I’d parked up just south of Sunderland on Durham’s mining coast. It was a vibrant place before BRAPA went to the University of Sun’land in the late ’90s.
This is the coast that pashmina’d Guardian readers DON’T go to, instead heading on to Northumberland with its Potter castles and smoked kippers.
I’ve stopped off here to admire the cliffs at Easington and Blackhall en-route to Roker and had the beaches all to myself. And dreamt of a new GBG pub in the Hartlepool to Seaham stretch, so here it is.
Hawthorn’s Stapylton Arms isn’t named after City-supporting John Stapleton of ITV fame, but that’s my only criticism.
A gorgeous 30 minute walk along the Burn brings you to a Proper Village Pub where folk dress up to go out on Saturday night. Whole groups of them, taxied in from Easington, of which Wiki says;
“Notable for being the town with the highest percentage of white residents in England (99.2% white in 2001). It also has the UK’s lowest population of Jedi knights”
No Jedi knights, but apart from that All Human Life Is Here.
It’s a professionally run place, with the Covid measures reassuring but unobtrusive.
Two Old Boys in front have the Consett beer, so I’m getting at least (AT LEAST) the third pint of Red Dust that day.
Out in the garden it was a foamy joy (NBSS 3+),
though I felt a little self-conscious as groups of glammed up lasses arrived up for a giant birthday party* and noted the loner hogging a table for six.
Easington has been home to some famous names, including Pope Nicholas Breakspear (or Brakspear Bitter fame), Matt Baker (of Blue Peter fame), and Ian Cranson, the second most famous “Ian” to play under Lou Macari at Stoke City in the early ’90s (1990s).
I saw none of those on my visit. But I did see life.
*(No, YOU check the rules). At least there was no table moving.
retiredmartin 
You and Paul this week. Wow. Gonna hafta put an age minimum on these sites soon.
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I can’t have that Bailey bloke nicking my audience.
That’s a PG-13, I think.
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What’s next though with you two competing though?
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There’s a picture of a Wetherspoons curry coming up on mine.
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No sneaky photos on mine, though! 😁
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Mine are art, Paul.
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Looking forward to seeing your score in the system, we get very few scores in the East of the county! 😉
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Just added 4 Chris !
Good to see some new life in the East.
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But what did Nicholas Breakspear do wrong for there to have been no English popes in the last 860 years ?
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They preferred Moretti in the Vatican.
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The selection process, complete with all the black and white smoke, became an Italian stitch-up!
Martin puts it rather more succinctly, below.
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Mafia.
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That’s a glimpse into the world of Premier League Pub Ticking for me!
No such glamour when I take pictures of pubs – all I get is old chaps picking their nose in Wetherspoons. Bah!
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BeerMat and me much prefer the photos of the oldies to youngsters, such as the 4th one here;
https://retiredmartin.com/2016/12/05/surviving-south-west-london-part-2-tooting-to-clapham/
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Lovely new blogpost from you, by the by
https://propupthebar.blogspot.com/2020/07/west-london-pub-explorations.html
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