The London 2012 Olympics is a celebration of the best of Britain. People who enjoy being bossed around by Fascist security guards and miles of razor wire fencing should take a trip to the Olympic park at Stratford in East London. It was too good an opportunity to miss and so Richard Bradshaw made sure that the 2012 Annual crawl took in this majestic experience. The main party started at Stratford in some non-remarkable East End boozers, and Avril and I joined up a little later at the Westfield Shopping Centre, where we went into the cavernous Calf to have a half. Although like many other things nearby it was completely manufactured and possibly a little bit trendy, it actually wasn't that bad and was a gentle way for us to break into the crawl. While the others were having their half, we had another half and although Waggledance was the only beer on (Redemption being off at the time), it was a pretty good standard. In terms or decor it was open, light and airy with pine flooring and some tiki bar style tables with high stools. We stood by the bar.

Perhaps not coincidentally there is also a pub called the Cow at Westfield which has many similarities with the Calf (open, wood floors, new build) but it is pleasingly a little more traditional in nature, though with trendy gastro overtones, with an upstairs section too and has a far superior array of ales - Waggledance, Broadside, Bombardier, Doom Bar and Young's Gold. A downside was that our barman was rather inept and pulled a very lively and short pint, and very slowly too. Hope he has been trained now or given directions to a new career. There is a third pub at Westfield, Tap East. This was by far the most superior drinking establishment in the shopping centre and it was by some measure of luck that we actually got there as we had originally walked out of the shopping centre to try and walk into the Olympic park. Razor wire sent us back towards the shops via a car park. Anyway, the beer selection was rather good, with four varieties of their own beer plus other guests making a total of about six, as well as a lot of interesting foreign beers on keg and in bottles. It was only a small place and in a shop unit, but it was lively and the atmosphere was good. They didn't have toilets however and the drinker is forced to use those within the shopping centre.

A drinking hiatus followed as we headed towards Bow using a DLR replacement bus but we eventually arrived at the East End boozer type pub, the Lord Cardigan, like something out of EastEnders. We got a warm welcome and it seemed like some sort of buffet was being set up for a knees-up which was likely to take place after we left, and whilst the locals were friendly enough, there was a bit of an odour of farts and BO about the place. And although there was no draft beer that we could make out, it was still a pleasant enough place and we stayed for the best part of an hour, relaxing in the beer garden. A short walk up to and along Roman Road followed to the Albert, who seemed to be having their own festivities with much jollity, people singing, costumes, but no beer in another fairly typical East End boozer. Nice enough although a bit crowded perhaps, and we did not stay as long.

Again no beer was available at the Young Prince in Bow which had a slightly grumpy landlord. The bar was long and thin, slightly traditional looking, and showed football although a measure of the place was a notice which had been put up stating that there was to be a minimum consumption of beer whilst football was on the screen. There was however quite a nice beer garden in which certain members of our party decided to play volleyball much to our amusement. However, the game finished after the ball went over the wall, and the landlord demanded that someone retrieve it, which was done without too much protest. Normal beer service was eventually resumed at the rather gentrified Morgan Arms which was in a slightly more well-heeled area. It was pretty gastro in there with groups of yuppies enjoying balsamic vinegar laden Saturday evening solids, but they did make sure that the other end of the scale was catered for with quality beer - Wandle, Doom Bar, Old Golden Hen and Adnam's Explorer. Despite some questionable clientele elements it was a decent place to have a drink and I would have happily settled in for longer. Just up the road was a much more drinkers' pub, the Coborn Arms, doing Young's Waggledance, Bitter and Special. All served in traditional brown Young's surroundings, but very cosy too, and we stayed for quite some time to play Killer Darts, which I won. There was some evidence of foodiness but not nearly as much as at the previous place.

A pub with definitely no air of pretension is the Little Driver at Bow, which I had visited with Richard about a decade previously. This is a classic East End boozer, a little rough around the edges, but honest enough with original Victorian fixtures and fittings. They only had one beer on - London Pride - but it was well kept and reasonably priced. Not many people in there, certainly not enough to justify what I think were two gents' toilets. Just over the main road was another pub in a similar mould but slightly more lively, painted orange and also a little more plush, the Bow Bells. In the end this was the last pub of our crawl, and we spent some time playing pool and drinking beer. I can't quite remember what they had on, but there was definitely some real ale, perhaps Bombardier, but otherwise not that memorable.