WHY DID NO-ONE TELL ME ABOUT THE KIRK ?

July 2025. Romaldkirk.

Back home from Waterbeach on Wednesday afternoon, Mrs RM managed just 2 hours at home before deciding she was off again.

A day’s coach trip from Meadowhall later, she was in Nantes,

riding mechanical elephants and drinking “oompa loompa“.

Rather sooner than that, I was in Durham, attempting to complete a GBG chapter. I win.

Yes, yes, this is prime for a “testing your eyesight” joke, but while Dominic Cummins might have frequented Good Pub Guide (RIP) favourite the Rose & Crown, treacle glazed pork loin and all,

I bet he’s never crossed the doors of the pub across the road.

Why (oh why) had no-one ever told me about the Kirk ?

You don’t really need words, do you ?

Actually, look at the words on Trip Advisor;

“Bestest pub in England by miles“, eh ?

Certainly one of our most distinctive.

“I KNOW YOU !” says the guvnor (Paul ?), getting up from his seat to tell me about his ailments.

In parlour pubs* like this, you often fear for the beer quality, particularly as the Kirk has just got in the GBG for the first time in my Guiding life.

I offer to be the waiter, and take two pints out to the couple in the front, which cunningly allows me to claim the 3rd pint pulled.

Unnecessary, as it’s a classic pint, cool and chewy (NBSS 4) that makes you wonder what’s it’s been doing wrong all these years.

What a view.

I thought that having completed the GBG I must have been to all the classic pubs, but clearly not.

*I jest, sort of

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Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

20 thoughts on “WHY DID NO-ONE TELL ME ABOUT THE KIRK ?”

  1. Great photos, capturing the chaotic feel of this pub, but rather too many dogs for my liking, as also hinted at by one of those reviewers you’ve screen shot.

    Speaking of photos, you seem to have also captured a space station burning up as it descends over County Durham. Or is that fake news?

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    2. It’s pretty amazing that cheap, modern hardware will let you take a picture including the sun, but where everything else is still reasonably visible.

      I take my hat of to the guys who achieved this, but then again they were, ahem, engineers.

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  2. Yes on our annual old boys bus pass trip a couple of years ago we went in after the posh pub across the road which was in the guide at the time. What a memorable gem Paul and the dogs are stars. Did you see his two posh cars outside one was an Aston Martin from memory so definitely a lifestyle choice not to be sniffed at. The one beer was very well kept when we were there. A top 10 pub for me.

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      1. One of them is a New England IPA and the other is a West Coast, or am I getting confused?

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  3. I’d perhaps go just to say “Could you do the hake, but with chips and mushy peas, please?”
    The last aghastropub that I visited didn’t really inspire me to go to another, although I don’t remember too many dogs.

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      1. Sorry that was me.

        Mrs. E and I nearly ended up in one – in desperation – for lunch today, but between starting to book our slot and hitting submit, and after going through all the online rigmarole, someone else just pipped us to it, so I got a popup telling me “Error: the booked availability no longer exists”. That was the Heathcock in Llandaff.

        So we ended up at a restaurant called Porro which was an unsullied delight.

        We did go to the first for a sharpener mind, and the HPA was an easy 4.0 I’d say, but it was spoiled a bit by some people’s very aggressive, loud dog which tried – in seriousness – to attack anyone, including staff, near it, or who made eye contact. If it had not been restrained then it certainly would have.

        “That needs putting down” I said, which drew smiles and nods from some and aggressive scowls from others.

        It was good to move on.

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      3. I had the affogato. It’s a pleasant surprise how something so simple can be so good.

        That is, a scoop of vanilla ice cream with an espresso tipped over it.

        But it was very good ice cream and very good coffee.

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  5. I always think of “kirk” for “church” as a far northern thing, but have to remind myself that part of my home town Nottingham in the Midlands is called Dunkirk.

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  6. The Kirk was def. in the GBG 30 years ago, because I visited when staying with a friend from university who came from the next village. I remember it as an attractive village local selling Castle Eden bitter, certainly nothing like your pictures above.

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  7. “A day’s coach trip from Meadowhall later, she was in Nantes”
    From Meadowhall to Nantes ?
    Crikey !
    64 minutes from Wolverhampton to Brierley Hill was plenty.
    127 minutes from Derby to Buxton last Tuesday was too much, though thankfully on arrival Bass in the Swan and Holts in the Railway were both drinking very well.

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