There are, despite rumours to the contrary, still plenty of London pubs where you can bag a pint for less than six quid. As we explored in our handy round-up, some central boozers even meet the brief.
Your quest to swerve the capital’s much-lamented £8 pint will, however, sometimes lead you to search further afield. Luckily, two of the destinations on the Telegraph’s recent list of ‘England’s 10 greatest pub towns’ make ideal day trips from London.
Indeed, Ramsgate and Southsea are both easy-peasy to reach from the Big Smoke – leaving plenty of your day free for sinking pints.
Ramsgate
Writer Will Hawkes wrote of Ramsgate: ‘Kent’s frothy northeastern tip has become very fashionable of late, at least amongst middle-aged ex-Londoners. The decades when it was less hip, though, have left it with some tremendous pubs, particularly in Ramsgate.
‘This town might be most famous for having Britain’s biggest Wetherspoons, but its best pubs are the Artillery Arms and the Montefiore Arms, both of them street-corner delights. The latter was recently taken over by Gadds’ brewery, also based in Ramsgate and one of England’s finest beer-makers.’
Ramsgate’s Artillery Arms, with its curved bar and only vaguely alarming bust of a bulldog on the wall, is certainly a mouthwatering proposition. The Montefiore Arms is a slightly (key word) more modern affair, with a trendy mural across its exterior, though the similarly curved bar certainly looks like it’s seen a thing or two.
How to get to Ramsgate from London
Southeastern trains run direct from St. Pancras and take around an hour and 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can pick up a coach from Victoria Coach Station, which can take around three hours (though be warned: there are only a few per day).
Southsea
Hawkes added of Southsea: ‘A number of the towns in this selection are on the seaside, a reflection of the fact that regular custom is frequently bolstered by day-trippers. That’s less the case in Southsea, with its naval connection, but it has many great pubs. This is a place of elaborate ceramic facades and well-run pubs: I particularly like the Hole in the Wall and the Lawrence Arms.’
Southsea’s Hole in the Wall, meanwhile, is your classic old-school boozer, with more dark wood than a branch of B&Q (and a pleasing array of beer mats affixed to the ceiling for some reason). If it’s a massive pub garden you’re after, though, you can’t do much better than the Lawrence Arms.
How to get to Southsea from London
South Western Railway trains run direct from Waterloo to Portsmouth, taking just over an hour-and-a-half. After that, you can catch a bus to Southsea – this should only take 10 to 15 minutes. Regular National Express coaches take two-and-a-half to three hours from Victoria.
Closer to home, a great north London pub is set to reopen after two years’ closure
Plus: The 50 best pubs in London.
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