About time I had a moan about opening hours again; I can’t have you thinking all that top beer in Scotland has cheered me up.Duncan had warned me about “inconsistent opening hours” one of my cluster of remaining Durham GBG targets. I won’t name it but it’s got a big waterfall. Dave will guess it. I… Continue reading THOSE OL’ BARNARD CASTLE OPENING TIME BLUES
Tag: Durham
PIERCEBRIDGE ON THE GREAT NORTH ROAD
Leaving Derbyshire, I can now bring you back into the 21st Century with reports from my Scottish trip with Charles, the “Meisterdrinker of Dereham“. This was our route (A-C), as straight as you could hope for, except for the exciting diversion at Junction 56 on the A1, as the slip road to the B6275 is being… Continue reading PIERCEBRIDGE ON THE GREAT NORTH ROAD
FROM EASINGTON TO SUNDERLAND
As I’m sure I’ve said before, it’s not that far to Yorkshire from Cambridge. You can go county-to-county in 70 minutes, faster when they get round to bulldozing Elkesley. If there’s anyone reading this in the beer desert of Elkesley I apologise; but 20 years of slowing to 50mph in order to “admire” your village… Continue reading FROM EASINGTON TO SUNDERLAND
A DURHAM DOUBLE
There are some counties where the pubs are better than the beer. My highly subjective scoring system suggests many of Durham’s GBG entries, particularly outside the city, have been very marginal indeed over the years. In the ex-Vaux houses to the west of the county, despite (because ?) of very limited beer ranges, real ale… Continue reading A DURHAM DOUBLE
STOCKTON – THE GOLDEN SMOG
Durham isn’t a cheap night, even at it’s decently placed Travelodge, but Stockton is a bargain. Granted, many folks wouldn’t consider a 2 mile walk along the Teeside industrial landscape from a £27 Metro Inn (ex-Formule 1) in the less glamorous bit of Middlesbrough as desirable, but they’re wrong. The walk through Portrack Marsh, with… Continue reading STOCKTON – THE GOLDEN SMOG
MOVE TO DURHAM & NEVER LEAVE*
Last time I visited Durham was during their 2014 annual brass band festival, where I saw the astonishing Jo Hamilton preview new material to the accompaniment of bats in Durham Cathedral, seen here from Crossgate on Thursday night. I was there to see Durham punks Martha launch their 2nd LP in the rather different setting of the… Continue reading MOVE TO DURHAM & NEVER LEAVE*
CASTLE EDEN
Congratulations to Michael, seemingly a permanent resident of Crewe’s excellent Hops, for working out it was Peterlee. I think he has some local knowledge. I wouldn’t have guessed Peterlee from those photos, though obviously the Welcom(ing) Homes was a giveaway. I used to have a prurient interest in the town, second only to Jaywick on the… Continue reading CASTLE EDEN
SPENNYMOOR – ART & CRAFT
The joy of travel is the unexpected beauty that pops up nearly everywhere. Peterlee in Durham springs to mind, a mainly charmless modern town with some of the best coastal walks anywhere. Spennymoor looked a bit more challenging, a mining town without the scenery further west, and without much in the way of interest based on a… Continue reading SPENNYMOOR – ART & CRAFT
DARLO
I’ve just made an overdue overnight trip to Darlington, a Durham market town which I’ve always had unreasonable affection for, largely based on the atmospheric Feethams ground and some excellent pubs. 3 new entries in the Beer Guide, the first changes in some time, and a newish cheap Travelodge made my mind up. To be… Continue reading DARLO
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