Dale Harvey, the man behind The Great British Pub Crawl, is travelling the length and breadth of the country with his wife in a bid to visit every pub, bar, micropub, and social club that serves beer – and document the experience on YouTube and social media.
On Tuesday (April 29), the Nottingham-based couple crossed the river for the first time in their London crawls, choosing Southwark as their starting point for a six-day tour of the capital’s pub scene.
Dale, who has now visited more than 5,700 pubs since launching the channel three years ago, described the Southwark leg as a day full of discovery.
He said: “I am south of the river for the first time on a London crawl and in the Southwark area.
“I headed across Borough Market, beneath London Bridge and all around the houses as I took in 20 pubs for the first of my six days on the road this week… finding some ABSOLUTE GEMS along the way.”
Kicking off at The Barrowboy & Banker, a grand Fuller’s pub near London Bridge Station, Dale worked his way through a mix of historic landmarks, riverside beer gardens, atmospheric cellars, and trendy craft beer joints – ending his night at St Christopher’s Inn, a busy sports pub buzzing with football fans.
His Southwark route took in some of the capital’s best-known boozers, including The George Inn a 17th century coaching inn owned by the National Trust and The Anchor, which has stood on the Bankside since 1615 and features its own upstairs fish and chip shop.
Dale said: “The Anchor Bankside is a beauty. Always was, always will be somewhere that I will champion for people to come and see.
“Four floors, nooks and crannies everywhere, and a massive beer garden right on the river. What a pub.”
He praised several Nicholson’s pubs on the route, including The Mudlark and The Old Thameside Inn, for their historic charm and “beautiful buildings”.
He said: “What can I really say about Nicholson’s pubs that I’ve not said already?
“They always impress… very well run, beautiful buildings, and always a decent beer selection. This one [The Mudlark] was established in the mid-1700s and it looks great.”
Other stops stood out for their uniqueness, like The Mug House, which Dale described as “a traditional sort of port and ale house” that “feels like it’s built into caves”.
He said: “This is an experience in itself. Better come see this 100%. I’m really, really impressed.”
(Image: Great British Pub Crawl)
He also included newer venues like Bermondsey Bierkeller, The Rake and The Sheaf – the latter offering virtual darts, shuffleboard and sports screens, built into the railway arches.
One of his favourite stops of the day was The Rose & Crown on Union Street, which came recommended by pub historian and author Thomas Flynn of Historic Pub Crawls.
Dale said: “A belter of an old pub now serving up excellent craft beers alongside some top cask ales.
“Probably one of my favourites so far today – certainly one of the best with the beer choices.”
The day’s journey also included quieter and more intimate spots like Tap & Bottle, a dimly lit first-floor wine bar, and The Boot & Flogger, which Dale said was “more of a food-led place than a drinker’s haunt” but still “a really nice looking gaff”.
Some pubs offered a glimpse into London’s resilience and quirks. The Wheatsheaf, for example, famously lost its top floor when a railway bridge was built overhead, but survived by adapting into a two-storey building.
Dale’s trademark mix of humour and pub-geekery runs throughout his reviews, as he jokes about being “beer-ed out” by pub number 12 and pokes fun at chains for labelling standard lagers as “craft beer”.
He wrapped up the day at St Christopher’s Inn, where he found a busy crowd watching Arsenal in the Champions League and said the venue had “a decent buzz”.
After clocking in all 20 stops, Dale was quick to praise Southwark as a highlight of the project so far: “There are still LOADS of great places to explore in that borough!” he said.
His crawl was documented in a YouTube video titled A Mega Pub Crawl Around Southwark London Borough Market, available on his channel youtube.com/@TheGreatBritishPubCrawl.
Dale has also started a petition urging the Government to step in and support independent pubs. It calls for action on rising business rates, increased wage costs and other pressures facing the sector.
At the time of publication, the petition had 2,795 signatures — with an official Government response triggered at 10,000. It remains open until October.
The petition states: “We feel without Government assistance, independent breweries and pubs cannot swallow the hikes in business rates, the living wage and rising operating costs.
“Pubs are the backbone of our communities and vital in maintaining mental health and social interaction in many communities across the UK.”
All 20 Southwark pubs Dale visited:
- The Barrowboy & Banker
- The Mug House
- Bermondsey Bierkeller
- The Mudlark
- The Old Thameside Inn
- The Anchor Bankside
- The Rake
- The Market Porter
- The Wheatsheaf
- The Southwark Tap
- The Globe Tavern
- The Bunch Of Grapes
- The Old King’s Head
- The George Inn
- The Bridge Tap
- The Sheaf
- The Boot & Flogger
- Rose & Crown
- Tap & Bottle
- St Christopher’s Inn
