Tyneside Pub Explorations

More pub explorations in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne as I set about using the Metro to visit a few areas of the city either side of the river.  My day began with grey skies and showers as I wandered from my hotel to Wetherspoon's The Mile Castle.  By the time I emerged 45-minutes later there was blue sky and sunshine.  Everything is better after a couple of Lavazza coffee refills and a Spoons breakfast.
 
I purchased a £7.50 Day Saver ticket from the machine in the Metro station and set out to make the most of it.

Fist stop: Wallsend.
Four miles from Newcastle, situated - as the name suggests - at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall, and home to over 40,000 folk, Wallsend grew as mining and then shipbuilding became the big local employers.
It's also the birthplace of Sting, director Paul W. S. Anderson, and Michael Carrick, who may or may not be manager of Man United by the time I finish writing this post.  

Wallsend doesn't really stand out as a Pub Stop on the Metro, but I'm a sucker for a cinema conversion and The Ritz looked the business.
A double-JDW start to the day!

The Ritz (85-87 High St W, Wallsend NE28 8JD)
The Ritz opened as an ABC cinema in 1939 with seating for 1,636 movie-goers.  It closed in September 1962, the last film shown being  A Kind of Loving starring Alan Bates.  That gets 7.3 on IMDB so I don't think we can blame Alan Bates for the closure
The building then spent 49 years as a bingo hall before Wetherspoon's refurbished the site and opened the pub in 2011. 
Beyond that grand Art Deco frontage is a wind-tunnel patio area with the main entrance set back from the street.  Once inside, it doesn't feel much like an old cinema.

One big room, with a couple of separate sections to the back.  Plenty of customers pre-11am.
I visited whilst the October Beer Fest was in full swing, picking the oatmeal stout brewed by some folk from Oregon whilst they were on holiday in Southwold.  Not bad, but not the best of the festival ales that I got around to trying.
The visible ground floor 'cellar' is an interesting feature on the walk to the toilets...

But I hadn't come all this way to peer through windows at beer barrels or sit in one place ticking the beer festival booklet.
So it wasn't too long before I was back on the Metro, travelling a few stops eastward to Tynemouth.  The glass-roofed station is lovely; the tree-lined streets appealing; the local social club frontage stands out - not necessarily in a good way.

The Tynemouth Social Club (15-16 Front St, Tynemouth, NE30 4DX)
This club began life in a cottage in 1918, then purchased the old Co-Op shop building on the village High Street one year later for the sum of £2,500, where they've remained to this day.  It originally contained a piano, reading room, library and space for lectures.  In recent years the club has obtained a full pub licence, allowing me to wander in without having to mumble about possessing a CAMRA membership card or having to sign a visitor book.
As I expected before midday, the Club was quiet - just a couple of snooker players on one of the two tables at the back, confirming with a quick glance that I wasn't anyone noteworthy, as I bowled through the door.

I got a friendly welcome from the lady behind the bar as I perused the beer selection which included interesting options from Hadrian Border and North Pier breweries.  Did I really peruse them?  Or did I just arrive and say 'pint of Bass please'.  The latter I suspect.

£3.80 for a pint on top form.
I grabbed a seat out of the way of the snooker players, sat under the TV showing pub-fave channel Now 70s.  Abba's video for 'Chiquita' was showing as part of 'Essential Number 2's of the 70s'.

A few other folks arrived whilst I was settled there.
One regular staked his claim to the table next to me, came back from the bar with a Chardonnay and Bacon Fries, got the staff to put the second TV on with some Racing TV action, then did a little jig in his seat to 'In the Navy'.  Denied the top spot by Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive', pop chart trivia fans.

The Tynemouth Social Club is great and well worth a visit.
As is Tynemouth in general, the castle and abbey on the headland and windswept beaches looking magnificent in the sunshine.

I followed the footpath around the northern end of the estuary with views across to South Shields, making the pleasant 15-minute walk to Fish Quay Sands.  Then a few strides up Tanner's Hill took me to my next pub, the Tyne Lodge.

The Tyne Lodge (Tynemouth Road, North Shields,NE30 4AA)
This historic inn has been trading continuously since 1799.  The Tynemouth house of correction used to stand next door, with the Lodge providing accommodation to the Judges and the kitchens providing meals to the prisoners.
By 1983 the pub had fallen into disrepair when it was brought by Hugh Price who refurbished it and turned it into a real ale destination.  No music, no TVs, no games machines, no hot meals.

Replace that green upholstery with a checked pattern fabric and stick Pig on the Wall on the bar and you could mistake this for a Black Country Ales expansion into the NE.
As it was, the cask choice was Bass, Black Sheep and two from Hadrian Borders: 'Grainger Ale' or 'Tyneside Blonde'.
A shock shunning of the Bass here from me, as I stuck with the local Tyneside Blonde because I liked the pump clip.

Served with patience as it took some time to settle; in excellent condition once it was ready.

Departing the Tyne Lodge, I walked straight along Tyne Road to North Shields, the Good Beer Guide-listed Seven Stars my target.
Open from 12:00 on a Friday said the CAMRA website.  Open from 14:00 said Google.  Google was right - meaning I arrived 45-minutes too early to find a locked door.
With the local micro also choosing to open later in the afternoon, a quick wander around town revealed few enticing alternatives.
Oh well, the North Star has a striking sky blue frontage...

The North Star (97-98 Bedford St, North Shields, NE29 6QH)
Previously known as the Pow Burn, this pub underwent a major refurbishment complete with name change in 2023.
I was absolutely certain that this would turn out to be a one-time Wetherspoon's.  

Right down to the signage, the (very respectable) toilets, and the carpet...

But no.  Never been a Spoons.  It's just a wet-led town pub, pool table at the rear, sports on TV, quiet music in the background, and an impressive number of lunchtime punters.
The three local ales from Cullercoats on cask were unexpected.

Expecting them to be on top form may have been a step too far, though.
The 'Polly Donkin' stout had a sharp tang to it which suggested it had been on for a fair while and was heading past best if not already there.

I think that a large chunk of the refurbishment money went to the local Curry's superstore.
Over here, over there, TVs, they're everywhere.
I could see two different channels showing horse racing, Androni Iraola's press conference on the screen directly in front of me, an F1 replay if I swivelled to the right.

Oh well, not a great beer, but the North Star is clearly a functional pub that is serving the folks of North Shields well with Carling, Guinness and ample sports coverage.
Five-to-two - back up the road to the Seven Stars, with a plan for a speedy visit - an eye on the clock as I wanted to catch the 2:30 ferry.

Seven Stars (7 Albion Rd, Tynemouth, North Shields NE30 2RJ)
Unsurprisingly I was the first customer of the day, the staff member still pottering around completing the opening routine.
Dire Straits 'Telegraph Road' playing in the background - a track long enough that I wasn't intending to stick around long enough to hear the end of it.

Prior to transforming into a 2020s real ale local, this pub used to be the Oddfellows Arms with the upstairs rooms operating as a late-night club with a bit of a notorious reputation in the '80s.  It really doesn't look like somewhere that would ever have had a notorious reputation.

The beer board showed five cask ales, seven keg, and three ciders on offer.
A half of Three Kings 'Ring of Fire' 4.5% American pale ale for me.
Finished in the time it took me to read the first page of the Canny Bevvy local CAMRA mag, Mark Knopfler just getting going when I returned my glass to the bar.
I felt a little bit guilty for the speedy visit, but I had a boat to catch.

More Tyneside explorations to follow shortly.

Hebburn Is A Place On Earth

10th October 2026
Oxford City FC were making one of their longest journeys of the season in the Conference North, taking on league newcomers Hebburn Town on the southern side of the River Tyne.
It seemed a worthwhile challenge to make it to this one.

Actually it falls short of the longest of City's 26/27 trips - South Shields' Mariners Park ground is all of 1.1 miles further away.

My day started in Newcastle city centre which was enjoying glorious blue skies but wicked cold gusty winds.
The stencils celebrated local heroes...

Whilst visiting Brighton fans had been making their presence felt with a bit of stickering...

After a spot of breakfast in the Five Swans Wetherspoon's by the University, a visit to the Laing art gallery, and taking the opportunity to marvel the grand city centre buildings in the sunshine, I made my way to the Newcastle Tap for a pre-noon beverage.

Newcastle Tap (Baron House, 4 Neville Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5EN)
This addition to the Pivovar Tap empire was opened in 2017.  It's on the ground floor of former office block, Baron House, so unlikely to trouble the Taps at Sheffield or York for architectural wow factor.

Head back to 1974, when the office block was newly constructed, and you'd find the 8,000sq ft Geordie Pride pub in the basement, which featured a mock Victorian Street and recreation of the buffet from the former Douglas Hotel which stood on the site pre-1971.
Dare I say it sounds way more exciting than the Tap, a neat  industrial single room bar with a mezzanine level.

Not many customers at 11:30 on a Saturday.  
Lots of beers to pick from.
I went for the Wilde Child 'Shamrocks and Shenanigans', a good interpretation of a dry Irish stout, in great condition for what will have been the first poured of the day.

Right, midday, time to make the trip across to the south side of the river.

My expert research had confirmed that Hebburn and Radcliffe are battling it out for worst pub town in the National League North.

It's a bit of Tyneside with almost as many clubs as pubs.
Filtering the CAMRA pub map for those selling cask ale revealed few options. 

You could, of course, just stick in the city centre and travel on the Metro in time for kick-off, but I was determined to go on a mission to find somewhere that would serve me a decent beer before the match.
Firstly, 1.1 miles from the ground in Bill Quay.

The Wardley (Brack Terrace, Bill Quay, NE10 0TT)
The current building dates to 1897 when the local area was blooming with riverside industry and new terraced houses were being built to accommodate the influx of workers.  Many of those terraces have since being demolished leaving the Wardley standing alone.
Step inside (with just a little bit of trepidation - we're way off the tourist trail here) and you'll find a L-shaped room with a snug area to the back.  Cushioned bench seating to one side by the fireplace, high stools lined up to face the bar.  An odd feature was a floor to ceiling mirror at the end (who's that scruffy bloke taking pictures?)

The sole cask on offer was Ossett 'White Rat', a second hand pump with a turned around clip.  The White Rat, at £3.90 a pint, was served with a bit of patience, taking a while to settle, but once it was handed over to me I found it on pretty good form - an enjoyable beer.

The rest of the custom consisted four solo blokes, all obvious locals, and three dogs.  The build-up to the early Prem kick-off was showing on the TV screens, Tommy Hunt 'Lovin' on the Losing Side' (1976) playing in the background.  Uh-oh, is that an omen?

After the Wardley, I made my way up beyond the football ground and into the centre of Hebburn itself.

As I wasn't intrepid enough to venture into the club which supposedly sells cask, my only other option was a ten-minute trek along Jarrow Road to reach the Longship.

The Longship (Ushaw Road, Hebburn, NE31 2YA)
This is a community pub dating back to the eighties, but looking thoroughly modern within due to a 2025 refurb.  It's a Greene King house - the sole cask beer 'Abbott', which seems to be the norm these days since IPA has been put on the back burner.
The Longship was doing a roaring Saturday lunchtime trade.  Lots of Sunderland shirts by the bar, soon to depart to make the journey to the Stadium of Light.  Lots of food trade, with plates of pub grub coming out to tables full of folk of all ages.
Not a pub I'd get excited about, but good to see it doing well.  Abbott in 'Acceptable' condition.

A twenty minute walk took me back to the entrance to the Trustmark Group Stadium.

Hebburn Town FC achieved promotion as Northern Premier Division champions in 25/26, marking an ascension to the highest level they've played at to date.
They were founded as a works team for local engineering giants Reyrolles in 1912.  The factory, which stood between the ground and the river, is long gone, modern housing taking its place.  But the football team continued, recently going from strength-to-strength, the ground being further developed each time they moved up a league.

The two storey Sports Club in the corner has a pleasant bar on the ground floor and a function area with balcony overlooking the pitch on the first floor.  Closed for a private event on this occasion, which is a pity as I was looking forward to grabbing a spot on that balcony. 
The big brand keg beers were good value, Arsenal v Leeds was on TV screens, friendly folk shared my table and weren't shy to get chatting to the odd-bod from Oxford.

At the time, this was 3rd vs 5th in the National League North, Hebburn snubbing several predictions that they'd struggle at this level with strong performances in the first couple of months of the season.
In fact, they hadn't been beaten in a league match at the Trustmark Group stadium for a year. 

So it was an impressive start for the visitors when Tyrone Marsh scored for City after just 3-minutes.
I thought the two teams were pretty evenly matched for the remainder of the first half. Hebburn would have equalised if only you were allowed to take a throw-in from somewhere completely different to where the ball went out.

After surviving an early scare in the second half, City took control of the game.  Ludwig Francillette, once on Newcastle's books, took advantage of his considerable height and a perfectly placed corner to head into the top corner of the net.  Then Ellis Brown niftily drove the ball past the keeper to make it three after 64 minutes.

A great result, with only Macclesfield and Hereford above us in the league table.
Here's the hardy bunch of City supporters at the end of match, picture courtesy of the club's Facebook page.

I can't make it to the next couple of away fixtures, so the next footy ground pics and exploration of a new town will hopefully be from Hednesford in mid-November.
Keep the momentum going and we'll still be troubling the top of the league at that point.

And yes - very pleasingly - Hebburn did play the Belinda Carlisle track just before kick-off!

Chares, Bridges and Buses - Newcastle Pub Explorations

The first week of October 2026 saw me making the long haul up the M1/A1 to Newcastle for my first visit in many a year.  Lower league football on Saturday had tempted me in this direction, with plenty of time to explore Tyneside on Thursday and Friday.  Not nearly long enough, I quickly found out.

After a side-mission to Swalwell Lidl's on instructions to pick up a Bavarian beer box before they all sold out, I made it into the city centre and negotiated the narrow ramps of the Travelodge Central car park.  (No bumps this time, which is more than I can say about my trip to the Preston one).

Down to the quayside. 
Iconic shot of the bridges straight away in case the blue sky didn't last.
Then check where the nearest beer guide pub is, which turned out to be the Broad Chare.

Odd name.  A 'chare' is a traditional local term for a narrow lane or alley, this being the widest running from Quayside up into the town, hence the 'broad' chare.

Broad Chare (25 Broad Chare, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 3DQ)
This one-time warehouse was transformed into a bar in 2011 in conjunction with the theatre next door.  I guess theatre-goers don't want a scruffy wet-led boozer for pre-show refreshments, so what you get in the Broad Chare is a celebrated gastro menu, craft beers and smart comfy seating areas.
And Bass and lots of dogs.

We do seem to have adopted Oktoberfest in 2026 more than I can ever remember in previous years.  We had three choices the previous weekend in Oxford for bratwurst, beer in big measures and staff in silly costumes.  No lederhosen and dirndls in the Broad Chare, but they did have the Bavarian bunting out and a menu of German food.  Several customers were tackling their Hofbräu by the stein (£15, yikes!).
I was (remarkably) smart enough to realise that pub exploration plans would be severely dented by starting on a litre of 6.3% beer.

I'm also predictable enough to order the Bass on first sight without even looking what else was on offer. Pale ales from Anarchy or Marble and a damson porter from Burton Bridge, as it turned out.

 

Diners are pointed upstairs, whilst the ground floor of the pub is divided into two, standing perches around the bar counter, a cosy section to the right with bench seating.
Music-wise, we got Pink Floyd 'See Emily Play', followed by the Small Faces and Derek & the Dominoes in a classic rock playlist, whilst the bar filled up nicely, doing a good lunchtime trade.

A short walk away, I found somewhere which makes for one of the best Pub & Bridge photos outside of Stockport and Durham. 

The Bridge Tavern (7 Akenside Hill, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 3UF)
There has been a pub on this site since the 19th century, the previous incarnation demolished to make way for the construction of the Tyne Bridge.  Not to be beaten by a bridge, the current building was constructed between 1925-29, tucked neatly into the stanchions.  

I thought it looked gorgeous from outside, with the earlier name, The Newcastle Arms, etched into the brickwork.  So it was a little disappointing to step through the door and find a thoroughly modern big open-plan space with an industrial feel to the iron beams and exposed ductwork.

There were also very few customers at the time I visited.

But plenty of beers.  From the run of eight hand pumps I couldn't resist something with Tunnock's designs on the clip calling itself a 'teacake- style stout'.

A Castle Rock and Loch Lomond brewery collab, the 'Time to Fly' was a beery chocolate and marshmallow delight.

So what else did I find in the Bridge Tavern?
Bookshelves, bespoke beer mats and brewing kit.

 

After falling into a bit of disrepair, the Bridge enjoyed a revival in 2013 which is when it had the brewing kit installed in conjunction with local Wylam Brewery.   But I'm not sure how much, if any, use that kit currently gets.

I ambled up The Side and - I'll own up to it now - walked straight past the Crown Posada and didn't go back throughout my whole time in Newcastle.  I was focussed on visiting places that were new to me, which is what took me to the top of the street, round the corner at the Castle Keep, and straight to the mightily impressive Bridge Hotel.

Bridge Hotel (Castle Garth, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 1RQ)
This opened as the New Bridge Inn around 1850 at the same time as Stephenson's High Level Bridge - right next to it - was completed.  The original Inn didn't last an awfully long time, getting a rebuild in 1899 by architects Cackett and Burns Dick.  By the 1950s it had switched the name from Inn to Hotel and became home to the Bridge Folk Club, still running to this day, making it the second longest running folk club in the country.

The font for the hotel name above the symmetrical ground floor doors and windows is great.  Then you find John Fitzgerald adorning the mosaic tiling in the entryway - that being the name of the pubco who owned the Bridge from the 1950s until 2020. 

The pub is as impressive inside as out.  It's a huge place, with multiple sections, function rooms unseen, and a Wetherspoon-like trek to the toilets in the basement.
Lots of dark wood, burgundy leather benches and elaborate mirrors. 

Hand pumps dispensed eight beers from big brands to local micros.
I ordered the Two By Two 'Waves of Motueka' which got a nod of approval from the friendly chap serving me who marvelled how much flavour the local Byker brewery had packed into a 3.4% single hop beer.
I settled under the stained glass windows at the back of the pub, enjoying a cool sixties soundtrack of Dusty Springfield and Little Eva.

The Bridge was great and I could have sunk into the seat in the corner with a book and stayed there for the rest of the day.
Except I was too keen to make the walk across the High Level Bridge and enjoy the views in the October sunshine.
You arrive in Gateshead on the other side and Gateshead has a quite superb micro.

Microbus (Arch 2 Wellington St, Gateshead NE8 2AJ)
The archway which houses Microbus has had several uses over the years including as the High Level Café which gets a mention in Lindisfarne track 'Fog on the Tyne'.  The current bar was opened in 2022 and won the local regional CAMRA pub of the year award one year later.  It's not hard to see why.

I didn't even look at the keg lines, which I'm certain would have challenged my willingness to move on from here.  The cask line up included beers from Twice Brewed, Weekend Project, Lost Cause, Vaux, Brewlab and Otherworld.

I picked the Twice Brewed 'On the Number 21' a 6% hazy IPA, a collaboration between the Hexham-based brewery, Rare Drop bottle shop in Low Fell and Microbus themselves.  What a beer!
The music offered something a little bit different too, with Ray Wylie Hubbarb's 'Conversation with the Devil' and Tennessee Ernie Ford '16 Tonnes' my highlights.

I was in a fantastically quirkily decorated railway arch, with good music and a superb beer.  What more could I ask for?
"Would you like some curry?  It's free."

Thursday is curry day at Microbus and very tasty it was too.
Smart move to make one of the two veggie curries fiendishly hot, causing half the pub conversation to focus around 'have you had the hot one'.  The lady in charge of pouring the beers and dishing up the food popped over and had a nice chat with me, before admonishing the chap at my table for not eating his rice.  
"Sorry, I just don't really like rice."
"Who doesn't like rice?!"

I stuck around for a half of the fine Victorian porter from Otherworld, before moving on a short distance to Station East.

Station East (Hills St, Gateshead NE8 2AS)
Gateshead East Station was located on the southern side of the railway viaduct before it closed in 1981.   Other than a short spell as an Irish bar, this building stood derelict for many years after the station closed, until Hadrian Border Brewery brought the property in 2015 to make it the site of their first pub.  It took a fair bit of cash and 22 months to renovate the building, unearthing Victorian features and a route through to railway arches which now serve as a music and events space.

It's another wonderful bar.  Set over two levels, the Station had a charming ramshackle feel to it, with a decent number of customers coming and going, some Gateshead regeneration chat to listen to, and a grunge soundtrack featuring Temple of the Dog, Bush and Nirvana.

The various chalk boards advertising beers and ciders were slightly overwhelming, so I just went for what was right in front of me.

And wow!  That Hadrian Borders 'Oktoberfest' was good.  A wheat beer like I've never had before, served from the wood, with rich sweet malt and caramel flavours and a touch of smokiness from the barrel.

Departing the Station East, I headed down to the commercial hub of Gateshead where a first Wetherspoon's visit of the day was on the cards.

The Tilley Stone (Unit 9, 10 Jackson St, Gateshead NE8 1EE)
The Tilley Stone appears in the 2027 Good Beer Guide, so this served as GBG tick, Spoons tick, and the chance to try something from the Autumn beer festival list. 
It opened in 2011 in former retail premises and is named after two coal seams that were worked by local collieries.

This street, close to Gateshead Metro station, is one of those where the modern store fronts detract from some glorious architecture.  A glance above Spoons shows that the pub straddles two different buildings, seating inside on two levels with plenty of space for a decent Thursday afternoon crowd to spread out.
Or you can just loiter in the mini-Vegas bit by the loos.

From a good cask choice, I honed in on the Burning Sky 'East India Porter' - well, I would do wouldn't I?  Later perusal of the beer fest list confirmed this was the joint strongest one.
A lovely hoppy and chewy proper IPA, priced at just £2.10 a pint.

That marked the end of brief explorations of Gateshead for me.
Just time for a quick shot of the Brian Johnson street art...

...with more Tyne and Wear pubs to follow shortly.