In response to a post about what to do on Friday Night, someone mentioned Pub tours and the walking tours link. Great info, and this might be a silly question, but the walking tour description isn't clear. Do you get to stop and have a beer in the pubs during the tour? My husband would not be a happy camper if he spent his last night in London on a pub tour and didn't get to drink a Guinness or two.
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5865 posts
The London Walks generally stop at two pubs along the walk and finish at a third pub. Each stop is about 20 minutes, so you have the option to buy a pint.
Posted by
OP
Monterey County, CA (formerly Verbania Italy-Lago Maggiore)
1641 posts
Thanks Laura. Sounds like the perfect thing to do for our one night in London before flying back to the States.
Posted by
Olympia, WA, USA
6713 posts
Hard to imagine a pub welcoming a tour group if they couldn't sell some beer to at least some of them!
Posted by
Noblesville, Indiana, USA
1412 posts
You don't need a pub tour to find good pubs in London. Wander around and you'll find several choices. See if you can find Ye Olde Mitre. Drop in and enjoy!
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4088 posts
You can tell from what follows that I am thirsty when I get to London. Pub walks have the benefit of automatic drinking companions. But a pint at the bar, asking the persons beside you what they are drinking, will do the trick almost as well. Serious followers of "real ales" love to talk about what they are drinking, almost as much as doing the drinking. Here are some pub sources and I am doing my best to acquire hands-on experience from them:
http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/1700/londons-best-craft-beer-bars-and-pubs
Real ale, also from Time Out http://www.timeout.com/london/feature/1703/londons-best-real-ale-pubs
http://www.beerintheevening.com/
http://pubnetwork.com/central_london_pub_directory.htm 450 pubs in central London
From the Guardian Aug. 2012: Historic pubs http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2012/aug/20/london-historic-food-drink-bars
Posted by
OP
Monterey County, CA (formerly Verbania Italy-Lago Maggiore)
1641 posts
Thanks for the great links. As I was scrolling through one of the websites, found a pub called Barley Mow. Rather appropriate since we just adopted a four year old chocolate lab we named Barley. We may have to raise a pint to Barley there! And it's not too far from our hotel.
Posted by
Hampshire, England.
1075 posts
Not sure if you've been in a pub before but you "may" find this website useful:
http://www.sirc.org/publik/pub.html
Posted by
Virginia, USA
5865 posts
Actually, the point of the London Walks is more to learn a bit about the neighborhood while stopping for refreshments along the way. They aren't really focused on the beer. So many of the posters are correct that you don't need a walk if your goal is exclusively to enjoy some pubs; however, if you want to learn some history and see some sights along the way with occasional stops for a pint, then you might enjoy a pub walk.