The Ship Inn

Christine Forsyth and her daughter admit they were innkeeping novices when they took on the Ship in 1999, but since then they have transformed this ‘incredibly friendly’ whitewashed pub into a local treasure, a godsend for holidaymakers and a real community hub complete with folk music sessions, art exhibitions and quiz nights. The place even has its own microbrewery, producing beers with tantalising names such as Dolly Daydream or Sandcastles at Dawn. A day at the seaside on the Northumbrian coast can be a tad blustery, but the Ship offers sustenance as well as sanctuary in a quaintly traditional setting of rough-hewn stone walls, wooden floorboards and fairy lights. To eat, hand-picked local crab is the standout but there’s something for everyone, whether you fancy a filled stottie or a proper ploughman’s with local Doddington Dairy cheese for lunch, or an evening plateful of ribeye steak with crispy potatoes. The adjacent village green gets rammed with revellers on fine days. Saturday night is pie night, while monthly supper clubs marry the skills of the kitchen and the brewery.