Comedians embark on gruelling 1,000-mile journey and will only stop at pubs

Daily Mirror

24-05-2025

Drinks experts Tom Sandham and Ben McFarland are going from Land's End to John O'Groats on a tandem - and ONLY stopping at pubs
Two comedians are embarking on a gruelling 1,000 mile plus journey on a tandem to toast the great British pub - and highlight the industry's crisis.
Tom Sandham and Ben McFarland plan to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats showcasing just how special the nation's watering holes are - by only eating, drinking, sleeping and stopping in boozers. To add to the challenge, the pair are doing the two-week pub pilgrimage on a tandem bike they have borrowed - appropriately enough - from a man they met down their local.
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Tom and Ben, who perform as the 'Thinking Drinkers', are also alcohol industry experts and writers and drinks presenters on ITV 's 'This Morning'. They were spurred into action by a seemingly relentless wave of pub closures.
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'If we don't use pubs, we'll lose them – so that's what we're doing, by relying entirely on lovely 'locals' during our nationwide ride,' said Tom. 'No shops. No restaurants. No coffee chains or cafes. No petrol stations. Not even a Greggs.' Ben added: 'We've never ridden a tandem. It's a frighteningly long way and rather than a gentle pootle around some pretty pubs, it's going to be a brutal bike ride on behalf of the beleaguered British boozer - but it's nothing compared to the daily struggles facing pubs up and down the country.'.
. A further 46 have been converted into other uses. It comes as Camra also confirmed that 1,062 pubs were left empty last year after closing. And 210 have been turned into uses, typically shops or housing.
The Mirror is also championing the need for action with its Your Pub Needs You campaign.
Friends Tom and Ben, both 48, will set off from Land's End on Friday June 20 and plan to arrive in John O'Groats on Thursday July 3 - having visited four pubs every day, a total of more than 60 pubs over the two weeks. They aim to give updates through their Thinking Drinkers YouTube channel, and have been working with trade body the British Beer and Pub Association's 'Long Live The Local' initiative, which campaigns for a reduction in the unfair burdens on pubs.
Ben says: 'The costs for pubs to simply do business are far too high – no other business sector in the economy is taxed so heavily and unjustly. With even busy pubs struggling to survive and the average publican making just 12p profit on a £5 pint, we're calling for a reduction in business rates to give them a much-needed lifeline.'
Tom adds: 'Pubs today are much more than just a place to drink. They are unique, historical national institutions, the cornerstones of our communities, the heartbeat of our high streets and proven antidotes to loneliness. They are essential in bringing communities together and do so much to improve our collective mental well-being.'
Ben goes on: 'They provide crucial social respite to the people who live around them - from coffee mornings for new parents and pensioners; to live music, comedy nights, kids' parties, Pilates, hot-desking work spaces and, hopefully, somewhere safe to apply anti-chafing cream to very sore bottoms!'