Berwick-upon-Tweed
A English town off of the A1 from Scotland to England, Berwick-on-Tweed has many attractions and is a centre for visiting more. The Scottish Borders and the Northumberland Coast are easily reached.
Apologies to those outlying pubs in Berwick-upon-Tweed but I am just introducing the pubs that are in, or are a reasonable walking distance from the town centre. You may be crawling home but there is no need to walk your legs off.
Most of the pubs are on the main road through the town leading down to the quay.
I have split them into a couple of groups. Those in the lower town, those higher up the town just before or just after the wall and a couple from across the river and easily reached crossing the bridge.
visit Berwick visit Northumberland
Starting at the main town end of the old bridge move of the quay onto the street and find the Barrels Ale House, easily my favourite pub in Berwick. Continue down this narrow street and it open out into the main town road. The Hen and Chickens is opposite and down to the right is the Queen's Head. Going to the left and walking up to the town centre Foxtons is on the left with the King's Arms and The Brown Bear across the street. Rather than walk up the hill to the town pass by the Town Hall and walk along the street where the Kings Head is and further on and round to the left can eventually be found the Cobbled Yard.
Continue to visit pubs in Berwick by returning to the main street and walking up to wards the gate through the old wall around the town. Going along to the left before you reach the wall there is a road with The Leaping Salmon. Returning to the main street and just before the wall is The Brewers Arms.
Outside of the gate and all on the left come The Red Lion, The Free Trade, The White Horse and finally The Castle beside the railway station.
Cross over the roundabout and exit along the small road, rather than the main road, called High Grns. Continue along into Low Grns and discover The Pilot Inn
Pub Info
In towns like Berwick, where there is a large local population, a desire to attract tourists and a need to be a centre for the surrounding area, many of the pubs have to try an attract a variety of drinkers. Thus, you may find pleasant lounges with a pool table and darts at the other end. Locals may not be as tolerant of the sensibilities of visitors as landlords would like. The pubs have to be as many things to as many people as possible. Discos and/or Karaoke at the weekend bring in more cash in the evenings than tourists out for a quiet drink. The winter months require pool and darts leagues to bring in bodies mid-week. This makes some pubs a jumble of ideas and pool tables squeezed into the smallest places.
A lot serve lunches but fewer offer evening meals.
The Barrels Ale House ★
The Barrels Ale House is easily the best in town. Full of character, comfortable and quaint. Always five real ales. Small bar with small room off of it, and basement downstairs. Pub has regular music.
Regular in Good Beer Guide (CAMRA) ……………..2023
Visited by Stevenson & MacKay in their book “Goin’ Roon the Edge”
Have as many as you like - return.
real ales: Pentland, Spitfire, Directors, Beacon, Ouseburn porter
lager: Tennant’s
NEW PUBS
Handily placed on the road down, Bridge Street, to the closed Hen & Chickens and The Queen's Head are two new bars. These are:
The Curfew (a micropub) - Northumberland Pub of the year 2016 and 2018. Good Beer Guide 2021… 2024
and
Atelier , a cafe-bar. and Good Beer Guide 2024
Both sell real ale and allow dogs.
Hen and Chickens Hotel is CLOSED
Hen and Chickens Hotel is CLOSED not always open but is packed at weekend nights. Stand close to the karaoke to get space.
Queens Head
Queens Head, really more of a restaurant and hotel, but has a small attractive lounge at the front with a real ale.
Have a pint.
Real ale: local
Bitter: Theakstons, John Smiths
Lager
Cider: Strongbow
Foxtons
Foxtons has a modern shiny wood and chrome look but carries it off really well. Is advertised as Restaurant and Wine bar though it sells real ale. Though it probably thinks food is more important. Has a tall bar counter. Open from 9am for coffee etc.
Have a pint
Kings Arms Hotel
Kings Arms Hotel with large bar dining area at back. Feels like a hotel. Not comfortable standing at bar.
half pint
PUB QUIZ
What does the E in e number stand for?
Answer at foot of page
The Brown Bear
The Brown Bear is a drinking pub with large, long bar containing pool. Good atmosphere with entertainment (karaoke, disco) some evenings.
Couple of pints here
real ale: Black Sheep
bitter: John Smiths
lager: Carling, Stella
cider: Woodpecker, Strongbow Guinness
Kings Head
Sherlock's dog friendly pubs
The Barrells, The Brown Bear, The Brewer's Arms, The Red Lion, The Free Trade (limited space for a big dog), The Pilot Inn. Two new pubs - The Curfew and Atelier.
For dog friendly and evening meal try The Castle or The Queen's Head
The Cobbled Yard Hotel
The Cobbled Yard Hotel is the hardest to find and only has a small, hotel, drinking area off of a dining area. Serves food in the evening - handy to know as many pubs do not.
Have a pint
bitter: John Smiths
lager: Tennant’s
The Leaping Salmon
The Leaping Salmon was Wetherspoon's but now Stonegate pub so you know what you get. Or you think you do - only 1 real ale was on as they were saving them for the next week's beer festival. When it arrived, there was plenty. Very narrow at bar especially when busy and the Weekends are going down. Always seems busy
Have a pint.
The Brewers Arms
The Brewers Arms had the hand pump but was not walking the talk. It would be on tomorrow, but this never happened.
It has a long lounge offering food.
Stop for a half pint.
The Red Lion
The Red Lion is the first pub outside the gates. A bit barn like, it has interesting music decoration. Friendly staff
Opens at 9.30am , although no alcohol served until 11am and open until 1am Friday and Saturday
Have a pint
The Free Trade ★
The Free Trade is a two roomed pub. The door in the corridor immediately to the right of the entrance leads to what was a corridor which used to access the off sales set in centre of pub - not is use any more. A door from here takes you to the smaller front bar. which shows you the full extent and unusualness of the wooden portioned corridor and bar are from circa 1910 refit. The bar counter is front and left of door while the area towards the window has some small tables.
Outside has been spruced up recently and real ale was back on.
The entrance corridor also leads to a back room with pool table and seating around the wall
Age alone, said to date from 1767, demands respect and a pint.
Present in 'Britain's Best Real Heritage Pubs' look
Real ale : Tyneside Blonde
Bitter: Belhaven Best; John Smith
Lager: 1664; Carlsberg
cider: Strongbow Guinness
The White Horse - closed
The White Horse (not to be confused with the White Horse, Berwick, Pa USA) seemed the quietest of pubs in Berwick. Some outside seating through rear.
Stop for a half pint.
The Castle ★
The Castle, a hotel near the station, has a lovely comfortable lounge, pleasant locals and real ale. It has a restaurant attached.
Couple of pints
Real ale: Castle and Theakstons
bitter: McEwans 80/-, Belhaven Best, John Smiths
lager: Tennent’s Guinness
The Pilot Inn ★
The Pilot Inn has a pleasant bar and swerving counter to the right. A back room served via a hatch is further on. Opposite the door to the bar is a lounge which looks like two rooms joined. This has a lot of seating and a large TV. Beer garden to rear.
Outside looks much the same as 1916 picture by bar door
Have a pint here
Regular in Good Beer Guide …….2023, 2024, 2025
real ale : Toon Brron (Fredrick); D euchers; Wild Mule (rooster)
bitter: : John Smith; Bellhaven Best
lager : Estrella; Carling
cider : Strongbow Guinness
PLACES TO VISIT WITH PUBTRAILS
The towns and villages highlighted on this web site have a wide variety of pubs and beers in them. All of the places are great to visit, whether for a day or longer, and most have tourist attractions for all of the family.
There is a large variety of pubs throughout the different towns shown below. Some you may wish never to visit again but even discovering these can be interesting. There are pubs that you would not take your wife into. While some you could not take your girlfriend into. A few you would not take either into. However, most of the pubs are very pleasant.
HOME MAP of places visited
Alnwick Ambleside Anstruther Bakewell Bamburgh Barnard Castle Bath Berwick upon Tweed Birnam & Dunkeld Bourton on the Water Bowness on Windermere Bridge of Allan Chester Chichester Dunblane Dunoon Edinburgh Ely Fort William Glasgow Gourock Greenock Helensburgh Inverness Kelso Keswick Knaresbourgh Largs Linlithgow Lyme Regis Melrose Montrose Newton Stewart North Berwick Norwich Oban Pebbles Penzance Portree Pitlochry Quorn Richmond Rothesay St Andrews Seahouses Seend Shrewsbury Skipton Stirling Stratford-upon-Avon Stockton Heath Whitby Windemere Whitstable York
“let’s get out of these wet clothes and into a dry martini.”
—Mae West
ANSWER: Europe