Latest news with #BlackCountryAleTairsters


Scottish Sun
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
I've visited 24,000 boozers & knocked back 60,000 pints on ‘world's longest pub crawl' – here are my top 5 picks in UK
Peter has even secured a Guinness World Record for the world's longest pub crawl DRINK IT IN I've visited 24,000 boozers & knocked back 60,000 pints on 'world's longest pub crawl' – here are my top 5 picks in UK Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A REAL ale fan celebrated visiting visiting 24,000 boozers and downing 60,000 pints after more than 40 years on the "world's longest pub crawl". Peter Hill, from West Bromwich, drank to his 69th birthday after reaching his milestone at the Elephant & Castle in the West Midlands on June 20. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 9 Peter Hill (front left) and friends started trying out different pubs in 1984 Credit: SWNS 9 Peter (second right) then started average 11 pub visits a week Credit: SWNS 9 His group received a Guinness World Record title in 2017 after visiting 20,000 pubs Credit: SWNS 9 Peter Hill (front right) and co have now visited their 24,000th pub for his 69th birthday Credit: SWNS The father-of-two has travelled 400,000 miles across the country, and averaged 11 pubs each week, since starting on his expedition in 1984. This involved having a pint on 69 islands around the UK, visiting a boozer in every British county, and drinking at very pub in Wales. When Peter started, a pint cost 64p. Where it all started Peter started testing out different boozers with his mates when they got bored of drinking at the same one all the time, and they soon became known as the Black Country Ale Tairsters. After testing out a different pub from a map that was given out by the local Banks brewery in Wolverhampton, the Black Country Ale Tairsters then set out to visit all 300 pubs listed. Peter then had the aim of of visiting every pub on the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) guide. "Then we sort of said 'shall we get to 1,000?' - then it was 2,000, then 3,000 and it just never stopped from there." The now retired engineer, Peter, eventually entered record books by trekking to all corners of Britain. His group set a record for the longest pub crawl, but that was never the main focus for Peter. He began to raise money for charities, like children's hospitals and the Air Ambulance, and raised over £35,000 over the years as each challenge became more and more ambitious. Britain's cheapest Wetherspoons' pint revealed Peter said: "It's been a great adventure and I've met some amazing people along the way. "I'm not sure if I'll ever stop, as I still really enjoy it. "There's still hundreds of pubs to go, so I'll keep on going while I can." Whilst numbers in the Black Country Ale Tairsters have gone up and down as life has gone on, Peter has persevered with the expedition, sometimes even going by himself. "We used to get a little drunk in the early days but it's more of a mature hobby now and I always take it easy and pace myself. We don't drink to excess," he added. "I mainly stick to the real ales but we'll try the odd stout and mild too. It's brilliant fun, you can't be a good pub." "I love the characters you meet." One of the rooms in Hills' home now contains 280-arch lever files which log every pub with pictures, menus and other memorabilia from the adventures. What makes a good pub For Peter, the best kinds of pubs are the "old-fashioned traditional boozers". He likes when then have just a couple of rooms, and provide a warm welcome too. He added: "And it helps if they have a good beer on." 9 Peter has an extensive collection of folders documenting all the pubs he has visited Credit: SWNS 9 The Black Country Ale Tairsters celebrated their 40th anniversary of pub crawls last year Credit: SWNS Throughout the years, Peter has seen the industry go through drastic changes with an increasing number of pubs struggling. However, he never goes for the pints that can reach up to seven or even ten quid. But to record that he has visited a pub, Peter leaves a calling card which he gets a staff member to sign. "The wife is OK with it, she just accepts it's my hobby." Peter and his wife Dawn, 66, plan to next go to Greenwich for their anniversary where they will down a few more pints. "I'm trying to do my bit to keep the pub scene alive. I'll keep going until the beer runs out." Peter's top 5 pubs Peter and his Black Country Ale Tairsters group achieved their Guinness World Record for the Longest Pub Crawl in 2017, after reaching their 20,000th pub. The now real ale connoisseur has revealed his top pubs in the UK, and why. The Black Lion, Consall Forge, Staffs: out in the wild, has an old steam train running past, next to a canal, lovely beer garden. Yew Tree Inn, Caulden, Staffs: 88-year-old landlord still remembers Peter visiting in the early days in 1987 as pub number 1,052. Old place full of antiques and great atmosphere. The Mug House, Claines, Worcester: has three little rooms, by lovely little churchyard. Peter also has a pal there who he sees often. The Rising Sun, Tipton, West Midlands: has been Peter's local pub for years, welcoming and friendly faces. Payton Arms, Stoke Lyne, Oxon: unique place full of cobwebs and spiders, old fashioned and hard to describe. Peter also added: "My favourites are Oakham Cistra, Abbeydale Moonshine or Deception, Ossett White Rat and Black Country Ales. "We've been to the Shetlands, Orkneys, Jersey, Guernsey. "And to parts of Europe too as we like to visit military and war sites, like the Somme." 9 The Black Lion, Consall Forge, Staffs is in Peter's top 5 list of pubs Credit: SWNS 9 His local pub, The Rising Sun, also remains among his favourites Credit: SWNS


The Sun
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
I've visited 24,000 boozers & knocked back 60,000 pints on ‘world's longest pub crawl' – here are my top 5 picks in UK
A REAL ale fan celebrated visiting visiting 24,000 boozers and downing 60,000 pints after more than 40 years on the "world's longest pub crawl". Peter Hill, from West Bromwich, drank to his 69th birthday after reaching his milestone at the Elephant & Castle in the West Midlands on June 20. 9 9 9 The father-of-two has travelled 400,000 miles across the country, and averaged 11 pubs each week, since starting on his expedition in 1984. This involved having a pint on 69 islands around the UK, visiting a boozer in every British county, and drinking at very pub in Wales. When Peter started, a pint cost 64p. Where it all started Peter started testing out different boozers with his mates when they got bored of drinking at the same one all the time, and they soon became known as the Black Country Ale Tairsters. After testing out a different pub from a map that was given out by the local Banks brewery in Wolverhampton, the Black Country Ale Tairsters then set out to visit all 300 pubs listed. Peter then had the aim of of visiting every pub on the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) guide. "Then we sort of said 'shall we get to 1,000?' - then it was 2,000, then 3,000 and it just never stopped from there." The now retired engineer, Peter, eventually entered record books by trekking to all corners of Britain. His group set a record for the longest pub crawl, but that was never the main focus for Peter. He began to raise money for charities, like children's hospitals and the Air Ambulance, and raised over £35,000 over the years as each challenge became more and more ambitious. Britain's cheapest Wetherspoons' pint revealed Peter said: "It's been a great adventure and I've met some amazing people along the way. "I'm not sure if I'll ever stop, as I still really enjoy it. "There's still hundreds of pubs to go, so I'll keep on going while I can." Whilst numbers in the Black Country Ale Tairsters have gone up and down as life has gone on, Peter has persevered with the expedition, sometimes even going by himself. "We used to get a little drunk in the early days but it's more of a mature hobby now and I always take it easy and pace myself. We don't drink to excess," he added. "I mainly stick to the real ales but we'll try the odd stout and mild too. It's brilliant fun, you can't be a good pub." "I love the characters you meet." One of the rooms in Hills' home now contains 280-arch lever files which log every pub with pictures, menus and other memorabilia from the adventures. What makes a good pub For Peter, the best kinds of pubs are the "old-fashioned traditional boozers". He likes when then have just a couple of rooms, and provide a warm welcome too. He added: "And it helps if they have a good beer on." 9 9 Throughout the years, Peter has seen the industry go through drastic changes with an increasing number of pubs struggling. However, he never goes for the pints that can reach up to seven or even ten quid. But to record that he has visited a pub, Peter leaves a calling card which he gets a staff member to sign. "The wife is OK with it, she just accepts it's my hobby." Peter and his wife Dawn, 66, plan to next go to Greenwich for their anniversary where they will down a few more pints. "I'm trying to do my bit to keep the pub scene alive. I'll keep going until the beer runs out." Peter's top 5 pubs Peter and his Black Country Ale Tairsters group achieved their Guinness World Record for the Longest Pub Crawl in 2017, after reaching their 20,000th pub. The now real ale connoisseur has revealed his top pubs in the UK, and why. The Black Lion, Consall Forge, Staffs: out in the wild, has an old steam train running past, next to a canal, lovely beer garden. Yew Tree Inn, Caulden, Staffs: 88-year-old landlord still remembers Peter visiting in the early days in 1987 as pub number 1,052. Old place full of antiques and great atmosphere. The Mug House, Claines, Worcester: has three little rooms, by lovely little churchyard. Peter also has a pal there who he sees often. The Rising Sun, Tipton, West Midlands: has been Peter's local pub for years, welcoming and friendly faces. Payton Arms, Stoke Lyne, Oxon: unique place full of cobwebs and spiders, old fashioned and hard to describe. Peter also added: "My favourites are Oakham Cistra, Abbeydale Moonshine or Deception, Ossett White Rat and Black Country Ales. "We've been to the Shetlands, Orkneys, Jersey, Guernsey. "And to parts of Europe too as we like to visit military and war sites, like the Somme." 9 9 9


Telegraph
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Real ale fan's world record pub crawl surpasses 24,000 bars
A real ale fan who has spent more than 40 years on the world's longest pub crawl has reached his 24,000th establishment. Peter Hill and his friends vowed to broaden their drinking horizons in 1984 and have since travelled 400,000 miles in search of new pubs. The West Bromwich-based Black Country Ale Tairsters have cemented their place in the record books by ticking off every pub in Wales, having a pint on 69 islands around the UK and visiting an average of 11 pubs every week. Mr Hill, who toasted his 69th birthday by raising a glass in the Elephant & Castle, in Dudley last month, said the pub crawl had been a 'great adventure'. He said: 'I'm not sure if I'll ever stop, as I still really enjoy it. There's still hundreds of pubs to go, so I'll keep on going while I can. 'There's a little group of us who go, the numbers have gone up and down as people have got married, sometimes I just go by myself. 'We used to get a little drunk in the early days but it's more of a mature hobby now and I always take it easy and pace myself. We don't drink to excess.' The group was formed 41 years ago when they set out to visit 300 pubs listed on a map handed out by the local Banks brewery in Wolverhampton. After completing the feat, the friends decided to carry on with the added incentive of raising money for charity – devising challenges each one more ambitious than the last. Mr Hill has kept 280 arch-lever files logging every pub, including pictures, menus and other memorabilia. The retired engineer said: 'We just got a bit bored of going to the same old place and it was my dad's idea to start visiting 300 from a Bank's map of Wolverhampton pubs. 'Then we sort of said 'shall we get to 1,000?' Then it was 2,000, then 3,000 and it just never stopped from there. 'We set a world record for the longest pub crawl but it was never about that. I'm just enjoying my life while trying to raise a bit of money for charity. 'I prefer the old-fashioned traditional boozers, just a couple of rooms and a warm welcome is very important.' Mr Hill has raised £35,000 for good causes over the years, including his local children's hospital and the Air Ambulance. When Mr Hill and co reached their 20,000th pub in 2017 they set a new Guinness World Record for the Longest Pub Crawl. 'Its sad to see so many pubs struggling, the price of the beer doesn't help – you can pay £7 a pint and even over a tenner for some of these fancy craft ales,' he said, adding: 'I'm trying to do my bit to keep the pub scene alive. 'I'll keep going until the beer runs out.'