February 2024. Newcastle-Under-Lyme.
We arrived in Hanley, capital of That Stoke, and after only three (3) attempts managed to park outside the Premier Inn. Missing the car park is a family tradition.
In November 2014 I walked from that hotel to Newcastle-u-L, as the kids call it, as the last leg of a step challenge. I won, with 132,000 steps in 5 days, and a month later was made redundant for the sixth and last time, so it holds happy memoris.
This time, I took the bus. £3.50 for unlimited day travel, and a power socket.
On the downside, it’s still a bus, and I was pleased to escape just shy of the station and explore the medieval wall painting in the underpass. This one commemorates the opening of the craft beer section in the Morrisons.
The central square, a magnet for tourists, has art, a Wetherspoons with a bouncer,
and a new craft beer for the GBG.
Crossways is the sister/brother/nephew pub (one should never assume familial relationships in North Staffs) of the excellent BottleCraft in Hanley.
Anyone interested can attempt to read the beer boards for themselves.
I just pick the first one I see.
“Pint ?” asks the genial young barman.
“Of course“
“You a CAMRA member ?“
“Ugh…“
My hesitation gives the game away, my Gold Card discount secured even if not wanted.
It’s a pubby place, folk of all ages and an actual dart board, rather than one for show above the family’s head.
Plain but with decent seating, and very jolly, and increasingly busy as folk come in and eye my table hoping I’ll finish my quality pint of Glasshouse murk quickly,
and of course I do.
The tick secured, I have work to do.
retiredmartin 
You should have stayed at the Castle Travelodge. It has excellent views of the Old Brown Jug’s beer garden and the roof of Lidl.
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“and a month later was made redundant for the sixth and last time”
Six pensions must come in handy !
I think I went in that Crossways about ten years ago but have no recollection of it.
I was meant to get the bumpy bus to Newcastle on a Wednesday last month to meet up with local resident Nigel and Leeky Geoff, neither of whom I’ve seen for years, but these reunions take a bit of organising.
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