Daniel Cann

Published 2006 by Bloomsbury

This is a travel book that is greater than the sum of its parts. When I first picked it up and read the back cover I thought: This should be a nice light read, its just a book about a bloke that does a pub crawl from the Scilly Isles, through Britain and right up to the most northerly pub at Unst in the Shetlands.

After finally putting the book down I discovered I was quite wrong, because what author Ian Marchant has done here is much deeper and better than just record a 'jolly' around British pubs. His goal was to test G.K. Chesterton's assertion that getting to and from a pub is central to an understanding of the British and their way of life. The resulting book is an original record of what he discovered.

With his friend, photographer and drink counsellor (I kid you not) Perry Venus, he spends a month travelling from South to North on a road trip that on the surface could seem pointless and self-indulgent but actually becomes a brutally honest and revealing account of British life in early 21st Century Britain.

There is no question that the traditional British pub is in decline, almost a dying breed. Across the country they are closing down and being replaced by bars and coffee shops. So this book almost reads like a time-capsule of life when there were still traces of the old traditional boozer. In fact part of Marchant's mission is to find the perfect quintessentially British pub in a nod to George Orwell who outlined what his ideal pub would be just over fifty years ago.

His quest takes him through the Westcountry where he indulges in cider; London where he meets up with lots of colourful friends and begins a pub crawl at the ungodly hour of 7.30am; the Midlands where he learns about pork scratchings and ends up with four giant bags worth of free samples from the factory; through Wales where moonshine is distilled by an old acquaintance; the North of England where he has a nasty encounter with a chav and finally on to Scotland where he enjoys the whiskey and the scenery.

The reader is not just along for the ride as Marchant packs his narrative with wit, self-deprecating humour as well as poignancy. He makes it clear that he is an unashamed bald, overweight, fortysomething ale drinker who likes a spliff, punk and folk music. There are lots of brutally honest moments about his life and although I am from a different generation I could not help but liking Marchant. He is an old lefty and a bit of a rebel and perfectly placed to comment and critique on modern day Britain.

As the pages turn you can feel the passion he has for his subject and the issues he is exploring. He has an almost intimidating talent for facts and knowledge and clearly is at home with his material. This won't be to everyones tastes, but for an account of a road trip through the British Isles with all its virtues and flaws put up to Marchant's critical microscope this is a worthy and rewarding read.