A couple of days off, then a hop on t’train to make some more inroads (mixed metaphors here) into that 581 pubs needed to finish GBG22.
I’m using the trains a lot more in Sheffield than in Cambridge, for all sorts of reasons and not just because I hate driving in the dark to overpriced Bed & Breakfast.
Changing trains at Leeds, I suddenly found myself with 25 minutes to kill. Oh well, time for a coffee in the little string of shops just outside the barrier. Hope it lets me back in.
All the little shops are designed in a uniform way, so Superdrug looks like Spoons looks like Subway.
It’s a tiny one, a bit like the Cannon Street branch, and on no-one’s classic Spoons list.
BUT, clean, friendly, efficient, beer £2 a pint cheaper than outside the station.
No wonder everybody hates ’em, eh ?
As I sat down with a perfectly served half of Nettle Thrasher it struck me I wouldn’t have popped in here at all if, for instance, I’d driven to Harrogate and camped overnight or booked a cheap (£45 these days) B&B.
Taking the train encourages you to a) drink pints rather than halves, b) use unexpected time between trains for a last pint. And if you’re on your own, there is no-one to say “STOP ! ENOUGH !”
And we all know where THAT leads;
retiredmartin 
Who is that unshaven man with the cuddly toy?
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I think you mean man-child
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Many “pubs” look like cafes today. As far as pub-cafes are concerned, I would rather drink in Weatherspoon. I always pick up a copy of their own pub magazine, the Private Eye of corporate magazines (unsure if we are to take it seriously – at least I get a laugh out of Tim’s rants).
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This reminds me: is a Wetherspoons ever going to open in Birmingham New Street?
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Good question. There’s about 4 just outside, but what’s the best option actually with the station ?
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The All Bar One just outside one of the entrances? Although Google Maps suggests the Avanti First Class Lounge.
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