Tryanuary trail from Waterloo to London Bridge

On Saturday 25 January 2020, Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) members from branches in the Central Southern region gathered met in South London to visit pubs on an itinerary planned by John McLaughlin (Milton Keynes & North Bucks CAMRA).
A group from West Berkshire followed the itinerary for the first three pubs before making a detour and then rejoining the main group at Harvey's London pub - the Royal Oak (RO).

Waterloo Tap (WT)

Allan Brooke (W Berkshire CAMRA) & Allan Willoughby (Slough, Windsor & Maidenhead CAMRA)

The Waterloo Tap, underneath the railway arches to the south of Hungerford Bridge, was the first bar for a rendezvous. Six cask ales are served from taps in the central area behind the bar. The pale hazy Moor Nor'Hop was a popular choice.
This was a good opportunity to hear from Allan Willoughby about arrangements for the 2020 Maidenhead Beer & Cider Festival which will be held at Maidenhead Rugby Football Club, Braywick Road, Maidenhead, SL6 1BN, a 10 minute walk from the station, on the 24 / 25 July.

Various German beer signs and and a row of traditional beer steins are displayed in the arched space.
There was also an opportunity to meet Carl Griffin, Central Southern CAMRA's Regional Director.

Richard Scullion & Andy Pinkard

There was a chance for Andy Pinkard, West Berkshire CAMRA Chairman to meet up with his predecessor, Richard Scullion, now mainly resident in Eastbourne, who also adopted our modified itinerary for the day.

The route from the Waterloo tap to the second pub was via Roupell Street, featuring terraced houses and several classic Citroen cars.

Kings Arms (KA)

Having arrived earlier, Simon Grist (Berkshire South East CAMRA) took the opportunity to photo bomb the West Berkshire CAMRA group photo from the entrance to the pub! The others featured in the photo and not previously named are Chris Reynolds and Frank Jesset.

Inside, the beer range included Flying Monk Brewery's Dark Lane milk stout from Malmesbury and Kent Brewery's Apollo single hopped ale.

Berkshire South East CAMRA stalwarts Barry Garber and Terry Burrows found a warm place to stand near the fireplace in this traditional corner pub that was soon filled with CAMRA members.
The pedestrian route to the third pub, goes along Windmill Walk, underneath the platforms of Waterloo East station and then past the side of the Old Vic theatre along Webber Street.

Stage Door (SD)

Brewed in the Cuckmere Valley, Sussex, Long Blonde from Long Man Brewery was the hoppy beer chosen by most of our group guided by Richard Scullion who plans his visits to the brewery's tasting room on Fridays to benefit from a free welcome pint.

Seen at the bar, Tony Girling and Mark Thompson made two more members from West Berkshire to join our group. An interesting feature of the Stage Door's decor is retro home movie cameras, adapted as light fixtures, on side walls.
Breaking from the main group on leaving the Stage Door, our walking route followed Webber Street as it arcs eastwards.

This led to Southwark Bridge Road and then Mint Street into a small park and then north on Ayres Street passing the Lord Clyde, a traditional corner pub, regularly featured in CAMRA's Good Beer Guide but closed for refurbishment after a change of ownership.

Rose & Crown

Richard, Mike, Mark, Tony, Allan and Frank

This longest walking stretch led us to the Rose & Crown on the corner with Union Street.

Neon signs for PubLove and Hostel indicate that this pub is now part of the PubLove chain of seven pubs which feature upstairs hostel accommodation and a Burger Craft kitchen - Beers, Burgers and Beds.
Mike Avery perused the menu at the bar before ordering 'Fries' that were served in a dimple pint mug.
Mike was disappointed to miss the Five Pound Lunch offer which is only served from Monday until Wednesday at lunchtimes.
Three cask ales were available including Titanic Plum Porter.
A short walk east along Union Street and across Borough High Street into Newcomen Street led to the fifth pub.

Kings Arms (KA)

The Kings Arms features polished brass details and five cask ales. It featured in John McLaughlin's itinerary but our out of turn arrival avoided any congestion. St Peter's Hop It reached the end of the barrel with our order and substituting Harvey's Sussex Best acted as a taster for the beer range at the next pub we would visit.

The pedestrian route via Tennis Street led through an estate of flats and then into Tabard Street. We passed a workshop where Master Woodcarver Hugh Weddeburn could be seen carving with chisels. Andy went inside for a brief chat with Hugh before we arrived at our sixth pub.

Royal Oak (RO)

Allan, Andy, Mike, Richard, Tony and Frank outside The Royal Oak, Tabard Street.

Despite our plan to arrive at the Royal Oak before the main group, we found that others had beaten us to claim the tables in the main bar area.

Retreating to the smaller back bar, a wait for beer followed as only one member of staff was available to serve beer and perform cellar tasks.
As well as the deservedly popular Sussex Best Bitter, a range of other beers from the brewery included Armada Ale and Christmas Ale.
As members from other branches arrived but no relief beer staff, we decided to cut short our planned longer stay at the Royal Oak and fit in one more pub from the original itinerary instead.

Old Kings Head (OKH)

The Old Kings Head is accessed through an archway on the east side of Borough High Street into Kings Head Yard. There was a chance to get a photo of the outside of the pub with its stained glass windows in the remaining daylight before being invited to enter.
In contrast to the Royal Oak, the Old Kings Head was teeming with staff behind the spacious bar serving area and service was quick and efficient. The beer range included beers from St Austell Brewery and Harvey's Brewery.
There was music playing on the sound system and quite a lively atmosphere which would perhaps appeal more to young customers.

With some needing to catch trains from Waterloo and others from Paddington, the nearby entrance to London Bridge underground station provided the easiest access route to start the journey home after an enjoyably social day of tasting beers and discovering some 'off the beaten track' streets of South London during 'Tryanuary'.