EVEN with the belated return of Alan Shearer, the downwardly-mobile fortunes of Newcastle United this season have been enough to drive the locals to drink. So why not join them at any one of a number of tempting Tyneside hostelries tailor-made for ensuring sorrows are drowned in the most convivial of settings?

Starting no more than a miss-placed goal-kick from the Geordies' cathedral of football, beneath the glare of the St James' Park floodlights for evening fixtures, the Trent House is both the last pre-match and first post-game port of call for many a thirsty Geordie keen to dissect the latest travails of their monochrome footballing miscreants over a pint or three.

However, it's not just when the Toon are in Toon that this homely venue buzzes with a warm, laid-back atmosphere. The pub's motto says it all: “drink beer, be sincere.”

Stepping inside is akin to being welcomed into the intimate lounge of a friend's house, although how many of your mates own a jukebox as packed with tunes to die for as that boasted by the Trent's very own audio Aladdin' s cave? What's more, it's free to use.

If the Trent House is pretty easy to stumble across, then The Cluny, by its own admission, is the exact opposite. It's a devil to find, but well worth the persistence. Tucked away beneath Byker Bridge, The Cluny may not enjoy the most picturesque location.

That has not prevented this North-East gem, a renovated 19th-century whisky bottling plant, earning its latest mention in the Good Pub Guide this year, justified reward for being at the forefront of the resurgence of the Ouseburn area, a bohemian enclave sandwiched between the Tyne, Heaton and Byker.

"We might take a bit of finding, but people generally tell us it's worth it," assistant manager Thomas Bagnall insists. "We offer a relaxed setting, which attracts an eclectic mix of people out to enjoy themselves, be it over a pint or at one of the many gigs we stage throughout the year."

In summer, drinkers taking advantage of the seven regularly rotated ales on tap happily spill onto the adjoining “village green”. Many enjoy an alfresco pint before taking in a gig at the Cluny's 300-capacity music venue, one that has played host to an array of acts in its modest, no-frills surroundings, including the Arctic Monkeys and Editors in the same week a few years back, before they went onto wider acclaim.

Work up a thirst ascending to the nearby Cumberland Arms, whose spectacular setting affords from its terrace stunning vistas of the Tyne, as it snakes through the surrounding cityscape. "We're at the top of a big hill, but there are plenty of rewards at the end of the climb," Becky Stewart, the manager, assures us. There's even an innovative “snuggle pack” containing a blanket and hot water bottle for those keen to utilise the terrace when plummeting temperatures might suggest otherwise.

If, as Gazza once warned, your views are obstructed by the unexpected emergence of fog, there's plenty to keep you occupied inside one of the region's oldest pubs, dating back to the 1850s, which plans to open its first four bed & breakfast rooms in June.

There's live music with anything from jazz to folk, while the Suggestibles, an improvisation comedy group specialising in audience participation whose reputation is spreading beyond the North-East, stage regular shows. There's even table-tennis if you're feeling sporty. Otherwise, simply melt into one of the snug alcoves and enjoy any of the several lovingly cared-for ales. "There's also the bring one, borrow one library," Stewart adds. "The emphasis is on a traditional pub, but one which also moves with the times, a home from home with something for everyone."

No review of hostelries in this part of the world would be complete without mention of the Crown Posada, a venerable North-East institution which backs onto the Quayside, as legend would have it bought by a Spanish sea captain for his mistress back in the day.