10 Pub Crawls to give your weekends an extra challenge…
Think you’ve got what it takes to beat some of London’s best drinking challenges? Take a look at these beauts and godspeed to you. Watch out as they start easy and get progressively harder!
1. The Historical Pub Crawl: Best for a bit of education
Do you love a properly old school pub with all its nooks and crannies, delightfully musty smells, and eons of history layered into it? This is the crawl for you. Starting off at the revamped Black Friar you then wind your way through the City, hitting up the grand duo of the Punch Tavern and Tipperary before stopping off at one of our faves, Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese. Continue onto the Cittie of York before finishing off at the famous gin parlour Princess Louise.
Total stops: 6
2. The Wimbledon Eight Six: Best for walking in famous shoes
Invented by renowned actor and alcoholic Oliver Reed, he would often hit this route around Wimbledon Common with 15 minutes for a pint at each stop. You might want to give yourself a bit more time ;) And 2 of the stops have now closed so this is now The Wimbledon Six rather than Eight. Very doable. Just leave yourself enough time in between stops so you don’t do an Oliver Reed and be sick on Steve McQueen.
3. The Hampstead Heath Hike: Best for a long windswept walk
You can get a bit creative with this one as there’s no official route. You’ll definitely want to try to hit The Spaniards Inn, maybe The Bull & Last (amazing ice cream!), and then walk through Hampstead Heath over into Hampstead Village where you can tick off any amounts of quaint little village pubs here: The Duke of Hamilton, Flask, Horseshoe and King William IV are all fantastic, but make sure to finish off with your feet up by a warm fire at The Holly Bush. Oh yes.
Total stops: 7 (at least)
4. Blackhorse Beer Mile: Best for trendsetters
Saturday afternoon beers with your pals? Get yourself to Walthamstow. Over the past 5 years Walthamstow has seen an upturn in fortunes. The artists of Hackney Wick and the families of Islington have seen Walthamstow, and Blackhorse Lane, as a new home. And there’s no better way to discover this area than to check out the craft beer movement that has set up home in Walthamstow and to take you through a nice leisurely crawl.
Total stops: 8
5. The Hackney Wick Horseshoe: Best for hipsters
One of London’s trendiest locations for going out, Hackney Wick has a whole selection of really cool places to check out. And you can hit all of these in one really fun little circuit. Starting at either Number 90 or Grow, take your pick, you circle your way around the station, via Beer Merchants Tap and the graffiti-adorned Lord Napier, before reaching Queens Yard, where you can spend the rest of the day. Plenty here to keep you busy with Crate, Howling Hops, Old Street Brewery, and if you’re still going by this point, late-night spot Colour Factory.
Total spots: 8 (give or take)
6. The Thames Crawl: Best for a riverside stroll
With this one we’re putting two of our favourite things together: meandering alongside the calming waters of the Thames with not a thought in our minds, and drinking. You can obviously start and end this wherever you want as there are pubs all the way along the river, however we personally would start at the Black Friar and then walk into Wapping so you can finish off with The Grapes (owned by Sir Ian McKellen) and the gorgeous old Prospect of Whitby.
Total stops: 8 (or as many as you want!)
7. The Bermondsey Beer Mile: Best for craft beers
Definitely one of our favourite days out in London, the Bermondsey Beer Mile takes you on a journey through all the beautiful craft breweries built under the train arches in Bermondsey. Starting at Maltby Street Market you can fill up on breakfast from any of the stalls along here, and maybe buy a few donuts for the journey from St John’s Bakery. Our favourite include Hawkes Cider, Brew By Numbers, Kernel and the brilliant finishing spot of Fourpure.
Total stops: 19 (and counting)
8. The Monopoly Pub Crawl: Best for the kid in you
The OG London pub crawl, this one is a monster that needs to be conquered. Rather than trying to follow the actual board game path, which would be full on crazy, you should start at Old Kent Road and then spiral into Central London, finishing on Oxford Street. Now whether you want to add in Utilities and Train Stations is completely up to you. Maybe work your way up to that one as a second go at it ;)
Total stops: 22-28
9. The Circle Line Pub Crawl: Best for hardcore heavyweights
The ultimate pub crawl to end all other pub crawls. You’ll be starting and ending at Victoria Station as you attempt to cover the whole Circle Line, whether by foot or by tube. There are a LOT of stops here so take it easy, half pints completely welcome, lots of food stops needed, and get started as early as possible to give you the time to make it round. We managed this once upon a time, and that’s probably enough. But it will be one to tick off the bucket list that you’ll remember for the rest of your life. Kudos for any successful attempts!
Total stops: 28
BONUS. The 12 Pubs of Christmas: Best for xmas shenanigans
Originally an Irish invention (unsurprisingly) this has become one of our favourite December traditions. It doesn’t matter what 12 pubs you hit as long as you’re among friends and coming together for some yuletide cheer. Preferably take a work afternoon off for maximum joy. You can do pubs with animal names around Oval, a circuit of all the pubs around Hyde Park, or take a walk from Highgate to Islington hitting every drinking hole on the way - it can be whatever you want. Enjoy and cheers!