Man who's visited 25,000 pubs names two in England he always returns to

Man who's visited 25,000 pubs names two in England he always returns to Two watering holes keep drawing Peter Hill back after 25,000 pub visits – thanks to their unspoilt character and the landlords he has known for decades Two unspoilt English pubs stand out for a man who has visited an astonishing 25,000 boozers – and he keeps returning to see their long-standing landlords. Peter Hill, 70, named the Yew Tree Inn in Cauldon, Staffordshire, and the Peyton Arms in Stoke Lyne, Oxfordshire, as two favourites that have kept their appeal throughout his decades of pub crawling. For the Guinness World Record holder, it is not just the beer that brings him back. The people behind the bar and the pubs' traditional character matter just as much. "And I go see them two all the time because they are not only great blokes, the pubs are fantastic, unspoilt," he said. His connection with the Yew Tree Inn stretches back to the mid-1980s, when he first met its landlord. Since then, Peter has made a habit of returning each year, keeping a simple record of his visits. He said: "I never phone, I just go every year to see him. I first met him in the mid-80s when we did his pub and got the book signed then and I left him my card. And every time I go, I just put the date on the back of the card, how many times I've been there, you know." The Peyton Arms is home to another familiar face: a landlord known as Mick the Hat. Peter even chose to visit him on his 70th birthday in June. Those friendships reflect what Peter values most in a pub. Rather than places that all look alike, he seeks out real ale, welcoming locals and small rooms full of character. "I like all the traditional old-fashioned pubs that sell real ale and the sort of unique pubs that you only come across occasionally," he said. "I mean, a lot of pubs have all become samey-samey pubs, haven't they? They've knocked all the rooms into one. I like when they have three or four little rooms and they've all got character, the gaffer's friendly, the locals are friendly, the beers lovely. That's what I look for." Peter has plenty of experience to draw on. His father started the pub crawl 42 years ago with a far more modest ambition: to have a pint in 250 pubs and raise money for charity. But they carried on long after reaching that target. Now a Guinness World Record holder for the world's longest pub crawl, Peter has drunk an estimated 60,000 pints and spent roughly £336,000 on beer. His 76,327-mile journey has taken him to every pub in Wales, 550 in Scotland and every pub featured in the CAMRA guide. He is often joined by friends from the Black Country Ale Tairsters, a group formed after they began exploring pubs beyond their home town of West Bromwich in the West Midlands. For Peter, those outings are a chance to talk rather than stare at a screen. He regularly leaves his mobile at home and encourages his friends to put theirs away too. He said: "It's all right for an emergency, but other than that, I never take it out. And if my mates get it out, I'll tell them, 'You know, come on lads, it's a social night.'" The father-of-two believes younger generations are missing out on that face-to-face company, spending too much time on social media or fitness instead. He said: "And we can teach them how to play dominoes and socialise and talk about life in general. It's no use sitting at home on the screen and sitting and just scrolling through rubbish. That's my view."