Dale Harvey, 38, has visited more than 5,000 pubs in the UK in the past three years and is on a mission to keep the beer flowing in our great British boozers
A former landlord is embarking on a mission to visit every single pub in the UK – aiming to keep our beloved British boozers alive.
Since March 16, 2022, Dale Harvey, from Nottingham, has frequented over 5,020 pubs, traversing the UK from Edinburgh to Penzance in his quest to complete ultimate British pub crawl.
He recently did 20 pubs in one day, with his aim to tick off 70 new watering holes a week. The bloke’s intention isn’t about getting sizzled, but to raise awareness of the rapid decline of pubs in the UK.
With 769 pubs shutting their doors in 2024 alone, the UK’s pub culture is under threat. That’s why he’s throwing his weight behind our sister title the Daily Mirror’s “Your Pub Needs You” campaign.
Dale told the paper: “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 reckons that 500 pubs he has visited have already shut down or changed ownership since he started his mission, adds: “I’ve 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 they’re in trouble, I do what I can.”
Dale, who first cut his teeth in the pub industry at 16 as a pot washer, wanted to continue supporting the sector in his own unique way and is now joined by his partner Holly Booth,32, on some of the pub crawls.
Now, equipped with a camera and a discerning palate for a good pint, he chronicles his journey on social media, garnering impressive engagement.
With a following of 110,000 on Facebook, 16,000 on TikTok and a steadily growing YouTube channel with 14,000 subscribers, Dale has managed to turn his pub crawl quest, aptly named The Great British Pub Crawl, into a full-time job by monetising his videos.
He jots down notes on every single pub he has visited and provides them with their very own special ‘shout-out’.
Dale spends most of his week away from home, where he lives with partner Holly, visiting between 20 to 25 pubs daily. He’s found a spot at the bar in over 100 towns and cities across Britain and uses his social media platforms to ask for recommendations for great local pubs.
The bloke shared that he likes to visit a “variety” of pubs, including “old ones, craft beer ones and sports bars.” Dale has now made his mission to visit every pub in the UK a full-time job, where he won’t finish up the day before 11pm.
He admitted: “People don’t see the unglamorous side of me sitting in a hotel room, editing and making notes until 3am. Then I’ve got to be up at 10am and travel to the next place.”
Dale’s visited the more upmarket boozers in London’s notoriously posh and pricey Park Lane and, on the other side of the spectrum, struggling communities with equally struggling pubs.
The bloke revealed that Liverpool is the “best” for their pub options and managed to visit 65 establishments during his time in city. Dale also thinks that Newcastle and the Leicestershire village of Ashby-de-la-Zouch have some top notch pubs too.
The cheapest pub Dale managed to get his hands on was for £1.39 at a Wetherspoons, but forked out a hefty £20 for a craft beer in London.
He added there are lots of good alcohol-free options now, specifically the Guinness 0% – Dale said it’s “actually really good.”
Dale is not only enjoying his time sinking pints and helping to raise awareness about the struggling pubs in the UK, but he’s also met lots of “good” people.
He concluded: “I’ve met so many good people. I never even knew these places existed.”
Dale has joined The Mirror’s campaign, that is backed by Sir Keir Starmer, to get save the UK’s pub culture. The campaign demands a ‘fighting fund for pubs’, ‘recognition for pubs that go above and beyond in their communities’ and ‘more support for community groups wanting to buy their local.;