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EXCLUSIVE: 'I've visited 5,000 pubs on my three year crawl and I've got thousands more to go'

Dale Harvey took on on his pub challenge in 2022 and has since visited 1,520 pubs across the country. Calling it a "full time job", Dale is on a mission to visit every single pub in the UK

[Dale Harvey]

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Dale has visited 5,020 pubs so far - but has plans to visit all 31,648 in the UK

A former publican who called time on life behind the bar has since made it his mission to visit every single pub in the UK in a bid to keep the beer flowing in our great British boozers.

Since March 16, 2022, Dale Harvey has stepped into over 5,020 pubs, criss-crossing the UK from Edinburgh to Penzance in search of the best British pub. I did 20 yesterday, he says, setting his target at 70 new pubs a week.

But this is about far more than downing pints for Dale, 44. With 769 pubs closing in 2024 alone, the UKs pub culture is under threat.

[Holly Booth and Dale Harvey]

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Dale visits pubs with his partner Holly Booth (Image: Joseph Raynor/ Nottingham Post)

And thats why hes backing the Daily Mirrors Your Pub Needs You campaign. He says: "I am behind the Mirror's campaign because I believe in any campaign that supports the pub industry. They are in desperate need of more funding and support, and we need to get behind them and show our locals as much support as possible."

Dale, who estimates that 500 pubs he has visited have already closed or changed hands, since he began his mission, adds: Ive been to loads of pubs on the brink of closure. I ran pubs for over 20 years, I stopped during Covid. And if I get messages from landlords saying theyre in trouble, I do what I can.

Dale, who first worked in pubs at 16 as a pot washer, wanted to continue helping the industry in his own way. Now, armed with a camera and a keen nose for a good pint, he documents his journey on social media, with impressive results.

Your Pub Needs You - our campaign demands

His Facebook page boasts 110,000 followers, TikTok recently hit 16,000, and YouTube is growing steadily with 14,000 subscribers. And by monetising his videos, he can afford to make his quest, dubbed The Great British Pub Crawl, his full-time job.

Its all about the content, he says. Every single pub I go to, I write my notes for each pub and give them all the shout-out they deserve. Dale, who lives in Nottingham with his partner Holly Booth, 32, spends most of the week away from home, visiting between 20 to 25 pubs a day.

Hes found a space at the bar in more than 100 towns and cities across Britain and uses his social media platforms to ask for recommendations for great locals.

[Dale at The Turf Hotel in Wrexham]

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Dale at The Turf Hotel in Wrexham

I try to go to the ones that people suggest, he says. I do quite a variety old ones, craft beer ones, sports bars. Each video I make gives people a good indication of what is actually there.

This is my work now and I wont finish until 11pm or after. People dont see the unglamorous side of me sitting in a hotel room, editing and making notes until 3am. Then Ive got to be up at 10am and travel to the next place.

But hes met some amazing people everywhere from posh Park Lane in London to struggling communities where the local pub is a lifeline. And he has joined The Mirrors campaign, backed by Sir Keir Starmer, to save our great British pubs.

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Your Pub Needs You poster to help save Britain's boozers

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We are demanding the setting-up of a fighting fund that struggling boozers can tap into. We also want proper recognition for pubs that are the heart of our communities, giving everything from a warm place for people and groups to meet and have fun, to tackling loneliness and raising money.

Meanwhile, Dales extraordinary pub crawl has taken him to some incredible places. But he says one city stands out, revealing: Liverpool is the best place so far.

Ive visited 65 of their pubs. Im just blown away. Theres something around a different street corner. Other favourites include Newcastle and the charming Leicestershire village of Ashby-de-la-Zouch.

And the cost of a pint? 1.39 in Wetherspoons is the cheapest. I once paid 20 for craft beer in London, he reveals. As drinking habits shift, he encourages the rise of alcohol-free options behind the bar.

Guinness has introduced a 0% option now that is actually really good, he says. Keen to promote the pubs function as a community hub, he continues: Ive met so many good people. I never even knew these places existed.

And with more 5,000 pubs visited and thousands more to go, he has a long way to go before he reaches last orders!

Your Pub Needs You. Our campaign demands:

• A fighting fund for pubs
• Recognition for pubs that go above and beyond in their community
• More community support for communities wanting to buy their local

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