GET OUT OF LONDON! – Hiking, Travel, Day Trips & Adventure

As I'm on a rare visit to London, let's have an all day pub crawl at the famous Bermondsey Beer Mile. Feel free to join at any stage of the day, or just come in the evening if that suits you better. We will get to visit most, if not all of the dozen breweries on this stretch of railway arches whilst stopping for food and have a break. Of course it is a chance to discuss the forthcoming meetups to Belgium and Spain and discuss next year's meetups. It would be great to see some old faces and some new members also. The Plan - All approximate times except the 1st one. 11.00 - We will meet nice and early and visit the nearby Fourpure brewery located in rather weird location in a yard near the railway line. Several top level beers available here. 12.00 - Partizan, Affinity and Spartan Breweries - One older and 2 newer breweries within minutes of each other, with Affinity getting rave reviews as a homely and friendly place ( less hipstery ). 14.00 - Recovery period as we walk to the other half of the beer mile, probably missing out The Kernel as it closes at 2pm. 14.30 - Walk to Maltby market area and get some food. 15.30 - Southwalk Brewery - The furthest one that closes at 6pm, so we do this one, it's also cheaper and less hipstery than others before heading back a little. 16.30 - UBrew, Brew By numbers, Moor Beer Co. - A short walk to the experimental tap bar, BBN which is one of the best on the mile and the new brewery of Moor. 19.00 - Hiver, Anspach and Hobday - Hiver only does honey-flavoured beers and gets rave reviews, whilst A&H is an old favourite. 21.00 - London Beer Factory - A new place associated with LBC which produces great beers ( Tesco in cans ) and has a wide range of guest beers and open until 11pm. Feel free to join at any stage, I will try to update locations as I have them on meetup. My number will be posted here before the event. The event is free, but feel free to buy me a small beer for my efforts:)

Flights from £120 / 2 hour train from £60 Time for our first trip to Belgium with the added bonus of the fabulous Xmas markets. We have chosen Bruges, probably Belgium's most well-known and beautiful city and Brussels, the underrated working capital with it's historic centre and a wealth of great food and drinking options. We will take a full day trip to Bruges which is one of Europe's best-preserved mediaeval cities with a wealth of magnificent sights as seen in the film 'In Bruges'. The charm here is simply wandering the compact old town and strolling along the numerous canals whilst enjoying the markets and shops. On our 2nd day we can enjoy a casual tour of Brussels taking in the historic old quarter, the large Xmas markets and making sure we find time to get some chocolate, waffles, chips and beer the city is famous for. A real indulgent day. Here’s our itinerary: Friday 07 December Depending on arrival times, we should be able to head out in the evening to check the Xmas market in the Grand Place where every half hour the historic buildings are lit up whilst enjoying some waffles, Belgian fries, other goodies and mulled wine. Of course those with the appetite may join for a small evening pub crawl to the very best of Belgium's specialist beer bars. Some of these places are historic bars with huge selections of Belgium's most famous export. Strong and unusual flavours are par for the course. Saturday 08 December After a good buffet breakfast we will catch the train to Bruges and have a relaxed few hours strolling around the wonderful sights of the city. Highlights are the mediaeval Markt with the Halle and it's bell-tower, scene of the most gory part of 'In Bruges'. We will also take in the Burg square with Belgium's oldest town hall, the Basilica of the Holy Blood and the Liberty of Bruges. We will also take in the numerous canals lined with their distinctive mediaeval merchant town houses. Think Amsterdam without the sleazy side. We will then spend some free time to check the Xmas markets in the main square or you may want to visit some of the numerous specialist museums ranging from Flemish art to chocolate and even a chips museum. You can also scale the Halle if you have the energy( and the money ). Finally we can meet up again for another pub crawl. The small centre, with it's hidden streets are an ideal place to enjoy the specialist beers that abound in the city. We will finish with the evening train back to Brussels and more drinking if you wish. Sunday 09 December After a later breakfast we can go and explore the city. Whilst we won't have time for all the sights and museums etc, we should be able to take in the historic central area with it's wealth of Gothic and Baroque architecture. Highlights include the Grand Place with the Xmas market, the famous Mannekin Pis or pissing statue and it's newer, female equivalent, St.Michael's Cathedral, Royal palace and the Mont Des Arts with it's fantastic views. Of course we will also find time to indulge ourselves at the numerous bars and cafes around town before our flights/trains home. The total cost of the trip is £175. You’ll need to pay a £10 deposit via PayPal to reserve your place. The remaining £165 pounds is due within 1 week of your RSVP. The deposit and balance are not refundable unless the trip is cancelled or re-scheduled. Please ensure that you pay the instalments on time as anyone missing a deadline will lose their place and any payments already made. The final payment should be paid to the following account: Sort Code:[masked] Account:[masked] Bank: Nationwide Name: Ian Moran The price includes: • 2 nights accommodation and breakfast in a 3 star hotel in Brussels (sharing a single-sex, triple bedroom-all single beds). The hotel is in the city centre • Return train to Bruges • Casual guiding in both cities and evening pub/food crawls The price doesn’t include: Flights or train to Brussels – you’ll need to book these yourself! Transport to and from airport/station ( tips will be sent by mail ) Recommended outbound flights on Friday 07 December: [masked] - BA from Heathrow [masked] - BA from Heathrow [masked] - BA from Heathrow [masked] - BA from Heathrow [masked] - BA from Heathrow [masked] - BA from Heathrow Also Brussels airlines: 06.50 / 11.05 / 17.50 Recommended return flights on Sunday 09 December: [masked] - BA to Heathrow [masked] - BA to Heathrow [masked] - BA to Heathrow Also Brussels airlines: 09.40 / 16.55 / 21.10 Recommended trains( 2h10m )from St.Pancras to Brussels Midi Every 2 hours approximately. Return prices from £60-£110 Skyscanner.net is a good website to check for the best air fares, and remember that you don't need to take the same airline on the outbound and return journeys. I’d recommend RSVPing early for this trip as: a) The price of flights will go up the later you book (especially since this is a Xmas weekend). b) There are a limited number of places on this trip and previous trips got booked up very quickly. IMPORTANT: Get out of London is in no way responsible for any accidents, illnesses or loss of personal belongings, please make sure you have your own adequate insurance.

Let's celebrate late Xmas and New Year visiting two very different Spanish cities: Madrid the vibrant modern capital and Toledo the ancient medieval capital. We'll enjoy the best of both worlds in the two cities: culture, grand imperial architecture and Latin style nightlife in Madrid plus the old world charm of the back streets of Toledo with it's Gothic cathedral. Along the way we'll enjoy the Xmas markets and wild New Year celebrations as well as the famous tapas and other Spanish cuisine. Here's our itinerary: Saturday 29 December Fly to Madrid Airport where a taxi will be waiting to pick you up and take you to our hotel for check in. Depending on arrivals we may have time for some sightseeing, tapas bars or evening drinks in the capital. Sunday 30 December We'll spend the day doing an informal tour around all the major attractions in central Madrid. We'll start at the Puerta de Alcala monument and walk around the Retiro park where we'll see the Glorieta monument as well as the Crystal Palace. From there we'll walk past the St Jeronimo church, the Statue of Netpune and the Spanish Parliament before stopping for some lunch options. After lunch we'll walk through Madrid's two main squares: Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor which will still have the main Xmas market in place. Despite the post-Xmas date, plenty of spectacular lights and markets specialising in gifts, food and drink options will still be around. From there it's on to the Royal Palace and finally we'll end the tour at the Temple of Debod a 3000 year old Egyptian temple transported brick by brick to Madrid in the 1950s. In the evening we'll go for some late strolling, drinks and food in some of the multitude of bars and cafes around the centre. Monday 31 December After breakfast we'll catch a fast train to Toledo, the medieval capital of Spain. This is a truly beautiful place - even the Moorish style train station is worth seeing! From the train station we'll cross the bridge and the city walls into the heart of the city. Once inside we'll spend a few hours exploring the city at our own pace. Amongst the highlights are the grand Gothic cathedral as well as lots of cafes in side streets selling lovely tapas! After a break, we will hit the centre of Madrid, bar-hopping or just taking in the New Year's Eve atmosphere. Before midnight it's tradition to get some grapes and Cava ( Spanish Champagne ) and celebrate in The Puerta Del Sol and enjoy the revelry and fireworks. A special way to end 2018. Tuesday 1 January 2019 Flights back to London or if you have time ( and energy after the previous night ), you may further explore some of Madrid's delights. The total cost of the trip is £220. You’ll need to pay a £10 deposit via PayPal to reserve your place. The remaining £210 pounds is due within 1 week. The deposit and balance are not refundable unless the trip is cancelled or re-scheduled. Please ensure that you pay the instalments on time as anyone missing a deadline will lose their place and any payments already made. The final payment should be paid to the following account: Sort Code:[masked] Account:[masked] Bank: Nationwide Name: Ian Moran The price includes: • 3 nights accommodation in a 3 star hotel (sharing a twin bedroom) with breakfast included. The hotel is located just out of the city centre on a main metro route. The Metro runs to 01.30. • Airport transfers to and from Madrid airport if arriving/departing from London airports on Saturday and returning on Tuesday. • Return high speed train to Toledo • Informal guiding in Madrid The price doesn’t include: Flights to Madrid – you’ll need to book these yourself! Public Transport in Madrid - As Madrid has switched to an Oyster card type situation, it's impossible to arrange a transport ticket for groups, this is reflected in the cheaper price of this trip. Recommended outbound flights on Saturday 29 December: [masked] - Ryanair from Stansted[masked] - Easyjet from Luton[masked] - Ryanair from Stansted[masked] - Air Europa from Gatwick[masked] - Norweigan from Gatwick[masked] - Easyjet from Gatwick[masked] - BA from Heathrow 15:[masked] - Ryanair from Stansted[masked] - Easyjet from Gatwick[masked] - BA from Heathrow 20:[masked] - Ryanair from Stansted Recommended return flights on Tuesday 1 January: 07:[masked] - Easyjet to Gatwick[masked] - Iberia Express to Gatwick[masked] - BA to Heathrow[masked] - Ryanair to Stansted[masked] - BA to Heathrow[masked] - Easyjet to Luton[masked] - BA to Heathrow[masked] - Ryanair to Stansted[masked] - Ryanair to Stansted Skyscanner.net is a good website to check for the best air fares, and remember that you don't need to take the same airline on the outbound and return journeys. IMPORTANT: Get out of London is in no way responsible for any accidents, illnesses or loss of personal belongings, please make sure you have your own adequate insurance.