Always topical this blog. Never mind Johnnie Fingers, I’d assumed Paula wrote that one anyway.
We’re enjoying a night in the campervan on Warwick racecourse for the bargain sum of £14. I’m assuming it’s cheap because a) You can’t see any horses, b) It’s wet and c) It’s Monday, so the pubs are shut.
Obviously the Rats were concerned with higher matters than pub closures, back in 1979, but I might as well write off Mondays for pub ticking.
From the Beer Guide map, we’d identified eight potential ticks today. Half of those, in Oundle, Daventry, Wellingborough and Coventry are closed. The latter’s Twisted Barrel Tap only opens Friday night and Saturday (according to the GBG), and Wellingborough’s micro shuts Tuesday too.
Pubs can do what they want, of course, but a trend to close Monday lunchtimes has led to all day Monday and increasingly all weekday lunchtime closures.
It’s no wonder Wetherspoons and offies are so popular.
retiredmartin 
There’s definitely a trend developing Martin, in regard to all day closing on Mondays. It’s a bit like Ruhetag in Germany; although that will normally be staggered, particularly if there is more than one pub in a village.
From my off-licence experience, Monday is by far and away the quietest day of the week, so if you are a harassed and worn-out licensee, it’s definitely the day to be closed.
Whilst not good for GBG ticks; or people on holiday, I wouldn’t begrudge any publican his day of rest.
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Good point on Germany Paul, though I don’t remember their pubs in cities being closed in same way.
I certainly can’t begrudge publicans a rest either, they’re the ones who make or break real beer. It’s more an issue of hours changing from year to year, and not being apparent to visitors (as in your recent experience).
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Many bars is Belgium (and certainly Flanders) have a “sluitingsdag” – not restricted to rural areas either.
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Very much per for the course in semi-rural LS20 + postcode areas and out into rural YO postcodes. A lot of rural and village Sam’s pubs have done it for a long time. The licensees have fixed sessions and many have negotiated with the brewery to open all day Sunday, when there is good all day trade, instead of the Sam’s 12 to 3 and 7 to 1030pm Sunday sessions and forfeit opening on Mondays at all. It’s all to do with the low pay and the number of hours the licenses can work (plus allowed staff hours), if they didn’t shut Monday they would end up being on less than the minimum wage and be a liability for the employer. It is of course a welcome day off for the licensee. The very well run, and always a decent pint, Red Lion in Bramham village square has done this for a long time now.
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I have almost given up doing pub crawls during the week due to pubs not opening,i will only do very large cities and then not venture into the suburbs which i really like doing.
On another note they look like the same two empty craft beer cans that come from Lidl that were on a boat moored outside the Ship in March.
I have tried the Hatherwood bitter and found it to be crap.
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They are the same Alan. I recycle my cans. I haven’t tried either, never drink cans.
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