By
Rob
The
Earth’s orbit around the Sun and the tilt of the planet’s
rotational axis are what, in a very real sense, make our summer. They
guarantee that everyone’s favourite season is an annual event as
inevitable as the next Monday morning. And yet, despite the assured
schedule of the seasons, here in the north of England hot summer days
are very much like my early sexual experiences: eagerly anticipated,
yet distressingly rare and disappointingly brief.
With
that in mind, it comes as no surprise that when a day rolls around
that brings with it genuinely nice weather, we Brits rush outdoors to
bathe in that pleasant, carcinogenic warmth. Andy and I are no
exceptions to this, so when such a day finally made an appearance, I
received a phone call from my fellow public house connoisseur
requesting my presence on yet another leg of this cultural voyage.
However,
before heading to the nearest beer garden we decided to finally
finish our mammoth game of snooker that we had been playing for a very, very
long time. (After all, on a scorching hot day, there’s nothing
quite like being indoors, in a dimly lit snooker hall with no
windows).
We
were playing the first to 18, and the score stood at 17-16 in favour
of Andy. It was a game we had, quite literally, been bashing away at
for years. I’d like to be able to say that I won the first frame,
thus pitting us against one another in a gripping winner-takes-all
finale.
But
I didn’t.
Thus we closed the door on an important, but ludicrously lengthy, chapter of our lives.
Seeking
a place to celebrate Andy’s victory and commiserate my defeat, we
headed to the Noah’s Ark in Intake. It’s a family friendly venue
with plenty of outdoor seating, a nice beer garden, and a good-sized
children’s play area – although given the dazzling weather, we
could have been provided with a soiled mattress and an upturned
bucket and we would have still enjoyed our visit.
Inside,
the pub resembles a typical elderly gentlemen’s drinking hole
without much in the way of striking decor. That being said, the
Noah’s Ark has seen a notable improvement in recent years. At one
time the drinks on offer reflected the furnishings, with just your
standard lagers and bitters. However, upon our visit we had the
choice of a couple of guest ales and the option to order food. There
was also a pool table, which is always a positive.
We
decided upon a pint of Directors. This ale, despite its undeniable
malty and fruity notes, was hardly the best drink to be sipping in
the heat of the sun. As such, we each bought a vodka and coke to have
alongside it.
We
were joined by our friend Danny,
who had just finalised his upcoming travel plans. In just over a
month he would be flying out to Thailand, from where he would travel
down through Asia, nip across the water to Australia, and then hop
over to America before finally landing in Manchester a full six
months later. He was very much of the opinion that his fortunes with
members of the opposite sex would improve when on foreign soil. I was
inclined to agree – the language barriers would certainly work in his
favour.
As
professional travel bloggers ourselves, deeply committed to cultural
exploration – albeit of a more local nature – we wished him every
success on his journey and looked forward to his return when we would
no doubt be inundated with tales of how he managed to get ignored by
women in at least three different time zones.
Sitting
there in that very pleasant beer garden, drinking a pint of real ale,
it was quite easy to see why the Noah’s Ark was apparently still
going strong while other local pubs were struggling. For many years,
the Royal Oak had stood just across the road from where we were sat.
Unable to compete with its rivals, it recently closed its doors for
the last time. In its place now stands a funeral parlour.
A
more fitting image would, I think, be hard to find.
Rating:
7/10
Pint:
Directors
Brewery:
Wells & Young's Brewery (Bedford)
NEXT UP: A post-job-interview-pint, at The Rawson Spring...
NEXT UP: A post-job-interview-pint, at The Rawson Spring...
