The best features from Londonist over the past week.

Every two years I walk the best walk in southeast England, which is over the Seven Sisters and across the top of Beachy Head. I did it again yesterday. [14 photos] This time I walked west to east, starting by the River Cuckmere in Exceat and finishing at Eastbourne Pier. This involves catching the ever-so frequent Coaster bus out and then walking ten miles back. It also means I kept up my record of never walking the same stretch in the same direction as I did last time.  Seaford ExceatEastbourne 2007 <<      <<<< 2009 >>>>>>      >>>> 2011 <<<<<<      <<<< 2013 <<      <<<< 2015 >>      >>>> 2017 <<<<<<      <<<< 2019 >>      >>>> 2021 <<<<<<      <<<< 2023 <<      <<<< 2025 >>      >>>> end of the extended walk because if you're knackered you can always bail at Exceat and catch the bus. There's no point describing the walk again, not on my tenth pass, but here are some things that were different this time. Cuckmere meander, a professional team had turned up to do a photoshoot involving a huge white flapping bedsheet. for natural fertilisation of cows". I braved ahead, and thankfully the field was full of sheep instead. South Coast Ultra Challenge was in full effect and its 2000 competitors would have skewed the statistics somewhat. Seven Sisters (n.b. there are of course eight) undulating, thus the most challenging section of the entire walk. Heading west to east the worst climbs are definitely number three and number seven. Some favourite sights: a biplane, the shadows of a flock of seagulls skimming across the grassland, the dazzling whiteness of exposed chalk, the foundations of a long-vanished hut, hot twins, rabbitholes, milky waves far below. grassier strip closer to the sheer drop for those of us who didn't want to plough the muscle motorway. cave, not that I've ever walked along the pebbly beach to see it. Haven Brow (→8min→) Short Brow (→10min→) Rough Brow (→5min→) Brass Point (→10min→) Flagstaff Point (→4min→) Flat Hill (→7min→) Baily's Hill (→8min→) Went Hill Brow Birling Gap/Belle Tout behind them. Inflation check: Since 2023 the price of a 99 at the Birling Gap ice cream van has increased from £3 to £4, while the price of a Magnum at the Belle Tout kiosk has only risen from £2.60 to £3. Beachy Head key points, especially those with a perfect view of the stripy lighthouse. A small chalk platform where I've stood for a great shot on nine previous occasions is now mostly out of bounds. Eastbourne downhill then all flat. feathered goggled folk on the Wishtower Slopes quaffing beer, listening to guitar music and being served tea and biscuits by a lady with a castle on her head. the pier has closed, ditto The Grill opposite. • I was back at the station five hours after I arrived... and will be back again in 2027.

10 steps to learn the city, and its history.

It's looking very likely that a four-day tube strike will start on Monday, with disruption rippling into Sunday and Friday morning. The DLR is also pencilled in for two days of concurrent disruption. strike action impact grid as seen at tube stations. Here is the diamond geezer simpler version.  SunMonTueWedThuFri    tube    (✔) ✖✖✖✖✖✖  ✔     DLR  ✔✔✖✔✖✔ "limited services running, complete your journey by 6pm" "little to no service running" "no service before 8am, normal by late morning" Last time this nearly happened, in July 2023, I wrote a post about the worst places to live during a tube strike. If your local tube station closes, who has furthest to go to find an alternative train? grey is 'over 1 mile from a non-tube station', yellow over 1½, orange over 2, red over 2½, purple over 4 (1.1 miles from Victoria). In zone 2 there are three - North Greenwich (1.3 miles from Westcombe Park), Stamford Brook (1.2 miles from South Acton) and Ravenscourt Park (1.1 miles from Shepherd's Bush). Zone 3 has nine such stations - Park Royal and Hanger Lane to the west, Neasden, Dollis Hill, Golders Green, Brent Cross, Highgate and East Finchley to the north, and Upton Park to the east. Of these East Finchley is by far the remotest, being 2.1 miles from Alexandra Palace. Metropolitan: Uxbridge (2.4 miles), Northwood (2.3), Chesham (2.2) Jubilee: Stanmore (2.3 miles) Northern: Finchley Central (2.3 miles) Central: Epping (6.1 miles), Theydon Bois (4.8), Grange Hill (3.4), Debden (3.3), Hainault (2.8), Chigwell (2.8), Fairlop (2.2) really bad places to be are Theydon Bois and Epping because TfL don't run any buses here, only trains, so with only an Oyster card you're completely cut off. • Devons Road, Bow Church, Bow Road (bugger) • Mudchute, Island Gardens • City Airport, King George V, Beckton Park, Cyprus, Gallions Reach, Beckton Crossrail and the Overground are going to be doing a lot of heavy lifting over the next week, assuming these strikes go ahead, which alas it seems they will.

It's not all doom and gloom in the world of boozers.