Edmonton Green, you'll always live on in my dream

The previous post found me wandering the streets of Marylebone and visiting four pubs with wildlife-themed names - Eagles, Jackolopes, Stags, and Horses (do horses count as wildlife?)
My plan for the rest of the day was to travel into the northern suburbs.  But before descending into the tube at Euston, I wanted to poke my head into a recent addition to the Wetherspoon portfolio - the Captain Flinders having first opened the doors to the public in January 2024.

Captain Flinders (34-38 Eversholt Street, London, NW1 1DA)
The pub is named after explorer Captain Matthew Flinders who was the first person to circumnavigate Australia in 1801-03.  The link to Euston is that his grave ended up lost under the expansion of the railway station until being uncovered during the recent redevelopment works.  So, we may never get a fast train direct into Euston station on HS2, but at least our extortionately expensive rail project means Captain Flinders gets a more respectful burial place and a Wetherspoon's named after him.

I'm a big fan of the tiling at the entrance..

But I wasn't so keen on the central London Spoons prices.  
Strangely enough, my Portobello 'Market Porter' was less than the advertised rate, which I'm not complaining about.

By Spoon's standards, this is a pretty small place.  It's a single room, divided into three by the chunky wood panelled pillars that stretch the length of the pub.  It was certainly busy on my visit - blokes sitting doing the crossword; the rowdy lads by the front looking like they were on the start of a big afternoon out; and - unsurprisingly - lots of folk with luggage at their side.
I sat next to some very cultured art work and enjoyed my fine London porter.

 

From Euston, I made an eight mile trip northeast.  Firstly on the underground to Tottenham Hale, continuing on the overground to Edmonton.  This part of the capital is home to some 615,000 folk, yet I've never had cause to visit before and know nothing about it.

The northern part of is known as Lower Edmonton or Edmonton Green, the southern part as Upper Edmonton - which is surely the wrong way around?! 
Chas and Dave released a 1983 song called Edmonton Green, from which I really hoped to score a better blog post title.

Here's my walking route...crikey 2-miles - it's healthy this pub crawling lark.

The route took me past the initial scruffiness of the shops by the railway bridge on Church Street, then past the splendid green tiled frontage of the Old Hammam and Spa,

Onto the long suburban streets of semi-detached houses.

Fifteen minutes after leaving the station (timing includes crossing the traffic lights twice after departing from the station in the wrong direction towards the shopping centre) I reached the Rising Sun.
With some magnificent old Taylor Walker lights...

The Rising Sun (243 Winchester Road, Lower Edmonton, N9 9EF)
The doorway takes you through to a porch with a conundrum of turning left or right, the pub being divided into two sections by a wooden partition.  I went right into the livelier half with pool table and locals sat at the bar singing along to Catatonia's 'Road Rage'.
Somewhere, hidden by the bar blockers, were hand pumps for Old Speckled Hen, Hophead, and something from Buckinghamshire brewery Vale.
I had the Vale.  I never did see the pump clip so I'm not sure what it was.
This one...

It turned out the other half of the pub was a comfier option, allowing me to settle on a cushioned bench at the far end.
The Rising Sun is a splendid pub - just the right amount of clutter to make it interesting, a well-worn carpet, and beamed ceiling.  Despite being quiet when I sat down and took the picture it quickly filled up whilst I was there, doing a good trade with prams, dogs, and locals livening things up.

Making my way to the next Good Beer Guide pub in Edmonton, I crossed the busy A10, strolled through Bury Lodge wetlands, then followed a footpath along Salmons Brook.  It all sounds much nicer than it really was - not a classic urban walk.  But the route took me to the  Beehive with its Madri umbrellas and grey-painted frontage.

The Beehive (24 Little Bury Street, Lower Edmonton, N9 9JZ)
This was much quieter than the Rising Sun.  Alongside me, there was just one table of folk, plus a couple of dog walkers who arrived to take their regular spots at the bar.
There was a Rev James or Greene King IPA on offer for the traditionalists.  Plus three unusual beers from home counties micros.  A Brentwood 'Falcon Punch IPA' for me - another super beer from a brewery that rarely lets me down.

I've filled the blog with a variety of pictures from the gents, usually featuring mild smut.
Plus the occasional photo of a beer barrel urinal or some ambitiously scented handwash.
But this is a first...there's an iguana in the gents!

Initially I felt very sorry for Blue (for that is her name), destined to sit and watch blokes in the toilet.  But the sign tells us that this is just a hide out which she has access to from a vivarium outside.  I still utilised the urinal furthest away, out of respect.

Leaving the Beehive, it was a straightforward early evening saunter through the streets to Winchmore Hill.  No disrespect to the Rising Sun and Beehive, but it was the next micropub, shortlisted for the CAMRA Pub of the Year award, that had brought me this part of London.

Little Green Dragon (928 Green Lanes, Winchmore Hill, N21 2AD)
In a show of dedication to the micro pub cause, Little Green Dragon owner Richard made a charity cycle ride around 100 micros before opening his own in August 2017.
Which is probably a good bit research on how to do it right - the Little Green Dragon was crowned Greater London Pub of the Year in 2018 and has won that title 5 more times since then.

The drinks choice offered four cask ales (pale, red, dark), key kegs, cider and perry, Old Bakery gin, and prosecco.  Something to suit all tastes.   

My taste was for a Hammerton 'Piece of Cake'.
Fudge cake stout..mmmm!

The pub has a range of typical micro high tables with a home-made look, plus regular tables, sofas, beer barrels acting as stools...

I sunk into the sofa and made myself comfortable enough to decide to stick around for a half of the Bluestone 'Red of Heaven'.
Next to the bar is something a little bit different to perch on, with some repurposed bus seating.  You;ll find an electronic display board above this table which shows the next departures from the local bus stops.
Which was handy, as I had no idea how to get home from here.

I ambled down the road in the dusk.
Contemplating visiting the one-time Wetherspoons, but instead found my way to a cracking looking pub in the side streets...

The Orange Tree (18 Highfield Road, Winchmore Hill, N21 3HA)
This used to be a regular Beer Guide entry, but has dropped out since 2022.  I suspect a real ale choice of Greene King IPA and 'Yardbird' weren't going to be attractive to the local CAMRA folk (two more handpumps turned around this evening, so perhaps the range is sometimes more enticing).
BUT - the Yardbird tasted great.  And I never thought I'd be praising a Greene King Yardbird.

A nice pub: large, full of character, a fair few customers around the corner.  Lots of interesting decorations, such as the run of Toby jugs above the bar.
Just a pity it was too dark for me to manage any decent pictures.

To be honest, I was more focused on how I was going to get home than on getting good pics for the blog.  It was a fairly long bus ride down Green Lanes, then onto the tube to Victoria, before I even started contemplating getting back to Oxford.  Via a doze on the Oxford Tube, I suspect.