23/07/21 - The Beautiful South - A Pub Crawl from the Blythe Hill Tavern

Distance - 3.5 Miles

Pubs - 5

If there was one good thing to come from lockdown, it was the discovery of beer podcasts.

There are a few that I now cannot live without.  The ever informative Beer O'Clock Show.  The "3 men in a boat" style travels of Maltravale.

But the one that most amused, and provided inspiration was Deserter Blog.  The adventures of two South London drinkers, who promote their area and a design for life that I had accidentally found myself following without their advice.  It resonated most when I found myself howling with laughter at their regular Bumdosser section, whilst listening at a band-stand shelter in an empty park.  In January. Can of beer in hand.

Even in lockdown, I had to get out the house.  

I felt I had to get to know their part of the world better - and in particular, the multi-award winning Blythe Hill Tavern.  A quick google took me to a CAMRA recommended pub crawl which included it as starting point. Perfect. I spent more time plotting it in Google Maps than reading the instructions, which suggested I should have been taking the bus between locations.  

A true Bumdosser would not have walked.

Alighting the train at Catford Bridge, I was instantly hit by the sights, sounds and smells that the podcast suggested would be prevalent.  

That 10 Foot Gets Everywhere in London

The Blythe Tavern, 319 Standstead Road

Unassuming Exterior

On entry, my pub ticking skills are honed to get an idea of the layout.  

The locals - eclectic.  The ones nearest the entrance are in a discussion so frenzied, I am unsure if they are best of friends or worst of enemies.

The layout - a narrow front room.  Something going on around the opposite side of the bar.  Looks like a garden - I'll get my pint and see if I can recognise the blog authors from descriptions gained audibly or from their illustrations in their excellent book, "Today South London, Tomorrow South London"

The bar - loads of Irish themed decorations.  The bar staff all resplendent in shirts and ties.  Except one, who like the rebellious school kid, is pushing the uniform policy as far as he can.  Half mast, big knot.  And I noticed if you order Guinness, they will hand deliver it to the garden.

The Bar

The beer - Harveys Sussex Best was quickly spotted - despite me not having seen it for at least 17 months.  If I was being authentic to the podcast, it should have been Hophead's Dark Star.

I head off exploring in the garden.  Where the locals are overlooking the perimiter.

Need to check out Next Door

All of life is contained within the garden and as a solo drinker, it's an eavesdropped paradise.  Two old boys get increasingly argumentative about many subjects.  Covid rules are a given for debate.  Whether the kid show hosts Trevor and Simon were one person or two was more unexpected.  Neither would back down.

On the subject of kids - there are an awful lot of free range ones charging around.  Their parents (the men at least) are in a uniform of Hawaiian Shirts, Shorts, Sandals and little hats.  If my Podcast creators are in here, I'm not going to easily spot them from the South London herd camouflage.  

To be honest with you, there's enough going on here on a Friday night to fill a blog alone.  

I feel that I haven't got enough photos but its too busy to charge around like a Japanese tourist.  I come up with the idea of a bit of surreptitious videoing.  It's not wholly unsuccessful.  Audio on, you will hear the shout of "Learn yourself!".  

I think it provides the uninitiated a feel for this most perfect of places.

Next Time, I am spending the day here.

The pub crawl instructions state the buses that I should have caught.  Then again, I would have missed the South's alternative to Primrose Hill.  The views from Blythe Hill Fields are not done justice from my photo.  Neither will you get a feel for all the ups and downs that need to be walked between the Honour Oak, Dulwich and Herne Hill.

Views only found on foot - Blythe Hill Fields

The other pubs on my crawl were all quite similar and I would be proud to call any of them my local.  Massive pubs, with huge outside areas providing comfy seating and the occasional firepit.  With punters outside, the interiors were always empty, providing easy access to the bar on this first post "Freedom Day" Friday. The wares can be perused to maximise the chances of the correct selection.  Excellent condition beer in all; 

1. Watson's General Telegraph - Redemption Brewery Hopspur
2. Herne Tavern - Harvey's Sussex Best
3. Crown and Greyhound - London Pride
4. Half Moon - London Pride

A photo summary;

Forest Hill Tavern - Rebranded as Watsons General Telegraph

Where I need to learn how to photograph reflective surfaces

Herne Tavern - the only place still continuing with App Ordering

Crown and Greyhound - Dulwich surprised me with it's village feel and empty streets

My 2nd Favourite of the Night - 4 pumps on, all London Pride

Where the trees are lit up

And Victoria is only 11 mins away from over the road

An excellent night.  All pubs new to me and not a duff one amongst them.

Plenty of future inspiration at the London Pub Group Pub Crawl page.

But I think I will be going back to the BHT.

23/07/21 - (Most of) The Pymmes Brook Trail

Distance - 10 Miles

Start - High Barnet Tube

Finish - Silver Street Overground

Geocaches - 1

Good Beer Guide Pubs - #563, The Alfred Herring

London does well in promoting walking....  here's another water-way based walk that follows a stream from source to a larger body of water.  The Pymmes Brook Trail can be added to the previously completed Celandine Route, Waterlinks Way, Dollis Greenway, Wandle Trail and Darent Valley Trail.  

Public Transport access is a little more tricky with this one - the start is meant to be at Beech Hill Lake, lying hidden in the middle of the wonderfully named Monken Hadley Common.  The end is at Pickett's Lock, where the brook runs into the River Lea.

The easiest place for me to start is High Barnett - the end of the Northern Line.  2 Miles of walking - sharing paths with the London Loop - before I determine that the signage has been improved since Londonist brought the route to my attention.

All new signage

Pleasant enough walking in the common - sharing paths with professional dog walkers (more than 6, all on leads) and dealing with a GPS issue that means I miss the blue sign heading south from Beech Hill Lake.  Ignore the obvious spur on the map.  Unless you want to see a bit more of the London Loop.

Into the shade of the Common

Where I should have turned south

After a bit of urban walking through New and East Barnet, the path picks up a number of almost co-joined parks - Oak Hill, Arnos and Broomfield - where the waterway can be seen and easily followed.

Pymmes Brook in Oak Hill Park

Under the railway arches of Arnos Park

Broomfield Park

Palmers Green is the first and best place for a refreshment stop.  It had a village feel and there seemed to be plenty of independent shops/cafes along one of the more pleasant North London high streets.

Old School Road Signage

I am, of course, looking for a Good Beer Guide Tick.  I could have added a couple of miles off track and to the North for the Orange Tree or a micro called The Green Dragon but a solemn vow was broken, due to laziness.  The closest is a Wetherspoons - The Alfred Herring.

Apologies to Mrs M for spending money at Tims

It couldn't be any more identikit - shop conversion, named after a significant local, filthy tables, earthy clientele,  dirt cheap but excellent quality real ales and fetch your own condiments from a table that is slightly closer than the gents loos.

A First Dorset Brewing Company Durdle Door - £1.99 of Quality Ale

This would possibly make a good place to bail out the walk.  The rest becomes very urban and you have to work out how to cross the North Circular - twice.  

The brook disappears into a culvert, only to appear periodically to show how many shopping trolleys it has collected.

After the Arts Centre at Great Cambridge Junction the path disappears into some wasteground.  A gang of dope smoking asian lads sitting on a discarded sofa test my pleasantness by first saying "Hello Uncle".  When I say hello back they grow in confidence and start calling me "Uncle Noncey".

As a citizen of Worcestershire, I wonder whether I am going to become a statistic of London knife crime.  It goes through my mind as to how I can protect myself.  They have numbers on their side but will be slowed down by their herb of choice.  I am full of scampi, DBC Durdle Door and righteous anger at being compared to Rolf Harris just because I have a walking cap on.

In the end, I scuttle off in a tactical retreat, hoping their increased abuse I can hear does not turn into the sound of running feet.

Pymmes Park is a suitably named place to end the walk.

The Overground at Silver Street rushes be make to the safety of Archway Premier Inn.

22/07/21 - Dirtily Pleasant - A Soho Pub Crawl

Freedom Day (passports may be required) was announced on Monday.  By Thursday, I am off for a long weekend in London.  And for me, London means Soho.

I've done many pub crawls in Soho - but never before in shorts.  How not to look like a tourist, eh?

This crawl is from a 2003 Book - Ted Bruning's London by Pub - influenced by a quote from HG Wells.

The devious, vicious, dirtily pleasant exoticism of Soho.

So what's changed?  For a start - it's all pedestrianised which create a carnival feel, as people can safely spill out into the roads.  I mean, the "post work, lets pop out for a couple to let the tube die down" were always falling in front of rickshaws after nine.  Its now a little safer to do so.

The Pubs?  Well, they are nearly all there - and as the crawl includes the Coach and Horses - this will do as a guide to meet some old friends - not seen since before the plague.

De Hems, Macclesfield Street

Little Belgium, Soho

To save me writing about the history of the pub, a handy guide is included in the beer menu.

Most of what you need to know

The guide book adds that De Hems collected the oyster shells and used them to decorate the walls of the pub.  By the time they were removed, there were 300,000 of them.

The menu perused, I went big.

How to start a night

The French House, Dean Street - A Len Deighton Top 10 Pub

Before global events got in the way of hobbies, I had a plan to start visiting the 10 ten pubs detailed in Len Deighton's 1960's book - The London Dossier.  This crawl gave me the chance to resume - incorporating the French House.  Possibly one of London's most (in)famous.

Its Narrow

The stories of this place are legendary.  You can google the details, but can be summarised;

• 1840s pub - losing its frontage to a doodlebug
• Charles de Gaulle formed the French Free Government from upstairs
• Dylan Thomas got pissed here and left the only typescript for Under Milk Wood under a bench
• One of the unholy trinity of three pre all day opening drinking dens - including the Coach and Horses and the Colony Room

For the tourist there's only one fact that you need to know.  They never sold pints.  You could get wine. You could get halves.  There used to be one exception - April 1st - when the first pint of the day is pulled by Suggs.

I battle my way to the bar in full knowledge of this from previous visits.  Even in shorts, I don't want to look a tourist.  However, most other blokes are drinking pints.  

Post pandemic, the staff wanted to try and limit the amount of times people were coming to the bar.  Covid.... not all bad, eh?

And the pint?  A decidedly un-French Theakston's Best Bitter. 

Keeping with tradition, fags are compulsory

Its a fine place for eavesdropping, getting into conversations and looking at the last of the bohemians.  You can tell them by the hats they wear.

The pictures inside provide plenty of distraction to while away the time too

Coach and Horses, Greek Street

So much written about this place - including my previous blogs.  I was never coming to London and not visiting.  As always in the last few years, I was also keen to make sure that Fullers had not made any changes.  I am delighted to report the only changes have been to the toilets, where even the gents trap is safe to use.  It never had an attached toilet seat before.

Oh - and the beer quality has improved exponentially.  Who says things only get worse?

The same outside

The same inside

The Three Greyhounds, Greek Street

Unassuming pub a little further up the road.  It's in the guide, so I pop in and it was memorable for a very tiny bar.  This wasn't a problem, as the fun had spilled out onto the street.  The music was very loud.  When Depeche Mode came on, people started dancing.

It was time for me to scan the Cask Marque certificate and make my excuses.

Lively Three Greyhounds

Pillars of Hercules, Greek Street

A literary pub that was the regular haunt of Ian McEwan, Martin Amis and Julian Barnes.

No more - its now called Jimi loves Gloria (or some such nonsense) and was closed up.

My only dead pub from a 20 year old guide.  

Sad Sight

Dog and Duck Frith, Street and the Crown and Two Chairmen, Dean Street

Two that I will lump together.  They were both ornate and served good beer (Dog and Duck is in the good beer guide and previously blogged).

The Smaller Dog and Duck

Beautifully ornate within

The larger Crown and Three Chairman provided the first TT Landlord of the week

The Lyric, Great Windmill Street

Another Good Beer Guide Entry previously blogged and once again, it comes at the end of a crawl.

Things I noticed this time?  Well, it was more a case of what was missed.  13 Cask Lines on - I missed out on Harvey's Best Bitter - not sampled since before you know when.   Its seemingly unavailable in the Midlands but is a lovely pint.  

I'll re-blog so that you (or me) don't make that mistake again.

The Lyric at closing

13!  and I missed Harvey's

13 lines provides ever changing decor options

Time to call it a night but what a delight to be back in the Smoke.

And to find it almost exactly as how I last enjoyed it.   No masks.  No checking in.  Ordering at the Bar.  Blaming yourself for whatever you missed.

10/07/21 - The Good Beer Guide Pubs of Retford and Worksop

Distance - 12 Miles

Geocaches - 12 and the Retford Adventure Lab Cache.

Walk Inspiration - Best Pub Walks in Nottinghamshire, Walk 28

Good Beer Guide Ticks - #556-562

A first for this blog - a two centre pub crawl - ticking off the Good Beer Guide Entries of Worksop and Retford.

First a walk - it was a 12 miler along the canal. The train return journey took 12 mins.  The scenery improved with every step from Worksop.  There were geocaches.  And Locks.  Disappointingly, the only pub passed was on the opposite side of the canal.  With no bridge.    

Earthy Worksop

The Prettiest part of the Chesterfield Canal

Blog space saved for the pubs 

Retford

I'd never heard of the town before but I was sold on it when I saw it had found Good Beer Guide Entries.  First, an Adventure Lab Cache to show me the 5 best tourist sights.  The hospital.  The Sebastopol cannon.  The church.  The Market Square.  The Park.

Sightseeing in Retford

Beer Under the Clock (formerly Beerheadz), West Coast by Silver Brewhouse

Tick one of the day and VAR/Dubious Pub Ticking Committee at Stockley Park are instantly required.  This is in the bible as Beerheadz.  Their facebook page detailed that the old management had taken it over and renamed it.

Its a micro located opposite the rapid Covid testing clinic and under the Market Square Clock, proving its name.  

An excellent pint, so I'm claiming it.

Handsome

Beer Opposite the Covid Clinic was dismissed as a Name

The Ship Inn, Batemans Gold

This place nearly broke the universal law that there are no bad pubs called the Ship Inn.

The only fully traditional pub on today's outing - it has everything going for it... apart from the service.

One member of staff on a Saturday Afternoon, who met any and all inquiries by barking "I will be with you in a minute!" and then losing the pub beer garden by serving people out of order.

Traffic Stopping Access to the Ship Inn

The Idle Valley Tap Room, St Modwen by Heritage Brewing

The Good Beer Guide keeps on turning up surprises and here we have a tap room for a brewery that no longer exists.  

When is a Tap, not a Tap?

The Beer Shed, Harrisons Brewery Best Bitter

So, two tap rooms in Retford and the Beer Shed was the busiest place on this particular Saturday Afternoon.  

The Tap Room for Harrisons Brewery, one that I have previously not heard of.

From the outside, it looks like a micro but it opens up downstairs and even has a little beer garden.

Double fronted Micro?

Shiny Happy Person

Worksop

At the local football derby - the Retford fans sing "You're just a town full of scumbags" at the Worksop Fans, who retort with "You're just a town full of Tories".

This - and the fact that Worksop is the Birthplace of Bruce Dickinson - are the sort of the facts you can determine when hanging around pubs solo, armed with a Smartphone.

The Mallard, Brickworks Bitter by Bingham Brewery

Two of the four good beer guide ticks are near Worksop Station.  In fact, the Mallard is actually inside the station. 

Handy for commuters - if there are any left, these days.

A pub in a Station

The Station Hotel, Shine On by Milestone Brewery

Commuters have a real choice - with another Good Beer Guide Entry over the road.

  

The Station Hotel

Dukeries Brewery Tap, Baronet

Not far from the Liquorice Gardens - which I nearly visited.  The Good Beer Guide only provided clues to the fact that it was a JDW.  Greene King Abbot and Ruddles listed under its beers.

They won't and never will, sell Dukeries beers, despite being next door.  The brewers father says they don't know how to keep a good pint.  I'll take his word for it, as Mrs M has banned me from spending money at Tim's.

This is the latest surprise recommendation by the Good Beer Guide.  Its all things to all people - a brewery tap - a BBQ food outlet - a live music venue.

All tables were booked out for the night - with eclectic customers ranging from burly bikers to your nan and granddad.   The accommodating staff managed to fit me in.

And what a joy to hear live music again.

One of the more unusual Good Beer Guide Ticks