Cousland Real Ale & Poetry Society (CRAPS)
In August 2002, following a chat at villager Ken Carnie’s 60th birthday party an idea was born that clubbing together from time to time to hire transport for group outings to local public houses could solve the problem of Cousland not having a pub where good cask ales could be sampled. A minibus was hired and an expedition was organised by Ken to the Goblin-Ha’ in Gifford.
From that first trip out to Gifford of 7 real ale drinkers, the Cousland Real Ale and Poetry Society (CRAPS) emerged and Friday evening pub outings followed with numbers growing over the years to around 20 for every event.
Pubs visited over the years, some of which are now closed, include:
The Levenhall Arms, Musselburgh
The Laird & Dog, Lasswade
The Tyneside Tavern, Haddington
The Drovers Arms, East Linton
The Paper Mill, Lasswade
The Goblin-Ha’, Gifford
The Steading, Lothianburn
The Hopetoun Arms, Ormiston
The Gothenburg, Prestonpans
The Leadburn Inn, Leadburn.
Justinlees Inn, Dalkeith
So, for more than 20 years men of all ages from the village have got together occasionally in a local pub for a blether and a few pints, sometimes with a bit of poetry mixed in - usually from our bard, the late Paul Cornes, who’s ability to pen a humorous poem about the proceedings was remarkable. To get our custom, pubs need to provide a selection of cask ales, snacks of some description and space for around 20 participants.
By 2004 Ken thought it wise to have an annual event to include partners. The first was to Wylam Brewery in Northumberland with partners taken for a shopping experience at the Metro Centre in Gateshead and all enjoyed a meal at the cross Keys in Ancrum on the journey home. All did not go smoothly, but everyone enjoyed the day realising it was an early experiment.
Thus was born a new tradition of visits to small breweries, historical places of interest (via stops for coffee and scones) and dinners with refreshments in suitable venues (usually pubs!) on the journey home to Cousland. These trips continued until 2023, with a break for Covid and latterly morphed into joint ventures with the Cousland Majority Group due to the overlapping membership.
The CRAPS continues today, holding around 4 pub outings through the year, with occasional brewery visits and evenings in the Village Hall (casks of ale, pie and chips and pub games) often with a charitable element.
We have always had great service from Charlotte Travel of Newtongrange who provide minibuses or coaches, depending on our requirements, and have been with us from the start.
If you live locally and wish to join the CRAPS, thus becoming a CRAPPER, simply send an email to the [email protected] and your name will be added to the mailing list for future outings and events.
From that first trip out to Gifford of 7 real ale drinkers, the Cousland Real Ale and Poetry Society (CRAPS) emerged and Friday evening pub outings followed with numbers growing over the years to around 20 for every event.
Pubs visited over the years, some of which are now closed, include:
The Levenhall Arms, Musselburgh
The Laird & Dog, Lasswade
The Tyneside Tavern, Haddington
The Drovers Arms, East Linton
The Paper Mill, Lasswade
The Goblin-Ha’, Gifford
The Steading, Lothianburn
The Hopetoun Arms, Ormiston
The Gothenburg, Prestonpans
The Leadburn Inn, Leadburn.
Justinlees Inn, Dalkeith
So, for more than 20 years men of all ages from the village have got together occasionally in a local pub for a blether and a few pints, sometimes with a bit of poetry mixed in - usually from our bard, the late Paul Cornes, who’s ability to pen a humorous poem about the proceedings was remarkable. To get our custom, pubs need to provide a selection of cask ales, snacks of some description and space for around 20 participants.
By 2004 Ken thought it wise to have an annual event to include partners. The first was to Wylam Brewery in Northumberland with partners taken for a shopping experience at the Metro Centre in Gateshead and all enjoyed a meal at the cross Keys in Ancrum on the journey home. All did not go smoothly, but everyone enjoyed the day realising it was an early experiment.
Thus was born a new tradition of visits to small breweries, historical places of interest (via stops for coffee and scones) and dinners with refreshments in suitable venues (usually pubs!) on the journey home to Cousland. These trips continued until 2023, with a break for Covid and latterly morphed into joint ventures with the Cousland Majority Group due to the overlapping membership.
The CRAPS continues today, holding around 4 pub outings through the year, with occasional brewery visits and evenings in the Village Hall (casks of ale, pie and chips and pub games) often with a charitable element.
We have always had great service from Charlotte Travel of Newtongrange who provide minibuses or coaches, depending on our requirements, and have been with us from the start.
If you live locally and wish to join the CRAPS, thus becoming a CRAPPER, simply send an email to the [email protected] and your name will be added to the mailing list for future outings and events.