Few things compare to the thrill of an afternoon spent playing bowls.
Except sky-diving out of a plane over Machu Picchu, or going on the world’s fastest rollercoaster.
But assuming those options aren’t available to you right at this moment – and that actually, in your advancing millennial years, you’d secretly quite like to just hang out with your friends in the sunshine for an afternoon – bowls is probably your next best bet.
Unlike many of London’s pop-up bowls bars, Peckham Bowls is set on a genuine, old-school bowling green in the middle of Peckham Rye (just behind the Sexby Garden). The lawn is kept immaculate for pitch-perfect throwing conditions, and there’s a quaint little blue and white clubhouse overlooking it all – the kind of place a villain would be apprehended in a Miss Marple whodunnit, but which, in this case, happens to house a well-stocked bar serving pét nat, negronis, and sour suds from the local Brick Brewery.
You can book sessions between one and three hours, with a maximum of eight people to a rink (the official name for a bowls lane, apparently). And when you’re not hurling big metal balls at a slightly smaller ball, you can kick back on the picnic benches lining the green with your ice-cold drink, and trash talk your friends.
If you haven’t played bowls before, the good news is that it’s very easy to pick up. There’s a reason it’s the sport of choice for elderly men. You’re essentially tasked with rolling a small ball (the jack) to the other side of the rink, then it’s up to you and your teammates to roll your balls as close to the jack as possible to win points over the other team. Easy. Until you realise that the balls are biased, and will literally throw you a curveball every time you throw. Turns out some actual skill is required, but at least you’ll probably all be as bad as each other.
It’s a simple premise that’s surprisingly addictive and disproportionately competitive. And you don’t need to bring anything with you – they’ve got all the necessary equipment there, and will even give you a walk-through before you play if you’re a first-timer. You can even play barefoot if that gets you in the right mindset.
In fact, the only thing you might want to bring with you is a picnic (just not drinks – you can get all those on-site). But Peckham Bowls has also chummed up with Yard Sale Pizza, meaning you can get their cultishly-loved 18″ pizzas brought right to the green, without paying jack for delivery.
Poor guy.
NOTE: Peckham Bowls is open daily. You can find out more, and make a booking, on the Peckham Bowls website.
Peckham Bowls | Bowling Green, Peckham Rye, London SE15 3UA
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