The Blagdon Arms, Village Square, Cramlington, Northumberland, NE23 1DN. Tel:01670 731162

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The Blagdon Arms is in the beautiful little oasis that is the village.
With its beer garden at the rear, Cask Task found the pub a friendly and welcoming place, with 3 real ale taps. When Cask Task called these were Wells Bombardier, York Brewerys Tettnang (my choice for the day), and the Shepherd Neame Spitfire.
Serving up some food too, the place was quite busy. A pleasant pub.

The Plough, Middle Farm Buildings, Cramlington, Northumberland,

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The Plough, in what's termed as Cramlington old village, is an attractive part of a still growing, characterless, modern town. In this inviting little oasis sits the Fitzgerald's pub.

I hadn't been for about 12 years, but the chain's attention to its real ales was still apparent in the Plough. I had always found this a large busy place, but I think the lack of a food option, which I'm sure it used to have, seems to have left it a little lacking in lunch time custom.
Still an interesting place though, being built on a farm site, with part of the lounge being the old circular 'ging gan' for grinding the corn.
The bar is still kept as a separate area to the lounge.

Six good beers on offer being North Yorkshire Brewery Organic Flying Herbert, Old Speckled Hen, Nethergate Brewery Painted Lady, Abbott Ale, Ruddles County and the inevertable Black Sheep.

Brockwell Seam, Nothumbrian Road, Cramlington, Northumberland, NE23 1XZ. Tel:01670 732071.

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The Brockwell Seam at Cramlington is another one of those, not unattractive, but soulless new pubs that have crept up on us over the last 20 or so years, and long may they continue to do so. As far as I'm concerned, anything that keeps the pub business going is a bonus.

I've walked in to umpteen of these and they do keep the real ale business growing. In the large, mainly characterless, sprawling town of Cramlington, its a pleasure to see a Brockwell Seam pub amongst the housing estates.

With a couple of real ales on offer, Waggle Dance and Wells Bombardier, we stopped for a while.

Snowy Owl, Blagdon Lane, Cramlington. NE23 8AU Tel:01670 736111.

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The Snowy Owl was a closer sunday lunch venue for me and a substitute for the good old Badger when I was at Ellington. In the same pub group with its lovely open fires, the Snowy Owl was just as welcoming as the Badger too.

The usual real ale taps were there. Deuchars IPA,(and guess what!) Black Sheep and Harvestoun Bitter and Twisted(my choice for the day). Lovely.

We sat by one of the open fires and put the world to rights. Then run off home satisfied.
See you.