The Rat Race in Hartlepool named one of best by Northern Rail

To mark National Cask Ale Week, which runs until Sunday, October 1, Northern Rail is raising a glass to the best pubs on its network.  

The train operator has released a list of the best places to enjoy a pint at the start or end of your journey across the North of England.  

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Within the list, The Rat Race in Hartlepool features - meaning the venue was the only one to be included in Northern's recommendations. 

Elsewhere in the list, The Track and Sleeper at Knaresborough and The Tap in Harrogate featured in North Yorkshire, while The Mallard Inn at Worksop, The Ticket Office at Ilkley, and Victoria Tap at Manchester Victoria completed the list.

Here is Northern's list of top pubs at train stations that feature in the North East and North Yorkshire: 

The Rat Race - Hartlepool

This quirky pub has opening hours that align with train timetables (currently opening at 12.02 exactly) and offers four changing beers and two ciders.   

The Rat Race - Hartlepool (Image: NORTHERN)

Track and Sleeper, Knaresborough

Head to platform two for this small but perfectly formed bar, operated by craft beer brewers, The Gorilla Brothers, who transformed the formerly derelict storage rooms into a now popular micropub – winning a heritage award in the process.  

Track and Sleeper, Knaresborough (Image: NORTHERN)

The Tap, Harrogate

You’ll be spoilt for choice at The Tap, which boasts an extensive selection of beer with 12 traditional cask hand-pulls and 15 more modern kegs. Not to mention bottles and cans from microbreweries and larger, more established breweries the world over. 

The Tap, Harrogate (Image: NORTHERN)

The premises are located within the only remaining part of the original 1862 train station building and make for an amazing atmosphere.