Time gentlemen please!

Walking from Newington Green up to Stoke Newington one afterenoon a couple of weeks ago, I thought that it might be a nice idea to have a pint or two. I passed six pubs and all of them were closed, none of them opened in the afternoon.

I can only surmise that it is not profitable for them to do so? or that the metrosexual middle-classes deem it too working class to get hammered in the afternoon, unless you're at the riverside in Putney drinking Pimms?

Not only are all the pubs closing down but the ones that have been gentrified don't fuckin open!

What! No British?

Just come back from a family holiday in Estepona, a great spanish seaside town. A brilliant place for relaxing and sauntering, something i'm particularly good at. The town is full of parks and squares, and the old part is very authentic and pretty.

I'm glad to say that it wasn't full off British tourists, it seems to attract the Dutch!

A speciality of the town is 'Fried Fish Malaga Style', which is a great heaving plate of assorted fried fish, squid, octopuss, prawns etc, wonderful!

What a great town.

Walking the River Pinn

The river Pinn runs from Pinner to the Grand Union Canal at Cowley, 12 miles in all. Pinner is classic 'Metroland', a sterile suburban high street and an old village green, church and a couple of 17th C. pubs.

The route from there runs through an amazingly long stretch of interlinked playing fields, meadows and woodland. Parts of the walk are very badly signposted and there are two major diversions, RAF Hillingdon and Brunel University.

We stopped for a pint at the Red Lion Hotel, a splendid looking Fullers pub overlooking Hillingdon Hill. Not a great selection of beers on offer, in fact one of the worst selections i've seen in a while, Carling, Stella, Strongbow, Guinness and three real ales! but then maybe i've been spoiled?

And then on to the finish at Cowley, according to most of the posts on BITE, a chav lager drinking paradise! didn't hang around to find out, got the train to Paddington and had a cheap pint in 'Cads', all the pints are 1.90!!!

More 'Up the Holloway'!

In search of a quiet Saturday lunch-time feed I went to the Masterchef Cafe on the Holloway Road, a place I know well. The cafe was virtually empty, but within minutes of sitting down, ordering a mushroom omelette, chips and beans, 2 slice and a tea and contemplating the Guardian crossword, my relative peace and tranquility was shattered!

The waitress, a loud 50 something fellow Scot, yelled something to her daughter, who was sitting in the cafe with her two kids, who both started to scream.

Her daughter yelled something back and it continued! Then things took a turn for the worst, the daughters friend came walking in, she then started yelling and then her mobile phone rang and she started yelling in to that.

By this time I was truly rattled and trying to finish my lunch as quickly as possible, finally suffering from indigestion I escaped.

Bexley or bust!!!

Ventured into deepest darkest south-east London recently to do the 'Cray Riverway' walk, 10.5 miles from Foots Cray Meadows to Erith on the Thames.

It was a lovely day and the walk was flat and easy.

An hour into the walk I stopped to have breakfast in Old Bexley Village, no bubble on the menu but I did have a passable veggie breakfast. Old Bexley has a nice old fashioned High Street and a lovely church and church yard.

From here the walk led to Crayford, 'the land that time forgot!!' and then on to Crayford and Dartford Marshes, the River Darent, and Erith on the Thames, which looked quite spectacular with the 'Queen Elizabeth II' bridge in the background. Can't say much for Erith, depressing and full of scaffolders!!!

'Old School' cafe in Boscobel Street

It was a lovely bright autumn day so I decided to walk along the canal from Camden to Portobello Road. It's amazing how quickly you can cross London by way of its waterways.
I came off the canal at Lisson Grove and walked to an old favourite cafe of mine, the 'Costella Cafe', formerly 'Mario & Mike's', on Boscobel Street. The owner is Italian and does a mean 'bubble & squeak'. Nothing fancy but a classic.

Just come back from a week in Deal, a lovely seaside town in Kent.

A place full of character, with cobbled streets lined with Georgian houses and some nice Shepherd Neame Pubs.

I would recommend the 'Prince Albert, and 'The Ship' also the 'Royal Hotel' bar with its terrace overlooking the sea.

The only criticisms I have are the expense of eating and drinking out, London prices and dearer! also I couldn't find a proper cafe, loads of paninis etc but no greasy spoons.

I did manage to find the blue plaque for Charles Hawtrey, the 'Carry On' actor who spent his last years in Deal "In "retirement" in the seaside town of Deal, the pathetically broken, profoundly alcoholic Hawtrey lived in squalor: aggressive, unpleasant, banned by every pub and cab firm for miles around." (Roger Lewis)

Well done Son!!!