Given the reasonable success of our last Sunday pub crawl, Avril and I decided to meet up again on another Sunday which was unfortunately just as cold, in March. This time we had decided to hit some pubs in Westminster and St James' Park and although there are a number of these that are closed at the weekend it turned out that there were still plenty of opportunities for good ale. Avril and I got an early train from Banbury and were actually ordering and consuming beer before noon, despite almost getting caught up in some sort of Free Tibet demonstration or other. The pub selected was the Old Shades at Charing Cross which seems to want to model itself on some sort of Belgian cafe and doesn't do that bad a job, although it is quite obvious that the fixtures and fittings are rather new. Nevertheless, we enjoyed our beer and the range was interesting and well-kept: Westerham Progress, Finchcocks, Bulldog; Adnam's Explorer and Broadside; Young's Special.

We stayed for a second to await Richard and then headed off to the ever-reliable St Stephen's Tavern at Trafalgar Square. It is a tourist trap and it is busy, but the interior is pleasant with its old fixtures and fittings and we liked standing at the oddly shaped bar watching tourists tuck into Great British classic food most likely out of a microwave. Beer was good as usual though: Firkin Fox, Sussex, Tanglefoot and Badger available.

A pub that we had not been to before that is only a short walk away is the Westminster Arms. Apparently the MPs come here when they should be in Parliament across the road enjoying their own vastly subsidised bar, but there is a Division Bell which is rung when it is time to vote so that they are able to go back and make a well informed decision on a matter of national importance. The pub itself is not extravagant at all, being mainly wooden walls and floors and hardly any furniture except for a couple of high stools around the edges. Being a pub of no frills, I liked it very much, and the Shepherd Neame products (Kent's Best, Masterbrew, Earlybird, Bishop's Finger, Spitfire) were very well kept.

We broke into an inevitable rendition of 'She sells sanctuary' as we neared the next pub, the Sanctuary, owned by Fullers. This is quite a large, sprawling pub, with an extensive bar area and those waist high partitions dividing it up into areas that may have a raised floor. On a March Sunday afternoon though it is rather soulless, a situation not helped because it is not in an historic building, but on a busier day it's probably not that bad at all and you couldn't really complain about the beer: Front Row, ESB, Chiswick, Discovery, London Pride.

The next drinking establishment was one that we almost didn't bother with, the Blue Boar in the bottom of an hotel. We were glad that we did go there though, and perhaps enjoyed it so much because it was turning horribly cold outside and it was incredibly comfortable in there. In any case, although the beer selection was keg only, it was rather interesting with a porter, a beer with a Japanese name, London Lager and Adnam's available. Of particular note were the pint glasses which were used, being almost egg-shaped; the toilets were also like a hall of mirrors and it was very easy to get lost in there. We stayed for two in the end, giving Richard an opportunity to invite the nervous Australian bar maid to Primrose Hill to watch the sun rise although as far as I known this rendezvous never happened.

The Feathers is a pretty standard looking Nicholson's pub at St James' Park tube, with safe faux traditional features that keep tourists happy that we have become somewhat used to now. That's not to say that the pub is bad though; we quite liked our time here even though it was shutting down in preparation for a private party and indeed I recall that we stayed long enough for me to pop out once or even twice for solids from a nearby Starbuck's. Beer selection predictably good: Roosters Astro, Itchen Valley Sticklebract, Nicholson's Pale, London Pride, Sambrooks Junction and Oxfordshire Finest.

The evening was becoming a little hazy now and we moved along some unfamiliar streets to the Albert near Victoria where we caught the tail end of the FA Cup quarter final. With so many people watching the TV it was rather busy and a little worn around the edges but nevertheless an OK pub and the beer, Wandle, London Pride, Doom Bar and Abbot, was acceptable. Nothing to really keep us here though and we pushed on towards Victoria and the Phoenix, a rather smart gastro type place although not that pretentious at all and actually a rather nice place to finish up. We got a nice big pine table with candles on it to ourselves, and stayed for a few in the end although by that time I had reached a volume barrier and was struggling. In keeping with many similar pubs in London, Sambrook's Junction, Doom Bar and Young's best were available. Eventually it was time to go home and we managed to successfully navigate our way home via Victoria and Bakerloo lines, and a piss before the train at the Landmark Marylebone.