The Red Lion

Down a narrow alley off Pall Mall, The Red Lion claims the second oldest beer licence in London. The current building dates from 1861, though the pub's been here in some form for about 400 years. Legend has it Charles II used to meet Nell Gwyn here via a tunnel running beneath Crown Passage — sceptics have looked and found nothing, but it's a good story. The interior fittings are 1930s. Walking in here from the West End traffic is a genuine gear change, and it marks the halfway point of the crawl. The second half is what separates completion from capitulation.