Walking. Gossip. Travel.

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  • Ingleton – Three Horseshoes

    I’ve been in this pub before during one of the coast to coast walks I’ve done, so a return visit seemed worthwhile given we were walking by. The pub was very quiet when we walked in, but it seemed warm and comfortable.

    There were no dark beers available either on draft or in bottles, slightly disappointing given that the pub has four ales on. I went for the rather generic Thwaites best bitter, which was bland, but to the pub’s credit, it tasted well kept and was at the appropriate temperature.

    There was nothing particularly wrong with the pub, it was clean and comfortable, with the beers all tasting fine. However, looking at the reviews of the pub, there’s something upsetting a not inconsiderable number of people, although I didn’t encounter the problems raised by others. I do like that the pub has taken a forthright stance in how it replies to reviews though on TripAdvisor.

    “We have opinions of people as well from our side of the bar but these opinions are usually kept to ourselves.In some cases it is just as well.”

    Some responses I found humorous at least…. And one customer wrote:

    “We met up with family and called onto this pub for a drink. The pub was clean and tidy but the bar man was the most miserable, and unfriendly man we’d ever seen. He barely spoke, didn’t smile once and didn’t want to chat. A really poor advocate for customer service!”

    The pub’s response was “we like him” which is an impressively good response in my opinion, no need to bother to defend against such a nasty review.

    “We all enjoy what we do but some times we all get a little bit fraught.It is a family run pub and we do our best for our customers with pleasure. Sometimes though we get it wrong.”

    I quite like the honesty of this response. We didn’t order food this time so I don’t know about the quality, but I’d return here again for drinks. And although I will confess that the service wasn’t particularly engaging, there was certainly none of the rudeness mentioned by others in their reviews.

  • Ingleton – Old Post Office

    The Post Office which operated from here only closed four years ago and it was turned into a bar soon afterwards. There are now new owners of the bar, who took over just a few weeks ago, and the venues positions itself as a primarily craft beer and spirits bar. I came here on two nights and it was busy on both occasions, so they’re doing something right.

    The beer selection with some interesting options available. I tried the rhubarb & custard, toffee temptation and the black cherry from the second shelf down as they sounded tempting. They all had the appropriate taste although the beers were just a little watery and the aftertaste was rather more limited. The lockers on the right of the above photo are also used for storing bottles before moving them into the fridge, a clever use of the limited space that is available.

    The Imperial Flump King at 10% from Hawkshead which had the inevitable depth of taste I’d expect from an imperial stout. There was a slightly sweet taste although I thought it was more vanilla in flavour than marshmallow, but nonetheless, this felt like a quality product. I wonder what this would taste like if available in cask, something rather glorious I should imagine. I was pleased incidentally that there was such a wide selection of dark beers to choose from, not least since I didn’t manage to get that anywhere else in Ingleton.

    Quirky interior and there are numerous decorative items on the wall to add some character. The only element missing for me is that there is nothing about the history of the building, and I’m sure there must be some stories to tell given how long the Post Office was located here.

    The owners were engaging, friendly and welcoming, offering one of the best welcomes I’ve had this year in a pub. They are clearly proud of their new bar and that’s evident in the comfortable nature of the surroundings and the informal nature of the atmosphere. The beer selection on draft is limited, although that’s inevitable given how small this pub is, but there’s some thought been taken with the bottled beers. There are a selection of upmarket snacks and also some slightly quirky spirits to offer extra choice.

    The prices in the bar are reasonable for both bar snacks and drinks, with credit and debit cards being accepted. I have to say (well, write) that this was my favourite pub of the weekend, with the welcome being authentic and I’m confident that it’ll remain a popular location to visit. All very lovely.

  • Ingleton – Masons Freehouse

    With an eventual group size of 11, finding a place to eat in Ingleton isn’t necessarily easy on a Friday night. However, I booked ten months in advance to ensure availability, which was rather organised of me. And to be fair to Masons, they were equally professional and organised, confirming the booking promptly and reconfirming this week. They didn’t need a deposit or pre-ordering, so it all felt well managed.

    And the table was successfully reserved. I liked that the pub was proud of its history by putting some photos up of how it appeared in the nineteenth century and it takes its name from when it was run by a family of masons.

    On the first night I opted for fish and chips, which was well presented. The fish tasted of a good quality, the batter had a reasonable depth of taste and the mushy peas had the appropriately consistency. I wasn’t really sold on the chips, slightly greasy and over-cooked for my liking, but overall this didn’t represent poor value for money.

    We returned for food on the second night, and I went for the steak pie. Stupidly of me I forgot that the chips weren’t overly exciting, but the pie seemed home-made and there was a generous amount of steak inside and this was of a decent quality meat. The gravy was also authentic and home-made with lots of flavour. For the money, this again proved to be perfectly acceptable value for money.

    This pub is mentioned in the Good Beer Guide and is the only location in Ingleton which is. This perhaps increased my expectations too much as the dark beer selection was non existent and the nearest was Doom Bar which has nearly no appeal to me given its lack of flavour (or at least what I perceive to lack flavour as the beer isn’t exactly unpopular). Since the pub doesn’t do bottled dark beer either I just went for soft drinks, a mild disappointment given the selection I’d just experienced in the Old Post Office. Personally, with five real ales on I’d have liked at least one of them to be dark, but it’d be ideal if they could perhaps offer cans or bottles at least as an alternative.

    Anyway, nonetheless, it’s apparent that they’ve tidied up the pub in recent years and it is a professionally run location. We didn’t experience any issues, but I’m fairly sure that they’d have been resolved in a helpful and willing manner if we had. The temperature in the pub was also off the scale hot for my liking, although since the pub was busy it’d be harsh to complain about that.

    So, for those with groups wanting food, this is a location I’d recommend and if I was taking a large party to Ingleton again then I’d certainly book again. The prices were reasonable, the food was brought out promptly and the staff were personable and helpful.

  • Lublin – Majdanek Concentration Camp (Photos from the Site)

    Some photos of the external areas at Majdanek concentration camp.

       

  • Lublin – Majdanek Concentration Camp (Zyklon B)

    What is undeniable is that these Prussian blue stains have been caused by the use of Zyklon B. This is now known to be what was used to kill hundreds of thousands of people in gas chambers at locations such as Auschwitz Birkenau, but it was originally used as a cyanide based substance used to delouse clothes.

    And this area of the camp are barracks 41, with signage indicating that this is where prisoners were gassed. However, there is some considerable argument about whether this can possibly be true, and on the camp’s own web-site there’s a document saying:

    “It is certain, however, that gas chambers were not used for extermination after the executions of 3 November 1943 and that the chamber adjoining the shower room in barracks No. 41 and the chamber in the west part of the bunker were used for the disinfection of blankets and clothes, including those belonging to murdered Jews. These were disinfected using Zyklon B. First, the chamber was warmed up with heated air and, after disinfection was complete; the gas was removed through openings in the roof with the use of a ventilation fan.”

    So although it’s clear that significant numbers of people were killed at Majdanek, I’m not sure that this area is where they actually were murdered. The blue stains do appear to be from when the room was used to delouse blankets and clothing, although it is possible that killings took place earlier on.

    I have to admit to be entirely confused by much of the signage at Majdanek, I ended up with far more questions than answers.

  • Lublin – Majdanek Concentration Camp (Bathing)

    Later on during the war the whole concept of showers in concentration camps took a sinister turn as it was where prisoners were killed using poisonous gas. Here at Majdanek though these showers were intended to clean and disinfect prisoners, usually new arrivals.

    The shower heads and there are numerous reports that these dispensed water that was either freezing cold or boiling hot.

    The large sinks, which were also used to bathe prisoners to disinfect them.

    The prisoners would walk along the wooden slated floor before being herded out of the room. It seems that later on during the war the prisoners were given the opportunity to take more showers to try and get rid of the problem of lice, although since the living accommodation was riven with them it seems a slightly forlorn exercise.

  • Lublin – Majdanek Concentration Camp (Barracks)

    A photo from one of the barrack buildings at Majdanek. Initially the prisoners at the camp needed to sleep on straw filled mattresses on the floor, but from early 1942 this bunk bed arrangements was introduced. Each of the barracks were designed to house 250 people, and even that is at quite a push, but they were soon housing over 500 people.

    The initial intention of the camp was to hold Soviet prisoners of war and also civilian prisoners, so the standard of accommodation was meant to be at least bearable. There were 108 barracks erected in total across the site, with the conditions being ever more intolerable as the war progressed and the purpose of the site changed.

  • Lublin – Majdanek Concentration Camp (Memorial)

    Majdanek’s memorial is an imposing structure built at the entrance to the camp and it was erected in 1969 to mark 25 years since it was liberated. The memorial was designed by Wiktor Tołkin, a Polish sculptor who had been incarcerated at Auschwitz Birkenau and had managed to survive a death march.

    The memorial is, I understand, meant to represent the enormity of what happened here. It is intended to be both bleak and to also represent hope for the future.

  • Lublin – Majdanek Concentration Camp (Execution Ditches)

    Located towards the rear of Majdanek, these are execution ditches which were dug in November 1943 to bury the bodies of around 18,000 Jewish prisoners who had been murdered. There are three of these ditches and bodies were stacked and then set on fire.

    There are some questions about why these ditches were dug in a zig zag shape and why so close to the houses at the rear of the site. It’s said that the Nazis played loud music to disguise the sound of the killings, although I suspect it would have been hard to entirely hide from local people what was happening here.

  • Lublin – Majdanek Concentration Camp (Column of Three Eagles)

    This is a modern column which was designed by Witold Marcewicz and placed here in 2013. The timing was deliberate as it marked the seventieth anniversary since a number of Poles erected a similar looking sculpture in the field with the national symbol of eagles.

    The Nazis hadn’t allowed the Poles to place the column up out of a gesture of goodwill, but rather because there was a visit by the Red Cross in 1943 and they wanted the camp to look decorated and welcoming. The Red Cross also brought food into the camp and it seems from what I’ve read that the prisoners were actually given it.

    I’m slightly confused as to exactly what went on and when at Majdanek because the Red Cross did have some involvement at the camp during 1943, even securing the release of some prisoners. Although they were only released into Lublin, which was under Nazi control anyway.