As a native of the city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in North East England, I am a big fan of pubs. Although the city is famed for its energetic nightlife, with plenty of nightclubs and bars on offer to suit anyone and everyone, there are also some fantastic pubs hidden away.

The Crown Posada is definitely one of the best. Located down near the quayside, with the Tyne Bridge looming overhead, on the street below the Castle Keep, you would be forgiven for having walked straight passed it once or twice without ever realising it is there. Surrounding the pub are some trendy restaurants and a couple of nightclubs which could distract one’s vision.

On your right hand side as you walk down the street towards the river, you will see a small sign above a small entrance. Walk through this old doorway and you will find yourself in a fantastic and traditionally styled pub. The typical elements of pub decor are found here, with brass fittings, stained glass and stained wood surrounding leather seats.

The pub is quite a weird one as it is very long and very thin inside. Directly in front of the door is a little seating area and leading down the narrow corridor towards the toilets are some more seats. One would find it difficult to find seating or space on a busy night so get there early if you go on a Friday or Saturday night.

On offer are some great local ales, the lifeblood of any pub, and the Crown Posada offers great quality ales more often than not. Jarrow Bitter and Gladiator are two of the more frequent visitors to the pumps and two of the best. Due to its size and its somewhat hidden location, the Crown Posada is a great place to go for a quiet, relaxing drink with a chance to truly socialise with your friends and family. Make sure you check this place out.

Attention everyone who is coming on the trip; the italy ski bookings have been sorted out. I need part of the downpayment by this Friday, if you dont get it to me by then, you are not coming!

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Newcastle Upon Tyne, a city famed for its nightlife, offers some great pubs to drink in. However these pubs can often be overlooked, by the younger generations especially, as people go in search of nightclubs or bars where loud music plays and cheap drinks are on offer.

However, for those looking for a quiet spot to socialise on a night out, but also a spot that can still draw a crowd and create a great atmosphere, look no further than the Bridge Hotel, set high on the banks of the River Tyne next to the High Level Bridge.

Surrounding the Bridge Hotel are some of Newcastle’s historic old city walls and ruins, adding to the cultural feel of the place. Just over a small cobblestone road sits the Castle Keep, a reminder of Newcastle’s rich history. The building sits on its own and has the look of a classy pub even from the outside.

Once you walk through the front doors, decorated with stained glass windows, you enter a very traditionally and attractively decorated pub. There are plenty of hidden booths and comfy leather seats to accommodate a large crowd and plenty of tables to sit around also. The combination of brass fittings, stained glass windows, stained wood and leather makes for a very high class and yet very characterful feel. A large fireplace is the main focus as is the bar.

On offer are a range of wines and spirits. A range of continental and British lagers are also available meaning you can get anything you might usually drink in a bar or nightclub in this pub also. However, also on offer is the drink that makes the British pub what it is, the ales. A varied and large array of different ales are available at the Bridge Hotel and can be different from week to week. Make sure you sample at least a few of these drinks.

To top off an already fantastic pub is the friendly service, friendly atmosphere and, the cherry on the cake, the downstairs terrace that overlooks the river Tyne and the bridges of Newcastle and Gateshead. This is a great place to come in the summer to lay back and relax in comfortable surroundings. One of Newcastle’s best pubs indeed.

Pauline’s surprise birthday bash: I think I know what we should sort out. We should plan some time at one of her top ski hotels as a surprise. Who’s in?

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The Rose does not have a dance-floor which sees drunken twenty-year olds battle it out every Friday night for supremacy; nor does it have absurdly modern furniture or an endless cocktail menu on the wall. In fact, my favourite little pub, the pub which taught me what it is to drink like a man—learning the drinking culture from wise old men, that is—is a proper old fashioned pub: it hasn’t been changed since day one and as long as there are people walking this earth who appreciate the old-fashioned pub culture, it never will.

I like to chat to the old men you only find in such places. It’s as though they can only exist in that special plain of reality, isn’t it? You never see them walking about outside, do you? No. And if you do you might walk on by. But that’s why this protected species should be celebrated at every opportunity: the handlebar mustache is their weapon; wisdom-giving is their game.

Some people who don’t appreciate pubs might think you judge a pub only on its drinking area: well, you do not! You judge a pub on its many smaller details: for instance, the toilets in The Rose are cleaned with real pride by a real cleaning lady, not just anyone with a mop. And then there are the tables: coasters are always used to protect the varnish. And if anyone even thinks about placing their pint down on the wood–well–Let me just say that this will not be greeted kindly, and for very good reason! Those tables are hundreds of years old! What kind of a landlord would permit such heinous abuse?

And of course, we have to get to the beer. OK, I won’t lie: The Rose does not have the largest variety of beer of all UK pubs, but the service is great. You know that when a pint gets poured, love has gone into it. And you feel like so much more than just a customer–

Good news on the house! After hours of going through online house ads, looking through endless home information packs, and being put on hold with a absurd number of estate agents everyone has agreed on a house. Move in date is the first of next month, and I am going to need deposits on tuesday from all the tenents. And before you ask Thomas, no you can’t borrow money

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Public houses in England come in many different forms and guises but the all pervasive theme pub, plastic bars with the fun surgically removed to be replaced by one ’wacky’ theme or another, seems to be spreading at an alarming rate. With many traditional pubs feeling the heat of the recession it is time to celebrate one of the great survivors in the annals of English inns: The Old Queen’s Head in Sheffield.

The Old Queen’s Head is the oldest surviving domestic building in the city. The building itself is thought to date from around 1475. The earliest surviving written record of the pub comes from 1582 when it is referred to as ’The Hawl At The Poandes"and records it as belonging to George Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury a major historical figure during the reign of Elizabeth I.

The current name of the pub is thought to refer to the doomed Mary Queen of Scots, who spent many years imprisoned in Sheffield under the care of George Talbot. It may be that Mary herself spent time in ’The Hawl’. The pub is of interest to fans of the paranormal as well as fans of a pint. There are regular reportings of paranormal activity at the pub, from glasses flying unaided through the air to a mysterious grey lady seen floating through the cellars and who leaves a scent of almonds behind here.

The building is ideally situated next to the transport interchange of this beautiful Yorkshire city. It is a striking timber clad building in authentic black and white tudor fashion.

I love the atmosphere at The Old Queen’s Head, despite being in the heart of the city it remains a friendly local attracting loyal regulars from the nearby flats as well as students from the cities two Universities and commuters. A function room upstairs, complete with its own bar, is used for a variety of clubs and societies including role-players, science fiction fans and poetry enthusiasts.

The Old Queen’s Head is a Thwaites inn and specialises in real ales and ciders, the cellar is kept to an impeccable standard and the beer is uniformly fantastic. A large range of food, including daily specials, is cooked on the premises and is as delicious as it is value for money! I would recommend having the stomach satisfying ’brunch’ whilst your watching a football match on one of the bar’s big screens.

The Old Queen’s Head perfectly fuses the modern and the traditional in the good old public house. With an unbeatable location, friendly welcome and very reasonable pricing why not belend history with your hops and make a date at The Old Queen’s Head?

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