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We did the ultimate pub crawl around Cov and this is what we learnt

Eight pubs, eight pints and many regrets


Alcohol, the age-old equaliser. The problem with entering final year at university is that club nights begin to take a toll on not only our livers, but our sanity. The same old same old of Kasbah and JJ's every week gets pretty boring.

Sure, you could be confident to have a banging time at pres but as soon as you close the door of that Uber your night is cruelly thrown on to a roulette wheel – culminating in sheer drunk bliss, pure rage and drama, or a lonely walk home to find solace at the door of K Rush.

The challenge came about through simple pub-talk, ironic I know, and the realisation that none of us had actually completed the Cov pub crawl. Thus, The Coventry Golden Mile was born. We planned as best as we could to try and fit in all eight pubs working from the train station to Kebab Rush. This is our story.

The Litten Tree

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Down it Fresher

We start at a pub that may be unfamiliar to some Coventry students, The Litten Tree – slap bang in the middle of Coventry’s shopping district, near the train station. It’s fair to say The Litten Tree doesn’t present itself as a student pub.

It gave off more of a Cov local boozer sort of vibe. Nevertheless, it was pleasant enough, and we finished our drinks with haste. They had a decent selection of cheap ales if you really want to neck a pint. Here's an example of me doing exactly that.

The Golden Cross

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Take the damn pic now

Stop two: The Golden Cross. One of the few historical "artefacts" in Coventry that wasn’t reduced to rubble in the war. If you’re looking to be more adventurous when it comes to the old drink, it’s a pub worth visiting.

It has a traditional vibe to it that you might expect finding in a sleepy Yorkshire village and one of the few boozers on this list that actually offers pork scratchings, essential to any self-respecting pub visit.

The Earl of Mercia

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Old man Joe in young mans' spoons

Ah Spoons, a student staple. In these four walls problems cease to exist, and the chatting of absolute shite never seems to falter. It's a tale as old as time.

Even if the world was ending you’ll hear the enticing buzz of your phone and read the ever so sweet message – “Fancy Spoons?”. Actually thinking about it, it’s a safe bet that every Englishman would descend on their local Spoons in their final hours.

The Earl of Mercia is generally regarded as more of the ‘student orientated’ Spoons compared to that of The Flying Standard, which me and my friends have lovingly termed “Old Man Spoons” for obvious reasons. What more can I tell you about Spoons? You know yourself, and it's in a banging location for pub crawls.

Ivy House

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You better drink tf up

You probably know all about Ivy but it really is worth visiting for a vibe change during any pub crawl. If Spoons was studenty, Ivy is a full on end of term disco. The atmosphere was live, people were singing, and a weird random man gave me a high five and asked me for a rollie.

By the time we reached Ivy House three more had joined our group, and we were going strong. It just so happened that our pub crawl coincided with society night – so we were happy to see a few familiar faces from the tennis society chatting absolute dogshit. Overall Ivy House was a grand stop and seeing various sports societies getting ready for socials night was a sight.

Square One

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CUSU represent

Square One may be best described as hidden in plain sight. Sure, you go to the hub every week, but have you even considered trying Square One?

Unsurprisingly, Square One is remarkably cheap – due to the fact that it’s a student bar. Side note – the cinema is cheap as chips and you can take drinks in. It's not a very interesting pub, it is literally just in the middle of The Hub but the drinks are cheap and its piss easy to get to. What more could you want besides some ambience?

Impulse

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The Cerebral Assassin

Impulse, truly a legend within Coventry. I had heard stories about Impulse, but setting foot inside would be another thing. We were comfortably the youngest people in the establishment by a good thirty years.

Nevertheless, the DJ was in full swing and we were too rat-arsed to care. It's a safe bet to say you wouldn't bring your old folks to Sunday lunch at Impulse. If you fancy a quiet one you'll be disappointed – but if you're into getting hit on by ketty Cov locals and the work of ABBA (christ so much ABBA), then this the place for you.

The Oak Inn

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It went downhill from here

THE OAK. What more need I say? Such an underrated little boozer. Cheap beer, intolerable company and the thought of that promised kebab resulted in us not staying around for too long.

It also has karaoke every Sunday which a fab way to really blur the lines between Cov student and Cov local. Might I add we look remarkably sober for seven pints in.

Quids Inn

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Gang signs and prayer

The final pint – and no better place to finish the liver busting crusade was good ol' Quids. Eight pints in we were going strong, with the finish line in reach. And a massive hangover.

Benny's

Ah finally the promised kebab – an absolute godsend for any end of the night, whether good or bad. Not entirely sure why we chose Benny's over Kebab Rush, as I know the debate of which ones' better still rages on and this is not the typical choice.

Conclusion

Truth be told, it was no secret that most of us preferred a chilled few pints at a Spoons or at Quids, instead of a mind bending night of strobe lights and massacred remixes of classics. This night was an eyeopener and I learnt that as much as I love cheap pints, it was way past my bedtime.