Ye Trip to Jerusalem

[Bloodaxe]

I'm off to Nottingham for a day's work next week and before I return I intend having a swift pint in the above pub- reputendly the oldest in England, 1186, if I remember correctly. Anyone on the forum been there and can recommend it?

[Richard English]

I've been there and it's worth going to just to say you've drunk in the oldest boozer in the world. It's actually partly a cave beneath the castle and get very crowded with students from the nearby university.

There are some very nice pubs in Nottingham which is itself an interesting and historic place.

[Bloodaxe]

Well, it looks like a swift 'un's definately on the cards then! That is as long as I can find a place to park the truck nearby (it's what double yellow lines are for!)
I'll hopefully get a chance to spend a little time in Nottingham in the future to try out a few more of it's pubs, I've heard good things about them.

[Bloodaxe]

After a curiously busy week, I never managed to get to the "Trip...." in Nottingham- bugger! But I did get to Huddersfield (In Yorkshire to our American friends) where I sampled the Highgate Dark Mild- very nice!- in the "Head of Steam" followed by a pint of the Old Bear "Plum" looked a lot like "Ribena"- bloody awful!!! Then we trolled off to he "Rat and Ratchet" a mile or so away where we sampled the Phoenix Monkeytown Mild, which as it was pretty good, we stuck with! Later in the week, as I was heading for Wrexham, we ended up[ in Shrewsbury, where quite frankly, we got pissed! A good night oot!

[Richard English]

The Head of Steam pubs are all good. The one in London has now been taken over by Fuller's but the last time I was there it still had as good a range as ever.

[Bloodaxe]

Actually Richard, the one in Newcastle is a bit rubbish. Idon't know if you've been up here but the Bodega, Tilleys- better beer but a lousy refurbishment recently, The Bridge Hotel, the Hotspur (good Northumbrian name!) among others are rather better. I've been out in North Shields tonight supping Abbot Ale, Jarrow Bitter, Marston's Pedigree- it's only a small town but has some good boozers.

[Richard English]

Interesting. I haven't been to the one in Newcastle - the nearest I've been to is the one at Blackpool Station. However, I know that they are all under the same ownership and I assumed that, like Wetherspoons, they would keep to similar standards.

I haven't been to Newcastle recently, the nearest I've been (last year) is Darlington and that was a big disappointment beerwise. Only Wetherspoons had any beer at all. All the other bars I visited had only fizz and even the two that had one lonely handpump were "temporarily" out of beer.

Knowing how proud northerners are of their beer I was very surprised.

[Bloodaxe]

Mind you, I haven't been in the Head of steam for some time- I'll endeavor to investigate for an updated report. The things i have to put myself through for fellow forum members! I should be in Darlington in April so I'll check it out myself. There used to be a good few pubs there but sounds like it's went downhill.