FINDING MYSELF UNEXPECTEDLY IN UTTOXETER ON LADIES DAY

July 2023. Uttoxter.

I’m singlehandedly propping up provincial rail companies as I forlornly tick straggling GBG pubs over summer.

Another trip into Staffordshire via Derby (saving about a tenner) for a lone new Guide entry near Uttoxeter.

At Derby’s Platform 4a it suddenly dawned on me I’d made a big mistake. Huge.

I’d clearly picked Ladies Day at the Vaults, the day Bass is served in feminine glasses or something.

Oddly, the Vaults was closed, so I guess they had to make do with Prosecco at the horsey racing* down the road.

Much to Stafford Paul’s bewilderment, Bass wasn’t on my agenda in Uttoxeter. No, first I needed socks, having set out from Sheffield in what I think are called “short socks”. No good for an 8.3 mile hike, anyway.

And with Uttoxeter the world HQ for JCB, there was only one choice in the Home Bargains.

In JCB socks, trainers and jeans I was now absolutely certain to be refused entry to Ladies Day, even if I’d worked out how to buy tickets.

The pubs, Vaults apart, were heaving, with even more bouncers on the door than on the Pub Men visit earlier this year.

And the town looked jolly, if provincial, as I swam against the tide out south-west towards Kingstone.

BUT the walk out to the Shrewsbury Arms was as bad as ticking gets.

No buses, no pavements, no public footpaths, no verge to speak of, lorries thundering past pushing you into the hedge….a nightmare hour. Public transport ? What public transport ?

But, as you approach Willslock, a bit of bucolic Britain.

And then, 20 minutes later, a pub.

Let’s hope it was worth the effort, eh ?

*I have STILL never been to a horse racing meet (is that what it’s called ?). Always seems cruel, and if you can’t find your way out at the end there’s a real danger you’ll be locked in and have to endure a CAMRA beer festival or something.

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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.

19 thoughts on “FINDING MYSELF UNEXPECTEDLY IN UTTOXETER ON LADIES DAY”

  1. I notice from your pictures that none of the townsfolk are to be seen when all those “ladies” were about. Probably all safe in a ‘lock in’ at the Vaults.
    It was all back to normal three days later. My bus stopped in Kingstone at 3.26pm, one of only two each way each day.
    Here’s what it was apparently all about
    stokesentinel.co.uk/news/stoke-on-trent-news/gallery/17-great-pictures-uttoxeter-ladies-8637897

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  3. I’m being serious here, for a moment, Martin, and I speak as someone who’s had several near misses with speeding vehicles, after deciding to walk along a busy road, where there were no pavements, and where the grass verges were either narrow or non-existent. Blind bends too, are another hazard, as are drivers not properly paying attention.

    Life does, of course, involve taking risks, but when those risks are unnecessary, it really isn’t worth it, especially as you have now completed the Guide. Principles are all well and good, but if they lead to potentially life changing injuries, or even the hospital mortuary, stick your hand in your pocket and call a cab!

    I don’t wish to sound melodramatic, but the old saying that discretion is the better part of valour, does make a lot of sense, and Simon is 100% right when it comes to taxis.

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    1. I bet Stafford Paul would never take a taxi !

      Nope. not going to happen. I did let Mrs RM use one from Sheffield Station to home last week when the tram wasn’t running but that was to avoid marital disharmony. Think I also used an Uber in 2017 to get from Las Vegas to the airport as family weren’t walking 3 miles along a US highway.

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      1. Fair enough Martin, but my advice was given out of concern, as well as being based on my own experiences. As we grow older, there comes a time when we do start questioning our immortality which seemed a natural given, when we were first starting out in life.

        I’ve probably got 10 years on you, and as I say have taken risks which, even at the time, I knew weren’t worth it. They nearly all involved walking along roads that were totally unsuitable for pedestrians, as I realised, every single time. When alcohol is thrown into the mix, the risk factor is increased by a factor depending on how many pints one has consumed. I can count three occasions over the past couple of years, where I nearly came a cropper, and it wouldn’t have been anyone else’s fault, except mine.

        These days, even without Apps such as Uber, taxis are quite readily obtainable – most pubs will happily call one for you, if necessary. So, without sounding like a nannying old goat, please do take care when visiting that “must tick” pub, in the middle of nowhere!

        ps. I shall ask Stafford Paul about his views on taxis, next time I see him.

        pps. My final words on the subject – and that’s a promise.

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      3. Martin,
        After walking along the A9 ( Scotland’s most dangerous road ) between Dunkeld and its railway station on a snowy winters evening I would agree with Kentish Paul, and NOT because for twelve months (2006-2007) I kept the wolf from the door by driving Hackney Carriages and Private Hire vehicles.

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