No, there’s no railway line out of Bideford.
In 2009 the Association of Train Operating Companies costed reopening the Barnstaple to Bideford route at £80 million, which is about half BRAPA’s beer budget for completing the Surrey GBG entries.
This chap,
closed the line in 1965, presumably in response to my birth, and the trains now serve as emergency shelter to local pissheads.
Look closely under the train we shall call “Henry”.
The old station is actually East-the-Water, Bideford’s delightful quieter half (smart hotel open, bositerous music pub closed, sunken boats).
Lots of little alleys to enjoy; I assumed Embery’s Drang was named after a Middlesex cricketer’s unexpected delivery, but that’s a different spelling.
Cross the ancient Long Bridge at dusk for more great street names.
Just for Russ, I give you (as it were) Buttgarden Street;
The Southworths should change their plans for a UK holiday visiting craft beer bars in Maidenhead. Bideford is the real deal (pun intended)
It reminded my of exploring Kent towns like Sandwich and Deal for the first time. Loads of winding lanes and little squares.
“A likeable Totnes“ I thought.
Pubs ? Well, with the Appledore Inn closed, your options lie outside the Guide.
I’d overdone it with a pint of Otter Head (calm down, Russ) or I’d have been tempted by the Doom Bar in the White Hart, Anchor, Heavitree and Kings Arms.
One of those will make GBG21 and entice me back in the Autumn. Hopefully the Kings Arms with its Craft Union credentials, but it’ll no doubt be a bottle shop in the Pannier market.
No, I didn’t bring Mrs RM any Devon cream back from the Pannier market. She wanted beer.
retiredmartin 
You didn’t fancy one in the Atlantic Coast Express Micropub then? Styled on Wetherspoon, though the toilets are clearly downstairs not up…
Some of these posts are taking me back to those dreadfully melancholic Sunday afternoons just after all-day boozing came in. Wandering around a half-empty Leicester getting more and more pissed in some of the less attractive townie pubs that flirted briefly with the 12-10.30 slot, when deep down you knew you had to go to work Monday and this was a ‘really’ bad idea. At least you haven’t got to go to work… ever!
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I know exactly what you mean Mark, although on my annual trips to Leicester it would have been “How can I come to Leicester and not go in the Ale Wagon/Spoons/Criterion even though I’ve done 6 pubs and I can’t keep this up” !
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Wasn’t it in the Ale Wagon nearly three years ago that you first met up with Richard Coldwell and both Mudgies ?
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It was, indeed, Paul. A great day.
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Do we know exactly why some of these post Beeching places have kept the BRAPA shaming locations ready and waiting?
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I love those narrow lanes like outside the White Hart. You are whetting my appetite for returning to Cornwall/Devon. Beer over cream, Mrs. RM made a good choice.
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Highly recommend Bideford, Dick. I expect the pubs outside the GBG would be just characterful and busy enough for you, and you’d love the strolls.
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Kings Arms used to be in GBG. I’m an ex- Bideford Grammar School boy – our school song: “While ever the old bridge crosses the stream, and ever the Torridge flows and Bideford is Bideford and England England knows, our school shall stand and still the same, and lustre to its glorious name”.
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Kings Arms looks like a GBG pub.
My school motto was “Put that bunsen burner down, Taylor”.
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My school wasn’t posh enough to have a motto.
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There’s an algorithm that will produce a retrospective motto for any school for you, Bill.
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I went to a very good school.
It was approved.
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School doesn’t stand anymore – demolished c.2010. Now Bideford College.
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Those stead on Russ comments never fail to make me chuckle. Gorgeous looking pubs but now the floodgates are open I suspect Craft Union pub, arguably the least attractive, will make the GBG2021!
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Hang on! I hadn’t even commented on this one yet! 😉
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😀
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“No, there’s no railway line out of Bideford.”
So we get THAT map again.
(oh, and notice I made not a single comment about the name of the street in the first photo) 😉
“which is about half BRAPA’s beer budget for completing the Surrey GBG entries.”
Pfft. Si has no actual budget per se. He pilfers what he needs from his bank. 🙂
(but then moans* about the cost of cabs etc. to throw us off)
* – a bit like his wonky knee 🙂
“and the trains now serve as emergency shelter to local pissheads.”
In a way, it’s like that all over. 😦
“Music pubs struggling”
Hard to hear the lyrics when they’re wearing masks.
“Future micro”
Isn’t that where the lads from Stalag Luft III finally surfaced? 😉
“Lovely”
Pfft. The bottom bit looks like rubbish to me.
“Just for Russ, I give you (as it were) Buttgarden Street;”
I tried to be nice at the very beginning… but (heh):
– isn’t that where all the smokers congregate?
(admit it! you expected me to infer something else!) 🙂
“visiting craft beer bars in Maidenhead”
“Gorgeous”
Stands to reason, dunnit? In a place with a street called “Buttgarden” there’s bound to be those extolling the joys of fruits.
“Love the man on top”
Is that their version of the Mannequin Pis?
“(calm down, Russ) ”
Never fear. The word ‘pint’ before ‘Otter Head’ kept me in check. 😉
“She wanted beer.”
Married a goodun there. 🙂
Cheers
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You SAID you’d stay quiet about how BRAPA funds his trip.
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He’s behind on his monthly bribes, um, payments. 🙂
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Buttgarden Street. That would be the archers. Also location of Jollyboat Brewery.
Our school motto was “Aut disce aut discede” which translated as “work or get out”.
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“Heavitree” – “Brewing ceased April 1970 due to demand for national beers” and after fifty years it must be one of the oldest no-longer-brewing pub companies.
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