The Ice Wharf (Lloyds No 1), Camden Town, NW1

A very modern and completely open-plan canteen inside, the outdoor seating was preferable on a sunny morning. Just two guests to supplement the three usual boring ales, GK IPA at £1.99 is a steal in London of course, shame it’s one of my least favourite beers. Typical touristy Wetherspoons, it does the job but not very inspiring.

This is a 'spoons so the interior won't throw up any surprises. It's right by the canal, so the outside seating is a massive plus on a warm day. Camden being a tourist area it was very busy on a weekday afternoon; it's a big pub and we just about managed to find a table. I guess Camden's tourist credentials also accounts for the fact that the price of the guest ales (which I negligently failed to note) was higher than that in most suburban 'spoons. I guess this one's main selling point, as opposed to most other 'spoons, is its lovely setting. I would be very happy to visit this one again should I have the misfortune to find myself in the heaving tourist hell that is Camden.

A vast modern Spoons by the side of the canal, in the middle of the tourist area so usually busy and with 'inexperienced' pub-goers at that. They did however seem to be coping quite well with the numbers and there is plenty of space on the two levels, with a long bar on the inner lower one, plus tables outside. Guest ales seemed to be mainly local-ish, with examples from Westway, ELB, Wimbledon and Windsor alongside the usual ones. Condition was good. I didn't especially want to like this place at first, but it grew on me. And the toilets are on the level!

A large and modern Weatherspoon’s immediately adjacent to Camden Lock, it offers little in the way of any merit as far as the building goes but nonetheless the outside seating is a pleasant spot on a sunny day to sit and look boats passing by and the hordes of tourists in the market opposite. The building itself has a curved frontage with large windows and is all one cavernous open space inside. A montage of black and white photos of the local area covers the end wall whilst colour photographs replicate the local streets in the corridor leading to the gent’s loos. Flooring is partly laminate wood and partly a mustard colour carpet. Tables and chairs are packed tightly in to maximise the pub’s food revenue, although there is plenty of vertical drinking space near the long bar counter. Their International Real Ale Festival was in progress during our visit so the beer range was no doubt somewhat different to usual, but on this occasion consisted of Abbott Ale, Elgood’s Plum Porter, Everards Regimental IPA, Wicked Weed’s Sir Ryan The Pounder, Thwaites Coiled Spring, Wharfe Bank Black Geld, Hildegard’s Solange, London Pride, Mateo & Bernabe Fermín Red Ale and Standeaven African Pale Ale. Ciders were also well represented with Strongbow, Brothers Pear, Stowford Press and Thatcher’s Gold.

Situated in the heart of the ghastly, trendy and touristy Camden Lock area this is a Lloyds No 1 and unusually had quiet music playing when I arrived early afternoon. As has been said it's a large modern place probably aimed at the younger set. There are six pumps, all of which were in use serving GK Abbot, Hambleton Stud, Adnam's Old, Hepworth Harvest and Pullman and Old Bear Great Bear (No Ruddles or GK IPA!). I went for the Hepworth Autumn Ale (£2.50) which was in excellent nick. I had bought a 50p CAMRA Voucher with me, expecting this place to be expensive. In fact it was cheaper than Croydon where I had been the previous week. The Hepworth beers are not commonly seen in London Spoons and as the quality of it was 100% I would give this one another go despite the horrible building.