'I've visited 24,000 boozers on 40 year pub crawl - these are my favourites'
Peter Hill has supped an incredible 60,000 pints on a mammoth pub crawl which has seen him visit 24,000 boozers across the UK in a 40 year pub crawl quest to visit every CAMRA guide pub
Real ale fan Peter Hill has supped an incredible 60,000 pints on a mammoth pub crawl which has seen him visit 24,000 boozers across the UK.
He celebrated his 69th birthday in the Elephant & Castle, at the Black Country Living Museum, in Dudley, as he continued his quest to visit every pub in the CAMRA guide. He has enjoyed a pint in every corner of the UK along with his drinking crew – the Black Country Ale Tairsters – and has even had a pint in pubs on 69 islands around the UK. The retired engineer has travelled over 400,000 miles since he started in 1984 and logs every pub he has visited at his West Bromwich home.
He said: 'Every pub is logged, since number one, and I have over 300 lever arch files with photos, cards and a write up of the pubs. I leave a calling card which I have signed by a pub team member to prove I have been in.'
In every pub he visits Peter asks the landlord to make a £1 donation to the Midland Air Ambulance and has so far raised over £35,000. He said: 'Some give a quid, some give a tenner, some £20 and some give nowt. But it's a great charity.'
Peter started his journey when he and his pals started visiting pubs listed on a map handed out by Wolverhampton based Banks brewery. After visiting 300 pubs in a year they decided to continue.
He said: 'It's taken me 41 years but I've now visited 24,000 pubs, but there are still hundreds more to go. We all love our real ale, but we don't overdo it,
'We have visited every single island with a pub around the British Isles, 69 of them. We've been to the Shetlands, Orkneys, Jersey, Guernsey. It's been a great adventure. I'm going to North Yorkshire next weekend for four days and then Essex after that, so we'll chalk up a few more on the list. Sometimes I'm on my own, but mostly it's a really good crew I travel with. It's brilliant fun.
'We've travelled across Europe too, to the military sites, the Somme, the Maginot line, the British war graves. We learn about the history and we visit the local pubs too, but they don't count on the list. One of the greatest people we found was a guy from World War 2 who used to look after the SAS war graves in France, He was 92 when we met him.'
Peter added: 'I love unusual pubs, pubs with something that makes them stand out. Pubs full of character and antiques. We love our real ales but we also try the stouts and milds.'
Peter also backed The Mirror 's Save Our Pubs campaign - which calls for a "fighting fund" to help struggling pubs, recognising good pubs are the heart of the community. The campaign is crucial because pub closures have a significant impact on communities, leading to job losses and the loss of important social spaces.
More than 400 pubs closed for good in England and Wales last year meaning the number of locals has dropped below 39,000 for the first time. Peter said: 'The local pub is vital in so many areas. You can meet for a chat and a laugh. But the prices are ridiculous now. You can pay £7 for a pint.
'There's the business costs, the taxes, the minimum wage doesn't help. Landlords have to cover the costs and it's a shame so many are closing. The government does need to do more to help.'
Peter's top five pubs:
Yew Tree Inn, Caulden Staffs: 'You've got to see it to believe it. It's fantastic, full of antiques.'
The Mug House, Claines, Worcester: 'A cracking old pub next to a church yard.'
The Black Lion, Consall Forge, North Staffs: 'Amazing scenery, next to an old steam railway and canal. It was hard to find, but it's easy now with Sat Nav.'
The Rising Sun, Tipton: 'My local, I can't leave that out.'
Payton Arms, Stoke Lyne, Oxfordshire: 'A fantastic, unique place. If you like character and cobwebs, this is the one.'
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