February 2026. London. From Charlton the train takes you back over the Thames, then stops abruptly at Cannon Street. It’s a quarter to six in the City of London; let’s have a look. Not many suits or bowler hats or folded copies of the Financial Times, but young workers pack the pubs. Plenty of pubs,… Continue reading THURSDAY IS THE NEW FRIDAY
Tag: London
TIRED OF LICHFIELD, TIRED OF LIFE ?
February 2026. Lichfield. Quite a rarity for me to get three new GBG pubs in quick succession these days, on a bus line as well. The number 36 rumbles between Walsall and Lichfield every half hour purely for the benefit of Beer Guide tickers, and Lichfield Council have also provided some parking spaces for campervans… Continue reading TIRED OF LICHFIELD, TIRED OF LIFE ?
TOP PUBS FOR WHEN YOU’RE STUCK AT KING’S CROSS FOR HALF AN HOUR. No. 2 – THE KING CHARLES I
December 2025. Sheffield. Ely. King’s Cross. London. You’ll be wondering by now what’s happened to my birthday (22nd December, make a note on your new Retired Martin calendar). That’s coming soon, and rest assured it’s not as bad as last year, but first a long day from Sheffield, to Rye, via long stops in Ely… Continue reading TOP PUBS FOR WHEN YOU’RE STUCK AT KING’S CROSS FOR HALF AN HOUR. No. 2 – THE KING CHARLES I
PUB DOGS OF HAMPSTEAD HEATH
November 2025. Hampstead. London. I’m timing my trips down to see Dad to coincide with the nostalgia music afternoons at his care home (Dave from Chatteris, it’s always a Dave, sings Beatles and Neil Diamond) and my rather less nostalgic gigs in London. Last Tuesday saw my Gig of the Year, if not Decade, as… Continue reading PUB DOGS OF HAMPSTEAD HEATH
LINING THEM UP IN ELEPHANT AND CASTLE
October 2025. Elephant & Castle. London. You left me on Hungerford Bridge after leaving the Old Shades, admiring the view. The view changes rapidly as you leave the culture of South Bank and the sunset over Waterloo Station to head the mile to Elephant & Castle, a pub graveyard of late. It could only be… Continue reading LINING THEM UP IN ELEPHANT AND CASTLE
THE OLD SHADES, SW1
October 2025. Whitehall. London. While I sat in the Admiralty I scribbled down a few notes, mainly about queuing tourists and naff modern pop, but also “another week another two (2) London pubs two minutes apart“. Should have been 30 seconds to the Old Shades, but something in the space/time dimension where WC2 becomes SW1… Continue reading THE OLD SHADES, SW1
TOURIST PUB, TRAFALGAR SQUARE
October 2025. Trafalgar Square. London. Another year, another paltry handful of GBG newbies in what you’d imagine was a vast chapter of central London pubs. On the other hand, a lack of churn suggests consistent standards year-on-year, surely ? A couple of debutants right by Trafalgar Square within sight of Big Ben, which a generation… Continue reading TOURIST PUB, TRAFALGAR SQUARE
WALKING IN LONDON
October 2025. London. I should have said in that last post that I almost caught up with the blog in October; just a couple of Big Days Out in the capital and Leicester to bring you. Irritatingly, trains from Waterbeach were cancelled the last two weekends, which is when Fen Edge folk actually want to… Continue reading WALKING IN LONDON
A SURPRISE GBG WINNER IN COVENT GARDEN
October 2025. Covent Garden. London. My first London ticking of the new GBG season, always a joy, and as I leave the corner pubs of Bloomsbury it’s time to “Do the culture“. Five minutes from the Lady Ottoline to Sir John Soane’s house, immortalised by Maria McKee on my melancholy melodies post*. Surely it’ll be… Continue reading A SURPRISE GBG WINNER IN COVENT GARDEN
“A SYMPHONY IN BROWN”. THE DUKE, BLOOMSBURY, LONDON
October 2025. Bloomsbury. London. Two nights a week down in Waterbeach visiting Dad for free cups of tea and ’60s entertainment; that also gives me a chance to get to grips with London’s new Beer Guide entries. I may not be competitively “doing the GBG” anymore, but there’s a real joy in pubbing the capital… Continue reading “A SYMPHONY IN BROWN”. THE DUKE, BLOOMSBURY, LONDON
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