Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Category: South Yorkshire

  • Northern Trains : Huddersfield to Barnsley

    Northern Trains : Huddersfield to Barnsley

    My time in Huddersfield was up, so I waved farewell to Harold Wilson and went into the railway station, slightly saddened that I was leaving too early to pop into the King’s Head or the Head of Steam (both pubs at the railway station) for one more quick visit. This rail journey cost just over £8, which was relatively high for a direct train journey of under one hour, based on prices that I’ve been paying recently. The anytime single meant that I could break my journey anywhere along the route, although nowhere initially sprang to my mind. I only realised too late that I could have got off at a stop near Holmfirth and walked there, but I’ll remember that for another occasion.

    Huddersfield railway station is probably going to be knocked down soon, or at least this rickety old bit at the back is. The frontage of the railway station is one of the finest in the country from the Victorian period when it was constructed, but everything else is tired, inefficient and in need of replacement. The matter is currently with Grant Shapps, which doesn’t entirely fill me with confidence, but perhaps that’s being unfair.

    This is platform 2, which it took me a little while to find. It’s illogically numbered due to historic reasons, but it’s actually the platform nearest to the station building, even though logically that should be platform 1 (which is behind it in the above photo).

    The service operates on the Penistone Line, which opened in 1850 and meanders through some fairly small settlements before going through Barnsley and onto Sheffield. There’s apparently a real ale trail which often takes place along the line, which sounds rather lovely (although probably isn’t, it’s probably packed with people feeling ill, but I digress).

    The situation I found myself in was a little odd. The train from Sheffield rolled in and it’s the only service that departs from Platform 2, so it was clearly the train going back again to Sheffield. The driver left the doors open and popped into the railway station building, so I assumed that everyone waiting would get on. They didn’t. I faffed about a bit on the platform looking awkward and confused, before deciding that I’d be brave and climb on board. I was half expecting the damn train thing to drive off and end up at Torquay or something if I’m being honest. One person followed me on, also looking confused. The driver came back a few minutes later and a customer asked him if they could board. He also looked confused, as if permission was needed to get on a train which had the doors open. Perhaps they’re just very polite people in Huddersfield…..

    Also, the seating set-up is completely pointless (not that I want to start moaning about something else), as three people don’t fit sitting side by side on those seats (well, usually don’t). They’d be far better off converting those to the same as most other rail companies, two seats one side of the aisle and two seats the other side. Anyway, the train service wasn’t that busy, so I didn’t have a problem getting a block of seats to myself.

    It’s not going to win any photography awards, but there were some scenic landscapes, and a fair few tunnels, along the journey. The guard seemed helpful, but there was no checking of tickets going on at any stage. They must be trusting folk.

    Arriving on time into Barnsley.

    This is Barnsley Interchange railway station, constructed a few years ago to try and merge the town’s rail and bus operations. What it meant for me was the chance to explore Barnsley, a town that I’ve never been to before. As an aside, I kept hearing Michael Parkinson’s voice in my mind (not all day, just occasionally, I’m not yet entirely losing the plot) who is the most famous Barnsley resident that I know. I don’t know many others, just Arthur Scargill and Dickie Bird, who statue I might go and have a little look at. Anyway, I digress.

  • Sheffield – Woodthorpe Grange Milk Vending Machine

    Sheffield – Woodthorpe Grange Milk Vending Machine

    I’ve never seen a milk vending machine, but it seems a good idea. This one was installed at the platform of Sheffield railway station in 2016 by the Woodthorpe Grange Farm. Unfortunately, when I was there in March 2020 the machine was turned off and there was nothing inside, so it’s either just not been restocked or it was a failed project and no-one has removed the machine yet. I hope it’s the former, it’s a handy way for people to get milk on their way home and it supported the efforts of a local farm.

  • Cross Country : Sheffield to York

    Cross Country : Sheffield to York

    The image above is of the beautiful York railway station, it’s always a delight to arrive into this glorious location. This was the second part of my trip from Chesterfield, having changed at Sheffield. The service was the 11:29 from Sheffield into York on Cross Country, a trip which was going on to Newcastle.

    This is the train after it arrived into York. I had a reserved seat but I, and others as I could hear the confusion, were struggling to work out which of the five coaches was which. There is an electronic display on the side of each carriage, but it’s hard to read and I have no idea why Cross Country don’t just have a clear sheet of paper at least in each carriage. This incompetence moderately annoys me, is it not beyond the wit of any Cross Country manager to change this situation, rather than have tens of people standing confused at the platform? This was the second Cross Country service of the day where I had experienced this problem, so I can’t imagine it’s an isolated incident.

    Fortunately my seat was waiting for me, with no-one in it most importantly, and was the table seat that I had requested. There was a power point at the table which worked fine and although a staff member did come through collecting rubbish, the carriage could have been cleaner. But, the train was on time, the staff member was happy and helpful with everything so I wasn’t displeased with the experience. Especially since it had cost around £5.

  • Sheffield – Real Ale in the 1970s

    Sheffield – Real Ale in the 1970s

    When I was in Sheffield, the locally produced CAMRA magazine, Beer Matters, had been published and it was the five hundredth issue. They were looking back at the history of real ale in the city and in 1975 there was a bar crawl of the city which took in every single real ale being sold. This totalled ten cask beers, of which four were on handpump and six on electric pump, along with a few real ales in bottles. The cost of these beers, and the buses to get between them, cost £3.

    We are fortunate indeed for the many volunteers within CAMRA who established the organisation and have ensured we’re not in a similar position today with such a limited choice. The magazine also notes that if someone attempted the same pub crawl today, visiting every pub, it would take at least forty nights and days to complete.

  • Sheffield – Fat Cat

    Sheffield – Fat Cat

    Roger Protz, the great beer writer, wrote that the founder of this pub, Dave Wickett, told him:

    “Dave told me a wonderful story of how he bought the Fat Cat, refurbished it and was ready to open but he didn’t have any beer. He phoned Wards, who were still brewing, and none other than the head brewer came round and asked to see the cellar.

    “I’ll tell you what I’ll do,” he told Dave. “I’ll put a cellar tank in with pressure points on the bar and away you go.”

    “I don’t want that,” Dave said. “I want casks and handpumps.”

    “Nobody wants to drinks that anymore,” the man from Wards said and stormed off in a huff. In desperation Dave phoned Timothy Taylor in Keighley and asked if he could buy an 18-gallon cask of Landlord and was told Sheffield was outside the brewery’s delivery area.

    So Dave drove to Keighley, put the cask in the boot of his car and took it back to the pub. Two days later he phoned Taylors who said they expected he’d been unable to sell the beer.

    “No,” Dave told them. “It went in two days and I want two more casks.”

    “In that case, we’ll deliver,”

    Taylors said and with just three cask of ale Dave Wickett helped the brewery turn Landlord into a national brand.”

    The pub opened in 1981, so this was one of the forerunners of the real ale movement in the city, a brave and innovative decision at the time. There was also an innovative change in 1986, when there was a non-smoking room introduced into the pub, which was the first one in Sheffield.

    The Chasing Casks Irish Stout from Kelham Island Brewery, which I recall was well kept, although unfortunately I remember nothing more, other than I marked it as 4 out of 5 on Untappd…. We followed in the problem group from the previous pub into this location, but fortunately they found another place to sit in the pub whereas we found a suitable area elsewhere.

    The high tide mark on the side of the pub. There were some floods the week after we visited, although I’m not sure if this area suffered any damage.

    The pub was busy, but the staffing was friendly and engaging, with the barman being conversational and knowledgeable about the beer options. All very comfortable and the building itself is quite intriguing, and Nathan managed to walk us round about three rooms before he found the bar. But, I don’t like to comment on such things….

    My favourite TripAdvisor review…

    “CRAP larger, unfriendly bar staff with no personality made us feel like we was an inconvenience”

    This is a win-win when I see a review like this, because I can see it’s a pub that obviously doesn’t sell Stella and lager is mis-spelt far too much….

    I liked this pub, although I mildly regret that it was so busy I didn’t get more chance to look at the building itself. CAMRA have a detailed history of the pub and the interior, so perhaps I’ll get to go back in the future to have a better look at this.

  • Sheffield – Harlequin Pub

    Sheffield – Harlequin Pub

    This was one of the last pubs on our pub trail and it’s part of the Kelham Island tour. The pub was formerly known as the Manchester and it was renamed Harlequin after a nearby pub which had closed and been demolished.

    For reasons I’m not quite sure, but are probably related to the exciting Alan Partridge quiz that Liam was excelling at, I forgot to update Untappd and so I can’t recall what I ordered. Nathan will probably know, he has a memory for irrelevant information, but I’m sure it would have been the Sorsby Stout from the Tapped Brewery Company.

    As for my usual dip into TripAdvisor, it’s fair to say that this is, well, a rather unusual review…

    “A man in toilet on saturday made lewd comments to me, apparantly this is a regular thing in here on a saturday night, this is cottaging and should not be allowed, drinks are well overpriced for a skanky pub, GARBAGE, watch your bum in the toilets, WEIRDOS.”

    This was a perfectly welcoming community pub, the prices were reasonable, an interesting selection of beers were available and the staff were friendly enough. But, still, for me the memory will be Liam’s ridiculously detailed knowledge of Alan Partridge….

  • Sheffield – What If Poem by Andrew Motion

    Sheffield – What If Poem by Andrew Motion

    Located at Sheffield Hallam University, this is quite a statement…. A different form of art, something quite evocative I thought.

  • Sheffield – Fagans

    Sheffield – Fagans

    Not much has changed in this pub for some decades, but that’s all for the good, as it has maintained an historic charm. CAMRA note that the pub has had only three landlords over the last 100 years, not least Joe Fagan, who was Tetley’s longest serving landlord, running the premises from 1947 until 1985. Before the pub was renamed after Fagan, it was known as the Barrel and had been trading since at least the early nineteenth century.

    The choice is Tetley’s cask….

    Or Abbeydale Moonshine.

    An old Tetley’s board in the pub. There is a rear room which has been converted from part of the landlord’s former accommodation, along with a tiny snug to the right when entering, which is apparently also known as the ‘dram shop’. The service in the pub was friendly and we were served quickly, even though the pub was busy. We didn’t eat, and I’m not sure that they were still serving meals, but their reviews for food are excellent.

    On reflection, I suspect we were under-charged a little, as this was the cheapest round of the weekend by at least a couple of pounds. We didn’t stay an overly long time as there was live music on and the pub was full, but there was a welcoming and laid-back feel. I do slightly suspect though, good as this pub clearly is, that it might not have made the cut for the Good Beer Guide in other cities, as the choice of real ale is one of two, both of which are commonly seen, it’s solely reliant on the community feel of the location. Although as it’s an institution that should perhaps be visited, I’m glad that I went.

  • Sheffield – Bath Hotel

    Sheffield – Bath Hotel

    Listed in the Good Beer Guide, this pub has also been credited by CAMRA as having ‘Nationally Important Historic Pub Interior’ status. This is very much deserved, it’s a quirky two room pub where the old saloon and public bar set-up remains evident. There’s something wonderful about seeing old signage for these bars, it’s a reminder of the pub’s history and also how society has changed over the generations.

    There was no need for me to ponder my choice, which was the Cocoa Wonderland chocolate porter from Thornbridge Brewery in Bakewell. I saw this beer in a few pubs over the weekend, it’s a rich tasting beer with a strong chocolate edge, which is, to be honest, a quite marvellous combination.

    There were a few signs like this, there was an evident sense of humour and the bar staff were friendly and helpful as well.

    Pinching the pub’s own history of their building:

    “Our Grade II listed pub dates back to 1867, at one time it appears to have doubled as a grocers and a beer house. The first recorded use of the name ‘Bath Hotel’ was in 1908. Ind Coope bought it up around the time of the First World War and remodelled the interior in 1931, extending the pub part into what had been the grocers. The building today is scarcely altered since 1931 apart from the loss of the off-sales (hence the disused doorway on Victoria Street). In the sharp angle of the streets there is a triangular shaped bar with seating and a hatch servery.”

    I didn’t notice the old off-sales door, although it makes sense now that I’ve had a look at the building again on Google Maps.

    There’s also an interesting TripAdvisor review, which noted:

    “We like this place but we won’t be rushing back. Got here a little early, 11.56, and was pleasantly surprised to find the door was open.”

    The pub worked out the time of entry as actually being 11:31, which is a slightly amusing difference, and I can guess which story is most likely to be accurate.

    Anyway, this was one of my favourite pubs of all that we visited in Sheffield, the laid-back atmosphere, the sense of history to the building and the excellent beer choice all combined into a not unpleasant visit. Another well deserved entry into the Good Beer Guide if I may say so…. (and I doubt enough people will ever read this to be able to stop me saying so).

  • Sheffield – Banker’s Draft

    Sheffield – Banker’s Draft

    The final stop of our first night in Sheffield was at Wetherspoons, for a number of reasons, but not least because they open late.

    The beer selection was fine, although unusually lacking in darker beer options. The service was though top notch, a friendly and engaging staff member who was keen to answer questions and to comment on Ross’s ridiculous beer selection. The Riders on the Storm beer was also fine, a decent enough golden ale.

    A spacious building with high ceilings, as can be guessed from the pub name, it was formerly a bank. Originally operated by the York & County Bank in 1904, it was used by the Midland Bank until 1989 and the building then became redundant. Wetherspoons have helpfully taken photographs of inaccessible parts of the building, including the stabling area in the cellars and the upper offices, a marvellous idea given the history of the pub.

    Anyway, onto TripAdvisor. The Wetherspoon’s Christmas meal has, I understand from listening to staff, been a repeat of last year’s debacle, where there’s no gravy provided and it’s all reheated in one go. But, it’s £8.75 including a drink, so there has to be some expectation management going on here. Anyway, one customer from last week isn’t pleased:

    “I came in bankers draft with my wife and my parents we all had Christmas dinner and the gravy was like water on 3 and my one had no gravy and told a member of staff about it they said they will get me some gravy but never did and the staff are incompetent as staff never came and asked if everything was ok and you should train your staff in good corporate hospitality and the meat was not from a turkey joint and it was processed meat you need to retrain all your staff from back of house to front of house”

    Not from a turkey joint, I can’t say that I’m surprised…

    Maybe we got lucky, but the service was some of the best I’ve experienced in a Wetherspoons, so all very lovely.