As we wouldn't be having a meet at Letchworth this year - I've managed to double-book with another pub crawl - Dan and I thought it was time to make a return to London for some pub crawlage. Rather than wander randomly, we had a dig through CAMRA's "London Pub Walks" for some ideas. This great little book has 30 crawls around London - over half of which are right in the city centre - and directs you to those with good quality ales, are in the Good Beer Guide and/or are on CAMRA's national/regional inventory of historic pub interiors (ie, they've maintained their original style and decor, rather than refurnishing with chrome). For the price (£6.99 for CAMRA members, £8.99 otherwise) it's well worth a look - click here for more info.

We've been meaning to do Covent Garden for a while, and conveniently there was a 6-pub crawl for it in the book. I got to Covent Garden tube station before Dan for a change, and followed his directions to a starting pub (turn left and keep going).

	Unfortunately Dan had meant the-other-left, so I supped my not-too-great Bombadier in The Sussex admiring the nice interior for a while. To be fair, it was probably one of the first pints out of the barrel - and when Dan arrived and chose a pint of the same he thought his tasted fine. This was also the only pub of the day to charge over £3 for a pint - which was a relief. Other beers on pump were Greene King IPA, London Pride and Youngs Bitter (not available)
	Heading back past the tube station we popped into the Nags Head for a pint of AK each. Quite a large place, very 60's decor (the wallpaper is special), and a nice alternative selection of beer, with McMullens on pump.
	One of the highlights of the day has to be The Cove, in the heart of Covent Garden. Situated above the West Cornwall Pasty Co shop, the bar itself is pretty cramped, with plenty of random steps to negotiate. However, it's also got a selection of 5 well kept Cornish ales - including Betty Stoggs, Tribute and (oh yes) HSD. So no suprise that we went for the latter - and it tasted phenominal. We managed to get a table on the balcony which overlooks the piazza -so were entertained by jugglers whilst enjoying our pints. The smell of pastys also proved too much on the way out, so a couple of steak and stiltons were purchased and devoured on the way to the next pub.
	The Lamb and Flag was actually the first pub on the official crawl route - and is on the CAMRA regional inventory. Very atmospheric with historic decor, and as a free house, a selection of 6 ales. I opted for a pint of Youngs Special and was rather disappointed by the quality - so also tried a swift half of Courage Best - which I also wasn't impressed with. Dan was more happy with his beer though - and I think either I was unlucky or my tastebuds were numbed by the pasty - as this pub gets rave reviews on Beerintheevening.com
	Next up was the Salisbury - which gets my vote for pub of the day. It was no coincidence that they served Deuchers IPA - and kept it at optimum temperature and quality. Also on offer was Bombadier, Youngs Bitter, Tibute and Hopback's Crop Circle (as well as Hoegaarden, Leffe Blond and proper Bud). Not only does it have great beer, but the Salisbury is also on the National Inventory, and understandably so - superb Victorian decor makes for a really atmospheric place. The barman knew his beers, and we ended up chatting to Californian Pete for a while - which was also a good excuse to get in a second pint of the IPA.
	Sad to leave, we moved on to the Harp. A tasty pint of Ridleys Old Bob was served by a very foxy blonde barmaid - while Dan opted for Tim Taylor's Landlord. Nice little pub, with a large window at the front which was opened up to good effect. The Harp has an entry in the Good Beer Guide 2007, and has just won Pub of the Year from the West London branch of CAMRA - and from the guide and recommendations from beerintheevening, the sausages are well worth trying.
	Our final stop of the day was the Coal Hole, which is on the Regional Inventory. Dan went for another Landlord, and I chose the Adnams Bitter. Nice enough place - pretty empty - and the It Box robbed us blind.

With 7 pubs and 8 pints under our belt, we decided to call it a day before a second wind could arrive to make things messy. A good day was had - made especially so by the unexpected appearance of my two favourite beers - HSD in the Cove, and Deuchars IPA in the Salisbury. Will definitely make a return to these establishments next time I'm in the West End.