Heading off to the seaside now, without ever actually seeing it on the 20 minute metro meander round the coast.
The revelation on the metro journey came late.
“Next stop Tine-mouth”
I’d always been told it was “Tin-muff” by those evil Geordies.
I’d always also been told that railway stations were places you bought overpriced coffees and found yourself caught short when the loos are inexplicably shut.
Now I realise railway stations (never mind the arches) are merely homes for micros.
Sadly I was on a tight timetable, arranging to meet Electric Pics on home turf back down the line in Whitley Bay. And besides it was raining.
So I can’t bring you my usual investigative piece on the joys of Monkseaton, which Wiki reckons has a scarcely believable 19,044 souls. That must be the population of Whitley Bay, surely.
There must have been 20 of those souls in the vast Left Luggage Room, but it was so dark there might have been 200.
Quite why Monkseaton needed a left luggage room bigger than your house is another unanswered question; I guess Tynesiders forget stuff when they’ve drunk too much Newcy Brown.
But it makes for a splendid pub, with high ceiling, loads of proper seating and a great view of the trains you’re missing.
A bewildering selection of drinks.
“Oooh, that’s a bewildering selection”
“Aye”
Chaotic, which I like a lot. Reminds me of the station bar at Kidderminster, which can’t be bad.
At the bar I attempted to pay in pennies rather than 20p pieces, which at my age I can blame on the lighting. It took me ages to pay, but I wouldn’t be beaten by the fact that I’m incompetent.
There were a lot of gentlefolk in a mixed crowd, but they probably pay by contactless.
Anyhow, more top beer, Sessions from Northern Alchemy, and more evidence of the true north’s enduring Dylan fascination.
retiredmartin 
I’m disappointed Freeman Of The Land-type bloke wasn’t there, cheerfully bar blocking and annoying anyone who hasn’t learned not to make eye contact with him. Characters, eh?
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At least it has characters 😕
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“it was so dark” – lighting ‘on the cheap’ ?
“Reminds me of the station bar at Kidderminster, which can’t be bad” – yes, Bathams Best Bitter at.10.25am last month and I might return next month.
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10.25am is a bit late for you to start on the turps Mudgie.
Heavy night ?
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P P-T,
No, It was a Saturday and I’d not been to any pubs since Penkridge two days earlier. I fed our pets before getting the 9.09am train out of Stafford for Kidderminster, Bewdley and Worcester. .
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What new horror is this ?
I turned on Sky News this morning to hear some smug metropolitan broadcaster chuntering on about Go Sober For October and how he’s now gone two years without a drink.
I thought Dryanuary was the month for sanctimonious twats to give the rest of us some peace in the boozer ?
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And while we’re at it here’#s a headline from today’s Daily Hate
” Scottish drinkers buy far LESS alcohol under minimum pricing plan, new figures show ”
And here’s the story to back it up.
” Scottish adults bought one unit less of alcohol – the equivalent of half a pint of beer, half a glass of wine, or a single measure of spirit – each week than they did before the drastic policy was introduced, on average, according to an analysis. ”
I mean,Jesus H.Christ. A half a pint of beer less a week …
My dander is getting up this am.
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If you could only afford a half a week, then that’s some heavy hit.
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P P-T,
And a pertinent comment from north of the border is “Anecdotal evidence seems to imply that sales of “cheap” alcohol have gone down, but drug use has increased. So does society view white cider as a worse option than Heroin?”
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Surely statistically insignificant when compared to normal Scottish consumption?
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Indeed.
Not that I know of any Scottish people who would drink a half.
It’s only the namby-pamby wing of the beer ticking community who do that …
Wahaay !
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Nice to see you and Simon riffing off of each other’s titles.
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Stealing is the word you’re looking for.
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You have to say there are few modern artists who pop up in everyday life like Dylan does. Pretty amazing.
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Even more than Spandau Ballet do. True.
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Is that Darth Vader’s mask on the wall in the Low Lighting photograph?
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I don’t watch Star Trek so wouldn’t know.
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Are you preparing us for the fact you didn’t also go in Front Street Tap House in Monkseaton? If so I refuse to believe it.
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I mentioned it in passing but would hazard a guess it won’t be worth a pre-emptive tick.
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8 halves in a night is plenty for a southerni(ish) softie like me.
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The notice says the pump doesn’t work because vandals have taken the handle but the handpumps look okay to me.
And they must be Germanic to be proper Vandals.
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I think I could spend a while here -if only it wasn’t in Tinmooth -not one of our regular holiday spots but perhaps a stop off on way up to Scotland (on second thoughts no -we usually fly to Scotland these days being affluent grey pounders )
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