retiredmartin

June 2025. Tynemouth.

Staying in Gateshead gives you that wonderful walk across the High Level Bridge on the return from Corbridge,

but in the morning you have to contend with Gateshead’s less than pedestrian friendly streets (2 minutes for the lights to change !) on the way to the metro to start Day 2’s pubbing.

Blackpool Karen and Jane, who for all we knew had been up till 2am in the Pitcher & Piano on Quayside drinking Neck Oil, had consumed their unlimited Premier Inn breakfasts and were already on the way to the Tyneside coast, getting only as far as Benton before the network ground to a halt in 30 degrees heat.

20 minutes behind, we reached Longbenton, 2 stops back, neither suburb offering an open pub for us.

Jane and Karen took an uber to Tynemouth, which I can now confirm is pronounced Tynemouth.

The metro then started running with exciting little pauses, but still well enough to mean Jane had only had one beer in the Cumberland when we caught up.

Tynemouth was overrun with daytrippers, goodness knows what Whitley Bay was like (the trams had given up going there), and a sudden downpour put a dampener on the views from the Priory.

But on the sodden dash back to the station, a sign caught my attention.

It took Mrs RM and co. 2 minutes to realise I’d nipped in the Turk’s Head.

A typical northern Greene King pub, architecturally attractive but a bit overrun by pizza menus and TV screens.

This map on the TV screen had us perplexed. What do those green triangles mean.

Note also the tell-tale “Darts board in improbable location” chic.

Nice Sid Waddell quote, mind.

There’s no such thing as a half of Bass, but Karen and Jane had one anyway, leading an abstinent Mrs RM to declare “Beer tastes better in a pint glass, you know“.

And this was a good Bass, cool and crisp (NBSS 3.5). Karen had researched Bass availability, and I’d mansplained that the famous Tynemouth Lodge had ditched the red triangle due to availability issues, though apparently they’ve kissed and made up (not that there was any chance of getting us walking the mile west in the heat/rain).

Jane investigated the “Dead Dog”. I didn’t fancy asking the bloke to move to take a pic of a stuffed canine.

Nice all-rounder, I thought, with bonus of top Bass and a bit of tat.

More tat coming up.