Next stop, Carlisle, which feels like New York after a week travelling round the Borders.
Look ! The McVitie’s factory (sorry Mrs RM, I didn’t bring you back a discounted packet of digestives).
Oh, look ! A Bass mirror (no Bass).
Oh look ! An open pub. I’d forgotten what they look like. I hoped that cyclist was riding straight into the Joiners Arms, but life is full of disappointments.
But I’m immediately cheered by a new GBG pub that isn’t a micro or craft bar (as predicted by me last year), but is a plain street corner Punch local. With fairy lights.
Not that there’s anything plain about a Proper Pub, with bench seats round the walls, lunchtime opening and beer mats. A couple of Old Boys get to choose the music, a mix of Green Day, My Chemical Romance and Cher (not at the same time, that would be daft). The banter seems to be entirely about folk who have been banned.
And oh look ! Beers you’ve heard of. And a collection box for a local animal charity.
Yes, Carlisle has a long relationship with Scottish & Newcastle, and the perennial Howard Arms is still a town centre outlet, but Theakston Bitter is an increasing rarity in new Beer Guide entries.
For the first beer poured, this is cool, rich and frothy; an easy 3.5. A triumph for Solway CAMRA‘s GBG selection policy.
And the you-know-what are going to be legendary.
One question; why was it called the Blue Lugs ?
retiredmartin 
Named after a former licensee when it was a State pub. It’s a cracking pub. I’ve always been a fan of the Howard Arms too, and the Kings Arms is ok but when it was refurbished a few years ago it lost character.
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Agree on Kings Arms. I miss the Oakwell pub(Magpie ?).
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Humphrey Smith bought the Magpie. No OBB though.
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Ah, makes sense. Shame about the OBB.
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Great post and great pictures 👍👍
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Thankfully there are becoming fewer and fewer GBG pubs with these retro beers on.
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Boooooo
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Shock horror – a Yorkshireman dishing Theakstons ales – whatever next…disowning Dickie Bird???
:0
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A prophet spurned in home land etc
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Not just a retro beer, but very short measure too.
At least flat Bass means you get your full 20 fluid ounces.
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I like short measures if the beer is less than £3 a pint.
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“Biscuit Bargains”
I take it that when the sign says you’re welcome to make use of their biscuit shop, they don’t in the sense of a loo?
“Here comes Chris”
I wouldn’t hang about too long. The signs on the wall indicate they’ve had flooding this century. 😉
“The banter seems to be entirely about folk who have been banned.”
That takes the saying ‘talking behind their backs’ to new heights. 🙂
“One question; why was it called the Blue Lugs ?”
Apparently you have to ask the staff. 🙂
Cheers
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Do folk get banned from bars down your way ?
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Not that I can recall.
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The Proper McVities factories are adjacent to the main railway line in Harlesden and Manchester and NOT in Carlisle.
It’s Carrs of Carlisle that did the Table Water biscuits and I am, on my mothers side, descended from the Carr family.
The 1851 census reports that my great great grandparents lived at 28 Great Underbank, Stockport which would have been quite handy for Winters had Holts got round to opening it a few years earlier.,
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It’s the biscuit detail that makes this blog tick.
How does it feel to be an honorary Stopfordian ?
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Proper pubs and a McVities factory sounds just like Stockport. All they need now is a railway viaduct.
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The mobility scooter was the obvious first sign this is a proper pub.
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Spot on !
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