Subcrawl

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A Subcrawl is a pub crawl based on the Glasgow Subway circuit, in Scotland. It requires the purchase of an all-day discovery ticket, currently £1.90, and the consumption of a drink 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 Hillhead, or at St Enoch's square in Glasgow city centre, completing the southern leg of the crawl first.

The subcrawl, and indeed organised pubcrawls in general, are popular mostly with students. The subcrawl is rarely completed, due either to the Subway's closure at 23:20 (approximately, depending on station) or inebriation. The main point is to enjoy yourself.

Contents

[edit] World Record subcrawls

In the first few years of the new millennium, at least four attempts were made to establish a 'Subcrawl world record', where a large group of people would attempt to complete the subcrawl en masse.

The current Subcrawl world records are believed to be:
43 people (number of people to begin a Subcrawl, set on 26 February 2002)
13 people (number of people to complete a Subcrawl, set on 26 February 2002)
6 people (number of people to complete a Subcrawl while dressed as pirates, set on 6 May 2006)

(Source: Subcrawl website)

[edit] Popular subcrawl drinking games

[edit] Sub-golf

"Sub-Golf" is an interesting drinking game 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.

[edit] The "Dairy Milk" subcrawl

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.

[edit] Half and half tour

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.

[edit] Running it

In this popular game (preferably played in the earlier stages of a subcrawl) the party divides into two groups. One team gets the train to the pub at the next stop, whilst the other attempts to run it, in less time than it would take to get the train. Whichever team arrives at the next pub second has to buy the winning team a round of drinks. This game is particularly popular between Buchanan Street and St Enoch's stations, and then again between St Enoch's and Bridge Street.

[edit] Surfing

The surfing game involves standing in the train and not touching anyone or anything, except the floor, until you arrive at the next stop. In otherwords you have to rely totally on balance, something which obviously becomes more and more difficult after every stop.

[edit] The Race

Participants divide into two or more teams at a starting point. Arrangement for the teams may be conducted according to whatever method the participants favour. Assuming two teams, each completes the crawl in an opposite direction - so one goes clockwise and the other anti-clockwise, with the goal being to accomplish the entire crawl, as backed up by photographic evidence of arrival at all stops, and arrive back at the start before the other team, whereupon a prize is due or a forfeit to be paid of some kind, with what being up to the participants to decide.

[edit] Pool Tournament

Some crawlers have a pool tournanment on their way round, with the final being played at the Ibrox stop.

[edit] Planning your subcrawl

[edit] Subway opening times

The subway opens early in the morning, and closes at approximately 23:20 in the evening, from Monday to Saturday.
The subway closes at 18:00 on a Sunday, hence subcrawls are seldom attempted on Sundays.

[edit] Avoiding Rangers matches

Ibrox Stadium, home of Rangers F.C., is situated near to Ibrox subway station. Most subcrawlers plan their crawl to avoid clashing with a Rangers home game, since the trains, and many of the pubs located near to Glasgow's subway stations, tend to be very busy on these occasions. A Saturday, where Rangers are playing on the Sunday, or playing away from home, is usually chosen. This can also assist with safety issues (see below) in the event of loose-lipped supporters of rival teams (principally Aberdeen or Celtic) arriving late and drunk at this station. Kinning Park is another station with much Rangers loyalty, at which equal amounts of caution should be taken on Rangers match days.

[edit] Subcrawl safety

There are one or two pubs on the Subcrawl whose allegiances to Rangers F.C. and the Queen are overt. Non-unionists can find their atmospheres quite scary, but there are plenty of unthreatening alternative pubs at each station. However some may not wish to bother alighting at Kinning Park station, and choose The Laurieston, rather than the Glaswegian, at Bridge Street. It must be said, however, that subcrawlers are generally welcomed with good humour wherever they go.

Accidents caused by excessive consumption of alcohol are not unheard-of. Indeed one Subcrawl in February 2006 ended in disaster when one of the participants took a header down the stairs at Kelvin Hall resulting in an ambulance being called and a trip to the hospital.

Knowing your limits and ensuring subcrawlers are accompanied by people whom they can trust are essential. Some more cautious subcrawl organisers attempt to convince a few people to participate without drinking, thereby allowing them to assist in the event of any problems. Drinks or cash may be offered as a reward for such services; alternatively the opportunity to witness drinkers making fools of themselves may be seen as reward enough.

[edit] Miscellaneous

"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

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../s/u/b/Subcrawl.html"