In-Order Route

Outside Elephant & Castle tube station the 1, 53, 63, 172, 188, 363 and 453 buses go to Old Kent Road from bus stop E near the tube station. Once on the bus, continue over the large roundabout and alight at the Bricklayer's Arms stop. Walk back to the roundabout and go right up Tower Bridge Road. You will see The George on your right.

This pub now opens at 1030 on a Saturday, especially for the pub crawl!

Alternatives

• The World Turned Upside Down
  The World Turned Upside down is located further up Old Kent Road past the Bricklayer's Arms bus stop. However it is usually closed on a Saturday morning.

Cross Tower Hill Road outside The George and get the 42 bus from the bus stop there. There may be other bus routes that go over Tower Bridge so check the bus stop information. This will take you north across Tower Bridge. Carry on past Tower Gateway and up to Aldgate. Get off the bus and walk down Aldgate High Street, across Middlesex street (under the subway) and onto Whitechapel. The pub is just to the left beyond the tube station.

This pub has recently been redecorated and given a bit of an Ikea-style makeover, which is a shame. Still, it still has a reasonable selection of beers. It's also very conveniently located not too far down Whitechapel High Street.

Alternatives

• The White Hart
  Continue up Aldgate High street, past Aldgate East tube station until you reach The White Hart on your left. This is a nice small pub with a good selection of beer, and the opportunity to sit on the benches outside. It's also very close to the tube station.
• The Pride of Spitalfields
  This pub is some distance further on. Continue walking past the second Algate East station entrance and take a left up Osborn Street. Continue as this turns into Brick Lane and take a right in a few streets time into Heneage Street.

This is optional stop if you are attempting stations as well. Walk down to Aldgate East tube station and take the Hammersmith and City line to King's Cross. Head for Platform 8 to find the Duke of York (formerly Coopers).

Note this pub may be closed currently - alternatives are below. This pub is quite busy, but it has a good selection of beer.

Alternatives

• O'Neills Euston Road
  Across the road from the station and a bit further up the road.
• The Champagne Bar - St. Pancras Station
  If you're a high-roller you could take a trip to the champagne bar at the new (at the time of writing) St. Pancras station. Enter the station at the side and go upstairs.

From Whitechapel: Walk down to Aldgate East station. Take the Hammersmith & City line to Moorgate and then switch to the Northern Line to Angel. Turn left out of the statuion and walk down to the crossroads. Cross over City Road and the pub is a short way down St. John Street on the left. From Kings Cross: Take the bus from King's Cross back up the road to Angel.

This is a nice traditional pub with a theatre above it. Enjoy the peace for a few moments before getting on the road again.

Leave the pub and turn right. Cross the road and and head down the left side of Pentoville road. The 30,73 and 214 buses will go to King's Cross. The O'Neills is just across the street.

The beer selection isn't very good but it's on the way to our next stop.

Alternatives

• The Rocket
  A good selection of lagers but no ale!

Back on the bus from outside King's Cross up Pentoville Road. The Castle is on the right-hand side of the road about halfway up.

Formerly the Pint Pot, this pub is comfortable but not what it used to be. Not much bitter, but its rating has gone up because it serves the excellent Doom Bar! Still, no time to hang around...

Go back down Pentoville Road to King's Cross and take the Picadilly line to Green Park. Turn right out of the station and walk down Picadilly to St. James Street on the right. Walk down St. James Street until you reach King Street on the left. You should see the Golden Lion on the right hand side, but it will probably be closed. If so, walk down Crown Passage (to the right of the Golden Lion) to reach the Red Lion.

This is a small cosy pub with a rather difficult set of stairs to negotiate to reach the toilets.

Alternatives

• The Golden Lion
  You should pass this on the way in, but it seems to be closed on a Saturday.

Go down Crown Passage to Pall Mall and turn left. Continue until you reach Waterloo Place, cross the road and continue up Pall Mall. Go down Cockspur Street and continue on the right hand side to Whitehall. Carry on round the corner, past the Whitehall Theatre. The Lord Moon of the Mall is on the right.

Another high-ceilinged Wetherspoons conversion, this is a spacious pub with a lot of beers to try.

Alternatives

• The Clarence
  This is just across the road from the Lord Moon of the Mall, and will probably be open.

Turn left out of the pub and walk up to Trafalgar Square. Cross the road, and take the first road on the right (Northumberland Avenue). Walk down the road and you'll see The Sherlock Holmes ahead on the left at the bottom of Northumberland Street.

A little corny, but the house ale is worth trying.

Walk up Northumberland Street and turn right to Charing Cross. Descend into the tube station and take the Bakerloo line to Marylebone. Enter the station, and go right to the end, where you will find the pub on your left.

This is quite a large pub, with a good beer selection. It's also a good place to eat, since there are many food outlets in the station including a Burger King, a branch of Marks & Spencer among others.

Alternatives

• Sports Bar and Grill
  This pub is untested, but seems to be located close to Marylebone in Melcombe Place.

From Northumberland Aveneue: Outside the pub turn right and walk up Northumberland Street. Turn right onto the Strand and walk down pass teh Aldwych (Chicago) theatre on the left. Trun left just in front of Aldwych up Wellington Street, which becomes Bow Street. The Marquess is just past the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. From Marylebone: Take the Bakerloo line again, this time changing at Piccadilly Circus for the Piccadilly line. Take the Picadilly line to Covent Garden. Come out of the station and turn right, walking along Long Acre (away from the Piazza and thus avoiding the crowds). Turn right onto Bow Street and the pub is on the left.

This pub isn't too bad but tends to get too crowded.

Come out of the Marquess and turn right back up Bow Street. Turn right at the end and walk down Long Acre/Great Queen Street to Kingsway. Turn left and walk up to Holborn tube station. Take the central line to Oxford Circus, exit on the SE corner and walk back toward Tottenham Court Road. Take the first road on teh right (Argyll Street) and Malborough Street is on the left with O'Neills on the corner of Carnaby Street.

Quite a spacious pub but it's nicer outside.

Walk down Carnaby Street onto Beak Street. Turn right then left onto Warwick Street. The pubs are at the end of the road as it meets Glasshouse Street. Unfortunately at the time of writing there are no pubs on Vine Street, and the bars on Swallow Street are difficult to get into. See the alternatives if you want to try (Vine Street is just off Swallow Street).

is the only non-pub venue on the route. Since there are no pubs on Vine Street, the choice is between this and Bentley's Below (opposite), but at least this establishment sells something close to beer in the form of Budweiser Budvar.

Alternatives

• The Warwick
  This is a pub just across the road from the Leicester Arms.
• The Gaucho Grill
  Turn right into Glasshouse Street, and left onto Regent Street. Cross and Swallow Street is on the right. Gaucho's, if you didn't know, is a restaurant chain, but there is a bar as well. Last time we tried we couldn't get in, but on the in order route you are a little earlier so may have more luck.
• Bentley's Below
  Bentley's below is a little further on from Gaucho's on the right. Be careful to go downstairs and not into the restaurant upstairs. It's also not advisable to enter in large groups. Last time we visited they didn't seem to sell any kind of beer at all, so it was whiskeys all round.

Go back out onto Fleet Street and continue walking. There is a McDonalds if more take-away food is required. You can get a bus, but it's easier to walk down. Go past the Royal Courts of Justice, past the BBC World Service in Bush House, and the church on an island in the centre of the road. Just past Waterloo Bridge we enter the Strand where you should see The Wellington straight ahead.

The bar is long and thin and quite crowded, so best to sit outside if possible.

Cross the road (with care), and get the 11, 15 or 23 from stop F to Fleet Street. Stop before you reach Ludgate Hill and Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is in a (signposted) passage to your left.

A famous old pub, apparently rebuilt in 1667. There are several small bars and seating areas. Watch out for the low doorways.

Alternatives

• The Tipperary
  If Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese is shut, cross back over Fleet Street and go into The Tipperary. A bit cramped downstairs but not too bad upstairs.

Take the 11, 15 or 23 back up to Charing Cross. Cross the Strand in front of the station and take the little "slip road" (Duncannon Street) towards Trafalgar Square/Charing Cross road. The pub is just on the left. Note: last time we did this, the pub was for 'a certain clientelle', if you get my drift!

This is where it becomes a bit of a shag if you're doing stations. The round trip here is likely to add 30 minutes onto the time. Go back around the corner to Charing Cross and walk down to embankment tube station. Take the District Line to Tower Hill. Come out of the station and turn left and then left again onto the Minories. Continue up Minories and turn left into Crosswall. Continue straight through Crutched Friars until the road becomes Hart Street. At which point take the turn to the right, past The Goose pub and into the square. Enter Fenchurch Street station and go up the escalator. The Raven is behind and to the right. On the last visit, construction work had blocked up the main station entrance, and The Raven appeared to be closed.

This is a small and quiet pub. There is a good view from the window seats, but there's no time to waste at this point.

Alternatives

• The Pitcher and Piano
  This is located just under the railway line near the Benjy's.
• The Windsor
  You passed this on the way in, but it probably won't be open. It used to be called The Goose.

From Trafalgar Square: Come out of the pub and turn left. Turn right at Trafalgar Square and walk up Charing Cross Road away from the square. Cross the road at the zebra crossing just past the National Portrait Gallery. Take a left up the pedestrianised Irving Street which will lead you into Leicester Square. Just round the corner past the Odeon you'll see The Moon Under Water.

Not so much a pub as a long thin room, this pub is constantly very crowded due to its location.

Take a diagonal route across Leicester Square and exit by the Swiss Centre to your right. Here might be a good place for eating - there is a McDonalds, a KFC and a Pizza Hut if you're very ahead of schedule. Cross Whitcomb Street into Coventy Street and then take the first left down Oxenden Street. The Comedy is about halfway down on the right.

This pub has lost most of its character due to being refurbished, but it does have two spacious bars - one upstairs one downstairs.

Alternatives

• The Tom Cribb
  At the end of Oxenden Street you'll find the Tom Cribb should The Comedy be closed.

Back up to Conventry Street and turn left towards Piccadilly Circus. Cross Piccadilly Circus to Piccadilly and walk down until you get to Fortnum and Mason. Biaggio is on the left (its easy to miss) and you have to go upstairs to the cocktail bar. Beware! Many a pub crawl has foundered on the lovely cocktails here.

Alternatives

• Waterstone's
  Yes I do mean the bookshop. Its just down Piccadilly from Piccadilly Circus and if you go up to the top floor, there is a bar area. Mostly bottled beers and a bit pricey though.
• The Tom Cribb
  This is the closest pub to Piccadilly (its on Bennet street). It's a good place to rest tired legs for a few minutes before carrying on.

Turn right out of the bar onto Piccadilly. Walk along until you can cut up through to Regent street (where you came earlier to get to Vine Street). It may be worth getting a bus here on you can walk all the way up Regent Street, across Oxford Street until you reach the All Bar One on you left, on the corner of Magaret Street.

Much like any All Bar One. May be busy with Saturday night crowd.

We don't know of any pubs on this end of Oxford Street, so we have to go for a side street instead. Walk back down Regent Street and turn right onto Oxford Street. About 200 yards on the left turn into Woodstock Street. The Spread Eagle is just round the corner, opposite The Woodstock.

Unfortunately the owners of the pub we used to use have asked us to remove it, so we've had to resort to an untested one. Please let us know how you get on so we can update the route. Nearly there!

Alternatives

• The Phoenix
  This pub is on Cavendish Square, close to Oxford Circus. At least one crawler has reported success with this pub.
• The Last Bid (untested)
  This pub is a little further down Woodstock Street on the right. We haven't tried it ourselves, but the reviews on BITE are reasonable.

Come out of the pub and follow WoodStock street onto Bond Street. Cross New Bond Street to Dering Street. On Dering Street is the Hogshead.

The owner of the pub we previously had for this stop has asked us to remove his pub from the site. It appears he was having a lot of trouble from pub crawlers who were very noisy and disruptive. Once again please try to drink within your limits - this kind of thing only ruins the pub crawl for everybody else. If you know of a better choice please let us know.

This is where you are really going to regret doin stations. Again this is at least 30 minute, if not 40, round trip. Walk up New Bond Street and turn left onto Oxford Street. Head for Bond Street Station and take the Central Line to Liverpool Street. Walk up into the main station area and go up to street level at the Bishopsgate end. At the end of the station to the right is The Hamilton Hall.

This large bar used to be the ballroom of the Great Eastern Hotel, which explains the ornate ceilings. You have to be really quick here to have a chance of finishing.

From Bond Street: Take New Bond Street back up to Oxford Street. Either hop on a bus or walk down Oxford Street to Marble Arch. Turn left onto Park Lane, and continue on down. Just after you pass the Hilton, Old Park Lane dives off to the left parallel to Park Lane. The pub is down here on the left. From Liverpool Street: Take the Central Line again all the way back to Marble Arch. Sounds easy, but you will be quite pushed for time now. Follow the directions above from Marble Arch station.

This is a comfortable pub with a good atmosphere.

Walk back up Old Park Lane and turn right into Hertford Street. Continue to the end and turn left. Turn right in front of the Shepherds Tavern and walk down towards the Kings Arms at the end. Turn left and you will see The Grapes in a the small square of Shepherd's Market, Mayfair.

This is a very nice old pub in a lovely location. The beer selection is very good and it's pleasant both inside and outside. The last one, so treat yourself to a glass of champagne!