There were a few events over the course of this past week that somehow seemed to interweave. There was the end of the county cricket season which produced a wonderful finale, the official launch of the 2026 CAMRA Good Beer Guide, and then on Saturday evening I was in Manchester to see one of the stalwarts of the folk scene in what had been billed as his final tour....
2025 has been quite a summer. Virtually wall-to-wall sunshine and warm temperatures which extended long into September until dewy darker mornings and diminishing evening light began to sneak in. This has enabled far fewer interrupted days play to occur during this year's cricket season which, amongst other things, featured a wonderful, competitive and enthralling test series between England and India, and an exciting finale to the domestic cricket season.
I was at Headingly on Thursday for the evening session between Yorkshire and Durham, and having got the train from Leeds to Burley Park I then walked up to the stadium in bright, warm sunshine. Yorkshire were batting on what was the second day, and were going well with the club's latest overseas signing Mayank Agarwal in fine form before eventually falling for an excellent 175 runs, which left Yorkshire in a good place but still needing to ensure they got the draw that would mean they avoided relegation from Division One.
Whilst at Headingly, the home of Yorkshire cricket, I did have a pint to quench my thirst. Unlike my visit to York earlier in the season, where I was able to enjoy a reasonable pint of Taylors Landlord, this was no great shakes. It was served from a hand pump, but my pint of Hobgoblin Session IPA was devoid of any real character, had a slight fizz, and little taste, and was, I suspect, an example of the latest stunt Marstons have pulled in their attempt to completely undermine their historic reputation as cask beer champions. This is an example of what they are marketing as Fresh Ale, beer which is filtered, then carbonated, and conditioned in the brewery rather than being left to do so naturally in the pub cellar, thereby killing the beer as a live entity. For some places this is ideal as it is easier to look after and the beer lasts longer, but the fact it is sold via a handpump is misleading to customers, which CAMRA have subsequently complained about very loudly. Beers that may be sold this way also include Wainwright Amber and Gold, so be wary. The hand pump clip should say it is brewery conditioned, but just as I did, you may not think to check. Incidentally the first brewery to come up with the concept was actually the family-run Devon brewers, Otter, who launched this format with a version of their Amber beer in 2023.
With relegation rivals Hampshire succumbing to a 20 run defeat by Surrey, who'd won Division One of the County Championship for the past few years but had lost out this time to Nottinghamshire, it meant Yorkshire were safe and all Durham had to do was bat out time and draw the game, which looked pretty much certain at the end of Day 3. However, on to Day 4, and a spectacular early afternoon collapse by Durham saw them dismissed for a mere 85 runs, Yorkshire thereby winning by an innings and 44 runs resulting in a 7th place finish and relegation for Durham.
And so, back to the beer. The 2026 CAMRA Good Beer Guide was officially released during the week and as usual the inevitable changes to the pubs that have been included have had real ale lovers checking out what has changed from last time. Amongst those of course are Olympic-standard pub tickers like Retired Martin and Simon Everitt aka BRAPA who have completed/aspire to complete every pub in the Good Beer Guide, and for whom feverish checking of the new guide to see what has changed and what has been left out helps shape their plans for the coming 12 months.
Inevitably some places have changed more than others. Southend for example, which I visited recently and wrote about last time, and which I moaned about for only having 2 pubs in the Guide for a city of 180,000, now has a total of 5 entries. On the other hand St Helens in Merseyside. which has been on my list for a visit for a couple of years, has seen its representation drop from 5 pubs in the 2025 Guide to 3 this time around, making its appeal less attractive, although the serial award-winning Cricketers Arms is still there. Of course the Guide is just that, essentially a snapshot of a place from earlier in the year when the selections were made by local CAMRA branches for their area, and inevitably there will be plenty of good places that didn't make the cut, particularly in strong areas for pubs like Manchester, Liverpool, and Newcastle. Being in the Guide though is important to pubs from both a prestige and business point of view; if you are in, it can bring visitors to the area in to your pub, whilst being left out can mean losing out on them and the welcome income they bring.
Locally to me in Calderdale, there was, as is generally the case, only a couple of changes, as with only a limited number of slots allocated each year there is generally little room for manoeuvre. I visited one of those new entries at the weekend, a place where I had never been for a drink, although I had visited many years ago but for different reasons.
The attractive village of Barkisland is situated in the South Pennine hills around 6 miles from Halifax, and has gained its first spot in the Good Beer Guide for many years. The last place in the village (which is pronounced Barkis-land, not Bark-Island, as I remember a new and rather wet-behind-the-ears teacher at school calling it to much amusement!) to make it into the Guide was the Grade ll-listed Griffin, which is still open nowadays but focussing more on food. Back in the 1970's it was run by the former Burtonwood Brewery of Warrington, which made it something of a novelty, and so every now and again we would pay a visit. The landlord back then was a German guy called Peter Linn and the pub had a much more limited food offering of pie and peas, which would be inevitably be delivered to your table by a heavily-made up lady of indiscernible age.
Moving on to 2025, or 2026 in Beer Guide years, the local cricket club is making its debut in the Guide which is a reward for the growing reputation for its beer. There has been a cricket club in the village since 1899 although they didn't move to their current ground until 1920, when they were members of the Halifax Association. They moved to the Halifax Cricket League in the 1930's and became one of the strongest clubs winning both the league and cup on many occasions. They moved to the more prestigious Huddersfield League in 2001 where they have continued to enjoy more success. When we were little my Dad used to play in the Halifax Cricket League and my Mum would regularly take us to watch him, and I can remember watching him playing here against Barkisland. A few years later, when I played under-18's cricket I remember playing here a couple of times, both occasions ending in defeat.
Situated next to the village church and close to the school, the cricket club is very much at the heart of the local community. With trees on two sides and fields and the hills beyond, it is a most attractive location. I walked in from the pitch side, a couple of high tables by the windows were occupied, whilst a couple of TVs on the wall were showing Aston Villa v Fulham. On one wall were team photographs going back over the years. The bar is at the far end of the room, where a lady behind the bar was chatting to a guy nursing a pint on the other side. Four hand pumps stood proudly at the front of the bar, with beers from Coach House, Abbeydale, Craven Brew, and Mallinsons on the bar. Resisting the temptation of trying Beyond the Pale, possibly a nod to the former Elland Brewery beer by former Elland brewer Dave Sanders' Craven, I went for a pint of Cascade from Mallinsons, and retreated to an empty table at the side of the room. The beer was in fine condition and most enjoyable (NBSS 3). As I enjoyed it, people came and went, and I was struck on how welcoming and friendly the place was to all. I am not big on CAMRA including clubs, but here there is none of that signing-in malarky with all being welcome. The place is smart and clean, light and airy, and I would be more than happy to visit again, be it for the Beer and Pie Festival in November, or on a warm summer's day, when the E4 bus from Brighouse would allow for a few hours of watching cricket with a few beers.
I visited the other new entry in Calderdale on a visit to Todmorden earlier in the year. I wrote "having seen...that the place had kept winning awards for the quality of both its beer and cider, a visit to Nan Moor's had been on my to do list for some time. I walked in to a warm and busy bar, with a small queue at the tiny bar situated just on the left.... I waited and was served by a friendly lady who turned out to be Alice, one of the co-owners of the bar. An unusual feature here is that the cask beer is served by gravity direct from the barrel. Space considerations means there is normally only one beer on, but I had dropped lucky today, as Yellow Peak from Torrside was pouring. This 4.2% pale is always worth seeking out, and direct from the barrel today it was in particularly fine condition (NBSS 3.5)....I managed to find a perch at one end of the bar and had a pleasant chat with Alice as she served and got on with the work behind the bar, at one point making sugar syrup for the cocktails. She told me that the bar is named after a local witch and is based in a former tattoo parlour. They have folk music and other events on regularly. There was a lovely warm atmosphere...with an eclectic mix of customers (and the odd dog) adding to the friendly vibe. It had taken me a long time to finally get here, but I won't leave it so long before I come again. And if those awards keep on coming, don't be surprised to see Nan Moors appearing in the Good Beer Guide at some point in the future."
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| Nan Moor's, Todmorden |
And finally on the local Good Beer Guide selections, one pub that is in again and has won many awards over the years, has suddenly announced it is closing. The Cross Keys at Siddal near Halifax has been very successful over the years since it was taken over by Hugh Kirby. Having won countless awards for the quality of the beer, hosted several excellent beer festivals, held scores of live music gigs, and become an absolutely massive part of the community, it leaves a huge gap in the local pub scene. But unfortunately Hugh has not been well recently, and so has decided to retire and sell the pub. I would just like to wish Hugh and Georgie all the best for a long and enjoyable retirement.
Saturday night I was in Manchester with my mate John to see the legendary Roy Harper at the Bridgewater Hall. Firstly though we went for a pint at the Peveril of the Peak round the corner where John had never been before. As usual it was very busy, and so on what was a warm evening we took our beers outside and watched the world go by. I had a pint onf Tiger Rut from Millstone, which is regularly on here and was in decent nick (NBSS 3). I did notice that the pub had lost its place in the Good Beer Guide for 2026, but the Pev, with its tiled exterior and Wilsons' branding, is a classic pub and is always worth visiting irrespective of whether it is in the Guide or not.
Back around the corner to the gig, where having been given some duff information by one of the security guys, the gig had actually started. We were sent up in the lift to the 4th floor and guided to our seats high above the stage. Roy Harper and his son Nick were small figures on the distant stage, but the acoustics are so good here that the sound was wonderful. Roy, who is now 84, with a long white beard and flowing long white hair still had a very strong singing voice, whilst both his and Nick's guitar playing were sublime. He has always been something of an alternative, anti-establishment figure, and as his frequent introductions to his songs revealed, he still retains many of those views. His reputation stretched way beyond folk music, particularly for his guitar-playing, with musicians as diverse as Jimmy Page, Roger Waters, Johnny Marr, and Joanna Newsom all citing him as an influence. One of his best known songs is When An Old Cricketer Leaves The Crease which he played towards the end of the show, and which somehow seemed to fit in with the themes that had run through the past few days....
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