February 2026. Banner Cross. Sheffield.
Approaching middle-age, I feel less and less inclined to turn down any offers of a pub and a chat, even if it does mean staying in Sheffield rather than a slog to Shetland.
And the pub tickers are the best of men, always positive despite that setback in a micro miles from home, always cheerful about life and with a travel tale to tell.
Ian aka Alfie was back in town to do the Itchy Pig 2 I stopped him doing last year, and though obviously I’d have been happy to walk there’s a PE∆KLINE bus (with irritating stylised ∆) that whizzes from the station through the posh western suburbs and gets you to Banner Cross at 11:58.
And pub tickers love,love, standing outside GBG pubs 2 minutes before opening watching the harried staff getting ready to open. It lets them know we care about pubs.
Our host is just setting up, but as it’s drizzling outside and he’s a nice man we’re invited in, on condition that Ian doesn’t try and sit on the chairs in the window.
He may be athletic, sneaking into the 1978 World Cup Final via a stack of chairs against an outside wall at the River Plate, but…Health and Safety and all that.
I was impressed with the beer and welcome here back in the Autumn, even if the seating wasn’t quite to my taste, and again here the second of the Itchy Pigs delivered.
High quality (NBSS 3.5+) pints of Tiny Rebel and Harrogate for me, halves of the rest for Ian. Since completing the Guide it’s been strictly pints only, which has its drawbacks on long bus trips, as Simon will confirm.
The bus back was at 12:26. We missed that, and the 12:51, which proves pub tickers aren’t in and out of pubs in two minutes.
Not ALWAYS, anyway.
retiredmartin 
I’m sure you could manage a nice pub crawl back home from there. Pick up a packet of scratchings for Mrs RM on the way.
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The window chairs look rather arty.
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Turner Prize worthy.
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Like a Sheffield remake of Poltergeist.
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“And the pub tickers are the best of men, always positive despite that setback in a micro miles from home, always cheerful about life and with a travel tale to tell.”
Have you read Si and his incessant complaining about his wonky knee, elbow or whatnot?
“and though obviously I’d have been happy to walk there’s a PE∆KLINE bus (with irritating stylised ∆) that whizzes from the station through the posh western suburbs and gets you to Banner Cross at 11:58.”
Beats walking for an hour, fer sure (if the weather was inclement).
“Our host is just setting up, but as it’s drizzling outside”
See! Inclement weather.
“on condition that Ian doesn’t try and sit on the chairs in the window”
Does Ian give off that sort of vibe?
“He may be athletic, sneaking into the 1978 World Cup Final via a stack of chairs against an outside wall at the River Plate,”
Ah, definitely that sort of vibe.
“but…Health and Safety and all that.”
Plus the fact that, as we get older, we’re not as limber as we used to be.
“I was impressed with the beer and welcome here back in the Autumn, even if the seating wasn’t quite to my taste,”
(looks up)
I still don’t get how you can have an IPA that’s only 4.7%.
“Since completing the Guide it’s been strictly pints only, which has its drawbacks on long bus trips, as Simon will confirm.”
I can confirm that when driving over on this side of the pond!
“The bus back was at 12:26. We missed that, and the 12:51, which proves pub tickers aren’t in and out of pubs in two minutes.”
Good. Not everything has to be a rush.
“Not ALWAYS, anyway.”
(slow golf clap)
Cheers
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Yes, Ian aka Alfie does give off that sort of vibe ! A great guy.
It’s Simon’s liver that needs to be moaning, not him.
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LOL. 😁
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