I recently took a short motorcycle ride from Singletrack Towers, over the Pennines, to the rather pleasant Lancashire (No, Charlie, they don’t like that kind of thing up here) er, Cumbria town of Kirkby Lonsdale. It rained most of the way, the roads were greasy, however the bike rode like thunder, and an hour on a motorbike is always better than an hour at a desk. Kirkby Lonsdale is where the Singletrack beer and coffee are made, and I was there to dry out, get caffeinated and check out Stu’s set up. Stu and I know each other through mountain biking. He does crazy long races across the Himalayas, and I give him my Bum Butter in exchange for beer.
I parked up the old Triumph, got glared at by a lady with a small dog, took my helmet off, flashed her my Charlie Manson smile, and strolled in to “The Royal Barn”. Located in the centre of town, Kirby Lonsdale Brewery’s intown tap house is a stunning old barn, converted into a coffee and beer bar. It boasts 12 beer taps, plus 8 kegs, and then you have around 60 bottled beer options too. Damn it… rookie bike journo error… beer and motorcycles are not a good mix.
COVID cool
His small business has adapted really well to COVID legislation, with unobtrusive wood and steel framed glass partitions separating the tables. They completely blend into the existing style, a cunning mix of industrial and traditional. There are even traffic lights for the toilets: green for go, red for cross your legs and do the bursting shuffle dance. It really cheered me up see a bar that was totally COVID compliant, but didn’t look like a half-baked Perspex clad futuristic game show from the 70’s. It gave me hope seeing that things can be pretty close to normal.
Smells Great
In the bar itself, you will find a couple of giant brass topped brewing kettle things. On this day, the Singletrack Ale was being made and it stunk the place out wonderfully. The coffee is also roasted in the same room. Again, a stunning sensual punch on the nose. But for full on sensual overload you must meet “Thunder” the outfit’s new dog. Only eleven weeks old, soft and dopey, with only his massive paws hinting at the vast beast he will soon become.
We talked a mix of bikes, business and assorted nonsense. In short, Singletrack merch was traded for coffee and beer. What’s more plans are afoot for a less intense Singletrack Coffee. Stay tuned to this station.
- Last Minute Gift Subscription To Singletrack
- On This Day: Christmas Card Throwback 2017
- Singletrack World 150th Issue is coming!
- It’s not easy being Singletrack. Please help.
- Credit where it’s due – Now you can show your appreciation of great forum posts
Stu’s special offer
Stu has come up with a cracking Singletrack Bundle. £20 gets you a copy of Singletrack, a mug, our Deadline coffee and a can of the awesome Black IPA.
You should visit Kirkby Lonsdale Brewery’s Royal Barn. It is going to be my caffeine stopover and beer stocking stop on the way to the Lake District, (it’s just off the Junction 36 of the M6 you know). Drop in, drink beer, straighten out with a coffee, get some takeaway goodies, and cycle away.
Got a shop?
Want to stock Singletrack merch such as T-shirts, mugs and more? Then give me a shout (email). Singletrack is no longer sold on the traditional newsstand, but we are really happy to supply cool retailers.
Comments (12)
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Pleasant Lancashire town? That won’t go down well!
Charlie has been informed by the local County Lines Police 🙂
I’d like to know what breed Thunder is? A mastiff? Cane Corso?
Sorry…. I am still finding my way around the north. I certainly went past a “Welcome to Lancashire” sign, and maybe a “Welcome to Cumbria” too?
@Mickeyhodg I recall the brand of dog is Mastiff.
And actually, the Kirkby Lonsdale brewery itself is in Lancashire, by the looks of it…and if it was 3km or so further down the A65, it would be in North Yorkshire. 🙂
Phew. Only 2 miles away and you’d have untold barbarism and incivility.
No pictures of the motorbike?
@zippykona… no pictures of the triumph. When writing this up it became apparent the story needed a picture of the motorbike drifting a dirty corner, leg out, hair in the wind, like Genghis Khan with a fiery anus, jamming hard into Lancashire, or Cumbria or wherever…. and the disapproving old lady.
Any bundles for subscribers?
The beer is great, been buying a fair amount during the last few months.
Still can’t understand why it’s so expensive for tiny cans
The coffee is great too!
trying anything in desperation…
not sure how we can support things for much longer….pffffff