'I'm a West Midlands real ale fan and I've drank in every pub in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide - these are the best'
Watch West Midlands man Peter Hill discuss his more than 40-year-long pub crawl, during which he’s visited all the pubs in the 2020 CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
A real ale fan from the West Midlands is raising a glass after spending six years and £66,000 drinking his way through every single pub in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Peter Hill, 69, crossed off his 4,500th boozer from the "beer drinkers bible" when he visited The Mermaid in St Albans, Hertfordshire, on Friday January 9.
Since 2019, he has spent £11,000 a year of his pension travelling the length and breadth of the country working his way through Britain's best pubs. Peter has clocked up more than a staggering 130,000 miles on his epic quest to complete every pub in the 2020 CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Peter, of West Bromwich, said: "The CAMRA guide is a bit like the beer drinker's bible - they know a good pub so I thought I'd try them all.
"It was all completely self-financed, I pretty much spent my pension on it - but I've been raising money for charity along the way. For the last six years it has cost me about £11,000 a year getting to all these pubs.
"It started out in October 2019 when that guide came out - it has taken me up and down the country and to many islands too. I have been to the likes of the Isle of Man, Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney, Isles of Scilly crossing off pubs - it has taken some doing.
"It's the definitive guide for great pubs, I've had great fun doing and met some amazing people along the way."
Peter is currently on the world's longest pub crawl, having spent more than 40 years since 1984 visiting over 24,000 boozers. The Mermaid became his 24,460th pub where he says he was "treated like a celebrity".
He said: "It was a cracking day and night, absolutely fantastic, I was treated like a celebrity. Even the local MP turned out and the chairman of the local CAMRA branch, they all took me on a pub crawl and I was presented with a plaque.
"I've managed to raise £7,150 for the Midlands Air Ambulance just by doing the CAMRA pubs so it's all for a good cause too. I only ask for a quid a pub and the licensees and some of the locals usually donate.
"I was even able to cross off four pubs on the way home, which are in the 2026 CAMRA guide. I'm not sure if I'll work my way through all of those yet - I'm keeping that idea under wraps for now as I don't know what the missus will say."
Peter's mammoth pub crawl has seen him travel 400,000 miles and sink a staggering 60,000 pints since he started out back in 1984 - when a pint cost 64p. Peter and his pals - dubbed the Black Country Ale Tairsters - started visiting different watering holes after becoming bored of always visiting the same pub. Since then, Peter has entered the record books by trawling the length and breadth of the country averaging 11 pubs every week.
Dad-of-two Peter said: "It all started by just crossing off all the pubs on a local Bank's map of Wolverhampton pubs back in 1984. We then did every pub in every Midlands county, which took me 23 years and then every pub in Wales, which took seven years.
"We've had a pint on 69 islands around the UK and visited a boozer in every British county. We just kept on going and going and ended up setting a world record for the longest pub crawl.
"But I needed a new challenge and I'd always wanted to complete one of the CAMRA guides - now I can say I've done it. I've been a member of CAMRA since 1990 so it's a nice achievement. CAMRA was based in St Albans when I started out so I thought it would be a great place to finish. Plus it's a great town for a pub crawl and beers as well.
"I'm not sure if I'll ever stop my pub crawl as there's still hundreds of pubs out there. 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 now. We don't drink to excess. We used to get a little drunk in the early days. It's more of a mature hobby now.
"I mainly stick to the real ales but we'll try the odd stout and mild too. I can be a bit more picky these days. And my favourite pubs are always the old-fashioned traditional boozers - and of course, it helps if they have a good beer on.
"As long as I've got some money I'll do my best to keep coming out to try and help keep the pubs open."
Peter says the best tipples he has tasted over the years are Oakham Cistra, Abbeydale Moonshine or Deception, Ossett White Rat and Black Country Ales.
Peter's top 12 favourite CAMRA pubs
The Mermaid, Hertfordshire - "My last pub in the CAMRA 2020 guide. Brilliant licensees, fabulous beer, best Oakham Citra for miles, and a great day, courtesy of the local South Herts CAMRA branch. A must visit."
Flying Duck, Ilkey, West Yorkshire - "I had a tour of the Wharfedale Brewery and drinking its excellent beers."
Falkland Arms, Dorking, Surrey - "A proper locals pub with wall TVs, pool and very well kept Surrey Hills beers"
Queens Head, Allen’s Green, Hertfordshire - "A welcoming country pub. Superb beers and ciders. Every third week there’s a beer honesty board where you drink your beer and put the required money in the box."
Little Green Dragon, Winchmore Hill, Greater London - "A cracking micro pub. The licensee cycled to the very first 100 micro pubs that opened all for charity. A lovely welcome."
Westford Inn, North Uist, Outer Hebrides - "A 1,200 mile round trip to visit this one. A friendly welcome, but I missed the food by 10 minutes. So, I had 5 pints instead and slept in a nearby Tractor Shed."
Hope, Carsholton, Greater London - "A friendly and busy community owned pub, with regular beer festivals in the large marquee."
Big Six, Halifax, West Yorkshire, - "A classic back street pub with small rooms and top-notch real ales."
Little Gem, Aylesford, Kent - "The name of the pub says it all. Beers straight out the barrels."
Castle, Harrow, Greater London - "A smart old multi-roomed Fuller’s pub, not to miss."
Jolly Farmers, Bramley, Surrey - "A bustling, characterful B&B country pub, serving lovely real ales and tasty food."
Rising Sun, Stanford-Le-Hope, Essex - "A friendly, locals CAMRA award-winning pub."
