A Right to Pub

Having previously been an absolute beer fan, I've thoroughly enjoyed exploring London's pub map. I've done many famous ale trails - beer trails where you explore an area of the city through visits to the most famous pubs. My fondest memory of one of these "trails" was a final visit to The Crown Tavern pub, located next to the Karl Marx Memorial Library. I was, of course, unaware that local communists liked to go there. And so, after a pint or three, I found myself arguing vehemently with one such rare follower of the belief in Lenin's ideals, who chided me that I and other "Soviets" had, to put it mildly, missed the chance to build a great communism. The conversation was hard, but the journey home was even harder because British Marxists rejected the cult of food and were very active in consuming ale without any snacks.

In fact, on the border of Clerkenwell and Holborn is another of my favourite traditional pubs, the Cittie of Yorke. Huge ceilings, massive wooden booths and an emphasis on conservatism in detail, coupled with a great range of ales and bitters, it's definitely recommended to a keen drinker.