Another dull old month, ending with some bad news for your ticker (your Beer Guide completist, not your heart).
But at least I made the most of all 31 days in October, and all our vehicles survived their routine services.
Will I ever make a visit to Wales, Scotland or the Isle of Man again ?
HIGHLIGHTS
Arches were the theme of the month, in Glastonbury and Clevedon.
The South-Western travels with eldest lad and Mrs RM in a campervan concluded Somerset and Gloucestershire, and then we made a more luxurious trip to a Saltash Travelodge and made some encouraging ticking on the Tamar.
Oh, and THIS turned up on the 18th;
I welcomed the new Beer Guide, even as it became apparent it was going to be about as much use as a sign saying “No Public Urination” when BRAPA is in town.
Some good news from October;
ALL the pubs I visited were open when they said they’d be.
Beer quality was pretty good, no pints taken back and reduce beer ranges paying off.
Staff were lovely, and contrary to what you were read the customers seemed to be following the rules, too. Those who don’t like rules are staying at home.
THE STATS
A mammoth 75 pub visits, of which 49 were GBG ticks. Not bad, 12 a week is my rule of thumb to complete the Guide before I die.
The 2020 GBG was retired as the new edition “dropped”, with a record number of counties complete despite the March-June hiatus.
PUB(S) OF THE MONTH
A great month for pubs, it really was. Old ones I’d missed before, new ones bought off Greene King and revived, shiny craft bars like the Craft Union place in Hitchin with its classic conspiracy theorist.
I loved the irreverent atmosphere and wonderful beer in the Brook in Great Cornard,
and the unspoilt St John in, er, St John proved that Cornwall does Bass better than anywhere outside Staffordshire.
But best of all was the longstanding landlady at the Devonshire in Sticklepath.
By then, I was starting to appreciate the charms of Devon, though it failed to top my Favourite Counties List.
BEER OF THE MONTH
I drank 3 pints of Bass at the Hare & Hounds at the start of the month and it was nectar, but Bass aside it was the Bourgogne that was drinking well in October.
NOVEMBER PREVIEW
Well, there’s four days till Thursday Lockdown, and only 685 pubs needed to finish the Beer Guide; I make that about 17 pubs per hour. Easy.
retiredmartin 
Excellent. That was an overarching effort.
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Impressive given the current conditions. Now you get a well earned break…
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Grrrr.
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To be fair, my liver could do with a rest. 😕
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An impressive total there Martin, in terms of both pubs visited and miles travelled, although it looks like you could do with a new pink marker!
With only three days to go before Doris’s new lockdown, are you going to go out on a high note, come 10pm Wednesday evening?
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“Not bad, 12 a week is my rule of thumb to complete the Guide before I die.” Do you have some inside information on that?
“…about as much use as a sign saying “No Public Urination” when BRAPA is in town.” 😂
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Yes, I’ve used the Government algorithm to work out my date of death. It was March 12th 1999.
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“Yes, I’ve used the Government algorithm to work out my date of death. It was March 12th 1999.”
(points) Zombie!
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“Will I ever make a visit to Wales, Scotland or the Isle of Man again ?”
Just tell them you’ve recently come from France via an NGO boat or some such. 😉
“Arches were the theme of the month”
That first one is… uplifting.
“Oh, and THIS turned up on the 18th;”
Congrats on the newest addition to the family!
( I meant Baa Baa Sheep, or whatever he’s called) 🙂
“even as it became apparent it was going to be about as much use as a sign saying “No Public Urination” when BRAPA is in town.”
You try downing six pints a day without having to do that!
(mind you, it makes you think how Alan did it for all those years!) 🙂
“Those who don’t like rules are staying at home.”
Really? So, they’re all going to be out and about after Nov 5th? 😉
“but Bass aside it was the Bourgogne that was drinking well in October.”
Always enjoy that whenever I’m flying out of Edmonton Airport after seeing out lads. 🙂
“I make that about 17 pubs per hour. Easy.”
Virtual pub ticking. It’s going to be a thing! 🙂
Cheers
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