Rules of the Network

Every stop on every map is someone's livelihood, someone's neighbourhood, or someone's quiet corner of the world. Whatever you're exploring — a pub, a gallery, a heritage site — you're a guest there. Act like one.

The map is a guide to help you find your way, not a right of way. If a route takes you near private land, closed ground, or somewhere you're plainly not meant to be, that's the map being wrong, not permission being granted. Use your judgement.

Whatever kind of journey you're on, keep an eye on the people you're with. Check in. Slow down for stragglers. Nobody gets left behind at a strange stop, on any kind of map.

Every map on The Local Network is a starting point, not an itinerary you're bound to. Skip a stop, linger at another, double back if the mood takes you. Have fun — that's the actual point of all of this.

Every journey has an Origin Pub and a Destination Pub. These are your termini. A full round must be bought at each: one to launch the journey, one to mark its end. No exceptions. A crawl without a proper send-off or a landing drink is just... walking.

You may add as many Waypoint Pubs to your route as your legs and liver will allow. These are your intermediate stations. Pop in, have a drink, move on. There is no upper limit on waypoints. There is, however, a lower limit on dignity: plan accordingly.

Not every pub on a line need be visited. If two pubs sit on the same line, you are free to skip stations between them. Nobody is obliged to stop at every local on the map. This is a crawl, not a sponsored endurance event.

Changing lines? Then you're at a Junction Pub: one of the great interchanges of The Local Network. A round must be bought here before your group boards the next line. The Junction Round is non-negotiable. It is the price of passage. It is also an excellent excuse.

Retracing your steps from a waypoint is entirely legal and encouraged. Sometimes the best pub is back the way you came. A Return Leg simply counts as a waypoint visit in the other direction: the route is yours to navigate. The Network rewards the bold and the nostalgic equally.

Sometimes a pub is simply too good to leave behind. Returning to a previously visited pub on the same journey is known as The Repeat. The Repeat is fully permitted, but a pub may only count once towards route completion. Be warned: too many Repeats and your carefully planned pub crawl may quietly become "an afternoon in the same pub."

Soft drinks are a fully valid ticket on The Local Network. Not everyone drinks alcohol, and not everyone should on every occasion. Drink aware, drink your way. A round includes everyone at the table: nobody gets left on the platform because they're on the lemonades.

The Local Network runs on goodwill. Check on your group. Make sure everyone is keeping up: physically, financially, and otherwise. If someone needs to tap out early, they tap out with a send-off. If someone needs water, food, or a sit-down: the journey pauses. No one gets left behind at a strange station.

Have fun. The route is a suggestion. The pubs are the point. The people you're with are the reason. If the plan needs to change, change it. The best crawls are the ones nobody fully remembers planning but everyone remembers doing.