The Great British Pub Crawl couple visits Portsmouth in their quest to have a drink in every pub in the UK
A Nottingham couple have visited over 5,000 pubs as they aim to raise support for dying pubs – including a visit to Portsmouth last week.
Dale Harvey, 44, and his partner Holly Booth, 32, headed to Portsmouth over the Easter weekend to try out a number of pubs in their quest to raise awareness of the issues pubs are facing across the country.
They have been documenting their Great British Pub Crawl on social media gaining 20k followers on TikTok as they ask people to sign a petition for the government to “review ways to assist the hospitality industry”.
The petition, created by Dale, states: “We feel that without government assistance, independent breweries and pubs cannot swallow the hikes in business rates, the living wage and rising operating costs.”
Dale and Hollie visited 19 pubs in Portsmouth on Saturday, April 19, including Staggeringly Good Brewery. A post on their Facebook page, The Great British Pub Crawl, said: “I've loved these guys beers for a long time now and have been itching to get down here for ages! Needless to say, they didn't disappoint and the sheer array of great beer offerings is perfectly complimented by some amazing BBQ food provided by Bear Bones BBQ Co... A great taproom that should be on the list of any craft beer or BBQ fan to visit!”
The couple were impressed by a number of the city’s boozers including The Brewery Tap, Shenanigans, Ripper & Co, Rapscallions, Soul, The Hole in the Wall, and The Barley Mow. The full list of pubs and bars visited, as well as a short review for each can be found on their Facebook post.
A recent report by the BBPA shows a decrease of over 25% in the number of UK pubs from 2000-2024. A crisis exacerbated by recent shocks like the pandemic and the energy crisis.
Dale and Holly continue their quest to visit every pub in the UK and are already planning their next visit to Portsmouth. Dale’s Facebook post said: “We are already planning visit two and we know there are hundreds more pubs to get to still! What a wonderful city!”