Back on home turf and a rail ride up the Tyne Valley on a delayed Northern service.  Who knew?  The delay did help to work up a thirst and made the beer at the Platform Bar even more welcome.

Launch Pad – Durham

The Waiting Room

Area: Durham
Style: Railway Snug
Visit order: 0 – the prologue

Ventured into Pilsner territory for our traditional prologue pint.  A new one for me from the reincarnated Vaux Brewery.  Cold and crisp, a bit like the weather station platform, we should have stayed in the bar.

Hexham

Platform Bar

Area: Railway Station
Style: Cosy Railway Pub
Visit order: 1

This turned out to be a lovely place, perched right on the railway platform itself.  They do a nice line in real ale, coffee and a bit of food, making it a good stop for those who are after more than just a pint.  Given our slower than planned arrival, it felt like the perfect place to get things underway.

Brewery	Beer	ABV
Hexhamshire Brewery	Shire Gold	3.4%

The Heart Of Northumberland

Area: Market
Style: Gastropub
Visit order: 2

A great name for a pub and happily it lives up to it.  Friendly staff, even if they were far too young to appreciate the Jilly Goolden reference from my drinking partner.  Oh, how age will get you.  The burgers and fries looked spot on and the beers more than held their own.

Brewery	Beer	ABV
Metalhead Brewery	Old Knacker	3.8%
Anarchy Brew Co.	Wor Beer	4.3%

The Forum

Area: Market
Style: Wetherspoons
Visit order: 3

Our traditional pitstop in Wetherspoons.  This one is housed in an old cinema with some of the character remaining in its fittings.  In addition to the usual Spoons real ales, there were several local brews on offer.  Food and an Erdinger to ensure maximum value in the meal deal, then a local beer to top it off.

Brewery	Beer	ABV
Erdinger Weissbräuerei	Erdinger Weißbier (bottle)	5.3%
Yorkshire Heart	Quaffer	3.4%

The Tannery

Area: Gilesgate
Style: Traditional, trendy and food
Visit order: 4

Time for a bit of nostalgia.  We recreated an old selfie here and were both slightly stunned to realise the original was taken 14 years ago.  I’ll spare you the comparison.  Happy to report that the beers were still in great shape even if we aren’t.

Brewery	Beer	ABV
Purity Brewing Co.	Mad Goose	4.2%
First & Last Brewery	Equinox	4.1%

The Globe

Area: Battle Hill
Style: Traditional
Visit order: 5

A proper traditional boozer, this one.  Great bar and a nice snug area behind it.  We got chatting to a couple who make the trip from Carlisle every Friday just to spend time here which tells you plenty.  Good to see Boddington’s is back on cask too, now brewed by JW Lees.

Brewery	Beer	ABV
J.W. Lees & Co.	Boddingtons Cask Conditioned	4.0%

The Victorian Tap

Area: Battle Hill
Style: Trendy traditional
Visit order: 6

Formerly the Tap & Spile, I think. Still a good stop, with a relaxed atmosphere and a reliable selection of beers to keep things ticking along nicely.

Brewery	Beer	ABV
Firebrick Brewery	Stella Spark	4.4%
Theakston	Yorkshire H’aka	4.2%

The County Hotel

Area: Priestpopple
Style: Hotel bar with a local feel
Visit order: 7

We had planned to visit the Grapes, but refurbishment removed that as an option.  A tip off from the couple in the Globe pointed us to The County Hotel instead, under the same ownership and, we were assured, just as good for beer.  Turns out that they weren’t wrong.

Brewery	Beer	ABV
Hadrian Border Brewery	Tyneside Blonde	3.9%

Newcastle

Gunner Tavern

Area: Central Station
Style: Trendy with atmosphere
Visit order: Last

The epilogue.  A quick decision and a quick beer in Newcastle between trains. Gunners got the nod, with apologies to The Centurian.  There’s always next time.  Anyway, the trip across the road was more than worth it for a bit of Northern Monk.

Brewery	Beer	ABV
Northern Monk	ETERNAL // SESSION IPA	4.1%

My first night out in Hexham was more than thirty years ago, and it’s fair to say it was all the gear and no idea.  This visit was a different story.  A bit more focus, a bit more appreciation, and just enough of a blur around the edges to know it was a day well spent.  A great mix of pubs, food and a few new additions made it one to remember.