retiredmartin

July 2024. East Boldon.

Some gorgeous/grotesque Sunderland art to bring you, but let’s finish the Tyne and Wear GBG chapter first.

If I had unlimited time I’d analyse the final ticks in my favourite GBG county, but recently they’ve all been quirky micros, so it’s nice to finish this year in a quirky club. See if you can spot the difference.

But first, the mysterious Boldons, a 7 minute metro ride from the Wear.

13,000 Boldonians around a former colliery, and a  conservation area to match anything in Essex.

Artisanal bistros, knitted post boxes,

a hairdresser called Curl Up n Die,

and a neatly manicured row of former miners cottages.

Very lovely, and with an agonising half hour till the Club opens we bideawhile in the other GBG entry next door,

the strikingly floral Grey Horse.

It looks like those timbered pubs in Southport Churchtown.

Gorgeous on the outside, functional and foodie within, dining booths and loyalty cards. Yes, I took the loyalty card.

The best and worst of Stonegate.

I love seeing families in pubs, but as a fifth school child in quick order runs past her Mrs RM curses under her breath “oh can’t you just sit down for five minutes FFS”.

I didn’t rate the beer highly a decade ago, and on this revisit the local Maxim Galaxy was overchilled and struggling to a 3.

But the soundtrack ?

“Here Comes The Summer“. That’ll do for me.

And while Mrs RM started her walk back to the metro, I dashed to the Club.