Chittys Grand Odyssey to the capital of the world..

[hallelujah]

I'd just like to add that this really was Chitty's very own odyssey and I played no part whatsoever in it (beyond a pub recommendation).

[Joe 90]

I'd just like to add that this really was Chitty's very own odyssey and I played no part whatsoever in it (beyond a pub recommendation).

I concur!

You even warned me about the monsters south of the river to no avail.

The DLR is deep south!

Bermondsey and Millwall , thank fook for Uber!!

[Backspin]

^ It looks like you are smoking in the pub

[Bettyboo]

Millwall... Should have gone to a match in your man city shirt and sat with the home supporters behind the goal - would have had a great time...

Nice pics, and a great looking trip.

Greenwich and the Tower of London would be my favs (along with the Natural History Museum (some of our dinosaurs are missing - you must remember that film) and The Victoria and Albert Museam (although they take about a day each - so much to see)).

The pubs look good, I fancy a beer now.

[Switch]

Great pics. Excellent trip report.

[david44]

Great photos, great tour for your family and weather sites and grub looked fine if not that healthy.
I Know most those places except the hotel which didnt exist in my Blackwall era, Khans charging for the tunnel now near the old Tunnel Club hosted by late great Malcom Hardee of teh Greatest show on Legs with Chris Lynam Chris de Piss , Jo Brand Arthur Smith and many others like Lynda Smith Jeremy Hardee and your truly on open mile nights way back in 8os, far rowdier than the comedy club or or the sad pussies policing the once funny PC Edinburgh fringe .

The Tunnel Club - a pioneering... - The Underground Map
I was warned performing there was "incompatible with my role by my employer"
I wish I had had no family and morgage and told them to stick the job but mmade some crazy friends inc Malcom who died pisse drowing back from his wibbly wobbly nearby
Chris Lynam was based in Vienna and wed meet at Libourne festival in La Ville Anglaise where Mitterands boy sponsored a massive comedy piss up back in 80s

Fuck Glastonbury Edinboro Comedy club it was teh dogs bollox

The Tunnel Club - a pioneering comedy club - ran at a pub called The Mitre, close to the southern entrance to the Blackwall Tunnel in the 1980s. Compère Malcolm Hardee positively encouraged the art of heckling and giving performers a hard time. He would intro and outro acts with lines like "Well that was Stewart Lee. Started off well, got worse, by the end he was sh*t".

Comedians who started their careers there included Jo Brand, Harry Enfield, Vic Reeves, Julian Clary, Arthur Smith, Jeremy Hardy and many others. Jools Holland was frequently on hand.

Pictured here is Tunnel Club ventriloquist Terri Rogers whose act was based on her upper middle class persona with the world’s most foul-mouthed dummy, Shorty Harris. Along with Malcolm Hardee and his many innovative comedy clubs, sadly missed

















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Teresa Anne

• The site of The Tunnel Club at The Mitre - a popular venue in the 1980s
  
  
  
  
  
  Ben Carman
  
  
  
  
  
• He ran up the creek Greenwich.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Harry WellingYes had a few beers in the 60s
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Lee BanhamSaw Steve Marriots packet of three there a few times
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Paula EasterlingAnd lee Evans, so said it burnt down. I used to go to the comedy nights as an ex boyfriend was a roadie for Joan Collins fan club (julian Cleary, also went to tramshead woolwich. malcolm would get pissed then piss on the audience and get barred for a … See more
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Steve ScottWas there every Sunday night. Fantastic place
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  Tony PayneBest rave ever
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • 51 w
  
  
  
  

[katie23]

Good effort, chitty! Did your minions enjoy the tour? Just curious - what's the legal drinking age in the UK?

(I know that it's 21 in the US. In my country, it's 18.)

[DrWilly]

Decent trip report, Chitty. Green owed.

[Joe 90]

Good effort, chitty! Did your minions enjoy the tour? Just curious - what's the legal drinking age in the UK?

(I know that it's 21 in the US. In my country, it's 18.)

Hi Katie ,

18 is the legal age here.

My eldest is partial to a pint of Guinness.
Middle child can get away with looking over 18.
My youngest isn't interested and happy with a glass of water.


Thanks all for the comments and repo.

BB there's a Millwall experience coming later.

About a third of the way into the trip report.

One thing I did notice about London is the youthfulness of the population, everyone appeared to be between the ages of 20 and 40.

[Joe 90]

Camden Town has changed a fair bit over the last few decades.

The once home of working class cultures like Mods, Skinheads, Punks, Rockabillys, Hippies has been replaced by hipster foodies.

A few gems have survived the test of time and progress.

But first the Market.

We decided on having four different types of word from around the globe for lunch, every stall offered free tasters which was a meal in itself.

The all seeing eye..

Polish..

Korean..

Bang bang chicken..

Indian..

The market was rammed and languages from all over the world could be heard.
The market has kept some of its old ambience..

After all the hustle and bustle it was time to escape a few roads back to an old watering hole of mine.

Live music pubs used to be on every street corner in these parts.
The only one left now is the spiritual home of "Madness", The Dublin Castle.
This has the best vibe and jukebox in London ..

Can you imagine the atmosphere in here in the eighties listening to all the latest two tone bands!!

This way to the worst toilets in London..

After a few pints and a couple of hours of musical nostalgia it was time to head back to the west end on the musical nostalgia trail...

[Joe 90]

Plenty of street entertainment en-route..

Through Soho towards the world famous 100 Club..

Then onto Covent Garden for some more street entertainment..

Then over the River to South Bank and some skateboarding action..

Then a damn fine Riverside kebab..

Washed down with a refreshing beer..

14 hours sightseeing in the bag.

I reckon you'd need 14 weeks the sheer amount of sights and things to do in London.

We barely scratched the surface.

Next day up early, checked out and got an uber to the top of Greenwich Observatory for a tenner.

Great view!

Checked out the free Maritime Museum..

I wonder how many decapitations this bit of kit has been involved in..

Another pokemon triumph, over the Cutty Sark..

[Joe 90]

This strange looking building took us down into the bowels of old London to a walkway that went under the River Thames and into the tangled Web of the DLR!

Millwall, not the most welcoming of places with a Man City shirt on!

We did contemplate hiring these electric scooters to get out of bandit country..

Glad we decided on the tried and tested method of Uber to get us back to civilisation and our transportation back up Norf.

One for the road, with a unique disguise..

The end

CCC

[Switch]

Cheers Chitty, I enjoyed that, especially with me being anti London.

I wonder what a Jap or a Septic tourist would have made of your itinerary?

Great bang for your buck mate. Well done!

[katie23]

^ditto. I enjoyed Chitty's tour too. My gripe is that there's no pic of the dog wagging its tail to welcome them home.

As for what a Jap or Merkin n tourist would think of his tour - I think they'd tick some of the places, but skip some others. That's what I would do. If I had 2 or 3 days to visit London, I would see Tower Bridge, The Eye, Buckingham Palace, maybe #10 Downing St to catch a glimpse of Larry the Cat , maybe ride a double decker bus, get on a hop on/ hop off bus tour, etc. Or maybe book a Klook bus tour where you go to 2 or 3 cities and see a lot in one day. Klook tours are good but tiring - I did one in Taiwan. There's a tour guide, so you get some info about local history & culture. I've seen a travel vlogger join a Klook tour which included Stratford on Avon.

I think it's great that Chitty brought his kids to London just before his eldest son goes off to uni. Family time & great memories for the kids.

@chitty - I asked abt the legal drinking age since I saw beers in one of the pics. Lol. Cheers!

[Mendip]

Checked out the free Maritime Museum..

I wonder how much cider that flagon must have held?

I've still not made it to the Greenwich Maritime Museum but you have motivated me to include London in our UK trip again next year, and pay it a visit.

Thanks for that!

[MarilynMonroe]

Hi,

Looks like a great trip with your family, Joe! Lovely pics and brings back some memories. I lived near London for six months back in 2005. Great pics, thanks for the memories.

[Switch]

^ditto. I enjoyed Chitty's tour too. My gripe is that there's no pic of the dog wagging its tail to welcome them home.

As for what a Jap or Merkin n tourist would think of his tour - I think they'd tick some of the places, but skip some others. That's what I would do. If I had 2 or 3 days to visit London, I would see Tower Bridge, The Eye, Buckingham Palace, maybe #10 Downing St to catch a glimpse of Larry the Cat , maybe ride a double decker bus, get on a hop on/ hop off bus tour, etc. Or maybe book a Klook bus tour where you go to 2 or 3 cities and see a lot in one day. Klook tours are good but tiring - I did one in Taiwan. There's a tour guide, so you get some info about local history & culture. I've seen a travel vlogger join a Klook tour which included Stratford on Avon.

I think it's great that Chitty brought his kids to London just before his eldest son goes off to uni. Family time & great memories for the kids.

@chitty - I asked abt the legal drinking age since I saw beers in one of the pics. Lol. Cheers!

Other non Brit nationalities may have pre conceived ideas about what constitutes a London tourist Itinerary, yourself included.

Chitty’s itinerary is more appropriate for a former UK resident like myself. Hence the inclusion of non Brit’s in my thinking.

[Joe 90]

Cheers Chitty, I enjoyed that, especially with me being anti London.

I'm anti establishment, can't be anti architecture.

I think it's great that Chitty brought his kids to London just before his eldest son goes off to uni. Family time & great memories for the kids.

Very perceptive Katie.

I wonder how much cider that flagon must have held?

Or Rum, no doubts it wouldn't last long in our presence

Greenwich Maritime Museum

You'll need a full day for it and the Cutty Sark and the Naval college.
All the sights have museums nearby which need a day yo explore properly.
Eg: 10 Downing Street - Churchills War Rooms
Trafalgar Square - British Museum

So much to see and do!
Have to cherry pick and go with the flow.

Got a load more pics of the Maritime Museum, too many to post. Besides I wouldn't want to spoil it for you.

It's free entry with the option of a personal tour guide for a few quid, We didn't have time for that.

I lived near London for six months back in 2005. Great pics, thanks for the memories.

Time flies, glad you enjoyed the pics.

[bsnub]

Great thread Chits, I would have loved to tag along on that adventure.

[armstrong]

I'm due a sight seeing holiday in the UK with my daughter but the cost of hotels keeps putting me off.

We'd mainly do London, maybe Nottingham to see family and Norwich for old times sakes. Probably have to be summer otherwise we'd need to buy a whole new wardrobe but Christmas would be more magical for her I guess.

[Joe 90]

Great thread Chits, I would have loved to tag along on that adventure.

Got a few decent pubs in!

[Joe 90]

I'm due a sight seeing holiday in the UK with my daughter but the cost of hotels keeps putting me off.

Holiday Inn express in Greenwich £100 per night for a twin room and breakfast and great transport links.

[bsnub]

Got a few decent pubs in!

You did! A great trip for sure.

[taxexile]

Great thread Chits, I would have loved to tag along on that adventure.

if only you had a passport.

[bsnub]

if only you had a passport.

Moms basement, no passport, blah blah blah. You retards have very active imaginations. Pathetic.