23rd January 2020
We’d checked into our digs at the Wool Merchant in Halifax after an exciting descent into town and some aggressive road works than caused Duncan to waste £3 on parking. I resent paying for parking at the best of times; £3 is two ticks worth of beer.
I enquired about the free half of house bitter we’d had last year,
but sadly that was only available to folk who booked direct, a second wounding blow in 5 minutes.
In all other aspects the Wool Merchant is ideal for the budget conscious ticker. Five minutes from the train, the Piece Hall and half a dozen ticks. Good mushrooms, too.
One of these days I’ll visit the pub next to the Minster.
Duncan’s and my penultimate West Yorkshire tick is almost inevitably a small bar in a converted mill.
Someone has kindly left a trail of clogs for us to follow.
The Stod Fold Tap is next to a Jack Wills outlet, flaunts “industrial chic“, and has regular street food vendors providing artisanal grub.
Another non-trad pub for the ‘Fax, like a cellar bar with long tables and deli platters and live music from a Dire Straits cover band.
I go for a mug of artisanal Peri Peri scratchings with my pint of Pale. Beer sommelier level beer and food matching.
What more do you want ?
Well, they were playing this. They really were.
He got the GBG action, he got the motion
Yeah, the boy can tick
Dedication, devotion
Turnin’ on the night time into the day
And they had phone charging cables (and sockets).
I thought the Pale was crisp and tasty (NBSS 3) so I had a half of Rum Porter as well. Even better, but the first of several bad moves.
All uphill/downhill from now.
retiredmartin 
How many Dire Straits cover bands do you run into?
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Not many, rarely out late enough 😉
Solo guitarist in Bury st Edmunds last year did some Knopfler.
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Martin does Dire Straits covers without assistance. Sadly overestimated my abilities though – I need still one in Leeds. Fun evening.
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Artisan scratchings…you’ve gone gastro!
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“the first of several bad moves” –Let’s hope this doesn’t lead to Simon-at-Newark-Station levels of regret. 😉
When the pump clips have little “vegan friendly” signs on them I suppose you know you’re not in a flat roof estate pub anymore. Did you like the artisanal scratchings?
Dire Straits had this burst of popularity in the States in 1985 following the release of the Brothers in Arms album, but it only lasted a year or so as I recall. Was their success more long lasting in the UK?
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Dire Straits had a level of credibility among the mature rock fans from about 78-85, when they became a bit of a byword for naffness while selling millions.
Making Movies and Love over Gold sound better now than they did then.
I do like artisanal scratchings. Better an artisanal pig than a chlorinated one 🇺🇸
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But were they vegan scratchings? Dodgy Dave would never have allowed chlorinated pork into the country.
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