September 2026. Mirfield.
Your thoughts and prayers requested as I face three (3) nights of post-surgical support at the in-laws in Kent, with zero new GBG entries to entertain me in Tonbridge. Even shorter posts than usual to follow.
I’m sure I’ll be looking at some creative rail trips to tick those new Guide pubs, as I was on the walk down to Sheffield station on Friday, just before the new Guide dropped (ugh).
As I mentioned yesterday, there’s a lack of new places to discover on the direct routes from Sheffield these days, so I had to scour the map for towns needing connections.
Yes, those are just some of the public transport options to get me to my next bucolic destination.
Before I get there, I must tell you of the joys of rail travel (does not apply to Cross Country, Leon). as I shared a carriage with a chap impressing two enraptured ladies with his tales of 40,600 scoops*.
“I’m the biggest ticker in Lincolnshire” he revealed, before revealing the details of his weekend.
“I go to a micro, tick a few, go to Spoons to use the voucher, another micro, a kebab roll, a micro, a suet steak pudding“. Well done mate, you know how to live.
I was sorry to change trains at Wakefield, where the walk underpass was accompanied by piped brass band, and emerged to the shiny Mirfield station platform where I had time to escort an elderly lady to her bus stop and admire the wonderful art before my connection.
My third train of the hour would whisk me to a town famous for only ONE thing. But if you’re going to be famous for ONE thing, make it this next pub. You can probably guess it.
*Different beers drank, often by way of tasters, sips, thirds, or ale decanted into Panda Pop bottles for enjoyment in one’s underpants back at home.
Was this ‘ticker’ an actual person, or just the alter ego of a well known blogger we know ??
I spent most of my childhood in Wakefield, so love hearing about it, is that new brewery tap near Kirkgate station in the book yet ??
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It’s too recently opened to be in this year’s Good Beer Guide. I’m not sure when it opened, but it was only added to the CAMRA website in April, which is after the deadline for all the entries to be submitted.
Also their beer quality scores are not up to scratch – there are 25 scores from 11 different scorers, and there are three Poors, three Excellents, and the remainder are spread evenly in between, with an average score of Good.
They’ll need to improve over the next five months to have any chance of getting in the “book”.
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That’s the Lost Cause Tap I was hearing about in my next pub, and was tempted to visit except it only opened at 4.
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Oh he was very real. I couldn’t see him but the whole carriage could hear of his derring-do exploits. What a hero.
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Just the sort of dude I have got stuck with over the years.
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Just on trains, rather than in real life, I hope!
In fairness, the older ladies were absolutely in awe of his beer drinking, pie munching prowess.
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Trains and at bus stops, that sort of thing when travelling about. I am too polite to shut them up but the older I get …
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My wife makes it her goal in life to scold people who misbehave. “Pick up that litter”, “Bag that dog mess”, “Get your bag off the seat”. The other week she told a bus driver in Austria not to use his phone while driving and nearly got kicked off the bus (I wasn’t there but sounds likely).
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I am totally with Mrs RM on this sort of thing. The worst is people blaring phones on trains with no headphones. Sometimes I tell them, sometimes I just move to another carriage, depends on my energy at the time.
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Lanarkshire and RM, just to clarify, like Shaggy said, it wasn’t me…😉😁
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*Lara, not Lanarkshire, aas auto correct changed it to ffs
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Surely Mirfield is most famous for being the birthplace of Sir Patrick Stewart in 1940.
Robin
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Is he the one famous for saying “May the force be with you” ?
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Wasn’t it originally ‘may the Bass be with you’ ??
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I did the whole Patrick Stewart thing last time I was in Mirfield, Robin. There’s a really good artwork of him in Star Trek gear.
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Met him when climbing Great Wherneside above Kettlewell in North Yorkshire. That was back in the ’90’s when Next Generation was at the height of its popularity. Nice guy.
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I’ve seen people speak very highly of him in person, Robin.
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When did Simon emigrate to Lincolnshire?
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Simon, like me, is more likely to drink Doom Bar in 45,000 different pubs than 45,000 different beers in a hundred beer festivals !
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I’ve yet to figure out which of those is a greater indication of (in)sanity.
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If all roads lead to Mirfield then don’t stay on any of them for too long would be my advice.
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You’ve probably been there in the past but the Kentish Rifleman at Dunks Green is back in again this year. No food I’m sorry to say because of a kitchen fire but the beers will be local.
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Yes, I read about the recent kitchen fire, although fortunately the pub is still trading for beers, etc.
I must try and get over there sometime soon, using the 222 bus, from Tonbridge.
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