A real ale fan who has spent more than 40 years on the world's longest pub crawl has celebrated reaching his 24,000TH boozer.

Peter Hill toasted his 69th birthday by raising a glass in the Elephant & Castle, in Dudley, West Mids., after reaching the incredible milestone on June 20.

His epic pub crawl has been 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 while aiming to visit every pub in the CAMRA guide.

Dedicated Peter has ticked off drinking in every pub in Wales, having a pint on 69 islands around the UK and visiting a boozer in every British county.

Dad-of-two Peter, of West Bromwich, said: ""It's been a great adventure and I've met some amazing people along the way. "

"I'm not sure if I'll ever stop, as I still really enjoy it. There's still hundreds of pubs to go, so 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."

"We used to get a little drunk in the early days but it's more of a mature hobby now and I always take it easy and pace myself. We don't drink to excess."

"I mainly stick to the real ales but we'll try the odd stout and mild too. It's brilliant fun, you can't beat a good pub. I love the characters you meet."

"I prefer the old-fashioned traditional boozers, just a couple of rooms and a warm welcome is very important."

"And it helps if they have a good beer on." "

The group was formed 41 years ago when they set out to drink their way through 300 pubs listed on a map handed out by the local Banks brewery in Wolverhampton.

After visiting every one they decided to continue, embarking on challenge after challenge to raise money for charities, each one more ambitious than the last.



One room of his home is now full of 280 arch-lever files logging every pub and includes pictures, menus and other memorabilia from his travels.

Retired engineer Peter, who is married to Dawn, 66, added: "We started back in November 1984 with a group of mates and my dad when the price of a pint was just 64p"

"We just got a bit bored of going to the same old place and it was my dad's idea to start visiting 300 from a Bank's map of Wolverhampton pubs. "

"Then we sort of said 'shall we get to 1,000?' - then it was 2,000, then 3,000 and it just never stopped from there."

"We set a world record for the longest pub crawl but it was never about that. I'm just enjoying my life while trying to raise a bit of money for charity."

"I have raised over £35,000 for good causes over the years, I only ask for a quid a pub really but some landlords give more. "

"We like to raise money for the local children's hospital wherever we are and also for the Air Ambulance."

"We have seen the industry drastically change over the years. Its sad to see so many pubs struggling, the price of the beer doesn't help - you can pay £7 a pint and even over a tenner for some of these fancy craft ales."

"But I don't go for them. My favourites are Oakham Cistra, Abbeydale Moonshine or Deception, Ossett White Rat and Black Country Ales."



"We've been to the Shetlands, Orkneys, Jersey, Guernsey. And to parts of Europe too as we like to visit military and war sites, like the Somme."

"I always leave a calling card which I have signed by a pub team member to prove I have been in."

"The wife is OK with it, she just accepts it's my hobby. It's our anniversary next week and she wants to go to Greenwich."

"So of course, I've checked if there's a few pubs I need to chalk off down there and there is, so we'll be popping for couple of pints."

"I'm trying to do my bit to keep the pub scene alive. I'll keep going until the beer runs out."

When Peter and co reached their 20,000th pub in 2017 they set a new Guinness World Record for the Longest Pub Crawl.

* Peter's Top 5 Pubs *

The Black Lion, Consall Forge, Staffs: "Its out in the wilds a bit and has an old steam train running past, it's next to a canal and has a lovely beer garden."

Yew Tree Inn, Caulden Staffs: "The landlord is now 88 and still remembers me from when I visited in the early days as pub 1,052 in 1987. It's a lovely old place full of antiques and it has a great atmosphere"."

The Mug House, Claines, Worcester: "It has three little rooms and is by a lovely little churchyard. I have a pal there who I go and see quite often."

The Rising Sun, Tipton, West Mids: "Has been my local pub for years. Always welcoming and full of friendly faces."

Payton Arms, Stoke Lyne, Oxon: "Its a very unique place, full of cobwebs and spiders. Very old fashioned and hard to describe, you just need to see it."