July 2026. Darlington.
Every year brings a new Beer Guide entry in the posh bit of Darlington, west of the Great North Road. Sometimes it’s a rough and ready place like last year’s Kirk; more often it’s an upmarket diner like the one in Piercebridge that doesn’t have the clock that stopped, dead.
Yes, places like the Fox Hole that greet you with a suspicious “Can I HELP you ?“, as the Spotted Dog (all upmarket pubs are named after animals by law) did now.
I was actually waiting for the clock to tick round to published opening at noon, as I know pub staff hate it when you turn up early looking at your watch.
But they politely let me in early, probably because I make the pub look scruffy outside, and then seem surprised I’m not dining with them today.
Perhaps I should have, as the menu looked interesting and (for 2026) good value.
You can’t get haddock and chips from a takeaway for £16.95 in The South.
The “curated” tasting nights are rather more ambitious.
But I’d decided just a pint from a range of local (Mithril) or mega-corp (Landlord).
I was sure I’d misheard him. “Six pounds eighty-five, please“.
It’s not that I think beer should be cheap, it’s just….this is Darlington. Just as well it was a magnificent pint, and worthy GBG entry.
And oddly, NOT the most expensive pint of the day, either.
retiredmartin 