What to expect...
And so it begins! The crawl officially starts at 10am and Paddington station acts as a gathering place for people to meet up with their mates before heading off. There will be loads of Kiwis milling about so just follow the crowds and you'll be fine. Grab a bite to eat because it'll be a long day.
As only the second stop on the crawl, things should still be well under control and people will be warming up nicely. The pub at Bayswater used to be called 'The Rat and Parrot' but has changed names to 'The Bayswater Arms'. This is a good place to grab a bite if you haven't already.
People will be getting a bit merry by this point and things seem to start to kick off after this stop at Notting Hill Gate. The toilets inside the pub are to the left. The group will be growing in size and the wait for the tube on the platform will be getting really crowded and just a wee bit rowdy.
Prince of Wales is a tiny, long, narrow pub with the toilets crammed right at the back. Best bet is to stay outside the High Street Kensington Stop because it will be difficult to get a drink and almost impossible to get to the toilets. There's not alot of space in front of the pub but you can sprawl out across the road too.
Gloucester Road. There's not much around this stop really so just focus on keeping warm. Best way to do this is to keep drinking! Second best way is to start dancing around. Third best way is to pee your pants but the warmth is short lived and will make the rest of your day quite uncomfortable. Not recommended.
South Kensington. Things should be geting a bit rowdy by now with loads of people spilling out of the pub into the streets. If the cars can get by then you're not trying hard enough!
The stop at Sloane Square is crap. The old pub on the corner has closed down and the only draw is the public toilet across the road from the station. Lots of people tend to wander off in all directions looking for a pub but your best bet is to get your ass back on the tube because the outlook is bleak.
Victoria is one of the busiest stops on the route and you're sure to come across plenty of bewildered intercity travellers and matinee theatre attendees wondering what the hell is going on. There are a handful of pubs in the station but there's a better atmosphere outside across the road
This is one of the best stops, St Jame's Park - if only because you can get a group of mates together and drink right in the middle of the road on the painted roundabout circle. True, the police will chase you away, but until they do, it's pretty funny. A good photo op if nothing else.
You will probably never see so many Kiwis in one place outside of New Zealand. You will definately never see so many pasty bodies gathered in one place either! The Haka at Westminster is what it's all about and the boys get their kit off and get it going at 4pm and again at 5pm.
The Embankment is a stop often skipped as people rush on to the Temple Walkabout. If you're planning to stop in at The Queen Mary, it's probably much quicker to walk than it is to fight through the crowds to get on teh tube. Cheating... yes. But at this stage nobody's really keeping track anymore.
By this point most people will be fed up with the tube and the cold and will be eager to get to a pub and stay put. The Temple Walkabout is huge and loads of people head to it to finish off the day. Some brave souls carry on and attempt to complete the Circle Line Pub Crawl but most pack it in and call it a day at Temple.
Aaaaarrrgggh, me hearty's! Fun times ahoy!
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