The Cumberland Inn, Alston

I've been back to the Cumberland several times since my review of 2017, and it has been consistently good. It's in the current Good Beer Guide and my two halves on this occasion were NBSS 3.5. There were four cask beers in, the regulars being Allendale Penny ne Pale and Hadrian Borders As You Were, with two guests from Hexham Brewery. The Hadrian beer was a particularly good best better, though not in better condition than the Allendale. This is a good, reliable pub and seems to be popular for food.

Facebook page of The Cumberland Hotel - www.facebook.com

Facebook page of The Cumberland Hotel - www.facebook.com

Official site of The Cumberland Hotel - www.cumberlandalston.co.uk

Official site of The Cumberland Hotel - www.cumberlandalston.co.uk

This pub is a Good Beer Guide entry, so it's worth going past the not particularly attractive exterior to explore the interior. Once inside, the main room has clearly been knocked through from two smaller rooms, but where in some pubs this destroys the character, in this case I would suggest it has been the making of it, for the rear window is a bay that looks out across an athletics field to the South Tyne valley, filling the room with light. The bar is to one side of this window and also provides a promising vista, featuring as it does four hand pumps. Beers at the time of my visit were all from northern breweries (see photos) with no "usual suspects" among them. (Several ciders were also advertised "from the jug".) I had the Dent Ramsbottom and the Consett Stout, which were both in very good condition. The bar staff and locals were friendly, and the hum of conversation easily drowned out the background music, even though it wasn't particularly busy. Numerous pump clips adorn the walls, showing an enthusiasm for real ale that is reflected in the quality. Definitely one to come back to. Date of visit: 3rd May 2017