In which I enjoy a fine day at the seaside in Cleethorpes, visiting not one, but two pubs at the railway station, a fine Wetherspoon's, and a brew pub; before drowning my sorrows over all the 2p pieces I lost in the amusement arcade with a Plum Porter.
No.1 Pub (Railway Station, Cleethorpes, DN35 8AX)
This isn't the most obvious of pubs - arriving by train you could walk along the platform and not know it's here. The entrance is on the other side of this old railway building, although that's still not marked especially well.
Inside is a great railway themed bar which reminded me - just a little bit - of the old Head of Steam pubs.
Sporting a bit of a brown theme, the walls are adorned with old photographs and railway notices and signs (not all authentic I suspect, having just spotted the two above the bar - 'nobody gets out sober'?).
Handpumps served up an Ossett 'Blonde', Morland 'Old Speckled Hen', and two beers from Hook Norton.
I may have come a long way for Oxfordshire ale, but I quite fancied the 2.8% Hook Norton mild, served to me in a Bass glass.
Then I spotted the blackboard advertising a couple more ales from the back bar including Bass itself. Oh well, I'll be reporting on a visit to Derby shortly in which I got more than my fair share of Bass.
Then I spotted the blackboard advertising a couple more ales from the back bar including Bass itself. Oh well, I'll be reporting on a visit to Derby shortly in which I got more than my fair share of Bass.
On the day I came to write this post, I came across an article from the Grimsby Telegraph in which an outraged Pete from Derbyshire states he "may never return" after being stuck in Cleethorpes for 3 hours due to cancelled trains. (Slow news day?)
I can sympathise with the rail frustration, but y'know, it could be worse. At least you've got TWO station pubs to visit whilst you wait.
The second is at the end of the platforms, by the station entrance.
I can sympathise with the rail frustration, but y'know, it could be worse. At least you've got TWO station pubs to visit whilst you wait.
The second is at the end of the platforms, by the station entrance.
Of the two, this has the longer list of awards and is described by What Pub as a 'little gem'.
Although I preferred No.1
It's a comfortable enough little L-shaped room, with cushioned bench seating around the edges and stools at the bar. But points deducted for any pub with suspended ceiling tiles.
No childish snickering at the back about number 1's and number 2's.
We're off to check out Willys...
Willy's (17 High Cliff, Cleethorpes, DN35 8RQ)
I enjoyed the stroll along the promenade with views across the Humber Estuary, before calling into this mock Tudor corner pub, a regular Beer Guide entry promising home brew.
There were two guest ales on from Twisted Wheel and Settle Brewery, but I figured I'd try the Willy's Original Bitter, the brewing kit visible through a window toward the back of the room.
A further flight of stairs leads to a roof garden, which I was surprised to find empty considering the blue skies and sunshine.
Here are a couple of lesser-seen 'Spoons features - the ale cellar visible behind a glass screen and some Roman fella getting ready to celebrate the jubilee...
The Nottingham House (7 Seaview Street, Cleethorpes, DN35 8EU)
This proved to be a great proper pub.
The entrance provides a conundrum of picking the right or left doors - I headed left into the lounge, whilst there is a bar and snug in the other direction.
The lounge was pretty perfect: leather buttoned burgundy bench seating, some proper pub stools, and old pictures of Cleethorpes on the wall.
I enjoyed the stroll along the promenade with views across the Humber Estuary, before calling into this mock Tudor corner pub, a regular Beer Guide entry promising home brew.
There were two guest ales on from Twisted Wheel and Settle Brewery, but I figured I'd try the Willy's Original Bitter, the brewing kit visible through a window toward the back of the room.
So, not the most traditional of places: cafe-style furniture, large patio windows and drinks promos scribbled across the beams.
But it's a bar well worth visiting...
A good mixed crowd, from the ale drinker to the fish 'n' chip pensioners and holidaying families.
Great bar staff, with the landlady giving a delivery driver a right earful when he said he didn't have time to wait while she checked for breakages.
And some fantastic value food.
But it's a bar well worth visiting...
A good mixed crowd, from the ale drinker to the fish 'n' chip pensioners and holidaying families.
Great bar staff, with the landlady giving a delivery driver a right earful when he said he didn't have time to wait while she checked for breakages.
And some fantastic value food.
Well fed and watered I decided to call in at the town's Wetherspoon's.
Which makes for a good picture...
Which makes for a good picture...
Coliseum Picture Theatre (26-28 High Street, Cleethorpes, DN35 8JN)
As the name implies, this was a cinema at one time, although it's had several different tenants over the years and you'd never know from the interior lay-out that it was once set up for movie goers.
Downstairs is a pretty regular Spoons design, with high tables lined up adjacent to the bar and booths along the left-side wall. It's more interesting upstairs, brightly lit via the skylights, with elaborate light fittings and an ornamental balcony where two statues stand either side of a mural of the pier.
As the name implies, this was a cinema at one time, although it's had several different tenants over the years and you'd never know from the interior lay-out that it was once set up for movie goers.
Downstairs is a pretty regular Spoons design, with high tables lined up adjacent to the bar and booths along the left-side wall. It's more interesting upstairs, brightly lit via the skylights, with elaborate light fittings and an ornamental balcony where two statues stand either side of a mural of the pier.
Here are a couple of lesser-seen 'Spoons features - the ale cellar visible behind a glass screen and some Roman fella getting ready to celebrate the jubilee...
There was time for one more pint in Cleethorpes, for which I headed to a pub which I knew had appeared in recent beer guides.
And how wrong can you go with somewhere named after Nottingham, with a grand Tetley's logo and etched glass windows?
And how wrong can you go with somewhere named after Nottingham, with a grand Tetley's logo and etched glass windows?
This proved to be a great proper pub.
The entrance provides a conundrum of picking the right or left doors - I headed left into the lounge, whilst there is a bar and snug in the other direction.
The lounge was pretty perfect: leather buttoned burgundy bench seating, some proper pub stools, and old pictures of Cleethorpes on the wall.
There were four ales available, but the Plum Porter was jumping out at me.
I don't think this is the best beer to rate a pub on, as I reckon it's pretty difficult to serve a bad pint of the stuff. It was just what I needed at this point in the day and went down a treat.
I don't think this is the best beer to rate a pub on, as I reckon it's pretty difficult to serve a bad pint of the stuff. It was just what I needed at this point in the day and went down a treat.
The Nottingham House was my last port of call in Cleethorpes, as I hopped aboard a bus back to Grimsby waving goodbye to the British seaside.
It's a place I've quite fancied getting to for some time and it didn't disappoint.
Nice walks along the front, amusement arcades, the world's smallest pub (I'll stick my pictures of that on another post later), beer in the railway station...all in some great May sunshine.
The beach didn't quite look like this when I visited, though...
It's a place I've quite fancied getting to for some time and it didn't disappoint.
Nice walks along the front, amusement arcades, the world's smallest pub (I'll stick my pictures of that on another post later), beer in the railway station...all in some great May sunshine.
The beach didn't quite look like this when I visited, though...
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