Tuesday 31 October 2017

Falmouth Holiday Day 2 Sunday 13th August 2017

We were up at 7.30am to get ready for our breakfast which we had asked to served for 8.30am,they were relaxed about breakfast times saying any time between 7am and 9am.
It was a short walk to the breakfast room as it was next door to our bedroom,there were great views over Falmouth Harbour and the weather looked good.
A full English each cerial and toast went down well with lots of tea.
We were nicely full and ready to take on Jacobs Ladder for the third time in two days.
We were out out of the Seaview Inn just after 9.30am,i hated walking down the steps just as much as my wife hated walking up them,i must have looked like an old man gripping the handrail and looking at the floor all the time.
We finally made it down and we were back into Falmouths town centre.

I was looking out for any new pubs and had not yet spotted Falmouths Wetherspoons,after a bit of a walk round i spotted an Argus,i told my wife,she said i am not bothered about the Argus,there is a Wetherspoons before that on the same side of the road.
We were straight in and it was not yet 10.30am.

1: The Packet Station
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

We went straight to the bar and got a pint and a half of Bays Gold.
There were plenty of seats with lots of normal tables and chairs to sit at and we soon found another room upstairs which was also fairly large.
We took our time and had a couple of drinks each,we both thought this was a really nice Wetherspoons and we would go in it lots of times over the weeks holiday.

We walked down to the quayside where the ferries left from and took a slow walk along Falmouths main shopping street which seemed to go on forever.
We watched the first couple of Dragon Boat races and then decided to go in our second pub of the day just after 12.
 
View across the docks


2: 5 Degrees West
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

Like the other two pubs on this short row you have to go up steps to get in,it was already busy outside.
There was a decent sized square shaped room to the front with the bar on the mid left side,there were plenty of seats inside,the rear area narrowed and there was an open kitchen just past the bar,the rear area was set aside for diners and soon started to fill up.
There were four real ales on the bar,we had a pint and a half of Black Rock Pale,which was a very nice drink.

We decided to try and find Falmouths beach,which turned out to be harder than we thought,we asked for help and a friendly local told us which way to go,i had completely lost my bearings and we noticed a railway bridge i thought it was at Falmouth docks,but no it was not,it was at Falmouth Town train station where we had got off yesterday,it was a walk uphill then downhill and we finally found the beach it was called Gyllyngvase Beach,there are miles of sandy beaches in Lincolnshire and i am sure not one of them is named,maybe a South West thing,anyway it was packed and we did not want to get sand our toes.
There was a bar there,but when the wife offered to get two 99s i could not refuse as it was a really nice sunny day.
We ate our 99s while stood watching the sea.
We retraced our steps as we did not want to get lost again.
It was not long before we were back into civilization.

3: Falmouth Town House
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

On the same row as 5 Degrees West,up steps again.
There was an oblong shaped room with the bar facing,no need to rush to the bar,the pub was empty,the seating was normal tables and chairs and the service friendly.
There were two real ales on the bar,we had a pint and a half of Skinners Hops & Honey,which was a very nice drink,Skinners Porthleven also on.
We were pleased to get out as it was dead.

The next pub was next door to the Falmouth Town House.

4: Cutty Sark
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

Up more steps and into a very large square shaped room with the bar on the right side,it was bare boarded and there were plenty of normal tables and chairs as the pub was almost empty,there was a smaller room to the rear.
There were four real ales on the bar,we had a pint and a half of Black Rock Pale,which was a decent drink.

We sauntered back along the main shopping street looking up side streets and anything off it.
We walked down to a small quayside,when my wife said there is a pub there behind us,i had walked past a pub without knowing it was open.

5: The Front
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

It looked like the pub was set underneath a fish  chip shop.
Once inside there was a long narrow oblong shaped room with the bar on the mid right side,it was dimly lit and just looked so nice,there was bench seating and chairs and tables with small stools.
There was a very good choice of real ales on the bar,we had two pint and two halfs of Skinners Cornish Trawler,which went down a treat,there was also Skinners Lushingtons,Sharps Special,Tintangel Pendragon and a beer called Cuckoo.
A group came on all older than us and when they started playing music they got people up to dance.
A great pub,more of it later.

After a short walk we soon found our next pub as it was on the main shopping street.

6: Quayside Inn
Photo taken by Alan Winfield
Once inside the main room was L shaped,the floor was bare boarded,there was comfy bench seating and chairs and normal tables and chairs,the front area was up one step and carpeted,there were normal tables and chairs here.
I decided to have a look round and found a room downstairs which had a large screen and only tall tables and chairs,this room was full of people watching Man Utd v West Ham,the smaller TV upstairs was showing the same game,i would rather watch paint dry than watch that on TV.
There was a good choice of real ales on the bar,we had a pint and a half of Skinners Betty Stoggs,which went down very well,there was also Skinners Porthleven,St Austell Tribute,Purity Mad Goose and Doom Bar on.
The pub does food and looked reasonably priced.
We quite liked this pub and would revisit it.

We did a short walk along the main shopping street when i spotted a pub sign up a steep hill,i said to my wife there is a pub up there,she replied you walk up there to see if it is open,as i am not walking up anymore hills for no reason.
It was open so she had to trudge up the hill to meet me.

7: Oddfellows Arms
Photo taken by Alan Winfield
 
A really nice locals pub with a small oblong shaped room,which was very busy,we just managed to get two small stools to sit on,there was also a separate pool room to the rear.
There were three real ales on the bar,we had a pint and a half of Sharps Own,which went down very well.
We both enjoyed our short stay in this pub.

It was easier walking back down the hill and back onto the shopping street again.
Another short walk and yet again we had spotted another building that maybe a pub,it was worth a walk up to anyway.
We soon found out it was a pub.

8: Beerwolf Books
Photo taken by Alan Winfield
 
You have to go up a flight of steps to get into the main room,which looked a bit like a room from an Harry Potter film,we first saw the bookcases and then spied to bar to the right,there were lots of different areas and some cool looking people doing what cool people do.
There was a good choice of real ales on the bar,we had a pint and a half of Penzance Lodestar,which was a very nice drink,there were three other Penzance beers on the bar,Mild, Hoptimystic and American Pale Ale,plus Dynamite Valley Viaduct Pale and Marble Bitter.
There was a full size table tennis table to the left which was in use,the ball was going everywhere,we were hoping that it would go down the stairs and roll out of the pub.
Children were allowed in and the pub had a really good vibe to it.
We quite liked this quirky pub.

We were getting a bit peckish by now,late Sunday afternoon,so we decided to walk up the Packet Station Wetherspoons,for something the eat with a couple drinks each,i had a burrito for the first time and enjoyed it,my wife never eats anything what she calls foreign,so it was ham egg and chips for her.

It was early Sunday evening by now,so plenty of drinking time left.
It was a short walk down to our next pub.

9: Palacio Lounge
Photo taken by Alan Winfield
 
My wife thought it looked a bit posh from the outside,i said dont worry it will be alright.
Once inside there was a large room downstairs where we had a drink and another large room upstairs,there was bench seating and chairs and normal tables and chairs downstairs.
There was one real ale on the bar which was Skinners Lushingtons,we had a pint and a half of it and it went down very well.
There was decent background music playing.
We both left saying how much we liked the pub.

We walked back down towards the front where the Ferries leave from and decided to go in Finn M'Coul's again,we had a steady pint and a half.

We were now walking back up the old High Street to revisit The Boathouse as we had liked it so much on the Saturday,it was great seeing the boats come and go and look over to Flushing.
After a couple of drinks each,it was time to leave.

We walked back down the old High Street when my wife spotted a bar up a courtyard,we had to go in and see what it was like,as we approached it looked smart enough with some people sat outside.

10:The Hand Bar
Photo taken by Alan Winfield
 
Once inside we were so surprised as to how scruffy the bar looked like,a horrible looking floor and basic bench seating which was took up and one table and chairs in the bar room to the left,the room to the right did not look much better.
I soon noticed a sign behind the bar saying NO REAL ALES,so i was soon out of my comfort zone looking at keg fonts with beers called Boundary Imbongo and other weird names,i ended up asking for the lowest gravity one at 4.6% Verdant Some Fifty Summers,it looked like sludge and tasted horrible but not off,both me and the wife thought it was a vile drink,ime glad i only got two halfs of it.
We could not wait to get out and have a proper drink.
Verdant Some Fifty Summers Urgh


Time was getting on so we decided to walk up to the Packet Station Wetherspoons as we knew this would stay open fairly late.
We had two quick pint and a halfs just to get rid of the taste of the previous beer had just had,we had a couple more drinks before walking back to the Seaview Inn and straight to bed.

Sunday done and a fairly normal day,we nearly got lost trying to find a beach and we encountered crap craft beer in a craft beer bar.

The days to come would get much more eventfull.

 




 

Sunday 8 October 2017

Cambridge Crawl 17th June 1989

This was my first ever visit to Cambridge and first time i had ever done a pub in Cambridgeshire,so i was well looking forward to going on this pub crawl which was a Nottingham Camra crawl.
These always started from the Newmarket pub in the middle of Nottingham and there was usually a good lively crowd on the bus,no posh people and it always got more rowdy on the way back.
Most of these Nottingham Camra pub crawls were after a Forest home game,but this was what they called a mid summer crawl and it was always to Cambridge.
After what seemed like a long bus journey we were finally getting close to Cambridge and for some reason unknown to me entering it from the South,i think this now may have been something to with pubs on the outskirts of the city being in the GBG.

1: Green Man
Photo taken by Alan Winfield
 
A very nice looking pub that looked like a Chef & Brewer steak house from its signage outside.
I was not too bothered as to what it was like i went straight in as i was gasping for a drink.
There were three real ales on the bar and after looking at them it seemed to be a Whitbread tied house,i had a drink of Pedigree,which went down well,the other real ales were Whitbread Wethereds and Whitbread Flowers Bitter.
The pub was quite smart inside and comfortable.
Some of my Forest mates are sat outside the pub.

It was a short walk up the road to the next pub.

2: The Volunteer
Photo taken by Alan Winfield
 
A unsigned Whitbread tied house with three real ales on.
I had a drink of Whitbread Castle Eden Bitter,which was a very nice drink,the other Whitbread beers were Wethereds and Pedigree which was a Marstons brewed beer but Whitbread had a large stake in the brewery.
Another decent pub and comfortable inside.

We had to get back on the bus and get into the middle of Cambridge,where i would go off and do pubs others did not want to do,but i always bumped into friends while doing my own thing.
Another one of my Forest mates posing outside the pub.

3: Jolly Waterman
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A corner pub that i think was situated just off the City Centre to the North,this is where the bus parked up and where we would stagger back onto it.
A Tolly Cobbold tied house,so i was well pleased.
There were a couple of rooms inside that i noticed,but i was after a drink of Tolly Cobbold Bitter,to be honest not the best of independent brewery bitters i have had,but it was a Tolly Cobbold tied house,i walked out well pleased.

I was now going to walk into the middle of Cambridge and try to find either Tolly Cobbold,Greene King or Charles Wells tied houses. 
It was not long before i noticed two pubs next to each other,i would give The Mitre a miss as i wanted to do independent brewery tied houses.

4: Baron of Beef
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

I thought this was a great name for a pub.
A pretty standard pub once inside,but it was a Greene King tied house,but there were no real ales on the bar,i had to have a drink of keg Greene King IPA,which was pretty poor.

Never mind i had plenty more pubs to do and in much nicer areas of the city centre.

5: The Maypole
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

You don't get nice areas like this in my home city of Nottingham,so it was great to see a nice looking pub that was a Tolly Cobbold tied house.
It was packed outside with what looked like much posher people than me,but i was not bothered and the pub was a bit quieter inside,probably because everybody was outside.
I noted that the drink of Tolly Cobbold Bitter was top notch in this pub.

The pubs seemed to be thick on the ground in this area,so it was not long before i was in my next pub.

6: Cambridge Arms
Photo taken by Alan Winfield
 
Not one of the best looking pubs i have been in,but it was a Greene King tied house,so i was well pleased.
The pub was packed inside with the bright young people of Cambridge,but i was only 28 at the time,so not that old.
The Greene King IPA went down well.

Another short walk and i was outside my next pub,which did look a bit out of place with it being a modern building.

7: Kings Arms
Photo taken by Alan Winfield
 
Another Tolly Cobbold tied house so i was well pleased.
It seemed decent enough to me inside and the Tolly Cobbold Bitter was decent enough.

8: Champion of the Thames
Photo taken by Alan Winfield
 
I liked the look of this pub from the outside and was not dissapointed once inside.
A Greene King tied house,which pleased me,i had a drink of Greene King IPA,which went down well.

A short walk and i was in my next pub.

9: The Clarendon Arms
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

Another decent looking end of terrace back street pub.
A Greene King tied house and quite nice inside,i had a decent drink of Greene King IPA here.

It was another short walk to my next pub which would probably be one of the best pubs of the day.

10: Man on the Moon
Photo taken by Alan Winfield
 
Not the best of looking pubs,but i do not mind going into grim estate pubs so was not too bothered about going into this pub.
Another Tolly Cobbold tied house and a decent drink of Tolly Cobbold bitter on the bar.
What made this pub good was the live music that was being played,i really enjoyed my time in this pub,one i could have stayed in for longer if not on a pub crawl.

It was starting to get dark and i was just walking round trying to find pubs,i ended up on a busy road for my next pub.

11: Five Bells

A Tolly Cobbold tied house so i was well pleased.
The Tolly Cobbold Bitter was a nice drink here.
A shame that i never managed to get a photo of this pub.

I carried on walking along this busy road until i found another pub,it was not long before i found my next pub.

12: Rose and Crown 
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A corner pub situated on a busy road.
This was another Greene King tied house that was comfortable inside,i had a drink of Greene King IPA which went down well.

I walked further along the busy road until i got to my next pub which was not that far.

13: Seven Stars
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

I liked the look of this pub from the outside.
It was another Greene King tied house,which i was well pleased to do.
It was decent enough inside and fairly busy,i had a drink of Greene King IPA,which was a decent drink.

I now had to walk off the main road and back into the back streets to do pubs i had took photos of earlier on my pub crawl,but not gone in them.

14: Free Press
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking back street pub that was another Greene King tied house.
The pub was quite nice inside and the Greene King IPA went down well.

After a short walk i was in my next pub.

15: The Cricketers
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A pretty plain looking back street pub that was nicer inside,it was a Greene King tied house,so i was pleased,the Greene King IPA went down well.

Another very short walk and i was in my next pub.

16: The Elm Tree
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A Charles Wells tied house so i was well pleased,set well into the back streets,the pub did not look that good from the outside but was better once inside,the Charles Wells Eagle bitter went down well.

I only had time for one more pub before closing time.
It was only a short walk to it so no problems in getting in before last orders.

17: The Hopbine
Photo taken by Alan Winfield

A decent looking pub that was busy outside,once inside it was quite a nice pub and a Greene King tied house.
I ended up having a pint of Greene King IPA which went down well.

This was an evening pub crawl and i was well pleased to get 17 pubs done,only one keg house and all at the time independent brewery tied houses.

I thought Cambridge was a great city and the weather was really nice, i did visit it again with my wife and on my own in years to come.
I hope Martin likes this post about pubs that he has visited over the years.