Well, it’s been a great birthday (did I mention it) so far and I haven’t been stabbed in New Brighton yet.
Can I sneak a Chinese takeaway back to my £18.94 room?
There has been Bass.
Just in case you wondered, this is the itinerary for The Birthday Week, so far.
Wednesday – Durham
Thursday – Workington (😱)
Friday – Stockport (no stagger)
Saturday – Llandudno w/Duncan
Sunday – New Brighton
Monday – Place your bets.
Durham was an ideal base to complete the Tyne & Wear GBG.
A commendable effort by The Shoes, only improved if they could stop the rain that hammered down on the walk to Durham station.
If I hadn’t stopped at the top of the stairs, Joker style, I’d have caught the 18:40 to Newcastle.
The chap at the ticket office went
“Ooh, you’ve a long wait till the next train”
omitting to tell me there was one on Platform 2 AT THAT VERY MOMENT.
If I’d run I’d have caught it.
Still, time to tick the Waiting Rooms, a worthy GBG newbie with a cheery barmaid and desolate customers.
You expect a few dodgy characters at railway bars, don’t you? Nope. THEY WERE PLAYING COLDPLAY.
Normal people would have sat there for 20 minutes and read a book.
Not me. Move or die.
I visited the Station House last year and was impressed with their pub quiz vibe.
But could they cut it on a wet Wednesday after Michaelmas term ends?
Oh yes.
There were some folk from the Uni there, discussing Middle Eastern politics over flights of cider. Always a Good Thing.
And a display that tells you how long you’ve got to order another beer before your delayed train comes (top).
And a barman with a proper Health and Safety cap who was brilliant and told me the Landlord is kept for weeks before serving.
“oooh! “ I said, like I know what that means.
But Tim Taylors should come here now and sample their beer at its best, rather than the pallid imitation served up in London for a fiver a pint.
I had a third of something strong and dark, almost expertly decanted into my Landlord glass, and declared the Station House the “best micro in the world”
Cheques to the usual address, Chris.
I’m beginning to think you can tolerate pretty much anything when it comes to pubs: subpar service, middling ale, high tables, and limited opening hours. But we must draw the line at Coldplay! 😉
Did you happen to find out how The Shoes got its name? I’m wondering if it might be related to when John Lennon was asked about the origin of the name “The Beatles” and said, “It’s just a name. We could have been called The Shoes.”
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Yes, it’s named after the original name for Coldplay.
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Did they change the name because everybody threw shoes at them?
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“The Shoes” was the “Three Horseshoes” before it was renamed by a new publican. See
https://www.booking.com/hotel/gb/the-shoes.tl.html
The colored glass in the windows is a hint.
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That’s two of you who’ve said that so it’s definitely wrong.
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High Offley wouldn’t have been much of a detour from Llandudno to New Brighton – and jugged 6X would have meant a birthday to remember.
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I can’t believe you’ve been in our pub twice and we still haven’t met! But I’m very glad to hear the beer, staff and customers were on form, the highest praise possible indeed!
Next time you’re up this way we need to meet up for a pint of Bass. Plus I know a very nice pre-emptive that’s just opened… (Sorry I’ve been a bit preoccupied and haven’t commented much recently, we’ve been busy working out how to run two places instead of one!)
The Shoes is, I believe, the artist formerly known as the Three Horse Shoes. Was there any beer on?
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I know what it’s like when you run a multi billion pound enterprise, Chris. I prefer to visit unannounced so you don’t go to any trouble to buy in Doom Bar for me.
The Shoes had Allendale Golden Plover on, a sensible one pump option. Can highly recommend the B & B to visiting tickers.
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Haha, if only…!
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Not sure what that board means. Can 10 men drink 48 pints before the Newcastle train arrives? Are they querying whether there’s any beer in Bristol??
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Scott,
All I can work out is that the round symbol for EDINBURGH means high chance of Autovacs.
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Ah, stops in Musselburgh then.
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I’d just carry on into Haymarket or Waverley for the Abbotsford, Bennets Bar, Cloisters, the Oxford Bar and twenty pubs I didn’t have time for last April.
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You did well enough in April, young Paul!
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Ah, yes, some good memories of Edinburgh in April – Tim selling Lees Monraker on Waverley railway station, you showing me the “craft” in the Cloisters pub and, best of all, Bennets Bar.
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What a great birthday. I would love to spend mine as you did yours! Happy Birthday.
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Thanks Dick. Thinking of how much you’d love Wales at Christmas.
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Yes, indeed.
There’s not many people know that you can go to Bethlehem and be within three miles of a pint of Brains
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Earnest pub picture of the year! You’re in good form 👍👏
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