On Easter Saturday 2016, a crawl with Richard Bradshaw was undertaken. Once again in London, but this time we decided to try some new pubs. Although plans changed before we started, we loosely went to the Clerkenwell/Holborn/Russell Square area. A simple train from Banbury to Marylebone thence Baker Street to Farringdon allowed us to start at the One Tun which was open, even though it was a Saturday in a relatively suity area.

The One Tun at Farringdon was a good enough place to start even though they only had one beer. A traditional, fairly smart boozer which you could settle into if you wished, though fortunately quiet when we were there. I think they've smartened it up even more since we went. Less than 5 minutes away across Hatton Garden was the Clerkenwell branch of the Craft Beer Company, again in a traditional boozer but a little rougher round the edges, though livelier too. Excellent beer selection and we had a pint each in here, or rather I had two halves.

A third traditional pub was the Rugby Tavern on a quiet backstreet, the pub being really quiet inside too. Shepherd Neame products were available, four in total, and very well kept. Inevitably there was to be a gastro pub and this loomed onto the horizon just around the corner in the shape of the Perseverance. Whilst it was decent enough, it was certainly not a belter and they only had two proper beers on, but did have a load of crafts and quite a few gins etc. For more traditional surroundings, one must go up the road to the Lamb in Bloomsbury which is a right Victorian boozer and had five proper beers on, albeit all Youngs, when we went in. there are also some quite nice nooks and crannies to settle into.

A walk past Great Ormond Street hospital took us to the Queen's Larder. This was a nice, compact, if a little busy, traditional pub with a single downstairs room dominated by a bar. Apparently, there is an upstairs lounge of sorts that we did not explore. Cosy and recommended, if a little rough and ready. Less than urination distance away is the Swan, again a 'traditional' pub but in a much larger building, traditional in this sense being very much along the lines of the faux yet tolerable variety that Nicholson's pubs do, though in actual fact this is Greene King pub. There were seven beers on tap, many being from that brewery. All things considered though a decent place to drink.

Hipster central was encountered at the Holborn Whippet, which had been recommended to us. Although somewhat trendy, in a minimalist industrial way, and rather busy and sweaty, it was actually rather good and pleasingly simplistic inside. Most importantly it had a huge selection of beers and ciders plus whiskies and most importantly, there were some proper cask beers amongst the inevitable craft offerings for the bearded. Tasted good too.

The heavens suddenly opened and we had to find ourselves some shelter, preferably selling beer too. The best we could do was the plastic Night and Day bar at the equally plastic Imperial Hotel in Russell Square. They had some pissflow available so we made do whilst sitting in the corner dripping wet. For something so artificial it actually wasn't that bad and it was almost homely at times. But not worth staying for a second. A much more homely and traditional pub thankfully manifested itself in the form of the Friend At Hand, a cosy little Greene King mews pub selling Greene King products. Very much old school, proper beers aplenty.

There were also proper beers aplenty at the more boisterous and trendy Marquis Cornwallis nearby, although fortunately it had not gone an irretrievable distance down either the gastro or hipster route (having said that, there were a lot of Camden Brewery products and unstably highly stacked burgers). Good beers though and some Belgian offerings, though despite the bluster not as extensive a selection as at the Friend at Hand, but also worth a visit if you are in the area.

Final stop of the day was the Cider Tap outside Euston station. Can't remember why we didn't go to the beer one... Anyway, it was quiet in there and we revelled in the spartan surroundings. As per usual the selection of ciders was excellent, even for someone like me with whom cider often does not agree. Once that was finished, quick toilet and sprint back to Marylebone for the train.