13th video of my pub crawl along the Great North Road in the UK, ticking off pubs using the Cask Marque & Caskfinder apps. The GNR is the road from London to Edinburgh. it’s the UK’s Route 66. I will be doing this in sections. (video taken in June 2025).
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[Music] good morning guys it’s 10 months since I’ve done the last bit of the Great North Road but today I’m back in Darlington in Kuny Dorham and I’m cycling out to Newcastle by Spennymore and Dorham on the Great North Road not enjoying it so far it just looks like this right now but can you see the wideness of the road you can tell uh this used to be a good old uh route for vehicles before the modernday A1 was built uh to the west of the city so uh yeah this is the A167 which uh basically runs on the old Great North Road so let’s crack on and let’s get to that first pub right guys I’m out of Dington back into County Durham and uh just behind me is the next junction going north of the A1 open bracket M closed bracket you know what those 8 km from Darlington Town Center to the A1 open bracket M closed bracket absolutely horrible the road service is fantastic no potholes grantham Stevenage take note fix your potholes however there’s a lot of traffic a lot of lys every time a lory overtakes me there’s dust up in the air and it’s hot and muggy today i’m drinking a lot of water i did not enjoy that stretch hopefully going up on the A167 towards Dham i’m hoping the traffic’s a bit lighter but I severely doubt it let’s crack on i’m at my first stop about 12 km in in Newton a cliff i’m at the Gretner Green no I’m not in Scotland i’m still on the A167 south of Durham and it’s a hungry horse pub and according to Dr google it’s already open so let’s go inside and have the first swift half of the day 25 km in i’m now in the town of Spennymore i’ve just diverted off the A167 to come to Spennymore just to tick off another Weather Spoons the great electric hall pub number two of the day let’s crack on you won’t believe this guys but on your great north road I spend anymore i’m actually following a horse and cart what a surprise right halfway through the day i’ve just made it to D train station i’ve parked on my bike here cuz I need to pick up a few pubs in D i’m going to quickly walk around it but I have followed the route of the Great North Road into town and uh right so I’m at the train station i’m going to do an additional pub here it’s called the Whistle Stop and it’s one of very few pubs which are actually on the platform of a train station in England and on the East Coast mainline there’s three of them grandm you’ve got the Whistle Stop newcastle Central you’ve got the Centtorum and here you’ve got the Whistle Stop so let’s have a quick half before I tick off some more pubs and this is the waiting room guys look at the old decor here very very fancy i like fancy decor in pubs and I’ve just been found out by the bar mate this used to be the female waiting room back in the 1870s the men’s one was next door i think they had it more luxurious here i’m totally loving Darwin so far i’ve actually ticked off a few pubs here on the old Great North Road however I haven’t actually done any pubs and cars finder so I better bloody get a move on if I’m going to get to Newcastle later done a Samuel Smith pub and two independents plus a pub on the platform at Darham station which is one of three pubs on the platforms on the east coast mainline so but Durham is absolutely amazing city i’m on the Elvet Bridge at the moment and uh this bridge was part of the great north road where horse and carts used to go trembling along here is uh full of history d is absolutely beautiful i can see myself coming back here well Dam you’ve been fantastic i’ve actually done more pubs than I planned to a little bit tipsy and it’s only 2:00 in the afternoon so uh better get back on my bike and cycle north to Jordy Land Gates Head and Newcastle let’s do this guys why I man I have done it i’m in Newcastle i’ve just crossed from Gates in Tamware just about to go over the river Tine in Newcastle this is the swing bridge uh there’s probably a former bridge here where the horse and carts used to go over the Great North Road but over there is the famous Time Bridge Sydney Harbor Bridge [ __ ] off Time Bridge is much better and over there you have got the High Bridge i’m hoping to check that out in a minute before I check out my next pub i’m in Newcastle i can’t believe it i’ve cycled and hiked and tipped off pubs learned history all the way from London all the way to Newcastle still got a bit to go to New uh Edinburgh but I’m in Newcastle and I am very excited guys I’ve officially only done one pub in Newcastle that’s the Keyside the Weather Spoons just behind me and right behind me is the River Tine but unfortunately my time here has actually come to an end today i can’t do any more alcohol i’m so I’m not I wouldn’t say rat ass but you know I’m on the verge of drunkenness and I’ve had a great cycle ride all the way from Darlington to Newcastle learning some of the history as well so uh I’m hopefully I’ll be back here very very shortly i.e very very shortly to do Newcastle and I have had so much fun checking out the bridges you know what this evening what I’ve seen and spoken to the locals and all that if I’m going to get that the next time I actually do Newcastle itself I’m going to have a freaking blast newcastle is absolutely amazing so was Gates and Durham as well so uh keep checking back for the next part of the Great North Road pub crawl so guys last uh drink of the day i’m in the Centurion thinking out in Newcastle Central Train Station only one or three pubs actually located on the platform there’s the platform just behind me in the UK the others being Grantham and the one I did earlier Durham and Newcastle so all three on the East Coast main line i’ve done now not sure if there’s any around the country it’s on the concourse it don’t count but anyway here’s a black sheep hail that’s it i’m done i’m getting my train home