Pubs then

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Anyone got any Harrogate shouts?

Hales Bar if you like old world stuff. Still gaslit. Fairly pricey though.

Blues Bar if you are into music/records etc can be nice.

The Little Ale House for craft beer is great but it is small.

Harrogate Tap at the station used to be alright but Brexit has hurt their beer offerings.

A simple good quality non-touristy pub was Coach & Horses but that's been closed for over a year. Last I saw it the place was halfway through renovation and I suspect may fall victim to The Grey Plague™

[Psybro]

Cheers, will try Hales and Little Ale House if we can get seats.  Scope for me to have a pint each at the York, Harrogate and Sheffield Taps on the day.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

York and Sheffield Taps are definitely more impressive venues. Shame their beer supply is on its arse though.

Harrogate has a distinct shortage of normal pubs whereas by comparison Otley has far too many and not enough bars/taprooms.

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Sheffield Tap is probably the best mainline station pub in the country right?[nb]I'm sure there must be some lovely ones next to country train stations[/nb] Nowhere else comes close, a proper pub you'd probably go to even if it weren't basically on the platform.

[dr beat]

Pre-covid there seemed to be an upsurge in good station pubs, I hope they are doing ok.  We found a nice wee one in Doncaster a couple of years back while changing trains, which was a pleasant surprise.

When I'm working in Durham my go-to haunts are the Station House (at the bottom of the hill up to the station), and the Waiting Room (platform 2 for northbound trains).   

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Not sure what classes as mainline but referring to station pubs, I have heard these are good:

Railwayman's Arms, Bridgnorth
Stalybridge Buffet Bar
The Snug, Carnforth
Codsall Station pub, Codsall
The Crossing Club, Grosmont
Rat Race Ale House, Hartlepool
The Great Western, Wolverhampton
The Great Western, Bewdley
The Brunswick, Derby
Ratty Arms, Ravenglass
Little R'Ale House, Wellingborough
Wigan Central, Wigan
The Swan & Railway, Wigan

I have been and can recommend on top of those already mentioned:

The Draughtsman, Doncaster
West Riding Refreshment Rooms, Dewsbury
The Kings Head, Huddersfield

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Not a big fan of the Centurion, station pub in Newcastle. Horribly loud, shit expensive drinks and the lighting doesn't show the nice interior very well either.

[George Oscar Bluth II]

Oh yeah that's fucking awful. Quite lively[nb]in a bad way[/nb] of an evening too (although where isn't in Newcastle).

London station pubs are uniformly bad I think. The ones at Kings Cross, St Pancras and Euston are at least not Spoons, Victoria has a very strange Spoons with a balcony, Waterloo has a place that's basically a weird basement. Fenchurch Street has one that's worth a visit because it's basically just a bleak 90s station pub, like stepping back in time to the Major years.

London Bridge had a massive overhaul but lacks one completely, fucking shit.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Left Luggage Room at Monkseaton looks alright.

[shiftwork2]

Not a big fan of the Centurion, station pub in Newcastle. Horribly loud, shit expensive drinks and the lighting doesn't show the nice interior very well either.

It's the old first class lounge and used to be in much better shape (meaning post re-branding).  Busy with non-train punters in the evening but a proper station pub during the day, which means contemplative and friendly to the solo drinker / passenger.

[Psybro]

I had a two hour wait between getting off the Ratty at Ravenglass and the mainline train back and I'd chosen to go on a Monday when the Ratty Arms wasn't open, so I had to walk to the Roman baths in the pissing rain to look at them for about two minutes and walk back instead.

I've never successfully had a changeover at Doncaster exceeding ten minutes when the Draughtsman's been open either.

I like the Parcel Yard at Kings Cross for decent grub and inoffensive beer at prices I try not to think about, better than what missing the train would cost.

Some people have said nice things about the bar at Cleethorpes station but I won't find out unless Grimsby get promoted back into the League.

[king_tubby]

I don't actually mind the bar at St Pancras. You're not there for the food or beer but the platform side is a pleasant way to spend an hour or so people watching.

[MikeP]

I like a comfortable environment with soft surfaces to cut the echo and shave off the treble - sound not alcohol. The best I ever frequented was the lounge bar of the Boar's Head in Reading complete with oak beams, carpet, and flock wallpaper. Sadly no longer with us.
I tend to avoid any pub with televisions. And music should be quiet enough to permit conversation without shouting. Obviously (almost) it should also stock what I consider a decent beer, or at least a bearable one.
The best beer I ever tasted, also a nice interior, was at the Bull in Sonning. Went back there recently and the beer wasn't so good.

[A Hat Like That]

Some people have said nice things about the bar at Cleethorpes station but I won't find out unless Grimsby get promoted back into the League.

There's two.

No. 1 pub on, errr, platform 1.

No. 2 pub on, errr, platform 2.

The night I was there, No. 1 pub was celebrating winning Camra pub of the year.



I sat in a very quiet No. 2 pub.

[A Hat Like That]

Pre-covid there seemed to be an upsurge in good station pubs, I hope they are doing ok.  We found a nice wee one in Doncaster a couple of years back while changing trains, which was a pleasant surprise.

yeah, second this.

London Bridge had a massive overhaul but lacks one completely, fucking shit.

not too far from the station

[MikeP]

The night I was there, No. 1 pub was celebrating winning Camra pub of the year.

I'm probably wrong but the majority of visible glasses seem to contain lager...
Or have the CAMRA police hijacked lager as well?

I'm afraid I'm an anachronistic keg beer supporter. Very few around these day's since the fashion police started on real ale then moved on to lager. Lord knows what's coming next, sasperilla?

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Well Hard Seltzer is a thing so wouldn't rule it out.

I'm afraid I'm an anachronistic keg beer supporter. Very few around these day's since the fashion police started on real ale then moved on to lager.

Can you explain more here, I'm just trying to understand where you're coming from. Do you mean 80s and 90s creamflow keg ales like Boddies, Tetleys, Worthington, etc?

[kalowski]

That's just reminded me of a pint of Worthington's I had in The Downs in Altrincham.
"Could you top it up a little, please!"
"No. This button only sends it out in half pints."

[king_tubby]

Lads! All drinking creamy Worthingtons!

Looks like a visit to the Sheffield Tap could be on the cards. Last time I was there it was with a couple of mates after we'd gone to see Swansea play the Piggies. One of whom is now in upstate New York and the other sadly passed. Bittersweet.

[A Hat Like That]

I'm probably wrong but the majority of visible glasses seem to contain lager...
Or have the CAMRA police hijacked lager as well?

don't ask me, pal, I was on platform 2

[MikeP]

don't ask me, pal, I was on platform 2

I thought that might have been why you were on platform 2. Must have just been a different train then.

[The Crumb]

I don't actually mind the bar at St Pancras. You're not there for the food or beer but the platform side is a pleasant way to spend an hour or so people watching.

Fond memories of finishing a pub crawl there, where every stop was free due to an ill-considered Youngs promotion. 'Sign up here for a free pint,we'll just link straight through to the voucher instead of verifying your email'.

[jobotic]

My brief stay in Sheffield a couple of years ago involved a pleasant (solo) trip to the Tap. Would like to go back there. And another very nice pub nit that far away. Bit studenty, mannequin thing with a United top on, great jukebox. You people familiar with Sheffield will know it.

Also wondered into an absolutely terrible pub but saw Man City lose the CL semi to Spurs so it was worth a visit.

[phes]

That'll be the Rutland Arms on Brown St.

[jobotic]

That's the one! Ta

[Art Bear]

That's just reminded me of a pint of Worthington's I had in The Downs in Altrincham.
"Could you top it up a little, please!"
"No. This button only sends it out in half pints."

Is The Malt Shovels still going?

(I grew up in Altrincham)

[kalowski]

Yes, but I've not been for ages.

[RetroRobot]

That'll be the Rutland Arms on Brown St.

Love the Frank Sidebottom in the upstairs window there

[thelittlemango]

Headed to Newcastle next weekend, where should I be drinking? Heard about some really old covid pit with a record player in it and also remember seeing some meetup going to some cool looking taproom place with some nice green space outside but that's it.

[Shoulders?-Stomach!]

Headed to Newcastle next weekend, where should I be drinking? Heard about some really old covid pit with a record player in it and also remember seeing some meetup going to some cool looking taproom place with some nice green space outside but that's it.

Latter is Wylam taproom. Nice beers and venue but terrible acoustics in there.

Can highly recommend Mean Eyed Cat near the University and Free Trade Inn down the quayside to Ouseburn.

I also liked Crown Posada though that might not be everyone's thing.

Heard the following are good:

Town Mouse, Carriage, Cumberland Arms, Schooner (Gateshead).