Camberwell caters to many kinds of people, and The Hermits Cave is the spot for its real beer and pub lovers. This no-nonsense corner pub is charming and traditional with two tiered standing tables and a large single main room that circles the well-stocked bar. 

The Hermit’s Cave is the kind of place the pub lovers of Camberwell ‘pop down for a quick one’ before dinner, a gentle spot for a gentle relationship with alcohol — a pub with the community feel of a small town with just the right vibe. 

These kinds of spots are rare in London these days and are a special taste of all the best stereotypes about British boozers, all weathered exposed wood and old beer labels displayed proudly as trophies. 

So pop on your coat, hunch your shoulders against the stair-rodding rain, and clip-clop down the narrow streets into the Hermit’s Cave, where the windows are steamed up, the beers tasty and the times good.