Tasty, Very Toastie Indeed by Man in a Hat

I Like An Early Start

Met Stafford, my travelling companion for this trip, at the Station, Thursday 10:15.

Having Stafford along can be very useful on a number of counts, not least as this necessitates a more leisurely pace, particularly on the drinking front.

The train is packed, but no worries, as we have seats booked.

But………. the door we need to get through is inaccessible due to a plethora of large cases, so we head towards the next door. As we do so, the Train Manager calls out for us to wait. He arranges seats for us in First Class.

Told you Stafford would come in handy.

So we settle into our over-wide seats and enjoy free coffee and pastries. We’re on our way.

We arrive at Doncaster to discover that our train to Newcastle has been cancelled, which means an extra 9 minutes boozing in the Draughtsman Alehouse on Platform 3B (literally).

The journey to Doncaster takes just over an hour, so we’re enjoying our first pre-match beer, the rather excellent Trespass Porter by Pennine, at 11:45 on Thursday!

I mentioned in my preview that there are now 4 Good Beer Guide Pubs within 100 meters of Doncaster Station, so it is also worth noting that the Draughtsman Alehouse opens at 10am (9am Saturdays!).

We get our later connection with no difficulty, but the Metro Travel Shop is closed for lunch, so we are forced to pop out to the Newcastle Tap for a quick pint.

The Newcastle Tap has been open about a year and is famed for its “floating cellar”. It’s also known locally as the upside-down pub, as you have to go upstairs to the cellar. This picture doesn’t really do it justice, but basically the stillage is above the bar behind a screen.

 

Stafford has the Special Oatmeal Stout brewed by Coniston and I have the Blood Orange IPA by McColl’s. The £4.10 asking price did not spoil my enjoyment.

Back at the Travel Shop, we opt for a weekly Metro ticket. About the same price as 4 day tickets, but a lot more convenient.

After checking in at the hotel near Simonside Station, we explore the local area, starting with the Brewers Fayre pub (the Cinder Path) next door. The Doom Bar is pretty shocking, which is good, as it means we won’t be tempted to carry on drinking when we return each evening.

At the Florence Bar & Bistro, we are advised that there is no real ale, nor is there likely to be any in the future. But it’s not all bad; we’ve stumbled on Thai Thursday.

However, this turns out to be very bland.

Why didn’t we stay in Tynemouth?

There’s time to get the Metro into South Shields, where we try the Alum Ale House, which as you recall is rumoured to serve 17 real ales. Pah! There’s only 12. Could the day get any worse? (yes it could, read on…..).

The New World Pale Ale is rather good.

Some local entrepreneur is flogging tickets in the toilets.

There is moisture in the air as we head for the Steamboat. 9 ales on offer, and a very interesting selection indeed. I opt for Darkness from the Exeter Beer Company - superb!

Whilst Stafford is in the toilet, I’m approached by a guy sat at the bar (he gets off the stool first of course). “Who’s that you’re with?” “Haven’t seen him before, and I know everyone around here who is visually impaired.” Spooky.

We stay for another, get involved with the locals via the jukebox, then set off back in the pouring rain. What a great boozer that was.

Unfortunately, we turn off too early, end up the wrong side of the tracks, and a 10 minute walk turns into a 40 minute walk. We get the soaking of our lives. According to the weather forecast, we can expect plenty more tomorrow.

Toasties Aplenty

The plan today is North Shields and Tynemouth, so we’re waiting outside the Alum Ale House, which is 110 yards from the Ferry Terminal.

Someone else is waiting as well, so the landlord opens up early. Good lad. For the second day running, we’re on the ale before noon.

There is a copy of the Shields Chronicle for us to enjoy. Apparently Shields are favourites with the bookies and the Mariners are looking forward to welcoming County for a giant-killing!

The article goes on to say that Gannon is lining up his excuses in advance. Not being allowed a video of Shields, it being too far, having to feed the players en-route and so on. Cheeky beggars!

Last night, we noticed that the Alum did toasties for £2, all day every day, which is why we’re here, so breakfast ensues. Cheese & onion for Stafford, Chicken Curry for me. They’re good, two more please!

The Ferry runs every half an hour and the crossing takes just 7 minutes. The weather forecast couldn’t have been more wrong. It’s a warm sunny day.

We’re on the Spirit of the Tyne. The sister ship is called the Pride of the Tyne.

We get the Metro to Tynemouth with the intention of spending the day wending our way back to the Ferry, which runs until 10pm.

First port of call, is the Dolphin, where there should be 5 real ales to choose from. Closed for refurb - doh!

So it’s back down to the Metro Station to try Platform 2 Craft Ale Bar, which has only been open about a month. I’m dutifully prepared to get a full update for the CAMRA website WhatPub? which I duly do. If you click on this link https://whatpub.com/pubs/TYN/7068/platform-2-craft-ale-bar-tynemouth you’ll see the update, together with a nice picture of Stafford sat outside, probably wondering where the hell I’ve gone.

You’ll also find a picture of the magnificent wrought iron and glass canopy under which the bar is located, which given the relative usage of the station is completely over the top, so to speak. The picture is actually only of half of the full structure.

A really tremendous venue to indulge in an ale or two. I tried the Pomona Island Pale, which was very good.

Down the hill, we find the only pub in Tynemouth that features in the 2019 Good Beer Guide, the Tynemouth Lodge Hotel. Apparently, it has been in every Guide since 1983. The quality of the beer is very good, Draft Bass, a rare treat.

And, they do pies and scotch eggs, so we take the opportunity to refuel. And no Phil, eating isn’t cheating!

Further down the hill, we find the Low Lights Tavern, which has been a pub for nearly half a millennium. Pagan Queen, brewed by Firebrick, excellent.

According to my map (a phrase to strike fear into the most seasoned travelling supporter) the next pub, the How Do You Do, should be right here, next door. Where is it?

Some kindly locals sat outside the Low Lights direct us to a steep set of steps, which is so long we can’t even see the top, and makes one of Rodger Wylde’s pre-season training sessions look like a stroll in the park. 

It turns out that basically the pub was right above us, but obviously maps are only two dimensional, so it’s not my fault surely?

Worse still, we find there is no real ale in the How Do You Do, its all tea and cakes. There is evidence of real ale, but to have none available on a Friday afternoon is highly suspicious. I must alert the local CAMRA branch and get them to send the boys in.

Back in North Shields, we try out the Pow Burn, which I would describe as a down-market Wetherspoons. The Five Bridges by Mordue is a little disappointing. Perhaps I was a distracted at the sight of people being barred on a Friday teatime?

As a complete contrast, next up, and just a couple of minutes away, is the Exchange, a bar that sits inside the North Shields Arts & Culture Centre. CAMRA discount on the Darkside of the Toon by Three Kings, which is decent enough.

Just around the corner is the Magnesia Bank, which is primarily a music venue and does have a bit of a Spinning Top vibe. We feel like we’re in the way really, as everyone is hurrying to deck the place out for someone’s 50^th birthday do that evening. I even get asked to help blow up some balloons, which I am pleased to do.

The band is also in the middle of setting up and the buffet is getting laid out. Stafford does well to negotiate a significant obstacle course on the way to the toilet.

The beer, Run Hop Run brewed by Rigg & Furrow, is very good. We’re the only ones in at the moment, and the place is very large, which give’s me the opportunity to get a photo (or try to) of a huge mirror from the Jarrow Brewing Company, depicting the Jarrow Marchers. 

We had planned to eat properly, but just never seemed to get the chance, so it’s more toasties (£1.35!) at our next stop, the Prince of Wales, which is owned and run by Sam Smiths. The bitter is £2. No wonder the place is packed.

The 9pm Ferry takes us back over the Tyne in the dark, where we end up in the Alum Ale House yet again. Mushy Pea & Mince Beef Pie £2. Good stuff. One of my 5-a-day. Do hops count as fruit? I need a lie down.

What a great day out and no rain at all.

Match Day

A combination of Bede Metro Station being displayed in the wrong place on the map and a complete absence of any signage (to the ground, road names etc.) means we turn the wrong way out of the Station on our first attempt to find Mariners Park.

But, we’re soon set straight by one of the locals, and arrive at 12:15 for our Matchday Hospitality. 

Our tickets are waiting and we make our way across behind the goal towards the main stand, where we’re told to go up to the top floor. 

 

There is a selection of bottled Theakston’s ales, so I have Lightfoot and Stafford has Guinness. The first drink is on the house.

We have our own table and are two of about thirty partaking. We are soon approached by the “jovial presence” that is George McLaughlin, the Mariners kit-man (I recognise him from his picture in the programme) who is selling 50/50 half-time draw tickets. Lando please note.

The food is excellent: beef chilli; chicken bhuna; vegetarian stroganoff; roast “tatties”, boiled rice, tacos etc. As much as you can eat, so we give that a try.

The expectation seems to be that we watch the game through the window from the top floor of the main stand. Whilst the view is top-notch, it’s not for us, so David the Commercial Manager radios ahead to the Directors Box for them to expect us there for kick-off.

We get chatting with Billy, local real ale aficionado, and his party, and learn that there is no love lost between South and North Shields. Their Manager can no longer go north of the river since defecting.

As we make our way to the Directors Box, we encounter Phil Robbie, who is as blurred as you would expect prior to kick-off. Somehow, he’s got in with the home fans and is enjoying their bar. 

 

Steve Bellis and Gary Burton are sat behind us as we see County deservedly triumph, admittedly after a bit of a slow start. John Gaskin also managed to sneak in with us for the second half. Yes Phil, you could gotten away with it!

It was great to see the players go over the Blue Army to celebrate the victory, as it was equally so to see the Shields fans applaud our lads off.

Back to the bar for a post-match drink or two, and to discuss the game with the locals. No complaints from anyone regarding the result. 

 

We had planned to visit the Jarrow Gin & Ale House after the game, but Billy warns us off, saying that the clue is in the name, i.e. gin first, ale second. No matter, we’ve hardly scratched the surface of South Shields itself, so there will be plenty to do tonight.

Our new friends greet our asking whether there are any decent curry houses in South Shields with huge collective belly-laughs, saying that there is a row of 20+ on Ocean Road, which is exactly where we’ll be heading. Billy also recommends the Marine, which is already on our list.

On our way out, we bump into James Gannon and also John Keighren. Both are happy enough.

After dropping off the hat at the hotel, we’re soon enjoying a pint of Titanic Plum Porter in the Cask Lounge, which has been open less than 6 months. Very nice indeed.

I forget about the stonking 15% off for CAMRA Members, which leaves Stafford 93p out of pocket.

Very close by is the Maltings, a huge pub in what was once the Jarrow Brewery. Extremely busy. The Claspers Citra Blonde from the Great North East Beer Company is rather disappointing though.

We then make our way to the Marine for our final beer before having a curry at one of the 20+ (Billy was right) restaurants we’ve passed on our way.

Who should we bump into but serial County away-trip stop-overs Viv & Peter. 

They should write this blog really. They stay over every away game. We have a good chat and all agree what a great trip it’s been.

For some reason, I forgot to note down what I had to drink, but I do remember that it was excellent, as expected.

Keep Going, it Ain’t Over Yet!

By 11am, we’re back in Newcastle on our way home. A full Scottish breakfast in the Centurion Bar which used to be the Waiting Room for First Class passengers. It was like having breakfast in a Cathedral. The haggis was very interesting.

Oh no, it’s happened again, 11:51 and we’re tucking into our first ale of the day, the admirable Toon Broon from Firebrick. For the third time in four days, we’re on the beer before noon.

Plenty of time left to check out the two micro-pubs tucked under the arches on the other side of the station.

After taking the tunnel under the station where there is a taxi-rank, first up, under Arch 11, it’s the Box Social, the tap for the Box Social Brewery, which opened in May. Whilst the Campfire Porter is superb, at 7% ABV, this is far from sensible.

Next door, under Arch 10, is the more established Beer Street, where I have Portland from Cullercoats. Excellent again.

Two nice cosy little boozers, well worth checking out.

We get back to the station to find that our train has been cancelled. Bridge incident at Durham. Now let this be a lesson for all of us. Whilst you’re waiting for your breakfast in a bar on the platform of a station, you may as well pop out and see if the train you’re planning to get is running. We’ve been in the area for over 2 hours!

The ticket office duly provides our new itinerary. We now have to go via Sheffield and will arrive back in Stockport half an hour later than planned.

Not only does this mean we will miss the pubs we planned to visit in Doncaster, it also means we might be too late to take part in the quiz being run at the Spinning Top by the Supporters’ Co-op as part of Stockport Beer Week.

Further frustration is experienced when we realise that the train we are now on arrives in Doncaster one minute before the original connecting train we should be on pulls out. This seems to greatly amuse the Train Manager.

Ah well, we can probably do without more beer at this point.

We arrive at the Spinning Top in time for the quiz, and assisted by Hatters Half Hero Matty White (obviously he’s a total hero, not just half of one) & CAMRA’s Dave Preston, manage to come second! Not bad considering we’ve been out on the lash for four days straight.

The final beers of the trip are the totally excellent Black Pearl Stout from Poynton, which Mike has on as the brewer had an event on earlier. We beg him to have it on again as soon as possible.

As I sit on the last bus home, I muse to myself. Not a bad life this following County is it?

Next up? Well, maybe Blyth (let’s see if it has to be rescheduled) or Spennymoor (subject to FA Cup again, although they are already out). Failing that, let’s see who we draw in the FA Trophy - South Shields away - PLEASE! Then we can stay in Tynemouth.

As you know, you can find all of the pubs I mention on the excellent CAMRA website www.whatpub.com



Man In A Hat