The Kings Manor, 132 New Bridge Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8AG. Tel:0191 2301190.

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The Kings Manor on New Bridge Sreet, appealed to me as an alternative to the horrible 5 o'clock city traffic jam I happened to be stuck in the other evening.

 I don't think the Kings Manor, once the Moot, had been opened until very recently but it is certainly a proper real ale pub. With no less than 10 hand pulls to pick from, I parked up just around the corner in Argyle Street and 'booled' in.

Polished wood floors were the order of the day so I 'plonked' in and ordered  a pint of Hadrian's Tyneside Blonde. Very nice it was too.

 I must come back without the car to sample more of the ale.

Town Wall, Pink Lane, Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE1 5HX. Tel:0191 2323000.

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I hadn't realised theTown Wall existed as its that long since I walked up Pink Lane. Another pub sits almost opposite, but  thats for another day.

The Town Wall is quite a sizeable pub which has a decent reputation for food and a substantial  menu. But I digress.

The selection of real ales is marvelous, with some 8 to choose from. A couple of Wylam beers, one permanent called Toon Waal Ale, and the other, Gold Tankard, were acconpanied by Tyne Banks Monument Bitter, Brew Dogs Trashy Blonde and Punk IPA, Harviestouns Bitter and Twisted, Dalesides Blonde and good old Bass Premium Ale.

 Maybe it was the time of day I chose, but the place was sparcely populated and therefore lacked atmosphere. I'll maybe have to call again. Seems like a good idea.                                     

Black Bull, Bridge Street, Blaydon-on-Tyne, Tyne and Wear, NE21 4JJ. Tel:0191 4142846.

The Black Bull used to have a reputation, some time ago, as a 1st class real ale pub, or so I was led to believe. I don't know what's happened but it now belongs to the Cask Task section of has beens.

We went in, had a cloudy pint of M'Ladys Fancy from the Titanic Brewery, and were completely sunk like the brewery's namesake ship, alas never to be seen again.

M'Ladys Fancy by the Titanic Brewery. Also Deuchers IPA and Black Sheep, were also in the murky depths.

The Seven Stars Inn High Street North Shincliffe Durham DH1 2NU Tel:0191 3848454

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The Seven Stars, is run by the wife of the boss of the Rose Tree Inn, also in Shincliffe. Like the Rose Tree there are two or three decent real ales on tap, so on this particular beautiful hot afternoon, I decided to have a few pints. I chose a Durham Brewery ale and it was smashing.
The Seven Stars does have a decent food menu on offer and accomodation.

The Rose Tree Inn Low Road West Shincliffe Durham DHI 2LY Tel.0191 3868512

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I passed The Rose Tree Inn due to a bit of dodgy information on my Sat Nav and by the time I realised where it was, it was shut! A day later there it was.

Not a bad place, majoring strongly on food. It did however have three real ales on tap, so naturally I tried one. The weather was red hot and I did enjoy that pint in the small bar next to the large eating area.

Apparently the boss here has the Seven Stars Inn, which is further in to Shincliffe and is run by his wife.

Must give that a try,

The Central Hotel, Half Moon Lane, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE8 2AN. Tel:0191 4782543.

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The Central Hotel as it is called, although always known as 'the coffin', because of its shape, was always a real traditional old pub. Used on a couple of occasions in the past in movies, The Central was always known as a bit of a rough dive, but always worth a visit because of its character.

It was allowed to fall into abysmal disrepair but the Head of Steam pub group managed to get some help and lottery money, to completely refurbish it, inside and out. A good job they've made of it too, without losing too much of its old ambience.
With live music upstairs and reasonable food served along with some wonderful real ale (about 8 to choose from) downstairs. Its taken about 2 years to get it to its present state, opening a bit at a time.
On Cask Task's 3 visits over the past 18 months or so its been interesting to see its development and sample some of these beers. Wylam Angel, York Brewery Guzzler, Consett Cast Iron, Ossett Brewery Corker, Copper Dragon Brewery Freddie Truman, Black Sheep, Marston Moor Brewery Cromwell and Hadrian and Border Brewery Byker Light.

Walk out of the door, down the bank, and you're on the old Swing Bridge and the Quayside. Marvelous.

Castle Eden Inn, Stockton Road, Castle Eden, Hartlepool, Cleveland, TS27 4SD, Tel:01429 835137.

The Castle Eden Inn is just off the A19 in the little village of Castle Eden in County Durham.

An attractive pub from the outside and the interior doesn't disappoint. It has a welcoming feel to it, with a music/TV lounge to the right, a 'U' shaped bar to the centre and a restaurant to the left. Food and drink is served all day.

The real ales on offer were Deuchars IPA, Old Speckled Hen and the delicious Hobgoblin, a couple of pints of which I thoroughly enjoyed.

A small but inviting lunchtime menu found me well satisfied with the starter and main course I had  and I'll certainly come back again for more.
 I did however have the major embarrasment of being pursued, whilst hobbling to the door, by one of the staff who thought I was absconding without having paid. She was very attractive however, and would certainly be welcome to chase me outside the next time I visit.