Mean Times in Greenwich...

Seeking a change of scene, an excursion to Greenwich was undertaken and what a very grim experience it proved to be. I have always had extremely fond memories of this particular corner of town, but on my most recent venture to SE10 I found that all of its quaint character had been consumed by an influx of the usual (high street) suspects. Depressing in the extreme to see a strip of bland chains in the shadow of the great Cutty Sark – the last remaining tea clipper's closest neighbours are now a veritable trough of dire dining, featuring such lowlights as Frankie & Benny's, Zizi and Nandos. And the identikit onslaught continued into the old town, despite its world heritage status!

Reeling away from all the depressing defilement, we headed to The Greenwich Union, a Meantime pub that had enjoyed invariably positive write-ups. While the array of beers, ales and associated beverages was undeniably impressive, the décor had all the character of a Wetherspoon in Welwyn Garden City. The overpowering colour scheme of baby turd yellow was utterly baffling and more likely to induce a migraine than encourage you to buy another round. Delicious drinks though!

Even a trip to the quite brilliant Greenwich Park wasn't quite the balm I'd hoped for. The remains of the London 2012 games are still very much intact and taking up most of the green space; huge stands dwarf the stunning National Maritime Museum and the whole place is a construction site (or should that be deconstruction site...). I appreciate that all this is temporary and it will hopefully be returned to its former glory soon, but I couldn't escape the feeling that this was one of my less successful suggestions and that we were possibly a year too early. Or a couple of centuries too late…

Boat Drinks Sir Christopher Wren!