Just to prove I am going out for my prescribed/allowed one hour of continuous exercise, here’s the highlights from my walk up and down Car Dyke, Waterbeach’s third biggest tourist attraction. After the Sun and my parents’ house .
This morning’s highlights come from Durham, for no good reason whatsoever.
Bit surprising to see only 3 trips here in 4 years and 3,000 posts.
24 Guide pubs over the years in a city of 65,549 is staggering though. That’s a lot of pubs within a square mile or so.
Still, you occasionally find a Durham pub you’ve never been in, like the excellent B & B at the Shoes.
Durham is a curates egg of a county. In 2016 I wrote
“In the ex-Vaux houses to the west of the county, despite (because ?) of very limited beer ranges, real ale turnover seems very limited. You get outed as a CAMRA member if you ask for Doom Bar round here.”
But the beer quality (and choice, if you’re one of them CAMRAs), is pretty consistent, at least in term time.
But you come for the views, don’t you?
Come and see the UK’s dullest High Street (#fact).
Steer clear of the shops and head for the Station House for your jigsaws, political debate and impeccable Landlord (and Landlady).
Then head for hipster central at Colpitts, a Sam Smiths flagship.
Mind your effing and jeffing.
Middle-aged men and women out drinking is a feature of Durham, and the North-East in general.
When Mrs RM and I were here in 2018 we couldn’t even squeeze in the Market, svelte as we are.
Can you still get Castle Eden Ale?
20 years ago it was the standout in the Elm Tree, once refused admission to the GBG on spurious grounds. Look it up yourself.
No trip to the Victoria, or the Half Moon, or the Swan, in recent times.
But I did visit Alington Hall Community Centre and drink Arthur Scargill themed beer before a gig by Martha, Durham’s top Punx.
Perhaps the best homebrew in a plastic cup I’ve ever had. And the best gig at the foot of a hill leading to a cathedral.
retiredmartin 
I always wonder if Durham would appeal to me more if I stayed longer. You can’t beat the cathedral and much of the center yet it hasn’t grabbed me like I think it should. I have fonder memories of Newcastle for some reason. May stay longer in 2024 when the vaccine arrives and we can travel again.
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Newcastle is in my Top 5 on all counts (walks, buildings, pubs, beer quality, music venues, art, Chinese food, football).
Durham is a tiny county town, closer to Ely than Cambridge, for instance.
You ought to follow the River Wear round the castle site on a crisp morning to see it at its best.
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Castle Eden is a regular beer in Dun Cow Inn.
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Thanks.
NB Still !? Impressive longevity.
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Psyche sells clothes you don’t want at prices you probably won’t pay
https://www.facebook.com/psychefashion . Then again, their web site https://psyche.co.uk is under construction,
so you are safe for now.
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What would I do without you, Paul 👍
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Why are you perpetuating the urban myth that you are only allowed one hour for exercise?
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I do hope you’re not getting your information from this blog, John. http://www.davidicke.com is all you need.
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In other news, it’s National Beer Day today in the US, I read.
Can they only manage the one then?
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It’s Doom Bar there too, isn’t it?
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I meant, just the one day, like 😉
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Just Doom, I think – as Private Fraser once said!
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No one is blinder than he who will not see the beauty of Doom Bar, as Bono once sang.
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Apparently it’s heresy to like St. Austell’s in some circles, but I rather enjoy the odd pint of Trelawny.
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Me too.
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Etu,
I had four days in Cornwall two years ago and hardly saw the Trelawny at all.
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Let’s be clear. Only an ass would not recognize St Austell is a good brewer.
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Dave,
Yes, “good” and strikes a good balance between tradition and innovation.
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I was hoping to get to the north-east, including Durham, in September but don’t know if it’ll happen.
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I still think there was a Roger Whittaker opportunity there…..
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Raymondo,
Yes and my plan was “I’ve got to leave old Durham town” to also get round some pubs in Berwick, Newcastle and Hartlepool.
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Have you been to the pubs on Hartlepool Headland, Paul?
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No.
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You’re in for a treat.
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Yes, and I’m reminded there’s very little of the north-east I properly know.
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