GETTING DRESSED UP FOR GRAND NATIONAL DAY

Its Grand National Day today and it reminds me of a pub crawl we did in Thirsk , North Yorkshire , on that day  in 2012. There was six of us and we caught the train there, arriving at 1030 am.

The station is over a mile from the town centre and a brisk 30 minute walk ( so we got the bus) . Directly opposite the station is a pub called the Old Red House. While waiting for the bus , I ambled across to see what time the pub opened. No sign of anything with opening hours on . As I was peering through the windows having a nosy, suddenly one window opened and a female voice, non too pleased,  shouted " Yes Can I help you? we don't open till noon ". There was an unspoken "now bugger off" as she slammed the window.

So we caught a bus into town and found the Three Tuns, a Wetherspoons, in the Market Place, in time for breakfast and a couple of pints.

Just along from the Three Tuns is the Golden Fleece Hotel. This is an imposing former coaching inn with a small bar and a posh Writing Room with large comfortable chairs. We settled in the latter with Yorkshire Dales Golden Fleece Ale, which is a 4.5% bitter brewed by the Yorkshire Dales Brewery in Askrigg exclusively for the hotel.  

We suddenly noticed we were one short. " He must have gone to the gents".

Now remember its Grand National Day and he was gone a while, so I walked round to the loo and suddenly there appeared the missing person, dressed as a horse and jockey. As you can see I have pixelated his face but not that of  the horse !

Well the next 20 minutes were a riot, just as well we had the room to ourselves ! We laughed so much we all felt a little hoarse. 
 

Once we all settled down and after a couple of pints we left the comfort of the Writing Room chairs and walked to the other side of the Market Place and  the nearest betting office. 

( If you can imagine someone in a horse and jockey fancy dress walking across a zebra crossing.)

I didnt go in, as I  was sussing out more pubs but I am reliably informed said horse and jockey went unnoticed in the bookies. No one even glanced over from the screens.

He got changed in the next pub, the Black Bull ,where we watched the race.

By now the Wetherspoons breakfast was wearing off so we found a fish and chip shop for a brief drinking pause, then it was into the Darrowby Inn, also in the Market Place. 

After about an hour the last bus back to the station was due. The lack of public transport integration meant that there was a three quarters of an hour wait for the train so it was into the aforementioned Old Red House for the last one. 

The only handpump was Black Sheep and the pub was just ticking over. There was this strange drain-like smell emanating from one corner of the bar. So after a quick pint, it was over the road to catch our train back home.

A fond memory seared into my brain. 

FRENCH TARTS AND FUN WITH A PICNIC TABLE

Last weekend saw six of us doing a pub crawl by bus. We thought it would just be a gentle sort of day, visiting town and country pubs ; not to be.!

We met up in The Wild Boar, Houghton Le Spring for a traditional Wetherspoons breakfast and a couple of pints. The place was buzzing when we walked in , to discover, to our delight, that about 5 tables were taken over by 30-40 girls dressed as French Tarts, on a hen weekend. ( what ! no photographs - Ed).

They were all talking at once but we managed to discover they were heading on a coach to York. Half the men in the pub, including ourselves, were asking if there was any spare seats. "To hell with this pub crawl, lets do York instead".

Sadly they left without us so we headed down to the bus stop for a 5 minute ride to the Copt Hill, just outside the town. 

This pub used to be run by a certain Bobby Kerr and a plaque on the newly repainted pub displays his name.

 
Despite the fact it is in The Good Beer Guide we were confronted by 3 empty handpulls. On the verge of leaving and getting the next bus, I muttered to one of the guys, You wouldn't think this was in the Good Beer Guide would you. The barmaid overhead me and said, we have Doom Bar on, I just dont have a pump clip. So 2 pints of Doom Bar in the pub garden, with fantastic views while we waited for the bus across to Seaton

So, this is where the fun starts. The next pub was the Dun Cow in Seaton Village, , tucked away in a quiet cul de sac. Four handpulls and a large sunny garden with picnic tables greeted us. Ordering some Oakham JHB and a Guinness, the 6 of us headed for the ( as it turned out) most unstable table in the garden. 

Two were sitting opposite me ( so combined weight was greater than mine.) Someone said, "move along so we can all get on", so I dutifully stood up to move sideways. The opposite side of the bench was now heavier than my side, and being on slightly unstable ground, this resulted in a slight tilt towards the heavy side. 4 pints of nearly full glasses went flying , tipping most of the contents over one of the other two opposite. 

NOTE THE EMPTY GLASSES AND BEER STAINS

We were too busy laughing to offer any sympathy as the drowned rat proceeded to strip off his jeans to dry on a wall. I will spare you the worst sights, just the wet offending table. I took the empty glasses back into the bar and relayed our incident to the barmaid. She said " Oh yes, I know which table you mean, that's happened before !"  We got free replacement drinks. So no profit for the Dun Cow from us then !

Once dry in the sun, we then walked to the Seaton Lane Inn nearby for a couple more uneventful pints, then down into Seaham for the final drink in the Hat and Feathers and some fish and chips. I mention this because some of the split beer must have soaked into his brain, because believe or not, this last picture is a plate of fish and chips. 

So a great day out with free entertainment, helped by fantastic weather , interesting pubs and great beer , (that hadn't been spilt.). For those that need to know, the bus mostly used was the 238 which runs between Houghton, Seaton and Seaham. Again, for those that need to know, the dodgy table is the one in the bottom left hand corner of the Dun Cow garden

CAMRA ANGLE SPRING 2017

The Spring edition of CAMRA Angle , the quarterly magazine of the Sunderland and South Tyneside branch of CAMRA, has  just been published. Copies are being  distributed to real ale pubs throughout the area , and beyond. 

As usual , this is another full issue and well worth a read.  

This edition looks forward to the Sunderland Octoberfest with some interesting news. Also of interest was our AGM and a visit from Brinkburn Brewery ** 

A regular section is a news update on pubs and breweries in the branch as well as Locale pubs and those that offer discounts. A new feature is a notice board, aimed to provide local and Whatpub information.

There are articles from our roving reporter in Truro & Oxford, as well as an update about Beer from the Wood and Pub & Club of the Year,    

The pub walk feature returns with a walk down the coast between Whitburn and Roker.

This issue looks at the Ship Isis pub in Sunderland, as well as two beer styles, stout & mild.  

Issue 47 is rounded off by a  pub quiz and where am I.

If you cant find a copy, follow this link to download your own,  and for more branch news. .http://sst.camra.org.uk/

 

And remember, accept no imitations.  

**A night with Blinkburn Brewery 

THE HOUSE OF THE RISING SUN

We are having a new kitchen fitted so the house is turmoil. A large yellow canvas skip full of rubbish adorns the front lawn. So I was ready for a CAMRA meeting in the Dun Cow in Sunderland, featuring a presentation by Newcastle based Brinkburn Brewery..

The pub was rammed when I got there as Ross Noble was on in the Sunderland Empire next door. The room we were given was also rammed , making for a cramped evening. The group I was sitting with were mostly drinking Leeds Midnight Oil, a 4.8% dark mild.

The Brinkburn men turned up, thankfully with some samples. The presentation focused on the beers, in strength order, working from lowest first. Examples included Canny Sculler II, Byker Blonde and House of the Rising Sun.

House of the Rising Sun is on the right.

Glasses were produced and the tasting began. I think the intention was to start at the bottom and work up. Not so the Midnight Oil crowd who collectively pointed to the House of the Rising Sun, principally because it was a 7.2% chocolate raspberry porter. There was a line of us holding glasses up like a group of beggars -  alms for the poor. You could possibly say we were acting like Animals for the  House of the Rising Sun.

The rest of the beer was good as well, but paled into significance after the porter. Got home later that evening and Mrs Ken said " You know the skip on the front lawn ? Well they are coming to collect it at 7 o clock in the morning; you'll have to be up"

Groan................

IF YOUVE GOT TO GO, YOUVE GOT TO GO

The pub nearest to where  I live that sells real ale is The Havelock. We usually go there for a lunch time meal. Now in the gents there is a large blackboard above the urinals with chalk to let you leave messages or draw silly cartoons. This got me thinking about unusual pub toilets in general, but not in a pervy way you understand !

Most times you go, you do your business, dry your hands on a 100 dB hand dryer, rendering conversation impossible, then leave.  But some loos are better than others. 

Over Christmas we did a Newcastle/Gateshead pub crawl and ended up in the Station East, which has only recently opened. They had a novel idea of fitting out the gents, as you can see from the photograph above. This contrasts with the graffiti decorating the loo in the Free Trade,  Newcastle.

Usually going to the loo is a simple event with short walk. Not so some  Wetherspoons who are famous for having toilets which are miles away from the bar. Through the door marked toilets is just the start. Up ( or down) flights of stairs, along several corridors till you find the actual door. Can you hell find your way back again ? There is a pub in Manchester ( not a Spoons pub) that has solved this problem. Called The Wharf, there is the long trek upstairs to the gents, but when you come out, there is a helpful sign " You came from this direction " Nice touch.

We were doing a pub crawl of South Shields a couple of years ago  to survey pubs for a Real Ale Trail ( well that was the excuse anyway). In the Holborn Rose & Crown near the river there was a sign in the gents " PLEASE DO NOT THROW CIGARETTE BUTTS IN THE URINAL, IT MAKES THEM SOGGY AND HARD TO LIGHT".

On the same day we called into The Rattler on the sea front and I'm not making this up -  there was a guy in trap one chatting away on his mobile taking part in an audio conference. Bizarre.

As you may well know, in a lot of gents toilets the decor is often complemented by the inevitable condom machine. Have you ever seen anyone use one, or even any one filling one ? I haven't, never.

Anyway, moving swiftly on. While writing this, I  got to thinking about the best gents I have been in. Without doubt  my award for the best loo I have visited last year   goes to     ( drum roll ) the Philharmonic Dining Rooms in Liverpool. See picture. Nothing can beat this.

Finally, a sign spotted in a Ladies  On it was written :-
 " my husband follows me everywhere". 

Underneath was written " No I do not !"