Drink the Marathon away

Did you run the London Marathon? If you did, you deserve a drink. If you didn't, well, have a dink anyway! Our very own run marathon man,

The Gipsy Moth 60 Greenwich Church Street, SE10 (020-8858 0786). Greenwich pit-stop for all the family...

Six miles in and the runners hit Greenwich, where they'll see the magnificent Cutty Sark and the gallant little Gipsy Moth. Some 300,000 visitors come to this maritime centre every year, with an extra 45,000 or so running past on race day. For nonrunners, looking at famous ships is thirsty work and after seeing two of them, the whole family needs a drink, a snack and the loo. This large, efficient pub is right on the spot. There are 150 seats in the garden.

The Bridge House 218 Tower Bridge Road, SE1 (020-7407 5818). Prize location near the halfway mark...

On the southern side of Tower Bridge, and just short of the halfway mark, is this little outpost of Suffolk. The first London outpost of Southwold brewer Adnams has polished woodwork, a trompe l'oeil brick wall and conferencestyle furniture you'd expect to find in a Sleepy Lodge motel halfway up the A12. No matter, the beers are good, the food is grills without frills and the wines include a choice collection.

The Grapes 76 Narrow Street, E14 (020-7987 4396). Prime spot on the river at Limehouse...

Twenty miles in and a large proportion of the field will by now be breaking personal distance records. This is the point at which you'll find the Grapes, described as 'The Six Jolly Fellowship-Porters, a tavern of a dropsical appearance' by Charles Dickens in Our Mutual Friend. 'In its whole constitution it had not a straight floor and hardly a straight line.' It was old when Dickens knew it, with a history of press-gangs and dark doings. A modern-day renovation doesn't show too much, but the ancient deck, which until recently hung dropsically over the river, has been replaced.

The Dickens Inn St Katharine's Way, E1 (020-7488 2208). Alfresco watering hole with two terraces...

At the 22-mile point by Tower Bridge is this one-time riverside warehouse, now a popular tourist attraction for visitors to St Katherine's Dock. The Dickens Inn has five separate bars and restaurants and a large staff. Its customers sit happily in the two terraces whenever the sun shines.

The Queen Mary Victoria Embankment, WC2 (020-7240 9404). Spectacular river views and three bars...

At 24 miles, the point at which there is no return for the runners, stands the Queen Mary, an extremely pleasant pub some yards offshore between Waterloo and Hungerford bridges. A former turbine steamer, she has been a great success as a pub. Her three bars have marvellous river views, particularly the one on the top deck.