Oooh, clickbait Bass.
Is a pint of banked Bass REALLY the best visual representation for County Durham (not to be confused with Durham the City or Adrian of Talksport infamy) ?
Stockton-on-Tees, home to the Sun’s famed bankers, doesn’t even appear on the Bing Map for the county.
But it does appear in the Good Beer Guide, which is the official source to UK boundaries,
and Stockton would be in my Top 10 pub towns if I ever got round to doing THAT list, on account of the Carling-fuelled Sun and the magical Golden Smog.
You can eat, drink and bantered (?) better in Stockton than almost any place on earth. I recommend the parmo at Borge;
But you haven’t come to Durham for parmo, have you ? You’ve come for the scenery near Barnard Castle,
and the coast around Seaham,
and the thundering power of High Force.
and the enduring beauty of old Durham town.
The county town has had more than its fair share of GBG entries over the years,
ranging from the scruffy to the ornate,
to the frankly brilliant.
That’s the Station House, the jewel in Durham’s crown, though to be honest I haven’t been to the Victoria or Elm Tree since a whirlwind weekend when I did a dozen here in 2003.
And I haven’t visited the pubs along the A689 for a while, so hopefully the Black Lion at Wolsingham is still a classic. BRAPA liked it;
If you DO go to Barnard Castle, head for the Bowes Museum and see the two-headed calf often used in eyesight tests in town.
But for even better art, Peterlee is the place for your brutalism fix.
Hope I’ve sold it to you. But if you’re coming from the Black Country you’ll be wanting your BBB and barms, so head to the mining villages like Hamilton Row for your Proper Pub lunch.
And be glad there are places that craft forgot.
retiredmartin 
I have a lot left to visit in Durham. Lots of different types of sites packed into a fairly small area it seems. I also think my Durham city pub selections have been less than stellar. Need to revisit…
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Some fairly marginal GBG entries (not you, Station House! on Durham over last decade It gets 10 entries for 30k pop plus students.
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A part of the world I don’t really know, but looks interesting from a pubs point of view!
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What’s the highest up the country you can easily go by canal boat, Pete ?
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Probably Wigan (Leeds & Liverpool Canal). Huddersfield and Rochdale both have their own canals…with lots of locks!
Lancaster is accessible, but its not easy!
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I think Ripon is the furthest north on the main contiguous inland waterway network. Tewitfield on the Lancaster Canal is a bit further north, but only reachable via the Ribble Link, which is a modern waterway and described as “not for the faint-hearted” as it involves navigating the Ribble tideway.
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Thanks Pete and Mudgie. Never heard of Tewitfield before.
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…network. Tewitfield on the Lancaster Canal is a bit further north, but only reachable via the Ribble Link, which is a modern waterway and described as “not for the faint-hearted” as it involves navigating the Ribble tideway.
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Pete,
And a part of the world I don’t really know.
It was in my diary for last month.
Maybe next year.
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Several Proper Pubs for you, some Bass, some Sam Smiths, and excellent beer in the Station House. Also England’s worst “High Street”, and I mean that.
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“(not to be confused with Durham the City or Adrian of Talksport infamy) ?”
Or Bull Durham, the movie. 😉
“Stockton-on-Tees, home to the Sun’s famed bankers, doesn’t even appear on the Bing Map for the county.”‘
Blimey! A whole city balanced on those golf thingies!
“and the coast around Seaham,”
No offense, but it’s not like few of the other counties have coasts in the UK. 😉
“and the thundering power of High Force.”
It’s no Niagara. 😉
“and the enduring beauty of old Durham town.”
Ok, now THAT’s a gorgeous photo.
“ranging from the scruffy to the ornate,”
Why do they call it ‘live’ sport when it’s actually on the telly?
“to the frankly brilliant.”
Or, in the case of those two lads, a ‘flight’ of fancy. 🙂
“BRAPA liked it;”
You do realise that’s not an actual hearty endorsement.
“and see the two-headed calf often used in eyesight tests in town.”
That’s one way to avoid being cross-eyed!
“And be glad there are places that craft forgot.”
Indeed. And for me, I’d probably opt for the Cumberland (though I’ve had both in cans over here).
Cheers
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I would take BRAPA aproval on all matters except urination.
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