Another emergency post to meet the tourist needs of Gareth, who is clearly escaping to the right side of the Pennines for a break.
Morecambe was our family trip from Preston yesterday, £23 being a third of the price of a trek into the Lakes. That’s the best thing about Morecambe; you get the views of the hilly bits nicely labelled for you, and you don’t need to climb them.
I sent Mrs RM and the boys ahead on a five mile hike to Bolton-le-Sands while I ticked off a couple of rare GBG newbies. I’m all heart.
There’s more sand here than in Ambleside, and more pubs than on Scafell. Despite those attractions, there were more folk in the coffee shops than on the shore.
A lot of peeling paint too, particularly on the Guest Houses to the north, many of which have been converted to care homes. In parts the town is unexpectedly attractive, reminded me of the Isle of Man, though sadly without the Okells.
There’s a fair bit of faded grandeur though, and the Royal Hotel is just a marvellous old boozer, reminding me of the Stork in Birkenhead.
Some of the best tiling outside of Merseyside, couples gazing out to the Eric Morecambe statue, a bloke singing along, badly, to “Boogie Wonderland”, decent beer at £2.20 a pint. I can forgive it the high tables.
This is a bumper year for the town, and a second new GBG entry was quite a contrast. The Morecambe is a smart hotel that was mopping up the refined dining trade at 2pm. It reminds me of the Glengower in Aberystwyth, apart, of course, from the language difficulties. Old videos of Miss Morecambe were showing on the TV, which was nice.
A little bit sterile after the Royal, but Mrs RM would have appreciated the décor and a superb Cwtch (NBSS 4). Rather like other Champion Beer of Britain winners, Cwtch has been a bit dull in less than stellar GBG pub in the last year, but this was cool and chewy.
But, but, what on earth are those jam jars with handles (see top) ?
I caught up with Mrs RM a mile up the coast.
Actual phone message record here;
“Where are you, exactly?”
“Emma yet church”
“Emmuell church“
“Well done. Keep walking“
“Lost boys“
You really don’t want to lose two boys on Morecambe Bay
“Found them“
So, a bit shabby, but very lovely. Margate looked like this a decade ago. And look at it now. All it needs is half a dozen micropubs.
The Royal at Bolton-le-Sands was worth the 90 minute walk for the Lakeland Gold (NBSS 4) alone, but I’m not sure that view was universally shared amongst our party.
retiredmartin 
What, no visit to Sam Smith’s famous Tivoli Bar?!
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Is it ! I took a pic of it. Should have guessed it was Sam’s
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Can one sing along well to Boogie Wonderland?
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No
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I once spent three years in Morecambe learning my trade but the only thing I can remember about the place was tupping a topless dancer from the Moulin Rouge home on her holidays.
I always thought the pubs in Lancaster were better particularly as it had two independent breweries – Yates & Jackson and Mitchells.
Bu Morecambe was on its uppers even then and that was 40 years ago.
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I’d say your memory is remembering the important things.
Lancaster is full of posh twats.
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Other than the twats what do you think of the pubs in Lancaster?
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The beer and welcome was good, but they’re very middle-class. I’ll be posting on them soon.
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Me and the wife went to Morecambe for a day while having a weeks holiday in Lancaster,we managed to do 23 pubs over both sessions and then a few more when back in Lancaster,the Royal Hotel was a Tetley tied house back in 1985 and Mitchells still had tied houses in the town along with Boddingtons and Matthew Brown.
I would have been spoilt for choice on that bar,as i love Cross Bay beers.
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The Royal felt like a Tetley house.
I don’t know Cross Bay really.
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Give them a try Martin i have liked all of their beers i have tried.
Another story coming up.
On our Lancaster stay back in May 1985 the weather was really hot and when we went to Morecambe is was even hotter,as you said you can see the hills in the lakelands can be seen and there seemed to be clouds over them all week,when on the train travelling back south to Nottingham people who had been staying in the lakes asked where we had come from abroad as i was brown and my wife to be sun burnt,when we said 15 miles down the road they were so surprised.
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Blame the jam jars on Jeremy Clarkson (wiki Kilner jars)
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I’ve just clocked that Cross Bay Sunset is the guest beer in my office, in definitely the correct side of the Pennines, the famous Tynemouth Lodge Hotel. In fairness he often gets them in as they’re, er, good value.
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I hope it doesn’t contaminate the Draught Bass !
The house beer at £2.20 in the Royal was, presumably, Cross Bay, and was fine. Sam Smiths can brew to.that price as well !
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Cross Bay are in the same ownership as Funky Beers, a distributor who are a convenient one-stop shop for pubs wanting stuff like Fyne, Tiny Rebel and Dark Star. I’d imagine most of Cross Bay’s production goes out in “Buy 6, get a Cross Bay for free” type deals.
They’re decent enough – they don’t have the kind of star quality that would normally take them outside their home county, but they don’t make the heart sink either.
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Nicely put.
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As is common with Champion beer of Britain winners they have been getting it brewed elsewhere to satisfy demand or so I have been told.Often changes the taste and not for the better.
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Could be that, but I reckon apart from a few beer enthusiasts the CBOB winners mean little to ordinary drinkers in the average town pubs who are more likely to drink the Doom Bar/Theakston/cheap house beer, leaving the Cwtch a bit under-pulled.
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