retiredmartin

June 2025. Tynemouth.

A scorchio day by the Tyne had given way to showers and metro cancellations; no trains back up to Whitley Bay and the delights of that grumpy but brilliant micro at Spanish city.

So we had to wait patiently back at Tynemouth station for an announcement. Luckily, it is actually a legal requirement for every metro stop to have its own micro.

Never heard of Platform 2, is it new ?

Whatever, it’s the usual winning formula, station waiting room with big bay windows, friendly welcome, local cask,

and Scottish cans for Jane,

with some fading photos of long-forgotten pop stars.

Is that the bloke who wrote “Homeward Bound” on the Widnes platform ?

But here’s the thing. The cask, even in this heatwave, is sublime (Two by Two, NBSS 3.5+). As it was in the Turk’s Head, and had been in Monkseaton’s station bar up the line.

And none of them in the Good Beer Guide.

Not that the branch is wrong, I may have been lucky, but I’m always struck by how good the beer is outside the GBG, which is in part why I named Tyne & Wear my favourite Guide county in 2020. Matthew Curtis just put Newcastle at No. 3 in his top UK beer cities, too, a blend of the trad, the micro and the tap room.

One thing for sure, if you’re going to be stuck at a station for half an hour there’s worse places than Tynemouth on Saturday, with its artisanal cup cakes,

and non-artisanal cup cakes.

Jane got told off for touching a Gary Numan vinyl, or putting it back under “G” instead of “N”, or something. Stall holders in Newcastle had now told all of us off. Except me, obvs.