Mid Wales is a nightmare for the pub ticker. Expensive B&Bs, sheep crossing events at Llangurig that last longer than a Tom Jones gig, and opening hours that make micropubs seem like Wetherspoons.
Not too bad in Welshpool, where the Pheasant promises all day opening from 1pm to allow the owners to watch Bargain Hunt on BBC 1 before facing the town’s craft beer crazed customers.
Welshpool sounds more interesting than it is. In fact, I met a German couple in Montgomery, on their way round the teashops of Wales, who’d reached that opinion themselves.
But there’s always something to admire, everywhere. Except you know where.
The former cockfighting arena is now the home of the Women’s Institute, which seems entirely appropriate.
I’ve no idea what this art deco/brutalism mashup is.
Anyway, scruffy but busy High Street, less brand names than Newtown, and no sign of a micropub yet. Seen worse.
No shortage of waving red sausages, either.
At 13.02 the Pheasant is showing no signs of life.
I’m an impatient sod, so I ring up.
“Excuse me awfully, but what time are you opening today?”
“Sorry mate, had a heavy night. Be down in a minute ”
To be fair, he was. Don’t get that level of personal detail in Brunning & Price.
A bit like Jono’s in Ilford, it’s a fun pub, at least it will be in eight hours time.
For the 100th time this year I’m the only customer, even without the draw of a Spoons here.
Luckily, there’s one of those handwritten stickers on a pump clip that tell you EVERYTHING’S GOING TO BE OK.
I go for the North Riding of course, and convince myself the young hipster barman gives a nod of aporoval.
The Ella has a dreadful pumpclip but tastes great, cool and refreshing, and I wonder if North Riding are actually my favourite brewery, before remembering I don’t like breweries.
The barman leaves me to myself, which hurts a bit, and I admire the old skool graffiti in the gents.
#EyUpJockey is the least likely hashtag to find in a Welsh border town, isn’t it?
retiredmartin 
Not been to Wales in over 30 years, got there on a Sunday and nothing was open at all, I trust things have improved.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Why would they open on Sunday just for you?
LikeLike
There was a minibus load of us, but same question applies.
LikeLike
You think a country will open up especially for a busload of Southerners?
LikeLike
In hindsight they were probably right to close.
LikeLiked by 1 person
What’s wrong with southerners?
LikeLike
What’s RIGHT?
I can’t see anything. Possibly because I’m in New York , he adds casually
LikeLike
Love the fact they said it’s s heavy night so they couldn’t be arsed to open! Proper pub 😄
LikeLike
If they were still struggling to open at 1 pm it must have been a 16-ton weight of a heavy night ⚖️
LikeLiked by 2 people
I may be paraphrasing what he said but I think I got his meaning 😏
LikeLike
” The former cockfighting arena is now the home of the Women’s Institute, which seems entirely appropriate.”
Worth the admission price for this risque joke alone.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I shall put my subs up to TWO monster munch (pickled onion flavour) per annum.
Always reassuring to know that someone reads the stuff I knock out in 5 minutes in a Gatwick Wetherspoons (groundside).
LikeLike
Absolutely 😄
LikeLike
“and opening hours that make micropubs seem like Wetherspoons.”
Ouch!
“Marches magic”
They copied that from the Feathers in Ludlow.
“The former cockfighting arena is now the home of the Women’s Institute, which seems entirely appropriate.”
(slow golf clap)
“I’ve no idea what this art deco/brutalism mashup is.”
Getting ready for the revolution?
“To ward off BRAPA”
Good bloody luck! 🙂
““Sorry mate, had a heavy night. Be down in a minute ””
Which speaks well for being busy of the evening, one would hope. 🙂
“it’s a fun pu”
Apologies but what the heck is a pu?
“Proper Pub rating 5.5/10”
Monopoly… fruit machine?
“Note glass with sparklet thingys in it”
All I see is what looks like lumps of coal.
“The barman leaves me to myself, which hurts a bit,”
I think that was mainly because he was hurting a bit. 😉
“#EyUpJockey is the least likely hashtag to find in a Welsh border town, isn’t it?”
Indeed. Too many vowels. 🙂
Cheers
LikeLike
Should be “fewer brand names than Newtown.” Although we had a discussion about this in the back room of the Vaults in Uttoxeter, where I was arguing people can be too pedantic about it. Consider the difference in meaning between “fewer emissions” and “less emissions”. And “Ten items or less” isn’t necessarily wrong.
LikeLike
Great band names, I’ll keep an eye out for ‘Shifty Chicken Shed’ when the ‘2019 Deliverance Tour’ hits Corby…
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Mid Wales is a nightmare for the pub ticker” but at least they prefixed Pool with Welsh so you didn’t mistakenly end up just beyond Bournemouth.
An old pal from Hampshire in Stafford for a funeral yesterday admitted to being a GBG ticker and so, with Mrs TSM’s assistance, we got to the Gnosall one and all seven Stafford entries except for the one WhatPub says opens at 11am, I thought was noon but on ringing the doorbell at 1.02pm was told it’s 4pm on weekdays which isn’t much use for a 1.43pm train towards Euston, and the Yorkshire licensee wasn’t impressed when I say Ian has come all the way from Hampshire for a pint of his finest beer.
We also got round a few non-GBG pubs – and the Bombardier in the one-beer-is-plenty Joiners Arms was far better than the Steerage in the Sun or the Bass in the Kings Arms.
LikeLike
I hope you shared details of the GBG ticker support group, Paul.
LikeLike
No, but Ian D does it differently from you.
He has a GBG on a mobile phone thingamabob and just clicks to record a visit which is probably not as worthwhile as taking photos and writing descriptions to tell us all about his travels.
LikeLike
It’s not a real GBG visit until you’ve pinked it in on your actual Guide and then made a grammar mistake writing about it, Paul.
LikeLike
Indeed and so I shall buy a pink highlighter and give it to Ian D in the Bag Of Nails on 30th August !
LikeLiked by 1 person
Cockpit / WI seems to be a Courage house
LikeLike
I was in an ex-Courage Cockpit early this month but that’s on St Andrew’s Hill, EC4 rather than the Westminster district.
I drank the Cockpit’s last ever bottles of Courage Russian Stout many years ago.
LikeLiked by 1 person