The Thinking Drinkers’ Great British Pub Ride

The Thinking Drinkers are cycling the length of Britain on a tandem bike – to help save the British Pub 🚲 🍻

In the last forty years, the UK has lost a quarter of its pubs, six ‘locals’ are closing every single week and thousands are facing a very uncertain future.

Something needs to be done. So, we are going to be cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats and we will ONLY be eating, drinking, sleeping and stopping in British pubs – to showcase and remind everyone how flipping brilliant they can be.

During the gruelling 1000+ mile, two-week pub pilgrimage, there will be no shops, no restaurants, no coffee chains or cafes, no petrol stations. Not even a Londis or a Greggs.

If we don’t use pubs, we’ll lose them. So that’s what we’re doing, relying entirely on lovely ‘locals’ for our two week ride.

The Thinking Drinkers are cycling the length of Britain on a tandem bike – to help save the British Pub 🚲 🍻

In the last forty years, the UK has lost a quarter of its pubs, six ‘locals’ are closing every single week and thousands are facing a very uncertain future.

Something needs to be done. So, we are going to be cycling from Land’s End to John O’Groats and we will ONLY be eating, drinking, sleeping and stopping in British pubs – to showcase and remind everyone how flipping brilliant they can be.

During the gruelling 1000+ mile, two-week pub pilgrimage, there will be no shops, no restaurants, no coffee chains or cafes, no petrol stations. Not even a Londis or a Greggs.

If we don’t use pubs, we’ll lose them. So that’s what we’re doing, relying entirely on lovely ‘locals’ for our two week ride.

Fri 20th June: DAY 1
Old Success Inn Sennen Cove, Penzance TR19 7DG
Crown Inn Fore St, Goldsithney, TR20 9LG
The Blue Anchor Inn 50 Coinagehall St, Helston TR13 8EL
Ship Inn Pentewan PL26 6BX
Haveners Town Quay, Fowey PL23 1AT

Sat 21st June: DAY 2
Crow’s Nest King Doniert, Liskeard, PL146AB
The Blacksmiths Arms Lamerton, Tavistock PL19 8QR
The Kings Arms at South Zeal Devon EX20 2JP
Mill On The Exe Bonhay Rd, Exeter EX4 3AB

Sunday 22nd June: DAY 3
Thorverton Arms The Bury, Thorverton, Exeter EX5 5NS
Butterleigh Inn Butterleigh, Cullompton EX15 1PN
Ring O Bells 16-17 St James St, Taunton TA1 1JS
The Railway inn Station Rd, Sandford, BS25 5RA
The Rising Sun 91 W Town Rd, Backwell, BS48 3BH

Monday 23RD June: DAY 4
Hen & Chicken 60 Victoria St, Bristol BS1 6DE
Salutation Inn Ham, Berkeley GL13 9QH
Olde Black Bear 68 high street gl20 5bj
Ye Olde Talbot Friar Street, Worcester, WR1 2NA

Tuesday 24th June: DAY 5
Black Star Stourport on Severn DY13 8Y
Harp Hotel 40 High St, Wolverhampton WV7 3JF
Sandbrook Vaults Market Drayton TF9 3BY
Cholmondeley Arms Wrenbury Rd, Malpas SY14 8HN

Wednesday 25th June: DAY 6
The Spinner & Bergamot Warrington Road, Northwich, CW9 6AY
Barkley Tavern Wigan, WN6 7NF
White Lion 117 Mossy Lea Rd, Wigan, WN6 9RE*
The Black Horse 66 Friargate, Preston PR1 2EJ
Royal Oak Garstang Market Pl, Garstang, Preston PR3 1ZA

Thursday 26th June: DAY 7
White Cross Quarry Rd, Lancaster, LA1 4XT
The Royal Barn New Rd, Kirkby Lonsdale, LA6 2AB
Mardale Inn at St Patrick’s Well Bampton, CA10 2RQ
The Crown Inn Pooley Bridge, Cumbria, CA10 2NP

Friday 27th June: DAY 8
Spinners Arms Cummersdale, Carlisle, CA2 6BD
Blue Bell Inn Annan DG12 6AG
Kings Arms 15 High St, Lochmaben, DG11 1NG
Old Stables Inn Main Street, Moffat DG10 9QX

Saturday 28th June: DAY 9
Wanlockhead Inn Church St, Wanlockhead, ML12 6UZ
Colebrooke Arms 7 Main Street Biggar,
The Railway Inn 43 Main St, West Calder EH55 8DL
The Bridge Inn at Ratho 27 Baird Road, EH28 8RA

Sunday 29th June: DAY 10
Loch Leven Taproom Muirs, Kinross KY13 8AS
Old Ship Inn Perth 31 High Street, Perth
Bankfoot inn Main Street, Perth PH1 4AB
Old Mill Inn Mill Ln, Pitlochry PH16 5BH

Monday 30th June: DAY 11
The Bothy Bar (Atholl Arms Hotel) B8079, Pitlochry PH18 5SG
Inshriach House – Shed & Distillery Aviemore PH22 1QP
Old Bridge Bunkhouse 2 Dalfaber Rd, Aviemore PH22 1PU

Tuesday 1st July: Day 12
The Cairn Hotel Main Road Inverness-shire PH23 3AS
Black Isle Inverness Bar 68 Church St, Inverness IV1 1EN
The Mallard Bar, Dingwall, IV15 9JD
Commercial Hotel 23 High Street, Alness, IV17 0PT

Wednesday 2nd July: Day 13
Invershin Hotel Bunkhouse & Bar Invershin IV27 4ET
The Crask Inn The Crask Inn, Lairg IV27 4AB
Farr Bay Inn Bettyhill, Thurso KW14 7SZ

Thursday 3rd July: Day 14:
The Strathy Inn Strathy, Thurso KW14 7RY
Halladale Inn Melvich, Thurso KW14 7YJ
Ferry Inn Scrabster, Thurso KW14 7UJ
The Last House John o’ Groats Brewery, KW1 4YR

Hello, My name is Ben. My name is Tom. And together we are the Thinking Drinkers. You’ve probably heard of us Anyway well, we’re two of the UK’s
leading drinks experts. Yeah, and as award
winning authors and drinks journalists. We’ve been telling people what to drink,
why to drink it and where to drink it. For more than 50 years combined. And we first met whilst
working on a pub newspaper. We love pubs. We do. For centuries, these iconic elbow bending
institutions have been the cornerstone of our communities. The thing is,
the pub is in massive trouble. Serious trouble. Since 2000, 1 in 4 pubs have closed. And if we don’t do something about it,
we’re going to lose thousands more. The number of locals are shrinking quicker than a crisp packet in a roaring pub fire,
thanks to a crippling combination of rocketing energy bills, a hike in National Insurance
reams of red tape and people dicking around on their phones
instead of living their real lives. Exactly, Tom. So we’re embarking
on our greatest mission yet. Yeah, we’re going to breathe life back
into the beleaguered British boozer. We are going to place a defibrillator on the hairy nipples of the great British
pub, the beating heart of our nation. Yeah, we are going to save the British pub. And how are we going to do it? Well, we’re going to ride from Land’s End
to John O’Groats. Only eating, drinking, sleeping
and stopping in great British boozers. If we don’t use pubs we’ll lose them. So that’s what
we’re doing. During our ride we’re going to rely
on the great British pub and the lovely, generous people
who run them. No shops, no restaurants,
no coffee chains, no cafes, no petrol stations,
not even a Greggs, no Greggs? No. So no yum yum’s? No yum yum’s Tom. not even a steak bake. Steak and bake. And we don’t mean we’re going
to be boozing our way through them. Not one drop of alcohol
will pass our lips, obviously, until we get off the bike
at the end of each day. Yeah, we’re going to be tackling up
to 100 miles a day. And irresponsible
consumption of alcohol is not an option. No, we’re going to prove that pubs are so much more than just somewhere
to go and have a drink. Yeah, they’re unique, quirky,
historical, versatile and diverse places that provide crucial social respite
to the people who live around them. And we’re doing this ride on a tandem. Doing it on a tandem. Yeah. A thousand miles,
more than 60 pubs over two weeks. And we’ve had previous on bikes,
so this isn’t going to be pretty. This is really tough. It is terrifying. My lungs are on fire. Don’t think I can express in words
how painful this is. Our collective backsides
are currently whimpering in the corner. Yeah, but if this ride helps pubs in some
small way, then it will all be worth it. And our journey begins
in Cornwall on Friday, June the 20th. So follow us on YouTube
@thethinkingdrinkers and Instagram @thinkingdrinkers Yeah, and join our campaign
to reduce business rates for boozers. So anyway, we’ll see you down the pub. Yeah, well, nice one, shall we do that then. All right, let’s ride it. If we could just walk. It’s
just over there. No what you gotta ride
everywhere. That’s the whole point. Oh, wait. Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa
whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa.