After an overnight flight, we arrived at Heathrow Airport shortly before 8:00 a.m. None of us had slept on the plane very much, so we were dead tired, but knew the best way to acclimate was to stay awake. So we made our way to St. Pancras Station, where we would later be taking the train to Burton-on-Trent, dropped our bags, and had caffeine fed into our veins intravenously at little cafe in the station.

We needed to make our way to the Lamb in Lamb’s Conduit Road, where I had arranged to meet a colleague, Martyn Cornell, who writes online at the Zythophile. Having plenty of time we wandered about London, eventually finding our way to the Lamb. We spent a fun and satisfying three or so hours talking about our favorite subject while enjoying some great beer and the best fries … er, chips of the trip, visiting three pubs in the process. Martyn has a more lucid account of time together in a post entitled Why the man from Firestone was deservedly tired.

St. Pancras Station in London.

A statue of British poet John Betjeman adorns the station.

Coming outside the station, heading for our first pub of the day.

Matt Brynildson, brewmaster from Firestone Walker Brewing, trapped in a phone box.

We met up for lunch with fellow beer writer Martyn Cornell, who I’d not had the pleasure of meeting before. After a nice pint at the Lamb in Lamb’s Conduit Road, we meandered down the road to the Perseverance, where they were serving Timothy Taylor on cask.

Where, famished, we feasted on Steak and Ale Pie with — what else — chips. I had three helpings I dare say.

Then Martyn walked us back to the station where we enjoyed a final pint before boarding the train for points north.

Our East Midlands train after depositing us in Derby to change trains for Burton-on-Trent.