Subcrawl
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A Subcrawl is a variation of a pub crawl based on the Glasgow Subway circuit, in Scotland. Participation requires the purchase of a discovery ticket (all day unlimited travel after 09:30, assuming the subcrawl doesn't start early), currently £1.90, and the consumption of a drink, normally a pint of lager or beer, in the public house nearest to each of the fifteen Subway stations. For example, at Hillhead station participants will alight and each consume a drink in Curlers bar on Byres Road, that being the closest to the station, before re-boarding the subway to either Kelvinbridge or Kelvinhall stations, depending on the direction of travel, and repeating the exercise. Most people choose to begin their crawl at one of the less attractive areas such as Ibrox, since they don't take kindly to large groups of drunk students and it's best to be as sober as possible at this point. "Sub-Golf" is an interesting twist practised by the Glasgow University medical students where there is a list of drinks and the number of shots associated and each participant aims to rack up as few strokes during their lap as possible (usually a double whisky is an eagle, a whisky a birdie, a pint a par and a half pint is a bogey). Points are also awarded for the fastest completed circuit, although photographic evidence of each drink is required.
An interesting aspect of the subcrawl is the variety of types of bars which the "nearest pub" rule obliges participants to enter: "wee old man's pubs", chain pubs and trendy bars all must be frequented.
The subcrawl, and indeed organised pubcrawls in general, are popular mostly with students. The subcrawl is rarely completed, however, due either to the Subway's closure at 23:20 (approximately, depending on station) or severe inebriation.
A further variation on the theme is the "Dairy Milk" subcrawl, which requires the consumption of a glass and a half (a half being a normal single measure of a spirit, a glass being a double) in every bar. This is derived from the old advertising slogan for Dairy Milk chocolate. Again, this is rarely completed.
On a similar theme is the more traditional ‘Half & Half Tour’, referenced in Iain Banks’ novel Espedair Street as the ‘Clockwork Orange Pub Crawl’, where the participants must consume one measure of whisky and half a pint of ‘Heavy’ (80/- ale) in each establishment visited.
"Subcrawl" is also the name of a group linkblog subtitled "tomorrow's zeitgeist today."
A similar practice is carried out on London's Circle Line
