Latest news with #TheGreatBritishPubCrawl
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
YouTuber visits 20 Southwark pubs in one day – finding some ‘absolute gems'
A YouTuber on a mission to visit every pub in the UK has ticked off 20 Southwark venues in a single day – calling several of them 'absolute gems' and praising the area for its rich mix of history, character and beer. Dale Harvey, the man behind The Great British Pub Crawl, is travelling the length and breadth of the country with his wife in a bid to visit every pub, bar, micropub, and social club that serves beer – and document the experience on YouTube and social media. On Tuesday (April 29), the Nottingham-based couple crossed the river for the first time in their London crawls, choosing Southwark as their starting point for a six-day tour of the capital's pub scene. Dale, who has now visited more than 5,700 pubs since launching the channel three years ago, described the Southwark leg as a day full of discovery. He said: 'I am south of the river for the first time on a London crawl and in the Southwark area. 'I headed across Borough Market, beneath London Bridge and all around the houses as I took in 20 pubs for the first of my six days on the road this week... finding some ABSOLUTE GEMS along the way.' Kicking off at The Barrowboy & Banker, a grand Fuller's pub near London Bridge Station, Dale worked his way through a mix of historic landmarks, riverside beer gardens, atmospheric cellars, and trendy craft beer joints – ending his night at St Christopher's Inn, a busy sports pub buzzing with football fans. His Southwark route took in some of the capital's best-known boozers, including The George Inn a 17th century coaching inn owned by the National Trust and The Anchor, which has stood on the Bankside since 1615 and features its own upstairs fish and chip shop. Dale said: 'The Anchor Bankside is a beauty. Always was, always will be somewhere that I will champion for people to come and see. 'Four floors, nooks and crannies everywhere, and a massive beer garden right on the river. What a pub.' He praised several Nicholson's pubs on the route, including The Mudlark and The Old Thameside Inn, for their historic charm and 'beautiful buildings'. He said: 'What can I really say about Nicholson's pubs that I've not said already? 'They always impress… very well run, beautiful buildings, and always a decent beer selection. This one [The Mudlark] was established in the mid-1700s and it looks great.' Other stops stood out for their uniqueness, like The Mug House, which Dale described as 'a traditional sort of port and ale house' that 'feels like it's built into caves'. He said: 'This is an experience in itself. Better come see this 100%. I'm really, really impressed.' (Image: Great British Pub Crawl) He also included newer venues like Bermondsey Bierkeller, The Rake and The Sheaf – the latter offering virtual darts, shuffleboard and sports screens, built into the railway arches. One of his favourite stops of the day was The Rose & Crown on Union Street, which came recommended by pub historian and author Thomas Flynn of Historic Pub Crawls. Dale said: 'A belter of an old pub now serving up excellent craft beers alongside some top cask ales. 'Probably one of my favourites so far today – certainly one of the best with the beer choices.' The day's journey also included quieter and more intimate spots like Tap & Bottle, a dimly lit first-floor wine bar, and The Boot & Flogger, which Dale said was 'more of a food-led place than a drinker's haunt' but still 'a really nice looking gaff'. Some pubs offered a glimpse into London's resilience and quirks. The Wheatsheaf, for example, famously lost its top floor when a railway bridge was built overhead, but survived by adapting into a two-storey building. Dale's trademark mix of humour and pub-geekery runs throughout his reviews, as he jokes about being 'beer-ed out' by pub number 12 and pokes fun at chains for labelling standard lagers as 'craft beer'. He wrapped up the day at St Christopher's Inn, where he found a busy crowd watching Arsenal in the Champions League and said the venue had 'a decent buzz'. After clocking in all 20 stops, Dale was quick to praise Southwark as a highlight of the project so far: 'There are still LOADS of great places to explore in that borough!' he said. His crawl was documented in a YouTube video titled A Mega Pub Crawl Around Southwark London Borough Market, available on his channel Dale has also started a petition urging the Government to step in and support independent pubs. It calls for action on rising business rates, increased wage costs and other pressures facing the sector. At the time of publication, the petition had 2,795 signatures — with an official Government response triggered at 10,000. It remains open until October. The petition states: 'We feel without Government assistance, independent breweries and pubs cannot swallow the hikes in business rates, the living wage and rising operating costs. 'Pubs are the backbone of our communities and vital in maintaining mental health and social interaction in many communities across the UK.' All 20 Southwark pubs Dale visited: The Barrowboy & Banker The Mug House Bermondsey Bierkeller The Mudlark The Old Thameside Inn The Anchor Bankside The Rake The Market Porter The Wheatsheaf The Southwark Tap The Globe Tavern The Bunch Of Grapes The Old King's Head The George Inn The Bridge Tap The Sheaf The Boot & Flogger Rose & Crown Tap & Bottle St Christopher's Inn
Telegraph
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
‘I'm on a mission to save Britain's pubs – by drinking at every one in the country'
A former pub landlord is on a one-man mission to save the hospitality industry – by drinking at every pub in Britain. Dale Harvey, 44, from Nottingham, began his quest in 2022, putting in '11-hour shifts' four days a week and so far visiting 5,000 establishments. Mr Harvey said he's made 'friends for life' on a 'journey like no other' and has dubbed the challenge 'The Great British Pub Crawl'. Admitting that it would be 'in no way sustainable' to have a pint everywhere, he said he 'just does halves.' Mr Harvey said he averages around 20 pubs per 'shift', and therefore 10 pints per day. He has sipped his way from Edinburgh to Penzance, but said his motivations are not just to 'get drunk'. Instead, he hopes to support a struggling industry. Having worked in pubs all his life, climbing his way up from pot washer to landlord, Mr Harvey had a front row seat for the industry's economic decline. Between 2000 and 2019, the UK lost 13,600 pubs. The process was accelerated by the Covid pandemic, with 769 shutting their doors in 2023, followed by a further 400 in 2024. According to The Guardian, there are now around 39,000 pubs in the UK. Mr Harvey said he was 'fed up with seeing beautiful pubs boarded up or burnt out. 'Every town you go to you see three or four of them. 'So I thought, let's try and support the industry, and put a bit of money in the tills.' As well as sampling the wares, Mr Harvey also documents his journey around Britain's pubs on social media. 'It wasn't until around pub 100 that a mate told me to put my journey on social media. 'I told him people wouldn't be interested but he said you'd be surprised, and it's spiralled out of control since then.' Mr Harvey now boasts more than 110,000 followers on Facebook and said he has heard from landlords who gained new customers through his videos. In the beginning, Mr Harvey paid for the drinks out of his own pocket, but his new-found internet fame has allowed him to monetise his journey and even release his own merchandise line. Mr Harvey is joined on many of his trips by his partner Holly Booth and said everyone they have come across is 'so friendly', although he noted that Londoners 'tend to just ignore you'. 'The Government needs to do more' Mr Harvey struggled to choose his favourite watering hole but gave a special mention to Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem, a historic pub in his home town of Nottingham. He also said Liverpool is the best city to drink in, 'by far.' He struggled less when naming his least favourite pub, however, confidently claiming it was the Blue Bell in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire. 'It only had patio furniture inside, there was a guy asleep on the table, a random pram in the middle of the bar with no baby, and every interior glass panel was smashed.' He said that particular establishment closed three weeks after he visited. 'People need to do more, the Government needs to do more. 'This is not me blaming the current Government as the last government didn't do anything for hospitality either. 'But it's only the current Government that can make the changes.' 'If breweries or pubs get a business rate hike in the Budget, customers are going to have to pay more and it will cripple the industry. 'Something needs to be done and it needs to be done really quickly. 'Support your local independent breweries and pubs. If not, we're going to lose them.'
