BRAPA .... MONTH END REVIEW : SEPTEMBER 2025
- Si Everitt
- 2 minutes ago
- 7 min read
I've been through the wringer last month I tell ya! A wringer of my own making, but still a wringer. Squeezing every last droplet of damp out of beery jumper.
I ticked a record breaking MINUS 281 pubs for the month .... starting on 3321 and ending on 3040!
Demoralised? I probably should be. But when you've got the greatest hobby in the world, it doesn't take long to dust worself down and get back to the coalface, or Skipton, as it was this year.
In reality, I visited 64 new Good Beer Guide pubs in the month. One of my higher totals.
September started on a Monday morning in a very solid pub in Frampton Cotterell north of Bristol....
It was here that Colin announced his retirement from pub mascotting at the end of 2025, Bristol his final hurrah. However, Colin fans will be pleased to hear his illegitimate son Col Jr. is in the youth team.
A fully 'greened' Bristol was the highlight of my month, I hobbled back to York a physical wreck with a head that wouldn't turn and a left foot that wouldn't twist. Maybe it is me who needs to retire?
A week later, still not recovered, rail replacement buses near Newcastle 'forced' me into a long weekend away in Edinburgh and the Borders.
Whilst I was away, the new Good Beer Guide 'dropped' and kind people DM'd me the pages I needed.
Sure enough, when I arrived back in York 11pm Sunday, the GBG was on my doorstep. No time to rest. In between work getting busier, which it always does in September after a summer holidays lull July/August, I was cross-ticking thru' the night, watching my pub losses get worse and worse .....
A tough outcome, 341 pubs lost, but percentage wise not as bad as last year. And I remained above 3,000. So technically, a 309 pub gain on last year. Phew.
Because we were in a CAMRA enforced embargo period until Thursday 25th September .....
.... I could claw back my numbers on the sly with a series of 'secret tick' outings before this date, to help massage my numbers before the big reveal, which I'd already revealed. The equivalent of an injury time consolation in football so you lose 4-2 instead of 4-1. Like at Bristol.
I managed a record 17 this year, including a great day with Alex Quosh and his mate Joe around Manchester, the first time I've had 'guest secret tickers'. For those of you who follow me on TwXtter / BlueSky, did you guess them all?
Yorkshireman | Skipton | Yorkshire (North) | 19/09/2025 |
Cock & Bottle | Skipton | Yorkshire (North) | 19/09/2025 |
Goat's Head | Steeton | Yorkshire (West) | 19/09/2025 |
Victoria Tap | Manchester | Greater Manchester | 20/09/2025 |
Railway | West Didsbury | Greater Manchester | 20/09/2025 |
Pray Tell | Sale | Greater Manchester | 20/09/2025 |
Stubborn Mule Brewery | Timperley | Greater Manchester | 20/09/2025 |
Old Monkey | Manchester | Greater Manchester | 20/09/2025 |
North Westward Ho | Manchester | Greater Manchester | 20/09/2025 |
Crown | Bradford | Yorkshire (West) | 21/09/2025 |
Crossed Shuttle | Pudsey | Yorkshire (West) | 21/09/2025 |
Union Rooms | Batley | Yorkshire (West) | 21/09/2025 |
Three Swords | Horsforth | Yorkshire (West) | 21/09/2025 |
Ladybarn Social Club | Ladybarn | Greater Manchester | 24/09/2025 |
Station Hop | Levenshulme | Greater Manchester | 24/09/2025 |
Sun & Castle | Stockport | Greater Manchester | 24/09/2025 |
Albert Hotel | Disley | Cheshire | 24/09/2025 |
September ended with the first official ticks of the new season down in Central London, which doesn't need to open a plethora of micropubs and brewery taps to stick a zillion 'new' pubs in the GBG every year, and it is always nice to make a dent in them early doors .....
And the final tick of the month in Watford 'Spoons which might well be making its GBG debut saw the triumphant return of the Wetherspoons /Jaipur combo after a couple of month hiatus, and it was one of those 5* NBSS efforts .....
Next month end, I'll be back with the usual blog format, just that I haven't coloured in my maps yet and it is hard to know where I've made progress and where I haven't with the GBG switchover, if that makes sense.
That's the main crux of my blog so you can stop reading here unless you're a super BRAPA fan, so 'keep it pub' etc etc.
Bye, Si
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For those of you who brave remaining souls, I've been thinking on the counties I really want to make a push on this year (all of them ideally, but you have to pick your battles when you're a mere 67.56% completist!)
So here's an eight point plan of how I'm gonna play it in 2025/26 .....
Northern Punky
Makes sense to travel less far on Thursday's, as I generally have to be fit for work on the Friday. So filling in the gaps around Yorkshire and Greater Manchester will be my first priority, moving into Merseyside and maybe Lancs if I can be arsed. Though most of my ticks are W.Lancs and I'm toying with returning to the Blackpool Punk Festival in Aug '26. I'll then move onto the north east (Northumberland, Co. Durham and Tyne & Wear), then edge south towards evil Derbys (I lost 15 pubs, how?), Notts and Leics as springtime comes around.
London Colin' from a Far Away Gland
I had it down to four ticks needed in London last year, now it is up to 45 even after last weekend. How churny is that? Ooosh. I'm looking at a 5 day jaunt to boost my numbers with minimal effort. I could maybe do 30, and leave the low hanging fruit for days where I'm more limited like when Hull City are away to Charlton or Millwall and I'm unavailable 2:30-5:30pm.
Summer of Bros, Aha
I have my big two week hols circa late June / early July as usual in 2026 and I've got it down to three potential areas. North Devon. Somerset. Channel Islands. Can't quite decide. They all appeal and terrify in different ways. And are all unchartered BRAPA territory. They may well end up being my next three summer hols anyway. I might even roll a dice and decide by chance, sounds like something I'd do.
Shrop of the Plops
I'm still determined to pay attention to any neglected counties - i.e. those where I've never stayed overnight and had a good few days straight at it. Shropshire is one such example. Shifnal and Oakengates gave me cause for optimism last year, some high quality pubbing. I have a week off when we play Wrexham away. My initial plan was for a tricky NE Wales week, but I might instead stay in say, Shrewsbury, and just pop over there for the game / the odd bonus day.
Scotland (I owe you, and it's time I paid up)
I have a theory that Scottish churn isn't as wild as England because they are more limited with their options. So wouldn't it be nice to pay it some attention throughout the year rather than a last gap Borders / Edinburgh push? That is the plan for 2025/26, starting soon. I'm thinking Glasgow. Maybe Ayrshire. Maybe even an Argyll & Isles debut. Let's get Scotland looking greener by next September.
Climbing the wooden stairs to Bedfordshire, who gives a Bucks? I'm up Berking all night.
Psychologically, when I'm performing the 2027 GBG cross ticking exercise next September (if CAMRA still have enough money to print it ..... look, printing it on Aldi bog roll is fine lads, as long as I can highlight it) if I can have very few gaps in my first three counties Beds, Berks and Bucks, I'd be so much happier. A funny man called John keeps nagging me to go back to Biggleswade for the long overdue 'Spoons. Booked! Tim Thomas MIGHT drive me around West Berks for a third time if I ask nicely. And Bucks was a notably tough churn again, but I've done it before and I'll do it again. In fact rewind the clock to 2017, and I was brilliant at all three counties. But then, stuff like Cornwall, Cheshire and Cambs distracted me.
I'm a Livin' in an Ox (a cardboard Ox)
I made a great start to ticking in Oxon last November with a sweep of Oxford itself, plus lots of towns and villages within bussing distance. And in more recent times, a North Oxon clean sweep staying in Banbury. But I've left the door ajar, and just like in the show Trapdoor, I'm in danger of being a Berk and letting the monsters back in. Thame? What's that? Why has Banbury binned three of the four pubs I did and found two new ones? Why does Oxford have three newbies? What even does Adderbury mean? I'm not going down without a fight in 2025/26.
Ache, Battle and Brum
The West Midlands can absolutely do one! Abysmal churn for a 5th consecutive year despite working hard at the babby bastard. So much Dudley based stuff too, a disconcertingly tricky place to get to on public transport considering its size, location and fame. I was all ready to move onto Worcs and Warwicks but now I'm going to somehow attack all three between now and next Sept. Warwicks may have to be a first reserve. I was going to join Dad at Blues away soon, alas I've decided to say farewell to him at about 1:30pm and carry on ticking. Priorities. We'll probably go and bloody win now.
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