Distance - 3 Miles
Pubs - 5
Biblical Rain Sunday, as this day shall be known. Having walked Isleworth, I emerged at Leicester Square tube to be faced with this.
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| What will end first, the rain or my patience at hiding under a Pret Brolly |
Surprisingly, I do make it back to Archway for a lazy Sunday Evening of Good Beer Guide Pub (other pubs may apply) Ticking.
Shaftesbury Tavern, Hornsey Road
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| Handsome |
Worth the walk for a GBG Tick #568. It provided excellent London Pride and my tea, where I am just in time for the 7pm closing of the Thai restaurant serving within. They do not skimp on portions. Its a wonder I managed to drag myself off the Chesterfield sofa to continue the walk.
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| CAMRA Interior of Historic Importance |
Other things of interest? A free jukebox that worked as well as the one in the Temple Bar, Manchester. I was there for an hour. No PJ Harvey was played.
Landseer Arms, Landseer Road
I wasn't sure it would be open (google is never that helpful). My initial joy at seeing a full table of hipster yoof was dashed by them being the staff. The pub is closed due to flooding.
Not surprising. This is the retweet I sent to the Chairman of the Dubious GBG Tick committee to see if I could have a waiver.
Pudding Mill Lane DLR Station pic.twitter.com/s9AkSPHd4H
— Rob Day (@R0bday) July 25, 2021
Image stolen from the Internet.
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| Also - I had searched Twitter for LDN Storms. I do not follow Tits McGee |
St Johns Tavern, Junction Road
GBG Tick #570. Yes, I claimed the Landseer Arms.
This is the worst of all possible Gastropubs. I felt completely in the way here, sitting at a table set up for diners in a room full of diners.
Five Points XPA was a decent pint and you cannot accuse the Guide of using no other criteria than "Good Beer".
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| Another lifted photo - Head Chef was dicking around with the awning as I left |
Old Mother Red Cap, Holloway Road
A twitter recommendation that I could not ignore. It is dangerously close to Archway Premier Inn, where I am very much enjoying the air conditioning, at the expense of a drip akin to Chinese Water Torture.
Mother Red Cap, Holloway. This has to be the most beautiful pub interior I have seen for a long time. ❤️Original tiling & mirrors. According to local outside ‘this is the only Irish pub left on Holloway Road.’ ☘️ Great pint of Guinness & friendly welcome. #lovepubs #irishpubs pic.twitter.com/30xpGhXGI8
— Saving London Pubs (@PubsSaving) June 3, 2021
As close to an Irish Pub Experience I have had since charging around Dublin looking for the greatest hostelries available to man.
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| Too full of Thai to contemplate a Guinness |
The Archway Tavern, Navigator Square
Another Twitter resource that I use in the Smoke is @BeerGuideLondon. Not that I needed any help in finding this huge pub, directly outside the Tube and Lenny's favourite budget hotel.
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| Magnificent Pub |
I managed to get in just before closing, when the keg dispensers were getting a thorough cleaning and the only other sentient life is an Eastern European Bouncer whose appearance and accent meant he couldn't have picked a better vocation. Oh, and a large very friendly Boxer (dog, not pugilist).
Stiegl on draft, complete with presentation chalice. My Son's favourite. Suddenly, my hobby made sense to him.
I spent a while looking for decent photos on the web and found a bit of history that I thought I would share.
The interior is the cover of the Kinks Album, Muswell Hillibillies.
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| Pub Life 1971 |
And look at this photo of it's yester-year glory.
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| Pre-Predestrianisation of Navigation Square |
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