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Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 24 Sep 2019, 20:37
by nozzacook
EastActionWoman wrote: 24 Sep 2019, 14:05
tractakid wrote: 24 Sep 2019, 12:21£4.20 for a coke is a joke.
I like the pub, but was a little surprised that a pint of cider and a pint of coke from the squirty dispenser thing came to £8.80.
I like the pub but it has got very pricey £5.10 for a pint of Cider and their no screen policy is a bit tedious. It might be time to find a new venue.

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 24 Sep 2019, 23:44
by RJSRdg
tractakid wrote: 24 Sep 2019, 12:21 What a daft twist. I made my own special protest on the way back by crossing the Thames 4 times by rail. :lol:
I actually thought it was quite a nice twist. I've never used a boat on an R15 before, and I'm not aware of anyone else having done so previously so I may be the only person to have ever done so!

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 25 Sep 2019, 00:30
by hopeful traveller
I hated it as well. Especially for any non-runners like me.

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 25 Sep 2019, 00:33
by RJSRdg
Running wasn't really necessary though (at least not for the river crossing) as a lot of the challengers crossed the river by bus.

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 25 Sep 2019, 05:10
by roblo97
nozzacook wrote: 24 Sep 2019, 20:37
EastActionWoman wrote: 24 Sep 2019, 14:05
tractakid wrote: 24 Sep 2019, 12:21£4.20 for a coke is a joke.
I like the pub, but was a little surprised that a pint of cider and a pint of coke from the squirty dispenser thing came to £8.80.
I like the pub but it has got very pricey £5.10 for a pint of Cider and their no screen policy is a bit tedious. It might be time to find a new venue.
I visited the pub David recommended at the end of the Park Challenge thread, The Sheaf, which whilst not the cheapest (I paid £6.20 for a pint of craft beer) was a couple of mins from London Bridge, had live sport on and the dartboards looked to be in good condition as well.

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 25 Sep 2019, 12:46
by Going Underground
I like the pub - but the pricing is a joke, the beer / lager/ cider is not great either TBH and is now the reason we stop of at a Spoons on the way and text result through to Martin...
Just over 10 years ago when we first used Sam Smiths pubs the bitter was £1.95 and lager £2.05 (way cheaper than other pubs at that time) - year on year prices have soared..
I now usually have 2 - 3 pints max, whereas that would have been 5 - 6 a couple of years back...
Having to keep going outside to simply text Das for update 2/3 times etc. is a bit silly as well IMO, but their chain policy dictates this
Agreed the darts board was shocking and probably hasn't been replaced in a year. I have thrown away boards in far batter condition because I felt they were barely playable..

As for the R15 itself - why oh why oh why do I always forget Lancaster Gate :arrow: Paddington on these challenges :( I am sure we could have reduced our time by a good 30 mins using this option

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 25 Sep 2019, 16:16
by xcooler123
The other place we have used before and always (from what I can remember) had a good time is the Prince William Henry in Southwark. Well priced food and drink which is also tasty, 2 dartboards to choose from, can accommodate parties of up to 24 and is in a pretty nice central location to get back to being a short walk from Waterloo East/Southwark/Blackfriars

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 28 Sep 2019, 17:51
by A2
xcooler123 wrote: 22 Sep 2019, 21:00 Sounds like i need to pair up with Rob next time to make sure he does all the stations on the list!
I'm pairing up with him next round (apparently I suggested this at the end of last season), on condition that he turns up to Parkrun first :D

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 03 Oct 2019, 20:21
by tangy
My thoughts on the post challenge meet up venue.

I agree about the drink prices creeping up, it seems every time we go there the price has increased but I believe on par with other pubs in the area (we are in Central London after all) although saying that I can make a pint last the whole session!

However, I do like the current choice of venue as we can all gather in the darts area with just us Tube Challengers and maybe the occasional guest plus with no music or live sport playing on big screens it does make it so much easier for me personally to read out the results and verify each challengers routes in relatively quiet surroundings.

I appreciate I may be in the minority and that my autism may have a part to play but just wanted to add what I felt to the discussion as leader of the group.

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 05 Oct 2019, 13:04
by RJSRdg
I think there's pros and cons both ways.

On the pro side, it's nice and central and we have a good relationship with them.

On the cons side, that back room's quite cramped for 20+ people, especially when playing darts (!) - it would be nice if more of us could sit down after a 4-6 hour Challenge - and the food isn't that great.

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 13 Oct 2019, 09:56
by tractakid
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 52461.html

I am no fan of swearing but to leave a couple jobless and a town without it's pub is shocking. I don't really want to support Sam Smiths any more.

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 13 Oct 2019, 12:11
by al
Whilst a no swearing aim is possibly laudable, having it in a pub is deluded, especially in a town like Droitwich and a housing estate like Westlands!

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 13 Oct 2019, 19:51
by xcooler123
I am in London a few times over the next couple of weeks, I can have a look to see if there is another suitable venue that meets the needs of everyone. From the thread above they are -
  • A dartboard, preferably in a separate room/area that can be booked out
  • Somewhere with a decent selection of drinks (and hopefully food) at not unreasonable prices
  • Central London so its easy for people to get to after challenges
  • Preferably not a pub with live band/music/sport, it may be great but people would like to hear themselves think and other conversations
  • Preferably not a pub with seemingly onerous rules
So no mean feat... any other suggestions welcome and I can do a bit of a summary before the next R15 to canvass opinion.

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 14 Oct 2019, 12:26
by tufnellpark
Bricklayers Arms is fine with me. I don’t think a pub in Droitwich should influence our decision. OBB (best bitter) is good and very good value for London. I’m surprised cider is so expensive. You get a room for darts and results and an office for Tangy. Location makes it easy to get to from any R15 finish. A warning known to Arsenal fans who wanted Wenger out: be careful what you wish for!

Re: Random 15 Championship 2019/20: Round 1

Posted: 14 Oct 2019, 14:55
by xcooler123
tufnellpark wrote: 14 Oct 2019, 12:26 Bricklayers Arms is fine with me. I don’t think a pub in Droitwich should influence our decision. OBB (best bitter) is good and very good value for London. I’m surprised cider is so expensive. You get a room for darts and results and an office for Tangy. Location makes it easy to get to from any R15 finish. A warning known to Arsenal fans who wanted Wenger out: be careful what you wish for!
Whilst very true, there is also no harm in looking at alternatives and seeing if there is a better option. At the end of the day, the Bricklayers is the benchmark. If we find anywhere better then great, if not then we stick with it. Perhaps if somewhere can be found as a potential alternative it could be trialled at Parks Challenge/another round after discussions with Tangy. The grass is not always greener but sometimes there is no harm in checking :D