A gentle 34 pub month was probably the comedown my liver needed after my June Gloucestershire epic (67 pubs in 11 days) as I move on to 3262/4500 Good Beer Guide completed (that is 72.62%).
July began with an unwise 12 noon ESB at the beginning of the River Thames in Ashton Keynes, Wiltshire ......
..... and ended with an appetite boosting late night Titanic Cherry Porter in a quiet York Tap :
Despite my low July total (joint lowest with January), I've made progress in a record breaking 13 different counties visited.
We'll have a look at those counties now, with the stats, a pub highlight / lowlight, and then we'll end the blog with a quick look ahead to August.
East Sussex (6 ticks, 66.67% completion, 19 remaining)
Two thirds of East Sussex done, but I had to run through Brighton to get two done there before the train back to London, which makes me realise I'll probably need an overnighter or two if I'm serious about getting some of that leafier inland stuff done in the 2025/26 season.
My Saturday down here recently with Daddy BRAPA wasn't the best quality pub or beer day if I'm being honest, and he skipped out on the best of the lot, the Hole in the Wall in Brighton .....
Oxfordshire (5 ticks, 62.32%, 26 left)
I'm a bit annoyed with myself for not pressing home my Oxon advantage when I had a great week here back last November, so it has been nice to chip away at it more recently with five solid ticks.
What's more, I've got plans for an overnighter before the new GBG comes out - some of those northern ticks are well tricky but I'll do my best. And a nice debutant off my Twitter / Untappd might drive me around his neck of the woods Oct/Nov so you should see plenty of BRAPA Oxon check ins between now and Christmas.
Flowing Spring - Playhatch (the pick of July's Ox pubs)
Worcestershire (5 ticks, 44.64%, 31 left)
I'm loving what I'm seeing from Worcs so far, and Bewdley was far and away the best day out all month. Looking forward to writing that blog, now I've FINALLY finished the Gloucs ten parter.
And just like Oxfordshire, Worcs is definitely an 'in focus' county for me as I start to run out of options closer to Birmingham. First aim, to get past the 50% mark.
My favourite pub was the Black Boy, just edging out Bewdley Brewery Tap, though Daddy BRAPA preferred the Tap slightly.
Pub carpet of the month - Black Boy, Bewdley
Borders (4 ticks, 22.22% complete, 14 remain)
Look, I could colour a lot more of that map in if I really wanted, but no, I wanted to force myself to think 'not good enough mate, need to go back'.
My whole Scotland is embarrassing in truth, in fact these were my first Scottish ticks of the 2024/25 season (better late the never), my first EVER trip to the Borders, and to achieve it on a #ThirstyThursday was all the sweeter. Sad to run out of time on Melrose, but I also managed a pre-emptive brewery tap at Tweedbank which must have a good chance of making the 2026 book.
Nothing concrete booked for future trips, but I'm planning on getting back there two or three times before Christmas - which might be all it takes to complete it. Hurrah! And then I might get cracking on Greater Glasgow and that Stirling part of the world.
Exchange Bar (Dalton's), Hawick. BRAPA Borders Pub of the month.
Berkshire (3 ticks, 80.36%, 11 left)
One county I've never neglected since the dawning of BRAPA is good ole' Berks, so it is fair to say anything I have left to tick hasn't been a GBG regular in the past ten years.
This might help to explain why I wasn't exactly enamoured with this month's trio. Maidenhead Hoppy Place had good beer at least, but Caversham's Clifton probably only felt decent because the pub that had gone before it was so woeful. I don't have any great urge to fill the gaps in here any time soon.
Plant pots at Black Horse, Emmer Green. Useful to Daddy BRAPA. Worst Pub of the Month winner!
I've done pretty well in Staffs this year without trying too hard, which is nice!
Height of next summer I'm definitely going to stay overnight at Eccleshall and attack High Offley and Knighton which are living rent free in my head, but are super rural and have awful hours.
And I keep forgetting that little Enville/Kinver sliver exists so I need to sort that out. Still, at least I got Burton and Tamworth filled in yesterday. Oh, and Billbrook back open so uncross that one out.
It's a weird county to do, because you always feel like you're on the border of another one.
BRAPA pub settee of the month July 2025, you'll never sing that. Old Bank House, Tamworth.
Daddy BRAPA's longest chauffeuring drive helped me get tricky (impossible?) Greenhaugh done, not to mention outer Hexham's Dipton Mill. Poor beer quality as you often find on hot summer days in Northumberland but it is a beautiful rewarding county.
Holy Island lives to fight another year - a logistical nightmare trying to find a day when buses run AND tide times marry up with a nice little pub session. I may have to bite the bullet and choose a weekend, but that feels a waste for two ticks and a post-emptive, so watch this space.
Holly Bush, Greenhaugh - a beautiful pub
Warwickshire (2 ticks, 31.25% complete, 33 left)
Now here is a county I've never really had a go at. But when Paul G mentioned Shipston-on-Stour was practically Cotswold's, I thought 'you legend, yes please'. Both top class pubs too in very different ways.
With Embargo Hull City away at Coventry on our opening day of the season defeat, and no Cov pubs left to do, I'm wondering if I can train it to that Leamington / Kenilworth area post-match for some total thirst pint refreshment. I wonder if Arena trains are more frequent on match days?
Again, I could do with a week hols focussing on Warwickshire, but I'm prioritising Worcs, Ox and Shropshire.
Black Horse, Shipston-on-Stour
I also managed 1 tick in North Yorkshire, Edinburgh & Loathings, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and best of the lot, Derbyshire, where I managed to complete my first (proper) county in 2025 at Rosliston.
Look ahead to August
So, the final full month for ticking my increasingly knackered 2025 GBG which has now lost about 30 pages (safe on my bookshelf at home in a plastic sleeve). It smells of KFC, and Mid Wales is randomly trying to escape.
I'm expecting an improved ticking month for August, not crazily so because I only have ONE day off work and only one #ThirstyThursday booked, but a couple of overnight stays will help.
I've been notified the 2026 Good Beer Guide direct debit will be taken , and we have a front cover .....
Change in front cover style, no choice of covers like the past two editions, and not sure this Red Lion is even real but if you squint, you can see me having a widdle in the churchyard on the horizon.
Official release date is Thu 25th Sept so I'm guesstimating a date for the 'privilege' schemers, and I'm going with Friday 11th September 11:04am which could be hopelessly optimistic, but I'm going away that weekend and would be gutted if they tried delivering it on the Sat and then I have to listen to folks like Axholme Rob, Maltmeister and Tony Lea telling me they've got their copy first as per bloody usual.
Have a happy and healthy August, and whatever you do, remember, keep it pub.
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