In the Footsteps of Icons

I know what you're all thinking. Surely it's the right time of year for the obligatory and traditional beer festival blog? Dear reader, you would of course, normally be correct. However, this year, we decided to give the Nottingham beer festival a miss. The reasoning behind this is simple and I hope you'll understand. I've been to the beer festival every year since 2012 and blogged it every year since 2013. It's safe to say that I'm suffering from a spot of 'beer festival fatigue'. In a nutshell, I was unsure if I'd be able to keep the beer festival blog entries interesting after several years of coming worryingly close to repeating myself. Plus, with us already having a busy October planned, it would have been logistically and financially challenging to fit everything in. Rest assured though, things may well return to normal next year and the Robin Hood Beer & Cider Festival, to give it its full title, may once again grace these pages.

Instead, I'm here to regale you with some exploits from last week, when Amy & I finally got to visit a place that we've been wanting to explore for ages. Whilst we wouldn't be there for more than a few hours, it would turn out to be enough time to fall in love with the place and make a pledge to return for a more in-depth visit in the foreseeable future. We also returned to one of our absolute favourite places, a place that you would not expect to feature in a blog such as this. All will become clear in a short while though. The primary goal of last week was to celebrate Amy's birthday and, as part of our plans, we'd pencilled in a short overnight stay, back in London. We will always jump at the chance to visit the capital. As much as I can understand a lot of people's dislike of it, we absolutely love the hustle and bustle and the opportunity to explore it as much as possible. On this occasion, we intended to visit an area of the city that is absolutely iconic. As well as being a cultural touchstone and bohemian melting pot, it is a location steeped in musical history that we could not wait to immerse ourselves in. We would be spending a few hours in Camden. 

Camden Town, often shortened to Camden, is an area in the London Borough of Camden, around 2.5 miles (4.1 km) north-northwest of Charing Cross. Historically in Middlesex, it is identified in the London Plan as one of 34 major centres in Greater London.

Laid out as a residential district from 1791 and originally part of the manor of Kentish Town and the parish of St Pancras, Camden Town became an important location during the early development of the railways, which reinforced its position on the London canal network. The area's industrial economic base has been replaced by service industries such as retail, tourism and entertainment. The area now hosts street markets and music venues associated with alternative culture.

Camden Town is named after Charles Pratt, 1st Earl Camden. His earldom was styled after his estate, Camden Place near Chislehurst in Kent (now in the London Borough of Bromley), formerly owned by historian William Camden. The name, which appears on the Ordnance Survey map of 1822, was later applied to the early-20th-century Camden Town Group of artists and the London Borough of Camden, created in 1965.

The emergence of the industrial revolution in the 19th century meant Camden was the  North Western Railway's terminal stop in 1837. It was where goods were transported off the tracks and onto the roads of London by 250 000 workhorses. The whole area was adapted to a transportation function: the Roundhouse (1846), Camden Lock and the Stables were examples of this.

Camden Town stands on land that was once the manor of Kentish Town. Sir Charles Pratt, a radical 18th-century lawyer and politician, acquired the manor through marriage. In 1791, he started granting leases for houses to be built in the manor. In 1816, the Regent's Canal was built through the area. Up to at least the mid-20th century, Camden Town was considered an "unfashionable" locality. The Camden Markets, which started in 1973 and have grown since then, attract many visitors. A 1993 bomb blast injured 18 people on Camden High Street. On 9 February 2008, Camden Canal market suffered a major fire, but there were no injuries. It later reopened as Camden Lock Village, until closed in 2015 for redevelopment.

We arrived in this particular borough by way of public transport. Following a coach ride to Victoria Coach Station, we proceeded to the tube and then, following one brief change onto a particularly busy branch of the Northern Line, we emerged in Camden shortly after 11am. We had two specific missions at the heart of our visit: to visit Camden's vibrant and bustling market and soak up the atmosphere of a place that has become so important for alternative culture and, more importantly, follow in the footsteps of one of Amy's idols, the late, great and much missed Amy Winehouse, whose name and image have become synonymous with the area where she grew up and rose to fame. Leaving Camden Town tube station, we were instantly struck by the personality of the area. The independent shops, with their colourful and unique frontages were like beacons as we made our way down the high street, in the general direction of the lock and the Regent's Canal. There was a very specific thing we wanted to find to help us kick off our adventure. A short walk away, we swung left into the heart of the market and found what we were looking for: the life-size statue of Amy Winehouse, situated near one of the entrances to the covered market. We took some photos, happy that we'd found it without much effort, and then plunged into the market proper. What a place Camden Market is! We were fascinated by the sheer size and scale of it. The independent shops, food outlets, drinking establishments and much more seemed to envelop us. We'd only seen the market in videos and on TV so to be here to experience it in person was fantastic. We browsed for a while, making a mental note of things that we wanted to come back and try when we had more time at a later date. We'd had a very early start that morning and, before long, we were very much in need of liquid refreshment. This coincided with our timely arrival into Camden Lock Place, a rough square that acts as a good wayfinding spot and sits adjacent to the canal and near to the famous bridge with its punk aesthetic, and real life punks, standing high and proud. We had a small list of pubs that we would be visiting on our unofficial 'Amy Winehouse crawl' but we'd get to those a little bit later. Right now, we needed a sit down and a fortifying pint to shake out the cobwebs. Situated on a walkway, overlooking the square, is Lockside. 

Going in, I was well prepared for the fact that a lot of the pubs on our itinerary for the day did not serve real ale. This was one of those trips where the beer would be a secondary concern against the experience we would create. The Lockside was one such pub. This venue opened in 2013 and is a restaurant as well as a pub. The overall aesthetic is modern, with lots of reclaimed wood, lots of neon and lots of stools and benches. A pop-up kitchen provides food. The bar is long and takes up most of the far wall of the building. There is lots of outside seating, thankfully covered, overlooking the market and the canal. The toilets are to one end of the room. As mentioned, real ale is not available here, but 12 keg lines dispense a mix of national brands and more local craft beers. We arrived literally one minute after opening and spent a few seconds perusing the options. I opted for Camden Pale, whilst Amy chose a grapefruit flavoured beer from the Jubel range. The total cost of the round was £13.75. We would soon learn that Camden is not the cheapest and this would definitely not be the most we paid for a round on the day. The day of our visit was surprisingly warm and we ventured outside with our pints, where we could best look out upon the stalls below. Even after only an hour, we were both fully invested in how great Camden is and were buzzing from all that we'd already seen. Our beers went down suitably quickly and before long, refreshed and revitalised, we headed back down into the market.

A quick stop off to sample and purchase the wares of a local gin distillery later, and we were heading out of the market and slightly retracing our steps. Our next destination was a location that is almost legendary amongst the pubs in this area for its links to the local music scene. Located on Castlehaven Road, with the rumble of trains passing by overhead, is the iconic Hawley Arms.

The Hawley Arms dates back to 1851 when it was known as the Hawley Arms Tavern. In February of that year, a local brewer won a legal battle with a railway company who were attempting to acquire the land, ensuring that a pub could be built on the site. The pub was known as a biker bar throughout the 1980s and 1990s and did not feature live music. Harmony Leisure bought the pub for £500,000 in 1987. An article in Searchlight in 1995 reported that members of Combat 18, a neo-Nazi terrorist organisation had used the pub's telephone. Ruth Mottram and Doug Charles-Riddler bought the pub in 2002, installing a jukebox and later investing in an upstairs bar, before Greene King bought the pub in 2004. The Hawley Arms was severely damaged in the February 2008 Camden Market fire. The fire was determined to have been caused by a gas heater igniting clothing material at an unregulated market stall nearby. Reopening the pub proved difficult, with local regulators refusing to approve construction of a new building. Following significant fundraising by the licensees, the pub eventually reopened on October 31st 2008. In 2019, Greene King decided to sell the pub following changes in government legislation. Mottram and Charles-Riddler, decided to buy the pub to prevent it being snapped up by housing developers. They were successful and the pub was saved from permanent closure. The Hawley Arms is indelibly linked to the local music scene. Amy Winehouse was a frequent customer and invented her signature 'rickstasy' drink of choice (three parts vodka, one part banana liqueur, one part Southern Comfort and one part Baileys). During the 2008 Grammy awards, Winehouse famously shouted 'Camden Town ain't burning down!' upon hearing of the market fire. Her link to this pub is commemorated by a huge, and impressive, mural on the side of the pub. Other celebrities known to frequent the pub are Razorlight, Liam Gallagher, Kate Moss, Pete Doherty and the band Wolf Alice. Kaiser Chiefs and Arctic Monkeys have also been reported drinking together in the pub in the past. Would a pub that has hosted such illustrious clientele be as welcoming to the casual tourist? We were about to find out. Inside, The Hawley Arms is large, with high ceiling, tall, gilt mirrors, long windows, bare floorboards and sofas. There's a cosy quirky ambience, enhanced by nods to the pub's history and its famous customers. Old setlists are framed and mounted on the walls, alongside album covers, gig photos and magazine covers of Camden's most well-known sons and daughters. On the bar, there are also 3 handpulls. The options on our visit were Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter, the house beer Hawley Grail and Fuller's London Pride. I instantly went for the Sussex Best and Amy chose Beavertown Gamma Ray (total cost £13.10) and we took our drinks to a small table next to the bar. It soon became clear that The Hawley Arms is intensely proud of its music connections. It's a real treat to be sat in the same bar as so many modern music icons and to be made to feel so welcome. It could all have been so different had the developers got their way so it's a massive result that the pub is still around to be enjoyed and it's links to the area can be preserved. It also helps that their beer is cracking. The Sussex Best was excellent and it also came served in a jar, which was a nice touch. We whiled away a good few minutes here, revelling in the knowledge that we were sat in the same pub that Amy Winehouse, and so many others, spent so much time in. 

Our unofficial trail had started well and it was time for it to continue. Leaving the Hawley Arms behind us, we retraced our route back over the canal. Upon reaching the end of the bridge, we turned right and looped around the front of the local Spoons. Following the road, we reached a road junction, crossed over and continued down Arlington Road. Further down this road, at the junction with Inverness Street, you will find The Good Mixer.

The site on which the pub now sits was once occupied by the Cricketers, which was destroyed during WWII. The replacement premises was built in the 1950s and was known as the Good Mixer after the cement mixer that was absentmindedly trapped inside during construction. Whilst it started life as a working men's pub, it later gained notoriety as the preferred drinking hole of numerous Britpop bands. The Oasis vs. Blur feud started here, when Noel Gallagher met Graham Coxon for the first time and reportedly said 'Nice music, shit clothes'. Elastica signed a record deal here and the band Menswear formed in the pub. Amy Winehouse was a known regular, often playing other regulars at pool and it was here that she met her future husband, Blake Fielder-Civil. The pub closed in 2018 but has since reopened and is now owned by a Jersey-based company. The handpulls, once a feature, were removed in 2019. Inside, there are two bars, with a pool table in one side and a bar billiards table in the other. The right hand, larger, room features a small stage, with an upright piano,  where many bands have performed. The smaller left room is divided into small sections through the use of a partition wall and holds the pool table and old-school jukebox. Scenes from the recent Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black were filmed in this very room. Can you guess where we decided to sit? As mentioned, there is no real ale here, so Amy and I contented ourselves with pints of Greene King Level Head (£12.40 in total) and made our way round to the smaller room. The fact that we'd seen this pub on film made it all the more awe-inspiring to be within its walls. It looks exactly the same as it does on celluloid. The feeling of being in the room where Amy Winehouse met the man who would, in many ways, become both her muse and her kryptonite, was equal parts poignant and poetic. 

We had one final pub to get to to complete our impromptu tour, after which we needed to head over to our hotel to check in. The next location would bring the Amy Winehouse story full circle but also see us learn even more about the area's musical history. Leaving The Good Mixer, we continued down Arlington Road to the end, where we then turned right onto Parkway. A few yards further on, on the right hand side, we came to The Dublin Castle. 

The Dublin Castle is a Victoria-era, ex-Watney's pub. Whilst primarily a music venue, it operates as a normal pub during the day. An apocryphal story tells that the pub was built to serve Irish immigrant labourers building the nearby railway. This same story also alleges that it formed part of a group of pubs that were each newly constructed and designed to segregate different nationalities to prevent fighting. The pub features in rates books as early as 1821 so may have been frequented by Irish navvies. The canal was completed in 1820 and the railway line to Euston was finished in 1837. There were no other pubs with 'Castle' in their name until the Edinboro Castle opened on Mornington Terrace in 1839. Music here was originally restricted to traditional Irish music sessions, until the emergence of other venues in the area, including Dingwalls, the Roundhouse and the Electric Ballroom, which brought an increase of interest in live music to the area. The most significant act to play here were Madness, who first attempted to secure a gig here in late 1978, when they were still known as the Camden Invaders. They eventually got their first gig here in January 1979, having pretended to be a jazz band to get the booking. They went on to establish a residency here and built their reputation. The Dublin Castle received a PRS Music Heritage award in January 2017, in reflection of its place in music history. Landlord Alo Conlon was instrumental in building the venue's reputation before his passing in 2009. Amy Winehouse performed here many times and even served drinks to customers. A signed photo of her stands proudly above the bar, along with a film poster signed by Marisa Abela, who portrays Amy in the biopic. Entering the Dublin Castle, we were instantly blown away. Whilst it appears as a traditional boozer, the sheer weight of its importance to the musical heritage of Camden practically oozes from the walls. The bar sits along part of one wall, with banquette seating and wooden furniture opposite. The central space is largely empty and, to the rear, a set of double doors leads through to the performance space. Again, no real ale here but a number of craft options. We opted for Beavertown Gamma Ray and Neck Oil respectively which, along with two packets of crisps, came to a combined total of £18.10 (!). We thought we'd be cheeky and ask if we could stick our heads into the back room. We needn't have worried. We are lucky enough to be shown around the gig venue, and given a lesson on its history, by Alan, a Scottish man who's worked here for many years as a cleaner and previously worked at The Good Mixer. Amongst the gems he provided was an extensive list of bands who played their first gigs here, not limited to Coldplay, Travis, Idlewild and The Killers, who played their first ever European show in this very building. Alan also knew Amy Winehouse personally and regaled us with tales about what she was really like and how she was adored by the locals. It truly was an unexpected and humbling experience. Barring the prices, The Dublin Castle had been well worth a visit. We were thoroughly pleased that we'd made the effort to come here and see what it was all about. 

Pints finished, we now, sadly, had to leave Camden. On our way back to the tube station, we passed several other pubs and a lot of Camden's renowned music venues. It was a shame that we'd only had a limited time here but we both knew that we'd be back to properly do the area justice. Camden isn't the sort of place you can only visit once. We made our way to Tower Hill, from where our hotel was only a short walk. Having checked in, refreshed and unpacked, we were soon straight back out again, this time heading back to Victoria. We weren't going home just yet though. We had a show booked for the evening so our plan was to head to where we needed to be, have some food and chill before the performance. What was the show? Only the best show we've ever seen and the same show we saw when we were down in February for my birthday: namely, Hamilton. The show is on at Victoria Palace Theatre, a mere stone's throw from the Tube station so we would be occupying ourselves in this area for a few hours, just as we had done 8 months ago. We'd already chosen a place for food and it would be a return to a venue we also visited in February, although much later in the day and not for food. The next few hours would be whiled away at the Victoria Taps.

This large, single bar pub was built in 1828 as the Warwick Arms and sits on the junction of Wilton Road and Gillingham Street. The pub was enlarged in 1898 and renamed in 2015, before taking on its current name in 2021. Inside, the bar is long and runs down the main room. Seating, in the form of wooden tables and chairs, occupies an area to the rear and a smaller snug-style space up a flight of steps to one side. Seating opposite the bar is primarily high tables and stools. We procured a table in the snug, away from the hustle and bustle of a surprisingly busy Wednesday afternoon, and quickly found some menus. We hadn't eaten since breakfast (not including the crisps) so were both rather hungry by this stage of the day. A short while later, we received the pizzas we'd ordered and tucked in. The Victoria Taps also has the advantage of providing real ale from 3 handpulls, which meant I could wash my pizza down with a decent beer. A pair of the three handpulls were active, giving me a choice between Fullers London Pride and Timothy Taylor Landlord. I opted for the latter which, with a Diet Coke for Amy, set us back £10.75. We drank our drinks slowly and enjoyed our food. Eventually, it was time to head to the theatre for the show. Hamilton had been sensational the first time and it was just as good the second time. It's very easy to see why people get obsessed with it and I, for one, have had the songs from the show in my head since we got back. It had truly been a day of icons. From following in the footsteps of a music legend to reliving the story of an American hero of freedom, it had been a fascinating and thoroughly enjoyable day. We both slept very well that night. The following day, Amy's birthday, saw us heading back to Victoria for the coach journey home. Our time in London had been all too brief this time but we all know it won't be too long until we're back in the capital. 

A couple of days after our exploits in the Big Smoke, we were off out again, this time to yet another place that we'd visited many times, most recently earlier this year. For Amy's birthday, I bought her a behind the scenes tour at Chester Zoo, a rare opportunity to be at the zoo before everybody else and see things that the public would not normally get to see during opening hours. This meant another early start and a two hour drive in order to get to the zoo in plenty of time for our scheduled slot. The early hour and the fact that it was a Saturday ensured that there were no hitches with our journey and we arrived a full 30 minutes before we needed to be on-site. You might be wondering what a zoo has to do with a beer blog but all will become clear shortly. For those who have never visited, here's a bit of the history. 

Chester Zoo is a zoo in Upton-by-Chester, Cheshire. Chester Zoo was opened in 1931 by George Mottershead and his family. The zoo is one of the UK's largest zoos at 51 hectares (130 acres) and the zoo has a total land holding of approximately 160 hectares (400 acres).

Chester Zoo is operated by the North of England Zoological Society, a registered charity founded in 1934. The zoo receives no government funding and is the most-visited wildlife attraction in Britain with more than 2 million visitors in 2019. In 2007 Forbes described the zoo as one of the fifteen best zoos in the world. In 2017 and more recently, 2024, the zoo was named as the best zoo in the UK and as also regarded as the third best in the world by TripAdvisor.

The Mottershead family's market garden business was based in Shavington near Crewe. George Mottershead collected animals such as lizards and insects that arrived with exotic plants imported by the business. A visit to Belle Vue Zoo in Manchester as a boy in 1903 fuelled his developing interest in creating a zoo of his own. Mottershead was wounded in the First World War and spent several years in a wheelchair. Despite this, his collection of animals grew and he began to search for a suitable home for his zoo. He chose Oakfield Manor in Upton-by-Chester, which was a country village then but now is a suburb of Chester. He bought Oakfield Manor for £3,500 in 1930. The house had 9 acres (3.6 ha) of gardens and provided easy access to the railways and to Manchester and Liverpool. There were local objections, but Mottershead prevailed, and Chester Zoo opened to the public on 10 June 1931. The first animals were displayed in pens in the courtyard.

An Ordnance Survey inch-a-mile map published in 1936 shows the area around as farmland and villages and marks the present Zoo area north of Oakfield as "Butter Hill".

Rapid expansion followed after the Second World War, despite the difficulty of sourcing materials. Mottershead had to be resourceful; the polar bear exhibit (1950) was built from recycled wartime road blocks and pillboxes. "Always building" was the zoo's slogan at the time. Mottershead received the OBE, an honorary degree of MSc, and served as President of the International Union of Zoo Directors. He died in 1978 aged 84.

Mottershead wanted to build a zoo without the traditional Victorian iron bars to cage the animals. He was influenced by the ideas of Carl Hagenbeck, who invented the modern zoo concept and by Heini Hediger, a pioneer of ethology.

At Chester, Mottershead took Hagenbeck's idea for moats and ditches as an alternative to cage bars, and extended their use throughout the zoo, often with species that Hagenbeck had not considered. For example, when chimpanzees were released into their new enclosure at Chester in 1956, a group of grassy islands, they were separated from visitors by no more than a 12-foot (3.7 m) strip of water. Nobody knew then if chimps could swim. It turned out that they could not, and today the chimp islands arcentrepiece of Chester Zoo.

In 1986 the zoo was enclosed with a fence, in line with the Zoo Licensing Act 1981.

Realm of the Red Ape, an Indonesian-forest-themed exhibit, featuring threatened Sumatran and Bornean orangutan, opened in May 2007.

In January 2009, Chester Zoo unveiled Natural Vision, a £225 million plan to transform itself into the largest conservation attraction in Europe. The first phase of the plan was to be a £90 million, 56-hectare (140-acre) enclosed African-rainforest-themed sanctuary containing a band of gorillas and a troop of chimpanzees, as well as okapi and a variety of tropical birds, amphibians, reptiles, fishes, and invertebrates, moving freely among lush vegetation. It included a water ride to take visitors through the exhibit. Natural Vision was to eventually include a 90-room hotel, a Conservation College, and a revamped main entrance that would link the zoo to a marina to be developed on zoo land, all to be completed by 2018. Plans went before the public for comment in June 2009.

The projected Heart of Africa bio-dome, along with plans for the hotel, were shelved in 2011 due to the loss of £40m potential funding when the North West Regional Development Agency was abolished.

In December 2012 planning permission was gained for a later phase of the Natural Vision masterplan. One of the largest zoo developments in Europe, Islands at Chester Zoo is a £40 million redevelopment project to extend the zoo's footprint and recreate six island habitats of Southeast Asia. As of 2017 it is now open.

A 600,000 square foot nature reserve was opened in April 2018. The reserve sits outside the boundary of the main zoo and is free for people to enter.

In October 2018, two Indian elephant calves (Nandita Hi Way, age 3 years, and Aayu Hi Way, age 18 months), died of elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV). From 1995 on this virus disease has caused many deaths of Indian elephants across the world in zoos and in the wild.

On 15 December 2018, an electrical fault caused a fire to break out at the Monsoon Forest Habitat. The zoo had to be evacuated and was closed. Fifteen fire crews attended the zoo along with two rapid response units and an ambulance. All mammals were accounted for and one person was treated for the effects of smoke inhalation. Some birds, frogs, fish and small insects were killed in the blaze. The zoo reopened on Sunday 16 December 2018.

Chester Zoo monorail was an internal transport system for visitors from 1991 to 2019, but was closed as it had become unreliable and covered less than half the zoo due to the zoo's expansion to over 125 acres (51 ha). Land from the monorail will be used for a new attraction called Heart of Africa, an open African savannah habitat and vulture aviary. The zoo are also at the same time developing The Reserve Hotel project, a collection of 51 lodges, restaurant and access into the zoo.

Accompanied by a small group of other guests, we were shepherded onto electric mini buses, which would be our transport for the tour. Guided by very friendly and well informed zoo staff, we spent 90 minutes being ferried around the zoo and stopping at various exhibits where we were given snippets of information about specific animals and had the opportunity to take photos. It was amazing to be in the zoo before other members of the public. It was quiet and relaxed and, even better, we were able to see lions and jaguars closer than we ever had, before they were inevitably driven into hiding by the squeals of excitable children. It was more than worth the money and, when the tour was over around 10am, we had the whole day to explore as zoo admission had been included in the ticket price. We made our way around the zoo, making the most of our early entry as much as we could. With such an early start, and subsequent long day, we needed refreshment. Luckily, Chester Zoo is equipped for just such an eventuality, in a way that other zoos are not. At the centre of it all, it has a pub. And that pub is called The Oakfield. 

Originally known as Oakfield Manor, this former country house was built in around 1885 for B. Chaffers Roberts, to a design by Edward Ould. The stables are of the same design and were built in 1886. In 1892, some extensions were made for Harry Beswick and other alterations were made in the 20th century. In 1930, the house was purchased by George Mottershead for £3500, equivalent to £280,000 in 2023. The house was originally used for zoo administration, with the west wing of the stables being used to house lions. As the zoo has grown, the house has been retained and is now used as a pub and restaurant, as well as a wedding venue, with the stables themselves now being used for storage. A pub at a zoo is certainly a novel concept and, whilst Amy & I have visited The Oakfield before, it was high time that it got a worthwhile mention in these pages. Inside, many of the original features have been retained. The front two rooms have been opened out to create a foyer style space with the bar beyond. The downstairs rooms have been converted into dining areas, with a modern extension to one side increasing the floor plan and the capacity. To the rear, a small of flight of steps leads down to the toilets. The overall decor is in keeping with the house's original appearance. Bare beams can be seen throughout, with bare brick in some areas. An original fireplace warms the entrance hall. Photos of the Mottershead family, old photos of the house and zoo and old advertising slogans and animal artefacts decorate the walls throughout. The modern, stylish conservatory overlooks a grassy area. Outside seating can be found around the conservatory. We'd booked a table here for lunch. Even though we'd arrived slightly early, we were seated quickly and efficiently by the friendly hostess. Our table was to one side of the conservatory. The place was busy when we arrived but there were a lot of staff on to help manage the turnaround. If a pub at a zoo isn't thrilling enough of a concept, this one serves real ale too! A bank of 4 handpulls sits centrally on the bar. Two of these were in use during our trip, featuring Cheshire Cat and Eastgate, both from local brewer Weetwood Ales. I went for the Cheshire Cat, a 4.0% blonde ale with citrusy and fruity aromas and a smooth, biscuity taste. Amy opted for Beavertown Gamma Ray and we set about ordering our food. We both decided on the chicken thigh burger, which turned out to be an excellent choice. The meat was tender, the sauce was a perfect accompaniment and the chips were 'proper' thick chips, slightly crunchy on the outside but fluffy within. Our total bill, including food, came to £45.10, not too bad a fee considering our location. There's something wonderfully surreal about drinking beer a short distance away from red pandas and snow leopards. When there's good food, good beer and better company, it's hard to find fault with anything. Please bear in mind however, The Oakfield is only accessible if you're visiting the zoo and is not open outside of normal zoo hours. 

Fully stuffed from our food and refreshed from our drinks, we spent another couple of hours exploring the remainder of the zoo until, feet aching and ourselves generally flagging, we called it a day and headed back to the car for the drive home. We thoroughly enjoyed the zoo, as we always do, and it had been incredible to see it in a different way. Our week had certainly lived up to expectations. I've said, on more than one occasion, during these blogs that, quite often, these trips don't have to be about the beer. Sometimes it can just be about the location, especially when that place is loaded with history and holds a pivotal role in culture and society. Camden is every bit as vibrant, chaotic and brilliant as we'd imagined and our all too short time there left us wanting more. Being able to walk in the shadow of music legends is quite the experience. Icons come in many forms, whether they be intertwined with music, synonymous with freedom or legends of conservation and animal welfare. In some cases, certainly with regards to Amy Winehouse and all the other artists that are inextricably linked to Camden, pubs are integral to the story. They not only nurture and awaken talent but often act as their own characters in a wider, extended narrative. To see and experience the roles that these venues play in the wider structure is a humbling experience. If you'll excuse me, I'm off to Google houses in Camden that I can't afford and find out how to become a zookeeper.

Pub of the week: The Oakfield. A pub at a zoo? What a concept!

Beer of the week: Weetwood Cheshire Cat is a bloody lovely drop!

Biggest surprise: The Dublin Castle. So much more than a traditional pub and such an integral part of Camden's story.