Argh Matey, and All That
A Saturday spent as a Pirate…
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the Duck & Waffle and its merits as an alternative to the London Eye. Well, after that dreamy breakfast of pure decadence and sophistication, my friends and I set off on a Pirate Tour of east London.
Never heard of such a thing? Well, that’s because they don’t really exist. Rich, an English teacher cum Pirate Historian led the way. Leaving from Liverpool street, we made our way through Leadenhall Market. Practically deserted on the weekends, this was the stand in for Diagon Alley in Harry Potter. It’s been in this location since the 14th century, and boasts some pretty spectacular architecture.
Zig zagging our way through the streets of the City, we made our way to the Tower of London and the old Roman wall ruins. We didn’t spend the £21.45 (!!) on entrance, but instead marvelled it from the other side of the moat. Having paid the entrance fee on more than one occasion, I can safely say that it’s worth it – once. The tours given by the Yeoman Warders (or Beefeaters) are informative and entertaining.
Ambling along, we came upon St Katherine’s Dock. Now full of giant yachts and the world’s fanciest Starbucks (see that Palladian-esque structure above) it was once one of the key docks for international trade.
After stopping to oogle an incredibly large yacht, we headed towards our first watering hole: The Town of Ramsgate. Claiming to be the oldest pub on the Thames, we stopped for dark ‘n’ stormys and a game of Pass the Pigs.
Our next stop was the Captain Kidd pub, complete with noose. This pub was a proper old man pub. We indulged in some beer and cider (at this point, we are on our third type of tipple after brunch, and rum).
Boasting a riverside patio, this is apparently one of the places that JWM Turner painted his famous riverscapes. Seeing as it was February in London, we didn’t utilise this space to the best of it’s capabilities. I imagine it’s popular in the summer – with a Samuel Smith’s in hand.
The last stop on our tour down Wapping High Street was the Prospect of Whitby. Probably the most touristy of the pubs we visited that day. It’s claim to fame is that it’s the oldest riverside tavern. We settled in with some more beer, and rum, and terrible food (typical chain-pub fodder), as well as few more rounds of Pass the Pigs.
Rich managed to achieve the elusive double snouter. A great feat – considering how many libations we’d consumed since breakfast.
…but then again, it’s really a game of luck.
We packed it in while we were ahead and travelled our separate ways. Considering we were in Wapping and all heading in different directions our travels were quick and painless thanks to a great Overground connection. I highly recommend following in our foot steps if you ever get the opportunity. There is much more to see then what I’ve documented here – forgetting to take photographs is my forté (even though I did a degree in photography).
