Cambridge PuG Crawl, Friday 5th April 2024

[Tris39]

This does sound a sensible area to start,so I'm aiming for a noon (or thereabouts) kick off in the Devonshire but will not be partaking of a 'spoons breakfast beforehand.

Sounds good; I'll be foregoing the 'spoons breakfast too.

[Strongers]

Sounds good; I'll be foregoing the 'spoons breakfast too.

Is there a crawl list or are we just winging it?

[sheffield hatter]

Often the starting point of planning a crawl is the 2024 GBG,the Friday crawl does mean that a few likely targets will not be open all day.Also two pubs in the 2024 guide Haymakers in Chesterton and Queen Edith near Addenbrooke's are just too far away to be easily worked into a crawl route.

Most of the GBG pubs are to the immediate north of the station and the nearest meeting place to start the crawl would be The Devonshire.

I can certainly endorse that. The Devonshire is a cracking good pub and is not at all far from the station. It is a Milton brewery pub, with seven of their beers on when I was there, plus a guest from Tydd Steam and lots of ciders.

The out of town pubs, the Queen Edith and the Haymakers, are also Milton brewery houses, which takes some of the sting out of not going there, as the beer options are much the same as the Devonshire. If you must, the Haymakers is a fairly easy walk from Cambridge North station, which will be quicker than the bus from the centre. The Queen Edith is a bus ride away from the Devonshire, and although it twists and turns through some housing, it's fairly quick. I didn't find the pub particularly welcoming.

Most of the GBG pubs are to the immediate north of the station and the nearest meeting place to start the crawl would be The Devonshire.It maybe sensible then to pick a few of the candidates in that area (but not all) such as The Cambridge Blue,Free Press and Elm Tree with a view to arriving at the Maypole around 2pm,this pub closes between 2.30pm and 5.30pm on Fridays.

I would recommend adding the Kingston Arms, which is a short walk from the Devonshire and has eight hand pumps: Ossett White Rat, Tring Side Pocket for a Toad and Draught Bass are ever present, with other beers changing (there was a Tring tap takeover starting the day after I left Cambridge, which I regretted missing; others perhaps not so much). This pub is under new management and is not yet in the Good Beer Guide, but is definitely worth a visit.

The bus that runs along Mill Road towards the city centre stops just around the corner from the Devonshire, and should be caught to St Andrews Street, which is only a few minutes walk from the Maypole. (Google maps says 10 minutes.) The Maypole should not be missed - eight hand pumps with beers from eight different breweries when I was there - and as it closes between 2:30 and 5:30 I would suggest either going there straight from the Devonshire or perhaps pop into the Kingston and then catch the bus into town.

Then return via Champion of the Thames, Elm Tree and Free Press. (Completists with a bit of stamina may be interested in the Pickerel and the Castle Inn, which are short walks from the Maypole - although in the opposite direction to all the other pubs - and they may well have some good beers on. The former had eight on the go when I was there, while the Castle is an Adnams house with six of their beers on.)

On the way back to the station a likely route is Champion of the Thames,Alexandra,Live & Let Live,Earl of Beconsfield ,Royal Standard before the two 5pm openers Calverleys and Geldart.That's 12 pubs without an excessive amount of walking,and gets you back to the station district.

I am sure there will be other views,happy to go with the flow and see you all on April 5th.

I didn't go in the Earl of Beaconsfield when I was in Cambridge last week (it is not in the GBG any more - at least it's not on the web app that I use), and I found the Royal Standard a bit too much like a cafe. The Calverley Tap no longer has real ale and has been deleted from the GBG, but that may not be off-putting for some. By the time I got around to the Cambridge Blue, Alexandra Arms and Geldart I was perhaps a little bit pubbed-out, so I can't give a full hearted endorsement; the Cambridge Blue in particular was too much like a beer festival for my taste, and not so much a pub, but it would be a strange pub crawl that went to Cambridge and missed out that one...

The Live & Let Live had three Nethergate beers the first night I was there, two of which I tried and were very good; I called in again on my way to the station on my last day and had a rather disappointing stout. Make of that what you will - on the whole I'd say it's a must visit. The Old Ticket Office at the station is an option for those who have a longer wait than expected for their train, rather than one to make a point of visiting.

It's worth bearing in mind that some of the platforms may be a bit further from the gate than you might have remembered.

Sorry I can't be with you on 5th April. Hope you all have a great time in Cambridge.

[Mobyduck]

I can certainly endorse that. The Devonshire is a cracking good pub and is not at all far from the station. It is a Milton brewery pub, with seven of their beers on when I was there, plus a guest from Tydd Steam and lots of ciders.

The out of town pubs, the Queen Edith and the Haymakers, are also Milton brewery houses, which takes some of the sting out of not going there, as the beer options are much the same as the Devonshire. If you must, the Haymakers is a fairly easy walk from Cambridge North station, which will be quicker than the bus from the centre. The Queen Edith is a bus ride away from the Devonshire, and although it twists and turns through some housing, it's fairly quick. I didn't find the pub particularly welcoming.




I would recommend adding the Kingston Arms, which is a short walk from the Devonshire and has eight hand pumps: Ossett White Rat, Tring Side Pocket for a Toad and Draught Bass are ever present, with other beers changing (there was a Tring tap takeover starting the day after I left Cambridge, which I regretted missing; others perhaps not so much). This pub is under new management and is not yet in the Good Beer Guide, but is definitely worth a visit.

The bus that runs along Mill Road towards the city centre stops just around the corner from the Devonshire, and should be caught to St Andrews Street, which is only a few minutes walk from the Maypole. (Google maps says 10 minutes.) The Maypole should not be missed - eight hand pumps with beers from eight different breweries when I was there - and as it closes between 2:30 and 5:30 I would suggest either going there straight from the Devonshire or perhaps pop into the Kingston and then catch the bus into town.

Then return via Champion of the Thames, Elm Tree and Free Press. (Completists with a bit of stamina may be interested in the Pickerel and the Castle Inn, which are short walks from the Maypole - although in the opposite direction to all the other pubs - and they may well have some good beers on. The former had eight on the go when I was there, while the Castle is an Adnams house with six of their beers on.)



I didn't go in the Earl of Beaconsfield when I was in Cambridge last week (it is not in the GBG any more - at least it's not on the web app that I use), and I found the Royal Standard a bit too much like a cafe. The Calverley Tap no longer has real ale and has been deleted from the GBG, but that may not be off-putting for some. By the time I got around to the Cambridge Blue, Alexandra Arms and Geldart I was perhaps a little bit pubbed-out, so I can't give a full hearted endorsement; the Cambridge Blue in particular was too much like a beer festival for my taste, and not so much a pub, but it would be a strange pub crawl that went to Cambridge and missed out that one...

The Live & Let Live had three Nethergate beers the first night I was there, two of which I tried and were very good; I called in again on my way to the station on my last day and had a rather disappointing stout. Make of that what you will - on the whole I'd say it's a must visit. The Old Ticket Office at the station is an option for those who have a longer wait than expected for their train, rather than one to make a point of visiting.

It's worth bearing in mind that some of the platforms may be a bit further from the gate than you might have remembered.

Sorry I can't be with you on 5th April. Hope you all have a great time in Cambridge.

Thanks for this list Will, it looks pretty solid, It's a shame you can't join us.

[Bucking Fastard]

Thanks for this list Will, it looks pretty solid, It's a shame you can't join us.

I agree and it does make sense to gather at the Devonshire and then catch a bus to the Maypole before crawling back from there ending up near the station which would give a a running order something like this.

Devonshire
Bus from Mill Road to St Andrew's Street
Maypole
Champion of the Thames
Elm Tree
Free Press
Alexandra
Cambridge Blue
Geldart
(Calverley's)
Kingston Arms
Live & Let Live
Royal Standard

That list ticks off all the central 2024 GBG entries ,avoids missing out on late openers, includes the Kingston Arms with Calverley's as an optional extra and minimises the walking distance.

Looking forward to seeing you all on April 5th,not too far away now.

[Strongers]

My hotel is the Maypole side of town so I'll meet you all there... Just let me know what time.

[Gann]

Hopefully my train will arrive at 12.10 so should be in the Devonshire soon after.
If we leave the Devonshire at 12.40 then we should be at the Maypole by 1.00PM.
I have plugged Neville's proposed running order above into a timed excel spreadsheet and certainly comfortable to get to the Geldart for 5 when it opens. However you will need to be on a fairly late train (or staying over) to fit the next 4 in.
My 19.20 departure will mean I will finish in the Live and Let live as the Royal Standard adds significantly time wise.
But thats not a problem. 11 top class pubs will be more than enough.

[Pangolin]

Looks like I will have to get back to Town so I shall probably miss out on the later ones but should be ok for the first half.

Could Dave apply his wonderful tool to the list perhaps?

[Tris39]

My outward bound train has been cancelled due to industrial action from 4th to 9th April. I doubt I'll be the only one affected...

[Gann]

Really.. I thought the services out of Kings X are run by Great Northern and they are not affected until Monday. Unless its just your train due to the overtime ban.
There still seems to be earlier services running and Thameslink options out of St Pancras. Also last time I looked a couple of days ago the Anglia services from Liverpool Street were still running. I dont think Anglia are affected on the 5th. I think their pain comes later on Monday also...