointed in you! Me and the late wife enjoyed a lovely Chateaubriand and Liebfraumilch there back in the summer of '84".

Saturday 28th February 2026 Up at 5am, Daddy BRAPA knocks on my door at 5:50am, and aboard the 6:10am York to King's Cross train. You can't say we aren't committed to those 23rd place in the xG table Tigers! Spreading across an unreserved table for 4, because we can! I'd even remembered to do us an air fryer croissant, pork pie (with mustard) and Arctic coffee each just in case catering wasn't open at this ungodly hour. We'd enjoyed the solitude of this same train a month ag

Thursday 26th February Owlie didn't fully emerge from his bag on the journey down to King's Cross, a stereotypical small ginger haired Irish horse man was being far too serious, and it got inside his head. "In his head, in his head, Owlie, Owlie, Owlie-ie-ie" (to the tune of Zombie by The Cranberries). 28 ticks to do in Essex. How did that happen? Seems like only last week that I was celebrating 100% Essex completion in Bures Hamlet. In reality, it was 2021. An underrated

Happy March from my default position, in front of a pint of Fullers ESB in King's Cross Parcel Yard. Not that I'm in there now, I've never got along with their WiFi. Up to £7.15 a pint by the way, how cruel is that? The answer you are looking for is 'very'. With Spring hopefully sprung, I'm hoping to break the shackles of a discontented winter with a more Idey March. 41 Good Beer Guide ticks completed for the month of February (plus 5 speculative pre-emptives). It feels

Saturday 21st February 2026 Right, here we go. Knackering blog this, so sorry in advance. North Warwickshire - The Return : Unfinished Business. Lessons to learn from the last two Saturday trips. This time, there'd be no mistake! Phone fully charged. Check! Power bank fully charged and in my bag. Check! Back up plug packed. Check! Walking boots by the door ready to slip on at 6:40am. Check! This was me on Friday evening. You wouldn't think I'd been doing this BRA

Thursday 19th February 2026 Beds. I wouldn't let it lie. And I don't do duvets. Once again, I find myself climbing the wooden stairs to Bedfordshire, the original BRAPA county and some might say the best. If you were a contrary bastard. But I have a soft spot for it in much the same way you might have for the jaundice one-legged kid in the Sports Day egg and spoon race. Stuck behind a freight train, we're late into King's Cross so my connection from St Pancake to Luton fa

Saturday 14th February 2026 It was all change on the Grand Central from YRK-KX on this unusually dry, sunny Saturday as Welsh mascot Brekkie the Sheep makes a rare start. As usual, he made zero impact on proceedings. Another substitute came from Sainsbury's, my regular Arctic Coffee replaced by an evil Starbucks Tripleshot Espresso. Creamy mouthfeel. And didn't I need it? Slightly hungover from a Slip Inn / Costcutter bottles / Hull City v Chelsea on TV / Jenny's Fish &

Thursday 12th Feb 2026 Eating mini chicken kievs (sorry, kyivs #WokeSi2026) under a drippy awning in Winnersh station, today is the first trip to Berkshire of the 2025/26 pub ticking season. And our 5,346,782nd consecutive day of rain this winter. I was willing Mrs Hot Pink to get a wriggle on into pub one, she has one of those annoyingly paced walks - not slow enough to overtake, but not quick enough to prevent me from getting stuck behind her backside ....... It wasn't jus

Saturday 7th February 2026 When reflection lad says to his mate "this mobile charger no longer works with my phone!" , then theatrically collapsing face down into the table as you can see above, I feel vindicated. I AM NOT ALONE. I want to hug the lad. 'Hug a Hoodie'. What were all that about Mr Cameron? Never caught on. It is edging 3pm. I've ticked one pub in Atherstone (plus a pre-emptive) and embibed three pints of foaming ale. Oh dear, that sounded very 'Viz'. I'

Saturday 7th February 2026 As the DrossCountry service chugs begrudgingly south to Birmingham New Street for an outlandish day of rural North Warwickshire pub ticking, I'm blissfully unaware that I am without one of the key features of any BRAPA day, the power bank! And I've spent the entire journey wasting charge on Google Maps and BusTimes.org , tapping away at various routes I could take. On the Friday night, I'd settled on Shustoke and a quick getaway to Brum. By 7:45am

Pretty much what LNER station staff said to me on Newark Northgate station, summer 2018 Thursday 5th February 2026 Now I don't want you thinking BRAPA is predictable but these were identical beginnings to my December 2022 'Notts Mop-up', it went something like this ....... York-Newark Northgate train inc. Arctic Coffee and croissant Resist urge for widdle on platform in full view of angry LNER staff Speed walk across to Newark Castle station in the grimmest of conditions Find

Saturday 31st January 2026 Another three points on the road for the mighty Tigers, where I was again able to combine football with four useful pub ticks thanks to the chauffeuring efforts of Blackburn's finest, Ian 'BeyondThePale' Sutton. Not bad considering we've been playing the same boring Championship teams for five billion consecutive seasons. I've had plenty of trips out with Ian in recent years, but this is Daddy BRAPA's first time meeting him. Just after 10am at Bu

Thursday 29th January 2026 Note the addition of 'Hot Mango Immunity' shot to kick off the return of #ThirstyThursdays for 2026. I've been circling the man-flu drain for the entirety of this long cruel January. When my Mackem mate John commented last Tuesday that he's ready for spring time, I know it's bad as he's the most Autumnal/Wintry lover I know. Tyne & Wear today. Just the three ticks to do in the 2026 GBG to complete the county. I'm looking to add two south Northum

Saturday 24th January 2026 If Scottish bridges were Wetherspoon's carpets, I'd be giving this a 9.5/10. The kind of bridge that a wee troll called Hairy McTavish lives underneath and spears unsuspecting Sassenach's on the way across. But not today Mr McTavish, this was one of those days where the BRAPA gods smiled on me from the word go up to the drunken conclusion. How else can I explain making a five minute connection in Edinburgh Waverley station earlier, the hardest sta

Greetings from BRAPA Towers, where I'm pleased to report that the longest of long January's is finally behind us and hopefully February will bring some morale boosting green shoots. Like a pub crawl of Carshalton, you've gotta have Hope. 33 new Good Beer Guide ticks for me this month. Modest by recent standards but not bad for January, especially factoring in my self-imposed Thirsty Thursday winter break and lack of holidays. I managed 7 pre-emptives too. This pushes me ba

Saturday 17th January 2026 Heady times to be a Hull City fan. I've never felt more connected to the club since the 2007/08 season which culminated in us beating Bristol City at Wembley to reach the Premier League for the first time in our history. In the December of that season, we had back to back away games at Preston (midweek) and Southampton (Saturday), just like I'm about to tell you today. 3-0 and 4-0 defeats. We plummeted to 15th. Some fans shout for Phil Brown's he

Saturday 10th January 2026 F.A. Cup third round weekend, the original Daddy BRAPA car day. As a Hull City fan, we've learnt to accept that we'll get a home draw against a fellow long-standing Championship team, and we'll put in an abject performance in front of 6,000 people whilst freezing our bums off. Ain't worth it mate! I called it back in December as the balls were about to be pulled from the hat, look ..... Blackburn at home. You've gotta laugh. It had been moved

Saturday 27th December 2025, 3:30pm With Brighton safely tucked under the BRAPA belt, I decide that I have time to visit two more East Sussex pub ticks before heading back to King's Cross for my regulation ESB. Newhaven isn't a town I've visited before, no need until now but I felt immediately at home due to the echoes of West Ayrshire, Bridlington and Whitley Bay in the winter. Angry skinhead seagulls, a stiff icy breeze, no one alive between the ages of 20-70, and ancient

Christmas 2025 (24th - 27th December) Ho, ho, ho, MERRY CHRISTMAS (retrospectively) from my default position squashed in the armchair behind the Christmas tree at Mummy & Daddy BRAPA's pile and what a smashing seasonal Brew York that was. Gin and Tonic? Dry Martini? Pah! #NonBeerWomen!! I lost the annual snooker tournament 3-1. I'm blaming my 'Enfield Hand'. Still bad, I couldn't grip my cue properly at the back #AlwaysGetYerExcusesReady Fast forward to Boxing Day, and