Last year whilst doing his regular bit on Good Morning the radio presenter Tom Swarbrick gave a passionate explanation of what a lads holiday feels like, this received what I perceived as subtle condescending ridicule from Cat Deeley. I hope I am wrong!!
Tom went on to explain that as we get older we spend less and less time with our mates and how it feels to be travelling on a train for a trip with his mates, how excited he is to be with his friends for a few short hours of no responsibility.
He said:
“Until the breath runs out of my body, I will always be excited… About sitting on the train heading off somewhere with my mates, and at 9.30 in the morning, the first crack of the tin goes, there is no way that is never not exciting!! The thrill of it, the lack of responsibility of it for just those few short hours. The world is yours to go and attain and achieve and be excited by! You only live once! You go and get it, and I LOVE IT! I Love that!”
He is 100% right, so there is no surprise this clip went viral, the clip was probably shared amongst all those chat groups with weird names that only you understand, with an accompanying message of “we need to get a trip sorted!” I know it was in ours!
Picture the scene, it’s Thirsty Thursday, my mate and I had battled the blizzard of the 8th January to make it to the Red Lion for a couple of pints, we discussed various things, mostly the weather but then both came around to expressing to each other that we had an idea…. My mate offered for me to go first, where I gave my pitch of a Dry January defying day out in Dublin, first flight out, a few beers and a look round and the last flight back… The idea was welcomed and countered, same idea but instead of a plane, we take a train, and instead of Dublin we go to London!
The very next day we set a WhatsApp group with a poll, ‘London: In or Out.’ We got a few in’s but mostly outs…. Understandable as it was short notice, but we had enough to get planning. At the next Thirsty Thursday we made a list of pubs we wanted to visit, and I ran it through AI for an optimal route, which it spat out with ease! Tickets were booked and all we had to do was wait!
Four of us stood on the platform early Saturday morning, coffees in hand waiting for a train to The Big Smoke. Once on board we played cards, ate Danish pastries and joked about everything. I was Shithead 3 out of 3 (that was the card game we were playing…) The train journey was over quickly and before we knew it, we were walking up the long ramp which leads to the main concourse of Euston Station.
Our day was off to a flyer, we enjoyed breakfast at The Delauny, an Austrian restaurant near Covent Garden, where we enjoyed coffee and eggs! After a failed attempt to get into The British Museum, (the queues were massive!) We had a wander around taking in some of the sites that the city had to offer, but before long the big hand and the little hand converged together at the number 12 and it was time for some liquid refreshment, this signalled the beginning of what is commonly known as A Pub Crawl. For ease of reading and to spare you the boring details here is a chronological list of pubs and pints:
The Princess Louise, Holborn – Samuel Smiths Old Brewery Bitter
The Ship Tavern, Holborn – Ship Shape House IPA
Ye Olde Mitre, Holborn – Thronbridge Wild Swan
Ye Olde Cheshire Cheese, Holborn – Samuel Smiths Alpine Lager
Ye Olde Cock Taven, Holborn – Old Session Hen
The Old Bank of England, Holborn – Mcmullens SIPA
The Cross Keys, Covent Garden – Budweiser Budvar
The Maple Leaf, Covent Garden – Sleeman Original Draught & Moosehead Lager
John Snow, Soho – Taddy Lager
A decent outing if I do say so myself, we had a blast, phones in pockets just conversation and laughs all day!!
We headed back to the station for the last train, which we took via a lovely ice cream shop, where I turned into a giggling 5 year old when I realised I could have 3 scoops! Whilst walking my mate caught me beaming from ear to ear, “you’re well happy you are!” He said…
“I’m as happy as a pig in muck and what’s not to be happy about? I’ve had a cracking day with my pols, my belly is full of good beer and I’m eating ice cream…” I replied, he couldn’t argue with that!
The train back consisted of more card games where my pal tried to teach me how to play Crib… I think I remember… and a lady sitting opposite us who had ‘All I want for Christmas is you’ by Mariah Carey as her ring tone, which sparked up group singing every time it went off, I’m sure it wasn’t annoying at all!
Days like this matter more than we sometimes admit. They aren’t about escaping responsibility so much as remembering what living is all about, the laughs, the ridiculous hypothetical conversations and the bonding with people who’ve known you for years who you don’t see as much as you used to. That’s what Tom Swarbrick was getting at: those fleeting hours on a train with your mates, the first crack of a can, the shared excitement of a daft idea becoming a proper day out. They somehow recharge something in you. For blokes especially, and I’ve spoken about it many times, we so often bottle things up and soldier on quietly, these trips are a release of that pressure, a reminder that connection isn’t indulgent, it’s essential.
We don’t come back selfishly spent either, yeah, we’re a bit silly and chatty and probably a bit worse for wear the next morning but ultimately, we come back better in the long run: calmer, more present, more patient, carrying fresh perspective into family life and everyday home life.
If this story proves anything, it’s that we don’t need grand adventures to feel alive, just a date in the diary, a few good mates, and permission to press pause on the world for a while. So, what are you waiting for? Go and get something planned with you mates!
Take it easy!
TM
