A first trip to the North East for a while, taking in a few of my favourite pubs, a brewery taproom, and a trip over the Tyne to catch some football. Here's how the day panned out....
Saturday began early as I was off to catch the 8.17 Transpennine Express from Huddersfield north to Newcastle. I was going to watch FC Halifax Town at Gateshead, and it was a sunny and quite pleasant mid-December morning, quite mild for the time of year. Despite the fact that there were a diminishing number of days left for Christmas shopping and Newcastle United were home in the afternoon, the train was pretty empty when I and a gaggle of Halifax Town fans stepped on board, and whilst it got busier as the journey progressed, it was still relatively quiet when we arrived at Newcastle's Central Station just after 10 am.
And just like Michael Caine's character in the classic 1971 gangster film Get Carter, our first action was to head straight across the road to the Victoria Comet, although in our case someone had spotted a chalkboard outside advertising breakfast. Food duly ordered, delivered, and consumed, a decent lining on our stomachs, we ordered for our first beer of the day, me opting for a pint of Oakham Citra. It was a bit thin and sweet but a pleasant enough pint to start the day (NBSS 3), although due to matchday licensing restrictions it was served in a plastic glass so a revised rating of NBSS 2.5! The Victoria Comet is a Nicholsons pub so you get the usual attractive dark wood interior, a range of cask ales including the St Austell-brewed house Pale Ale, and a strong focus on food. As we chatted over our drinks, the pub was getting busier and louder, with a crowd heavy with shoppers and football supporters. The breakfast had been pretty decent and overall it was a good start to our day in these parts.
We finished our drinks, turned left and a little further down the road, still opposite the long frontage of Central Station, we came to the Newcastle Tap. Now I had been in here before but it had been very busy that day a few years ago and I hadn't really taken to the place, but this particular morning with only the odd customer dotted about the attractively-furnished long room in this modern bar, it was an oasis of calm, particularly after the bustle and clatter of the Victoria Comet. Moreover as we scouted the hand pumps to check was on offer, the lad behind the bar was politely asking what kind of beer we liked to drink, not realising that it was more a question of aging eyes rather than complete befuddlement! In the end, a couple of us went for Twisted Spire from Hobsons, a 3.4% light and refreshing citrussy pale, another pleasant beer (NBSS 3), but as is usual with the Pivovar-run Taps, there was a number of cask beers and a plethora of tap lines to choose from.
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| A festive look at the Newcastle Tap |
It was straight across the road to the Metro station, from where we travelled the two stops to the Gateshead International Stadium, where Town were taking on the home side in the Vanarama National League in a game that was being screened live on TNT (formerly BT) Sports, hence the early kick-off. It was noticeable that the temperature had dropped once we emerged from the Metro, and once we'd walked the 10 minutes or so through housing, past an ASDA, and crossed over the main road and got into the ground, the inevitable cold wind was sweeping through the open stadium, allegedly the coldest football ground in the country. We were in the away enclosure opposite the main stand no longer having a roof since it was damaged by wind a year or two ago. Nevertheless, despite the less than favourable conditions for spectators, the game went Town's way on a heavy pitch, and after a slow start with both teams cancelling each other out, two cracking goals and a commanding defensive performance saw the away team come away with a 2-0 victory.
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| Action from Gateshead 0, FC Halifax Town 2 |
So we got the Metro back into Newcastle and from the station, we headed down towards the Quayside, passing the empty shell of the former Split Chimp micropub. This was a place I had enjoyed calling in many times over the years, but it has sadly become another victim of the hike in energy and other costs. We walked down the steep street beside the castle and joined Side, where a little further down on the right was the always-welcoming Crown Posada.
This classic pub, a must-visit for any lovers of historic hostelries, is always a pleasure to visit. Its beautifully-restored interior and great beer for a start. It has a special atmosphere that draws you in whether is quiet or super-busy. It wasn't too bad on this occasion, and we managed to get served pretty quickly. I had spotted a Two by Two on one of the hand pumps, so that was a no-brainer for me, but despite my warning that it would be on the dense side of hazy, the lads all followed suit. We'd gone for a Citra/Idaho 7/Azacca combo, a 5% hazy New England IPA with oats and wheat to give a soft mouthful to go alongside some tropical fruit flavours. It was delicious, and even the more conservative beer drinkers in our little group were giving approving nods, and I rated it a very strong NBSS 4. I could have stayed here all day, but we had other places to visit before we got the train home.
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| A classic: The magnificent interior of the Crown Posada |
We walked down to the Quayside and set off walking beside the river to our next scheduled stop, always a pleasant stroll when the weather's ok, and whilst it would soon be going down due to the time of year, there was still plenty of sun about as we crossed over the Ouseburn Beck just before it enters the Tyne. We climbed the steps, turning at the top to survey the iconic riverside scene below with its line up of bridges, the gleaming curves of the re-named Sage (now known as the Glasshouse International Centre for Music, apparently), and, to the right, the restored and reimagined waterfront buildings, with the the city rising up on the slope beyond.
We crossed the road, and entered the Free Trade Inn, which alongside the Crown Posada is in my top 5 favourite pubs. It was quite busy as it usually is with people coming and going all the time, many no doubt on a tour of the area's pubs and taprooms, whilst there was the usual moving of seats and shuffling around as seats by the window overlooking the river became available. We all ordered a pint of Seattle Blue, a 4.2% American-style pale from Almasty, whose Echelon is the house beer here. It was another hazy beer, with a tartness softened by some tropical sweetness (NBSS 3.5). Outside, the sun was starting to set over the river, which prompted a rush outside as people wanted to capture the scene on their phones. The beer was going down well, and after realising that we had more time than we thought (the early kick-off had messed with the body clock), we decided to get another one here, all four of us sticking together once again and getting a pint of Jarl, from Fyne Ales, another mighty fine pint (NBSS 3.5).
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| The Free Trade Inn, and the sun setting over the River Tyne |
Next up was a visit to a brand new place for all of us. Around 5 minutes walk from the Free Trade, up to the main road, and then straight up the road more or less straight across, we came to the Two by Two Brewery Tap. The brewery originally started out in Wallsend, but with increased demand for their beers, they upped sticks and moved to a bigger unit here in Byker, an area that is home to a number of other breweries including Full Circle and Brinkburn Street. We passed a couple of food vans and walked into the brewery, where there had been a craft fair here earlier in the afternoon and tables were being emptied and racks wheeled out. There were two hand pumps on offering Leapfrog, a 4.1% IPA, and a Porter, plus there were several keg lines. We all went for the Leapfrog, but as the lad behind the bar started to pull the second pint, it went off, and he apologised profusely as there was nothing else tapped and ready to go on (presumably the craft fair attendees had given it some hammer!). So one of us went for the porter, whilst three of us went for a Talus Nelson off the taps, a 4.7% pale ale hopped with Talus and Nelson Sauvin, which was hazy and juicy with stone fruit and gooseberry notes. Very pleasant it was too. The brewery takes up one part of the room, the silver vessels gleaming in the half-light, but I couldn't really work out how big the place was overall. I noticed that some of the striking artwork in the style that features on Two by Two's cans was featured on the wall behind the bar. The taproom was quite busy, and a band was setting set up ready to provide some musical entertainment, but I suspect we probably didn't catch the taproom at its best, and so I will try and give it another visit next time I am in the area.
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| Two by Two Brewery Tap |
After the Brewery Tap, it was back to another traditional pub, and another personal favourite. This was the Cumberland Arms, which was about 10 minutes' walk away. Situated in a prominent position overlooking the Ouseburn Valley at the end of the cobbled James Place, the surrounding trees and grassy bank give the area a semi-rural feel even though the busy streets and main roads around Byker are very close by. The three-storey pub is traditional in layout with a room either side of the central entrance, with a function room upstairs. The rooms are simply furnished with wooden floorboards and seating, a real fire in each room, glazed panels, and leaded windows. The walls and shelves are covered in all sorts of paraphernalia and there is a reassuring lived-in clutter to the place. The main bar is in the room to the left as you go in, with access for staff via servery but no bar counter in the room to the right. This is the music room which holds frequent music nights and in which there is a piano. I was in here one winter's Sunday evening a few years ago when I got caught up in an unexpected and wonderful evening of folk music, musicians rocking up with their guitars and fiddles, and joining in, the assembled musicians and customers joining in to sing along with great gusto. The 'Cumby' - as it is known to its loyal band of followers - has 5 hand pumps featuring 4 guests and Tashy Bob, its house beer, a 3.9% hoppy pale ale (NBSS 3.5), brewed by Northern Alchemy who used to be based in a container round the back of the pub. There are also a number of keg lines. With an excellent beer garden out front, the Cumberland Arms is worth a visit at any time of the year.
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| The bar at the Cumberland Arms |
We left the Cumby, and headed down the steps through the wood to the Ouseburn Beck, crossing over the wooden bridge and then up to the bar-cum-events-venue that is the Cluny. It was quite busy with most of the tables taken when we walked in, but once we'd ordered our beers we managed to find one and debated whether we had enough time for food before we left. Beer-wise, the other lads opted for Space is the Race, a 3.5% dark-coloured bitter from another locally-based microbrewery, Out There, whilst I went for an old favourite from the keg lines, Hickey The Rake, from Wylam, one of the founding fathers of the modern beer scene here on Tyneside. In the end, with the clock counting down before our train home, we decided to skip food, and head back towards the station. Getting hold of an Uber proved fruitless, so in the end once we'd finished our pints we set off walking back to the city centre, arriving at Central Station in time to join the busy throng waiting for the train back to Huddersfield. We'd had a great day: some great pubs, some excellent beer, especially from Two by Two, whilst in the football Town had picked up a great 2-0 win. Two was indeed the magic number....
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