23/09/23 – Morecambe Coast

• WordPress
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

If you enjoy reading please consider “buying me a pint”, this will help to cover my hosting and image hosting and help to ensure further trips can go ahead!
BUY ME A PINT

A day out along the beautiful Morecambe Coastline, getting the train up to Lancaster (been based in Blackpool for the weekend), and using one of the Stagecoach Bus “Bay Rider” tickets which covers you on all Stagecoach Buses within the area I have done below for £5.50. Started at “Coffeys” in Morecambe, before heading up to Heysham for “The Bookmakers”, and returning back via Morecambe for “Little Bare” and “Torrisholme Taps”. Finished the day at “The Crossing” at Hest Bank. Some really excellent independent pubs as you’ll see in the blog.

Lunesdale CAMRA Produced a guide which shows Micropubs on the Number 5 bus and includes 2 at Carnforth which I covered in February (HERE). I did the Torrisholme Taps (but didn’t get chance to visit Embargo). I have included my bus routes in the blog below. Click HERE for the Leaflet.

Coffeys

I started my bus journey from Common Gardens in Lancaster Centre on the 1A Bus heading out to County Garage, the number 1 also heads this way. The County Garage stop is directly outside “Coffeys”. This former care home office opened as a pub in 2022, a lovely timber building which has been lovingly renovated to a great standard.

A really warm welcome here from Tom, was great chatting about some of the local bars and breweries. A great selection here of 4 cask beers, alongside 8 keg choices. I started with “White Gold” from nearby Lancaster Brewery. A tasty hazy ale with grapefruit notes. I went onto “RUE” from Kendal based Gan Yam Brew Co. A super tart and fruity Rhubarb sour beer.

A great outdoor space at the front of the pub aswell (and really handy for catching buses with the bus stop being directly outside).

From here I boarded the 1A bus again which was heading towards Heysham, getting off the bus at Sugham Lane (a minute walk around the corner from my second Pub).

The Bookmakers

My second call of the day is in Heysham, a micropub called “The Bookmakers” (an odd route of doing this second but it fitted in better with the opening times). This opened in 2019 in a former Betting Shop (hence the Micropub name), and sits alongside a number of other small shops and businesses along the same road.

A really great looking industrial designed bar with lots of interesting features and a very clean look. Really liked the ceiling using pallets, this looked great, along with the use of steel.

Another warm welcome in here and a great selection of beers. 5 cask beers, 4 keg beers and a real cider were on offer. I went with the house beer “Bookmakers Blonde”, a easy drinking sessionable blonde ale brewed for the pub by local Lancaster based brewery Avid Brewing Co.

Back on the bus getting on just down the road at “Heysham Avenue”, boarding the 2X which changes en route to the 100. A lovely scenic journey along Morecambe seafront with some stunning views. Off the bus at “Beach Street”, and a couple of minutes walk up to “Little Bare”.

Little Bare

The “Little Bare” is a great Micropub which opened in 2017, in fact ive visited before just after it opened in 2017. This micropub used to be a off licence and retains the shop window at the front. Its located around a number of other local shops which all looked very unique and interesting.

A very warm welcome here from the owner and had a great chat in here about some of the local beers and breweries. 2 rooms inside here to sit alongside a small beer garden at the back which looks really good (you can also sit on the bench at the front).

A great choice of 4 cask beers and 4 keg beers on the taps. Interesting to see the same beer on cask and keg so customers can compare between the two. I started with “Brathay Gold” from Barngates Brewery who are based in Ambleside. I went onto “Pale Yan” from Westmorland Brewery, a small Nano Brewery based in Kendal. Both great beers!

A short walk up the road away from the front to “Mayfield Drive” where I boarded the number 100 bus to “Square”. This bus runs around every 15 minutes. A short walk from the bus stop to my next calling point “Torrisholme Taps”

Torrisholme Taps

Located in a small old village (now classed as a suburb of Morecambe), “Torrisholme Taps” opened in 2021 in a former Bridal Shop, located amongst a street with a number of shops on. The pub stands out really well when walking down the road.

A very simple and relaxing environment inside the pub with lots of wood used, looks really great and inviting, and a warm welcome on entering the pub.

A great choice of drinks again, with 6 cask ales, 4 keg beers and numerous ciders to choose from, 4 of the cask beers being from local breweries. I went with “Blonde” from Ennerdale Brewery who are based in Rowrah in Cumbria. A easy drinking and light blonde ale.

2 buses to get to my last calling point of the day. Firstly a few minutes walk up the road from Torrisholme Taps to “Michaelson Avenue” where I boarded the Number 1 to “Our Ladys RCHS”, and changed here onto the 55 up to Hest Bank getting off at “Peacock Lane”, a 5 minute walk downhill from here.

Hest Bank

Before heading into the Micropub its worth taking a look at the stunning scenery here. Before the railways came the most direct line linking Lancaster to the Lake District was the ‘over-sands’ route which was a journey of around 20 miles, which involved fording the Kent and Leven estuaries at low tide.

The location is also where one of the last level crossings on the West Coast Mainline is located (in fact you can sit outside the pub overlooking it – photo below). Both a level crossing and a bridge over the railway are at this location with a disused signal box.

The Crossing

My last calling point of the day was to “The Crossing”, a great Victorian building which saw former use as a cafe. This opened as a Micropub in 2018. The old “Hest Bank” Railway Station building is over the road from “The Crossing”, this closed in 1969.

A really busy pub with great seating outside at the front and to the side, a couple of rooms inside, with lots of railway photos on the wall including some of Hest Bank Station. A small window by a table in the back room also looks out over the railway crossing and the beach. A really warm welcome when I walked into here.

A great selection of beers again here with a choice of 6 cask beers and 4 keg beers to choose from. Started with 4T’s Brewery from Warrington with “Elvis Peachley”, the name says it all a tasty Peach IPA. I then went onto “ALF” from Kendal based Gan Yam Brew Co, the name being linked to the Lake District pictoral guides by Alfred Wainwright. Thanks for the behind the bar photo aswell!

A short walk back up hill to the “Peacock Lane” bus stop to get the number 55 bus back into Lancaster Bus Station. Alternatively you can jump on the number 5 from nearer the pub which runs to either Morecambe or Carnforth.