retiredmartin

I was just wondering why I hadn’t seen BRAPA’s August review when I realised I hadn’t done one myself. Membership of the GBG Tickers Society requires this monthly return on progress.

I do have the minor excuses of being stuck in a field, in Dorset, at the start of the month. End of the Road always mucks up my ticking and blogging, and this year left me stranded in a campervan 200 miles away from my new GBG while Duncan and Simon tucked into theirs last Friday night.

 

HIGHLIGHTS

August saw me jet-setting around the UK’s cultural hotspots. And London.

By some way, the view from the Quantocks was the monthly highlight. Best exercise I’ve had all year.

The sights at my first Great British Beer Festival were no less compelling, of course.

As always, the best fun was had in Bradford. 11pm in the Corn Dolly will always have a place in my heart.

 

THE STATS

Forty-six (46) new GBG pubs in the month, a solid end to the Guide year which left my lovely pinked map looking healthy. If you ignore Scotland and Wales, and who wouldn’t.

 

PUB OF THE MONTH – GREYHOUND, LLANGUNLLO

OK, the outside loos have something to do with it.

 

BEER OF THE MONTH – PEELER, WAPENTAKE

Nomadic brewed a wonderful 6.1% IPA in honour of Richard, who I’m missing very much.

 

SEPTEMBER PREVIEW

On the 12th I’ll give you my take on the the new GBG and the inevitable logistical challenges.  Unexpectedly closed micros, finding cheap flights to Guernsey, the horror of a return to Maidenhead…

For the rest of this month I’ll be dotting between Manchester, where Matthew has just cut his first human hair, and my Cambridge base from which I can clear the local ticks.

But September would be a great month to make some inroads into Cornwall and Cumbria, now the pashminas are gone.

As always, let’s finish with an Otter.