I had a nice, unplanned, day in Leith with the hound yesterday. She’s really good on trains, so maybe I need to do this more often.
We managed to fit in The Mother Superior, Newbarns tap room, Campervan brewery, The Dreadnought and Lost in Leith, before catching a tram back to Waverley and the train home.
We’d planned to call at the Moonwake taproom and Teuchter’s Landing too, but we were delayed in three places after meeting people who’ve been in our bar.
We probably need to do this again soon.
Back in Newcastle, we called in the Mosaic Tap, since it’s just behind the station, then wandered over the High Level Bridge and called off at Axis and our place.
Most people know I don’t bother with birthdays. I haven’t done in decades.
But, with my birthday falling on a Monday this year (and the fact I’ve worked the past two years on this date), I really wanted to have a day somewhere with the dog.
So, I made plans for next Monday. I was really looking forward to it.
And then my beloved broke her wrist.
I might reschedule. Back to 70 hour weeks for a bit then.
It already feels like a long time ago, but we closed the bar for 10 days, so we could have a break and do some work in the bar.
Beginning in Peterborough, we visited familiar places.
A walk along the river was quickly abandoned due to an insane amount of flooding.
We did find a new (to us) micropub though.
After two nights in Peterborough, there was a day/night in York (which was also flooded).
Then, after a day at home, we were off to Edinburgh. We met up with a brewery rep for a couple of drinks; he introduced us to The Guildford Arms, a lovely old pub.
Another discovery was the Fierce bar, which had opened since our last time in Edinburgh. Fortunate, since we’re quite fond of their beer (we’ve had a few kegs in the bar). Weirdly, the bar person had been in our bar.
We spent the following day mostly in Leith.
It was good to fit in a couple of brewery taps, as well as some bars we’ve previously visited.
Of course, we took the customary picture of the cool T3 in Leith.
Most people know I’m rather fond of Glasgow. I am.
So, it was an obvious choice of location to see Queens of the Stone Age. I’d never actually been to one of their gigs before, having only seen them a couple of times at festivals.
And, on the night, I realised that it’d been some time since I’d been to an arena gig. And around a dozen years since I’d been to that particular venue.
It was a good one too.
The only negative of the night, in common with most venues, was the shocking choice of drinks. I mean, not everyone drinks lager.
Another negative, the day before, was the discovery that the 13th Note, my most favourite bar in Glasgow, had closed in July.
According to a guy in Mono, around the corner, someone new was brought in to manage the place. Their treatment of staff hadn’t been great, resulting in their joining a union and, ultimately, striking.
Of course, this was all second hand, and the notice in the window seemed to give another side to the story. Still, it was so sad to see the place closed.
On a positive note, new bars were discovered, such as the State Bar. A great little pub with a good selection of hand-pulls.
Harriet was a big hit there, with staff and customers making a fuss of her. They were even happy to see her back the next day.
It was the same in Sloan’s. While I’ve been there many times, it was the first time with the hound.
The hound was also brilliant on the train, not that she’s ever been anything but good. But that does mean that we can plan other trips with her.
It’s already fading away into the past, although it was only a couple of weeks ago.
The van coped really well with the distance, and the travelling between towns. Only a couple of things broke.
Our first stop, at Banham, involved a most pleasant afternoon with old friends (from the northeast).
Our stay in Banham was something of an accident; we’d not realised that we’d stayed at the same place a decade or so earlier. After a couple of days, we moved on.
I’d never been to Great Yarmouth before; I found, as I’d been advised, that it resembles Blackpool.
Gorleston was much nicer, although the dog enjoyed the beach at both places. We did manage to find some pretty cool bars, particularly the Tombstone brewery and Thirsty Crow.
On the return trip, there was the compulsory stay in Peterborough.
I’d never been to Bakewell before, or (until a couple of years ago) know about the Peakender beer festival. I really wanted to go last year, but knew it wouldn’t be wise to leave the bar for four days in our first year (I’d already done that for Glastonbury).
So, this year, we made the decision to go as a team and close the bar. We didn’t regret it for a second.
The festival was more than a beer thing, there was music and a lovely vibe about the place. It was dog friendly and we even found a nearby stream for the hound.
The Thornbridge brewery tap room was a must at the close of the festival, as was some time in the town itself.
And we were so pleased that the van only smoked a little bit and just one bit fell off.
