Reports from Tunbridge Wells, Stourbridge and Bethnal Green can wait. Have some instant blogging from the Dearne Valley.
An area famous for a Tory leader who set an example to us in keeping pubs going, coalmines and the Mexborough Concertina Club, it’s actually rather more agricultural and rural than expected on the approach from Donny.
As you can see from the OS extract, footpaths criss-cross the Valley, with some signposts rather hopefully pointing you to the Earth Centre, a millennium folly which even the collective might of South Yorkshire’s yummy mummies couldn’t keep going.
The last big spurt of investment in Wath was probably the Wetherspoons, whose pubs accounted for the bulk of new entries round here in the new century.
I arrived in the rain. I wasn’t going to catch it at its best. Is this even brutalist architecture ?
Still, plenty to see, and plenty of pubs. Open and closed.
Two ticks in Wath; a new Beer Guide pub and a Spoons steak. I would have searched the attractive-looking Wath Market for bargain cakes, but I was soaked.
I would have loved to bring you the “Wondrous Street Art of Wath“, but instead, here’s a chippy and a micropub.
I’ll wager you’re not surprised new Guide entry the Wath Tap is a micro, or that it looks like this;
As with Southampton’s Butcher’s Hook, the shop tiling gives it a bit of character, and although small I found plenty of seating, mainly because I was the only customer.
The range of beers was a bit wider than in the “Herne Rulebook“, which means it had the sort of beers people actually drink.
A cask range centred on some strongish local beers, a regular feature in South Yorkshire it seems. Even first out the pipes, the Fernandes was excellent. £2.90 for a cool, complex pint, an easy NBSS 3.5. Very pleasant service too.
I was able to nick some CAMRA magazines for Dick and Dave,which I shall forget to give them on their next trip from the States.
But the highlight is the register of Leeds drunkards. I may be meeting a couple of them later today.
retiredmartin 
Great title. We will pick up those CAMRA guides…. Not soon enough.
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“Great title.”
Agreed. (thumbs up)
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Judging by some of the microbrew bar areas I’ve seen in photos this past week I’d swear they’re getting them as a kit from Ikea.
As for the habitual drunkards’ photo; the third from right (John something) looks to be straight out of Peaky Blinders, the show on’t telly. 🙂
Cheers
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There’s a pub called Peaky Blinders in the Guide, I think.
Love the Ikea reference. Have you been.and survived ?
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Si’s been to one called Peaky Blinders but he wasn’t impressed.
As for Ikea… many times in my younger days. We still have our bedroom dressers from there, plus a large forest print hanging in the dining room. 😉
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You know your stuff ! Just met Si and Richard briefly in York, he reminded me that Peaky Blinders in Southport.
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Have you ever heard the ‘Barnsley Fighting Guitar’ sketch from Mike Harding? In it he refers to Wath as one of the few places in UK that Hitler never bombed, he sent his spies over for a look and they reported that it didn’t need bombing because someone had already been and done it???
Geographical point of order; Fernandes is from Wakey which is West Yorks. Wath is South Yorks. Therefore not local.
Make sure you pick up a copy of New Full Measure #141 for Dave, there’s a new editor and he’s gone and made it look like some youth mag – there’s no picture of a pub on the front cover, not even a group of fat blokes shaking hands with a licensee – can’t believe it! Tell Dave he can read all back issues of New Full Measure on ISUU.
I’ve copied my mate Hugh Kelly into this on Facebook. He is the official Wath Tap Ambasador, I await his judgement, it may be a while, he has been exiled to the deepest South – Pershore! For the benefit of your N. American readers thats near Wore-sess-ter in Wore-sess-ter-shyer.
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Youth magazine, you say ? Oh dear.
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Shock horror! We can pick a copy up tonite.
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The Notttingham Drinker went down the pan a couple of years ago,not worth reading now,when it used to be one of the best in the country.
He is asking for ideas how to make it better,i was tempted to send him an Email saying start again.
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The ND has or had some really good pub maps of the suburbs, and seemed to promote the normal pubs better than most. I do find it a bit obsessed with CAMRA discounts though.
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Richard, both Wath and Wakey are in the West Riding of Yorkshire. South Yorkshire is a modern concoction presumably designed to split up L**ds and Sheffield.
I regularly spend two days a week in Bolton on Dearne. I enjoy said two days very much. Interestingly, Bolton also has a micro with drinks veering away from Mr Micropub of Herne Bay’s original intentions. This is a good thing. What the locals want is what the locals should get.
We want Allam Out.
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I’m with you on that mate and I remember all the cutlery at school having W.R.C.C. stamped on them but the post 1974 pedants will insist on it being separate counties. Me? I still believe Hull and Middlesbro’ are part of Yorkshire.
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Good man. Chopping up Yorkshire (and Sussex, come to that) into separate sections in the Beer Guide is a crime.
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Great title! I liked it there but it should really be called The Grapes. You are having a prolific Autumn.
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Ugh. Don’t they make the evil Prosecco from grapes 😉😱
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There is a very average Peaky Blinders pub in Brum 😵😵
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Argh. Another average one (sigh). Sounds no better than the one Si went to in Southport. 😦
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The ‘original’ Peaky Blinders pub is the Garrison Tavern by the Blues ground….however no entrepreneurs have taken a chance on reopening it yet….
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I went in the Birmingham Peaky Blinders pub this year 26th may 2017,no real ales but everybody having a good time dancing,i had a good chat with the bar chap as the pub was full late Saturday afternoon.
It may be average to real ale drinkers,but if you are in your fifties and sixties and want a good dance then it would be a great place for them to have a drink.
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I’m too young Alan!!!!! It’s a proper old skool Brummie bar!
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I liked it in there, the highlight was the bearded bloke (obviously) who loudly exclaimed ‘I can smell hops in the air’ and asked where the nearest brewery was. No one else could smell anything and the barman informed him there is no brewery nearby, he got quite upset. Left muttering about how a strong wind can carry a smell a long way.
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I am going to have my say on counties and what is where.
You have to go with the times,so Stockport is now in Greater Manchester,Leeds is in West Yorkshire and Sheffield is in South Yorkshire and Oakham in Rutland.
If we stuck with how things were years ago,then Great Britain would include all of Ireland and not just the North,Israel would not be on the map as it was taken from Palestine and Austria and Hungary would not be here as they would be part of Prussia.
Just trying to make a point.
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