THE LAST 100

Been wondering why the blog posts have (almost) dried up ?*

Well, the last couple of months have seen actually ticking the GBG take precedence over writing about it.

Back when GBG22 dropped (ugh), a mere month after the other tickers got theirs mind, I wrote that I had five hundred and eighty-two (582) pubs to complete the GBG in-year.

Yesterday near Ilminster, that became one hundred (100) pubs to do, just like the second sequel to that true film about the Spartans. Ticking the GBG is MUCH tougher than fighting the Persians.

This is still a tough ask, with multiple ferries, midges, Covid closures and the usual challenges of life ahead. But it can be done. Pubmeister did it.

And here are those 100.

Let me tell you, getting to Stornoway or Solva will be a doddle compared to finding out when some of those pubs are actually open.

100 pubs spread over the West Country, South & West Wales, and Scotland. 3 months to do it.

I’m taking next week off to keep the parents hydrated and recover from a week completing Cornwall.

Worryingly, I’m 166 pubs behind on this blog. Which means you might get 24 posts a day for the next week so I can catch up and do a Top 100 pub-by-pub countdown.

Which leads me to the questions for you;

a) Which pub WILL I finish at ?

b) Which pub SHOULD I finish at ?

c) Which pub is this ?

Right folks, buckle down and stay out of the heat.

*almost certainly not

Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

33 thoughts on “THE LAST 100”

    1. Some of the rural Welsh only seem to open evenings, and later in the week, but most of the Scottish ones should be open earlier.

      Organising the ferries is the challenge. At least no more flights to worry about (I think).

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  2. Superb! I expect the last pub may not be where you plan it to be, but if you make it Solva or nearby sometime between 17-24 September I’ll be there!

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      1. Good idea, best chance of them being open in school holidays too, a friend who recommended Solva said it was really busy last August. Whatever you do will be a fitting end to the odyssey, well for a month or so anyway!

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  3. That’s pretty impressive. I’ve only visited around half a dozen of those, and only the Somerset ones in recent times. Ring O Bells at Hinton Blewitt is a bit of a challenge to find and not much in the way of nearby public transport. I did the two in Plockton on a motorhome tour of Scotland a few years ago – lovely little village.

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    1. The odd thing is I completed Somerset in GBG20 so an unexpectedly high number of new entries that weren’t micros, including the Hinton Blewitt.

      I had to do a 4 mile walk in the heat to finish Cornwall. It gets no easier.

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    1. I haven’t though that far ahead, honest, too many big hurdles still ahead. One of the Orkney ones was closed due to Covid fairly recently so completing Scotland is probably the big hurdle. But yes, a pint of Doom Bar in Wick or Pontypridd would be the purist’s choice I guess !

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    1. It looked tougher 3 months ago !

      Ooh, that’s a July 22 Pubs Galore review. Love the line “part of their business model included volunteer labour from the people who had put money into the new venture”.

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  7. Been in six of those pubs – five in Dorset and the one on North Uist – should that be of any assistance 😁.

    Good luck on the final stretch.

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  8. A mighty effort. Interesting list. I need 5 in West Wales but you have done some of those. As you say some of the opening times are horrendous. Pubmeister taxi available for the Loch Lomond tour.

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      2. Orkney Ferries look to have plenty of sailings to Rousay, and the Taversoe Hotel website lists opening times. Doesn’t look that tricky, … or will it not be “summer” by the time you visit?

        Seriously impressed with your recent progress, Good luck!

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      3. And there’s day trips listed ! It was closed due to Covid a couple pf months ago. I think Summer ends when Scottish schools go back which is the second week of August !

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  9. That’s quite a task you’ve got ahead of you, and with obstacles such as geographical spread, transport, and accommodation issues to take into account, it’s not going to be easy. Then, when you throw perverse, or non-existent opening times into the mix, the task becomes harder still.

    But it’s not impossible, as long as you stay focused, and dedicate yourself solely to the task ahead, then there’s every chance you will achieve this goal.

    I’m sure I speak for all your readers in saying you can do this and wish you the very best of luck!

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  10. Good luck on the final push to the finish line. After that many pubs, and drinking that many beers, finishing in a town called Mumbles would seem appropriate. 🍻

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    1. I’ll definitely carry on. I love writing and travel but I won’t have the stress of visiting certain pubs at certain time. Will spend more time exploring the Sussex and Kent coast.

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  12. Not that I’ve been to many but the only one of those hundred I properly remember is the Pilot Boat in Lyme Regis where on one visit I had to ask for my pint to be topped up. WhatPub has it opening at 9am which reminds me of the nearby Royal Standard, also Palmers, being open for breakfast though WhatPub now has it as not till 11am. Worst in Lyme Regis was the Volunteer which had one cask beer reduced and on buying a pint I immediately knew why, yet several beers on meant it was in the GBG which I bought and used twenty years ago.

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      1. The Volunteer might be a Proper Pub but make sure there’s a flower pot ready if you opt for a discounted cask beer.

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