BRAPA in .... ASSAULT ON BATTERY : POWER OUTAGE IN ATHERSTONE (WARWICKS PT 1/2)

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 it had become Baddesley Ensor, Atherstone, Nuneaton and maybe more.

But hang on, what about Ridge Lane? Actually, don't rule out Austrey and Warton! Polesworth only has one train a day though, hmmm. Okay, let's settle on Ansley, it is the next one alphabetically. I like that. Wait ..... why not combine Ansley with Ridge Lane. Long walk but doable'. Ridge Lane first, bus from Atherstone. Settled!'

Dudley Duck unhelpfully remains tight lipped on the contents of my bag despite being best placed to know. I mean, I DID have a plug and lead, but that's only useful if you have a nearby socket. I could've been plugged in this entire way using DrossCountry power, aaarrgghh!

Oh, this is a painful morning to recall looking back. I feel like I'm therapy but my abuser is holding the meeting.

My music's been on all this time too. The Devil Makes Three, Those Poor Bastards and quite randomly, 'Four Letter Word' by Kim Wilde on a loop circa Derby.

Then at Nuneaton under a drippy awning in this, our 72,345th consecutive day of rainfall, I ring Mummy BRAPA for Hull City predictions which wastes further juice. I go for a 1-3 defeat, I fear we've hit the skids of late.

11am in Atherstone, and even now as I go for a pre-noon reccee of their only GBG entry (which I had no intention of doing until after my Ridge Lane / Ansley double header), still unaware of my lack of powerbank as I take this photo ....

A couple of minutes later, when I'm close to reaching Athertstone's 'bus station', 41% battery remaining, I finally realise that I'm powerbankless. I KNEW my bag had felt a fraction lighter.

Well I can't be going into the wilds of crazy rural Warwicks with 41% battery, unsure where my next plug is coming from! So I Google 'Atherstone phone shops'. Athers seems a provincial sorta town, but surely one that sells powerbanks for Android phones. And I still have time to act and get to Ridge Lane Church End Brewery for noon.

I'm in luck, AA Mobiles is close by. The guy is a total droog but gives me three options that all fit my phone. £20, in cash. Job done. Or so I thought ......

Back at the bus station, thankfully this bus is a few mins delayed so I unpackage my new powerbank and plug it in, but nothing doing! And in trying to force an outcome, my battery plummets to 13%, there's even a weird 'plus' symbol next to the battery icon now which I've never seen before. Definitely pressed something I shouldn't.

Back in AA Mobiles, this bus no longer a priority cos I'm in a flap, our droog mate confirms my fears, the powerbank itself needs charging! How effin' useless is that? I nearly ask for refund. But first I pop next door to Morrison's to see if they have any that are ready to use. I'm somehow allowed to jump the queue, but they have none. "Big Tesco will" says the lady with confidence.

Kim Wilde, not confident Morrison's lady

But a woman shelf stacking Atlantic prawns isn't so hopeful. She points me to the electrical aisle, but she's correct, they don't have any. I'm on 11% battery, tis' now 12 noon, only one thing for it, Atherstone pub and beg for a socket!

What a popular pub is Market Tavern Tap, Atherstone (3253 / 6094), two groups are waiting outside at opening time. Onslaught from the off. Poor barmaid duo have no time to ease themselves gently into the session. My fidgeting and prowling of the floorspace around the bar area isn't due to my usual impatience to get served, I've dropped to 10% now and am feeling the heat. Finally, I'm in! Pint of Ruby's AJ. Excellent red ale. Though I can only appreciate it now, retrospectively. "Anything else?" asks the ever so slightly smilier younger one of the two, expecting me to request Atlantic prawns on toast like all these other johnny-come-lately's. "Do you have a plug socket as I've had a phone charging nightmare of a morning?!" I yelp. Well, she wasn't expecting that, but recovers quickly and points to two. One, where one of the bozo prawners has already set up camp. And one just below my feet, at the bar. It means wedging myself between the front door and a tray of cobs, thus becoming a bar blocker, but desperate times call for desperate measures. On hearing about my AA Mobiles Powerbank issue, she tells me that she'll plug that in behind the bar too, see if we can get any juice into that, whilst I plug my phone in at the bar. I love her so much for that. Here's my view for the next hour and a bit.

They're a very professional outfit in their 'Market Tavern Tap' sweatshirts, sometimes you have to be a blocker to appreciate just how hard pub staff work, and how much patience they have with real ale dorks who can't make up their minds. Tasters on everything. All making the same Piffle Snonker joke that the dynamic duo are forced to laugh at every time. Food starts coming out, people keep coming in, there's a lot of wet-led folk too. I try to contribute, do my bit to be a positive jokey bar presence but truth is this bunch of customer's are a bit lacking in social graces. Apart from the bit where I move my coat from a chair and the elderly family are way too effusive in their thanks! My battery is increasing, slowly. Painfully. Must sit (stand) this one out. My mate Quinno is currently enjoying Baddesley Ensor. Course he bloody is! Knocks me sick (as the kids say) that my exciting rural plans are on the back burner. I HATE doing the low hanging fruit and having all the tricky stuff hanging over me. But I'm back down here in a couple of weeks to make amends. Ridge Lane & Ansley? B.Ensor? Oh, let's not start all that again! Second pint is required, as I'm only up to 22%. Big Trip Jammin'. Utterly glorious. Barmaid happy to keep my charger going. Having two pints in a BRAPA pub felt like the end of days. 31%, going well. I am looking at this promising pub called the Angel across the road. Then someone on my TwXtter says it does good ale, and you know what, I think I've seen it in previous Beer Guides. A plan is forming. I'll go there next. Might be useful in years to come, and they might also have a socket. Atherstone doesn't have a 'Spoons weirdly. I remember to ask for my shit AA Mobiles charger back, it is up to three blue blobs of charge, wahey. And I'm on 44%. I thank the barmaid profusely but she's busy cos another old prawn has arrived.

43% after this photo.

Takes me a while to find the not very obvious entrance door at the Angel, Atherstone (post emptive). Is this why there are no customers, and I mean zilch? Poor Carole, nice down to earth lady, stood there in her attractive empty pub surrounded by a yummy ale range, glaring out across the market square at the busy Market Tav bemoaning 'food versus wet-led', although I felt there must be more to it but I didn't rock the boat, cos I want a socket! Well, Carole has sockets galore. "Take yer pick, not like anyone's using them, lol!" she lols. I didn't choose the right beer, some milkshake pale. Quality fine, but yuck not my style. Carole's not sure Market Tav should've made the GBG jut yet cos it hasn't been good for 12 months, I do love a forced rivalry! She tells me about a random visitor who took a photo of their bricks near the fireplace, sent photo to an expert, expert told him 'Roman bricks', so bloke came back to tell her the good news. See, there are pub visitors out there more bonkers than me. Battery up to 54%, and I have another plan forming. How about a direct train to Rugby where I have three ticks, and if all goes well, an Uber to Bulkington to save time and whip in the two there. That'd still be six for the day. Even if it is after 2pm and I'm only on one tick. A dorky couple finally arrive just as I'm saying farewell to Carole. So she won't be left in an empty pub, kinda pleased for her, I like an underdog, though I did feel the Market Tav was the more convincing.

And I'll tell you tomorrow how I got on in Rugby and Bulkington with more battery updates.

Keep it pub (but take your charger), Si