Section 9 - Peterborough to Newark
The crazy pub crawl along the Great North Road continues and today I took the train back to Peterborough train station. Now after quick careful planning, I decided not to go to Alwalton as cycling along the current A1 would be dangerous. So I decided to cycle as close as I could to the Great North Road and take in some extra pit stops..I mean pubs en route.
The ride through Peterborough was an uneventful one but loved cycling around the canals and lake (all man-made) in Orton Mere and Thorpe Meadows. Really hated it when I cycled through Bretton. It's one of those places where I kept watching my back. The estate looked a bit dated and run down as well. Kinda like some estates I know in Stevenage and Hatfield further south on the Great North Road.
I was glad to get out of Peterborough. Once I crossed the roundabout at North Bretton, I was picking up speed to the village of Marholm and the pub known as the Fitzwilliam Arms. I was back in the land where the buildings are built with yellow limestone bricks. Before I knew it, I was in the village of Ufford and in The White Hart having another pit stop, which meant this would be my last drink in Cambridgeshire and the Anglia region of England.
Across the county border I was in Lincolnshire which meant I was in the East Midlands.It wasn’t long before I was in the town of Stamford. The Great North Road passed through Stamford (so this is where I rejoined it for a short while). It had always been a halting town for travelers; Henry VIII, Queen Elizabeth, James I and Charles I all passed through and it had been a post station for the postal service journey in Elizabeth's reign. By the later 17th century roads started to be used more for longer distance traveling. In 1663 an Act of Parliament was passed to set up turnpikes on the Great North Road and a couple were based here. I checked out the Stamford Post, a pub run by Wetherspoons in the heart of the town where I was greeted by a fan of mine. He just approached me, said he has been following my journey. That was a great surprise to me.
I headed north but away from the Great North Road. I was not going to cycle on the A1 to Grantham, so I took the hilly route through villages such as Ryhall, Little Bytham, Creeton, Swinstead, Corby Glen and my favourite Bitchfield. I also passed through a small part of Rutland, England’s smallest county before re-entering Lincolnshire.
Grantham is a horrible town to enter whilst riding a bike from the east. I landed up riding on the pavement as I went into town via the A52. Artic lorries speeding down the road, too much traffic and then I loved it when the road went down a steep hill. I really hated it. However I eventually landed up in the centre of town where I checked out the Wetherspoons, The Tollemache Inn.
Nearby are a couple of statues on a nearby green. The first one I notice is Margaret Thatcher, the first woman British prime minister (1979-1990) and was the leader of the Tories. She wasn’t popular in some fields during her leadership, like trying to modernise the country, dealing with unions and telling the Argentians to f*** off over Falklands (well, she may have not used that language), but she was popular in other areas like Privatisation and the people getting their right to buy their homes. I was born in 1982 whilst Thatcher was in her third year of her premier, so I wouldn’t know what life was like under her leadership so I can’t really comment. However looking back at history, I am still not sure if she was a national icon, someone to look up to or someone to forget.
Next to her is the statue of Sir Issac Newton (1643-1727). Now this bloke I do know from my school science lessons. He was an English polymath (someone who knows a lot in a lot of different subjects) active as a mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author who was described in his time as a natural philosopher. He was born elsewhere in Lincolnshire but he was educated here in Grantham at the Kings School before moving onto the University of Cambridge.
Nearby on the outskirts of Grantham at Woolsthorpe Manor represents the inspiration behind Sir Isaac Newton's theory of gravity, Isaac Newton's apple tree. While the precise details of Newton's reminiscence (reported by several witnesses to whom Newton allegedly told the story) are impossible to verify, the significance of the event lies in its explanation of Newton's scientific thinking. The apple tree in question, a member of the Flower of Kent variety, still exists today at the manor; it is a direct descendant of the tree that stood in his family's garden in 1666. It stands as a living connection to Newton's groundbreaking insights. The tree has become a cherished symbol, and its descendants and clones can be found in various locations worldwide. I didn’t visit the manor today but as I travel up and down the A1 quite often, I hope to stop off and see this beautiful tree.
A couple of pubs here and in nearby Barrowby, I had enough time to head northwards and across the county border of Nottinghamshire. I am now in Robin Hood’s territory. However I was nowhere near Sherwood Forest, but I was cycling along the towpath of the Grantham canal. It was nice but I really didn’t want to do off-roading just a couple of hours before sunset. Stupid Google Maps sent me this way but it was rather quick. Thankfully the hills have died down somewhat and I was cycling along flat land.
A quick stop in Staunton before I arrived in Newark-on-Trent where I had a pint and a bite to eat at the Old Post Office pub, which seemed to be the only building open in the town after 21:00! Even all the fish ‘n’ chip outlets and indian curry houses seemed to be closed. A big sign I was going further north, everything is shut and everyone has gone to sleep! That was my impression. After the pub, I headed to Northgate station for the train back to Stevenage. Can’t wait for the next leg.
Pubs done on this leg of the Great North Road (the numbered ones are on the Great North Road).
The Boathouse, Peterborough
The Gordon Arms, Peterborough
The Woodman, Peterborough
Fox & Hounds, Peterborough
Fitzwilliam Arms, Marholm, Cambs
The White Hart, Ufford, Lincs
49 - Stamford Post, Stamford, Lincs
50 - The Tollemache Inn, Grantham, Lincs
51 - The Old Bank, Grantham, Lincs
The White Swan, Barrowby, Lincs
The Staunton Arms, Staunton, Notts
52 - The Old Post Office, Newark, Notts
Date: 23rd May 2024.
Distance on this leg: 66.2 miles - 106.50km. In total: 185.7 miles - 298.8km
Section 10 - Newark to Doncaster
Back on the train from Stevenage to Newark Northgate which I arrived at 10.40. The forecast in the days leading up today was going to be fine and dry, however that wasn’t the case as I was dealing with rain all the time, heavy in places and a headwind which was slowing me down. It was a nice ride but very unpleasant with the weather conditions. Welcome to the North I say.
On my way out of Newark, I got to see the ruins of Newark Castle which overlooks the River Trent. First built in the 12th century out of timber, the castle was changed to stone not long after. King Henry the First gave the Bishop of Lincoln permission to build the castle. Looking into the history, not much went on here. A ‘mint’ was established (a place where they produce coins) and King John died here on 18th October 1216 from dysentery, basically a lot of bloody diarrhea after eating a lot of peaches. Apart from that, not much happened. I don’t even know if a battle took place here in the English Civil War. Who knows.
I was following the River Trent for the next few miles and came across some beautiful, calm-feeling villages such as North Muskham, Carlton-on-Trent, Sutton-on-Trent and Weston. I noticed a few places which had or did have mills by the river. Tuxford was the first major place I came across which was also a small stopping point for horses and carts on the Great North Road. However these days the new ‘A1’ road goes through the heart of the small town, dividing it which is a shame. I headed away from the centre briefly and came across the town lock-up which is one of only three in the county of Nottinghamshire. On a small green on Newcastle Street, this building was built in 1823 and has two separate cells, one each for men and women, each with its own earth closet. There are two circular holes with iron bars on the front and back walls for ventilation.
On the way out of Tuxford, I came across the Tuxford Windmill which has stood here since 1820. The Tuxford mill still has its large white sails and is still in use today and can be seen from a distance. It truly does dominate the skyline of Tuxford. The mill produces flour and is sold from the shop at the same place.
I was getting thirsty but thankly the town of Retford wasn’t that far from Tuxford. Retford which lies on the Chesterfield Canal and River Idle and is the last town I would come across before I leave Nottinghamshire. Bill Bryson, the American author and former president of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, praised the town. In his bestselling book Notes from a Small Island, he writes, 'Retford, I am pleased to report, is a delightful and charming place even under the sort of oppressive grey clouds that make far more celebrated towns seem dreary and tired. Its centrepiece is an exceptionally large and handsome market square lined with a picturesque jumble of noble Georgian buildings. Beside the main church stood a weighty black cannon with a plaque saying 'Captured at Sevastopol 1855', which I thought was a remarkable piece of initiative on the part of the locals - it's not every day, after all, that you find a Nottinghamshire market town storming a Crimean redoubt and bringing home booty - and the shops seemed prosperous and well ordered. I totally agree with Bill on this one, but was surprised about the connection with the Crimean War.
Retford has a tradition of ghost sightings. In 1915 an unknown correspondent wrote to The Retford Times about ghostly sightings in the 19th century. The writer reports seeing a woman wearing Georgian dress on Sutton Lane, as well as a less human-like figure on the North Road. Well, I saw no ghosts today and as I locked up the bike, it was time to tick off the first two pubs of the head. The Turks Head is situated close to the main Market Square, entry to this pub is via two large oak doors, which both lead into an open-plan area served by an L-shaped bar. The room features oak panelling and has a warming open fires. Many of the original 1930's features are still in place, bell pushes and hand beaten copper hoods over the fires. Had a nice pint here, spoke to the locals where they were surprised about my challenge. I noticed that the accent here is a mix of Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire. I try and not finish the day by saying ‘Nowt’ at the end of every sentence and go home refraining from breeding whippets.
Across the road is the Wetherspoons, The Dominie Cross where I had a nice burger for lunch, then it was back on the road again in the sodding rain.
Passing Barnaby Moor, I came to the village of Scrooby. Here I had to make a stop as I promised the lady who helps run the Welwyn Roman Baths in Hertfordshire (earlier on in this crazy adventure) that I would visit the village. The village was on the Great North Road until 1766 (where the route got diverted slightly away from this village), so this place became a popular stopping point. Even Queen Elizabeth the First stopped here.
More interestingly is the village connection to the Mayflower boat which is located in Plymouth, Massachusetts in the USA. I visited the boat on Olga and I’s honeymoon way back in 2010 and since learning about the pilgrims who went from the UK to New England, I have always been interested in global movements which have occurred in our history, like the Roman Empire, The Ottaman Empire, and even learning the history of the Slave Trade movements, the Nazi movements during the Second World War to name a few and were major horrible events.
The leading religious Separatists who voyaged to America in 1620 were originally from this area of Nottinghamshire, known as Bassetlaw, where their beliefs were shaped. Regarded as dangerous religious renegades who rejected fundamental principles of the State and the established Church of England, they worshiped in secret to avoid arrest and persecution.
Among them was William Brewster who was brought up in Scrooby. Inspired by the radical words of Richard Clifton, the rector of nearby All Saints' Church, Babworth, Brewster is believed to have founded a Separatist Church in his family home - the (privately owned) manor house at Scrooby. He was fined for non-attendance at St. Wilfrid’s Church in Scrooby but was respected as an elder and spiritual guide and played a significant role in the congregation’s later journeys.
There is a pub here which I stopped off in, called the Pilgrims Fathers which wasn’t on my list of pubs to tick off. However inside there were maps on display detailing the voyage, some artifacts and even a mileage signpost outside to notable places of the Pilgrim’s journey. This is a fascinating piece of history in this village and I was so glad to stop here. I was told that there is more interesting stuff to see about the journey at the nearby All Saints Church but it was closed.
Just north of Scrooby, the road that links the A638 and the A614 is called Gibbet Hill Lane. This lane is so named after a brutal crime that took place early in the morning of 3 July 1779 when John Spencer, who had been playing cards with Scrooby's toll-bar keeper, William Yeadon, and his mother (then on a visit), returned to the tollhouse and killed both of them. The crime was enacted for the purposes of robbery, and Spencer gained re-admittance under the pretence that a drove of cattle wished to pass that way. Spencer was interrupted by travellers in the act of dragging one body across the road towards the River Ryton, and arrested shortly thereafter by a search party. He was executed following a trial at Nottingham Assizes, and his body afterwards hung in a gibbet cage on a slope south of the Ryton now denominated Gibbet Hill.
I made it! South Yorkshire. I saw the sign, and my pub crawl along the Great North Road takes me into South Yorkshire. I was ever so delighted. Straight away I was in the small town of Bawtry. This was going to be a quick stop off point as by now I was completely soaked due to the rain. The Turnpike and White Hart were quiet pleasant places to have a drink before heading north again. The rain will not shift.
Before I knew it, I was in Doncaster. I was expecting the road going into town in the late afternoon to be much busier but I breezed through it. I parked the bike outside the train station and ticked off the three Cask Marque pubs I needed to do on the old Great North Road plus I ticked off others in the town centre. Located on the River Don, the town is about the same size in area and population size as my home town of Stevenage. The place had a grim feel in the air but the people here were fantastic and I was welcomed in all the pubs. I even had a couple of barmaids trying to convince me to move my family up here. Not sure what they would say about that. I didn’t get much of a chance to learn about the history in the three hours I had left but I did tick off all the pubs and had a great curry in one of the Wetherspoons.
Pubs done on this leg of the Great North Road (the numbered ones are on the Great North Road).
53 - Turks Head, Retford
54 - The Dominie Cross, Retford
55 - The Pilgrims Fathers, Scrooby
56 - The Turnpike, Bawtry
57 - The White Hart, Bawtry
- The Leopard, Doncaster
- Tut ‘N’ Shive, Doncaster
58 - Salutation Hotel, Doncaster
59 - The Yorkshire Grey, Doncaster
60 - Yates, Doncaster
The Mason Arms, Doncaster
The Red Lion, Doncaster
The Gate House, Doncaster
The Little Plough, Doncaster
Date: 11th July 2024.
Distance on this leg: 43 miles - 69.2km. In total: 228.7miles - 369km
Section 11 - Doncaster to Cattal
Back up to Doncaster by train with the bike and started off the ride around 11am. Doncaster is not a bad city to cycle around. There are cycle lanes around the centre and alongside the main routes out of the city. So getting through Doncaster was no problem at all and before I knew it, I was passing through Bentley and landed up cycling a part of the Trans-Pennine Way for several miles (a route which takes hikers and cyclists across the country from Southport on the West coast to Hornsea on the East coast via the Pennines). This route is very well maintained and I was clocking up the miles very quickly. A few villages came and went as I plowed on and eventually I crossed into North Yorkshire and then a few minutes later, I was in West Yorkshire and in a village called Wentbridge.
The village with a lot of connections to the legend of Robin Hood and a viaduct nearby which at the time was the largest viaduct in Europe in the early 1960s, has a very nice pub in The Blue Bell. I arrived at lunchtime and for a Thursday, the place was packed. All the tables were taken by people who came here for lunch. The food did smell very good and I was tempted to stay. But I needed to carry on. The staff here were excellent and I am so glad that this pub was the first one on my list. A great start to the day.
Before I did get some lunch, I managed to tick off the Darrington pub in Darrington village and then The Carleton on the outskirts of Pontefract.
Pontefract centre and it was time for a Wetherspoons lunch at The Broken Bridge in the centre of town. Now there is a connection to this town, the pub and my 30th great-grandfather on my family tree, Guillaume, aka William the Conqueror/Bastard. The story goes like this: at the end of the 11th century, the modern township of Pontefract consisted of two distinct localities, Tanshelf and Kirkby. The 11th-century historian Orderic Vitalis recorded that, in 1069, William the Conqueror traveled across Yorkshire to put down an uprising which had sacked York.
Upon his journey to the city, he discovered that a crossing of the River Aire near what is modern-day Pontefract had been blockaded by local Anglo-Scandinavian insurgents, who had broken the bridge and held the opposite bank in force. Such a crossing point would have been important to the town, providing access between Pontefract and other settlements to the north and east, such as York. Historians believe that it is this historical event which gives the township of Pontefract its modern name. The name "Pontefract" originates from the Latin for "broken bridge", formed of the elements pons (bridge) and fractus (broken).
After a heavy lunch, it was time to head northwards but again, I zig-zagged from one county to the other of Yorkshire (West and North). I had to do a lot of cycling along the A162 in these parts which wasn’t nice, so many artic lorries use this route and I was battling with traffic. I was so glad to stop in the village of Sherburn in Elmet and to get a nice refreshing drink at the Oddfellows Arms.
Out of the village, back on the A162 and it was a quick cycle to the town of Tadcaster. This wasn’t on my list of places to stop, but Tadcaster is known as a brewery town. The Tower Brewery on the northern side of town, the John Smiths brewery and Samuel Smiths brewery which is the only independent brewery in the town. Also the site of John Smiths and Samuels Smiths breweries (as they are next door to each other), is the oldest brewery in Yorkshire.
I went across the road into the Howden Arms which is a Samuel Smith’s pub. I got a half in here and took a photo of my drink. The guy behind the bar told me off for using my phone. He said ‘don’t you see the sign lad’. I have to admit, even though there is a sign on the bar in front of me, I missed it. Opps. Quickly took a snap and sat the stool. There were several other punters in there, all older than me, and apart from two of them, everyone just sat there. Arms crossed. Some gave me a look. I tried a conversation. It wasn’t going to happen. I drank the beer, said goodbye to the barman and walked swiftly out there. Not sure if I was wanted there or not but it felt like that scene that as an outsider I walked into the bar in the television series ‘League of Gentlemen’ and everyone glances at you and goes quiet. The beer was great by the way.
Out of Tadcaster and along the main road to Boston Spa where I crossed the county border back into West Yorkshire and checked out the bar known as SALT, a nice craft beer place with so much on offer. Boston Spa used to be a spa town but Harrogate became the main spa town in this area. However the town is still buzzing and I loved cycling down the cute roads around here, especially over the Thorpe Arch bridge where I saw a small waterfall nearby.
Wetherby, oh Wetherby, it has been a while. I know Wetherby quite well from my younger years after I left college. I used to date a girl from these parts which didn’t last long and it didn’t work out. I used to stay in Prospect House guest house when I came up here but the building is still here, however the owner who I used to know quite well is long gone and passed on. He was well into his seventies when I was 20 years old. Some of the pubs I knew have closed down apart from one on the Market Place, The Black Bull, which is a great bar to get a drink in. I also checked out Bar Three very close by. As Wetherby is on the route of the Great North Road, it meant in the heyday of the coaching era, the town had up to forty inns and alehouses. The first recorded mail coach arrived in Wetherby in 1786.
The last place I needed to check off in town is the Bosuns Brewery Tap Room. Totally loved their beers here, in fact, I tried two beers here and took a couple of cans home to try. I love visiting smaller breweries and taprooms, I find the atmosphere is much nicer, staff are more knowledgeable and welcoming and the beer, well, that's the best, of course. I keep it sweet but I think I will be ordering some cans online soon or when I drive up the A1 to quickly stop off here and enjoy a swift half as a refreshment stop whilst picking up stock. I really liked the Maiden Voyage, the bitter on offer. It has a malty nose with a lovely fruity background and a slightly dry finish. Defo a great session beer whilst ‘Down the Hatch’, the blonde ale is a light, refreshing session ale with a hint of fruity citrus. I really enjoyed them.
Out of Wetherby and to Tockwith on the Marston Moor (and again, crossing that North-West Yorkshire county border). The village I know well. However a brand new housing estate has been built since my last visit in 2001. Tockwith's greatest claim to fame is being used as a staging post by Oliver Cromwell prior to the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644. He made reference to Tockwith in his diaries, in which he said: "If heaven should be half as blessed as the fields of Tockwith, all those who should pass St. Peter's Gate shall be met with joys unequalled". There are two public houses in the heart of the village, the Boot and Shoe and the Spotted Ox. The later I went into as I came in here a few times during 2001. The place hasn’t changed much and felt like yesterday I came in here.
I quickly cycled down Fleet Lane and through the village of Cattal to reach the end of the cycling adventure at Cattal train station. However I had over ten minutes to wait for my train to York and as there is only a pub (The Victoria) next door (the village of Cattal is quite a distance from the train station), I just chucked my bike on the platform in full view of everyone (well, there was nobody here) and went inside for a quick swift half. Came back to the platform where the train was pulling in, picked up the bike and off I went.
Had a few beers in York as my train back to Stevenage was delayed. A great day out! Can’t wait for the next leg in North Yorkshire.
Pubs done on this leg of the Great North Road (the numbered ones are on the Great North Road).
60 - The Blue Bell, Wentbridge, West Yorks
61 - The Darrington, Darrington, West Yorks
The Carleton, Pontefract, West Yorks
The Broken Bridge, Pontefract, West Yorks
Oddfellows Arms, Sherburn in Elmet, North Yorks
Howden Arms, Tadcaster, North Yorks
SALT, Boston Spa, West Yorks
62 - Bar Three, Wetherby, West Yorks
63 - The Black Bull, Wetherby, West Yorks
Bosuns Brewery Tap, Wetherby, West Yorks
Spotted Ox, Tockwith, North Yorks
The Victoria, Cattal, North Yorks
The Punch Bowl, York, North Yorks
Windmill Inn, Yor, North Yorks
Date: 25th July 2024.
Distance on this leg: 50 miles - 80km. In total: 278.7miles - 419km
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