Saturday 3 May 2014

Price of Lions

A couple of years ago I reported (perhaps slightly flippantly) on the quest of Cathy Price from Preston to visit all of the pubs in the country bearing the name of Red Lion. She has recently sent me an update on her progress:
Here is an update on my journey all over Britain. I am now on Red Lion number 433 and just past the 3 year anniversary. I have under 200 more to go and I am aiming to get them done as near to my 4th year anniversary as possible which is 09/04/2015. I will end in my very first one in Hawkshead where there will be big celebrations.

This is turning out to be an amazing quest taking me to hundreds of Towns and Villages I would never have been to for any other reason not to mention the characters I meet along the way. In July I will be visiting Guernsey, I have 22 to do in Kent, lots more around London. I have been to my most Northern and most Southern, all Devon and Cornwall were visited in 2012 in a Campervan. I have been educated on lots of historical facts about Britain and travelled tens of thousands of miles with only one speed ticket, no punctures and just one note about my bad parking!!

The 500th will be later this year then there is serious countdown.

All credit to her. The journey must give a fascinating insight into a cross-section of British pub life –and British society in general. I’ll certainly raise a glass to her when she’s completed her mission.

You can follow Cathy on Twitter at @RedLion_Quest, or like her Facebook page Cathys-Crazy-Red-Lion-Pub-Crawl

7 comments:

  1. She must have been/be about to visit my Hampshire home town then.

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  2. Well, if you were from Preston, you'd want to visit pubs somewhere, ANYWHERE, else.

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  3. Martin, Cambridge4 May 2014 at 01:18

    Astonishing comment. Preston has one of the best pubs scenes in the country, particularly with the recent extension of the Continental's influence complementing the more traditional Victorian locals.

    Good luck to here.

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  4. As I actually live there, I feel I'm qualified to comment on Preston's pubs. They seem to be divided mostly between "old men grumbling into their pint" pubs and "scantily clad young people crowd sicky fighty" places.

    The Black Horse is a Victorian wonder inside, but sadly only serves Robinsons.

    The Old Black Bull has a very good beer selection, but is fairly dismal inside.

    The Dog & Partridge is ok, unless its biker clientele are in, then it gets very loud and raucous.

    The Continental, as I remember, is very food orientated and has a strange queuing system. Not to mention being a fair old walk away. Their latest venture, the takeover of The Moorbrook on North Road, hasn't opened yet, though sounds interesting.

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  5. Martin, Cambridge4 May 2014 at 20:32

    No relation to Mark Lawrenson ?

    I stay in Preston most months and always enjoy the pub you just mentioned, but each to their own. I love the Black Bull and the Wheatsheaf.

    What do you make of Stockport pubs ?

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  6. What's the book called? "A lot of dumpy pubs" ?

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  7. Probably some relation to Mark Lawrenson. Third cousins or something. Not a common name, even in Preston, where it's more common than anywhere else in the country.

    Never been to a pub in Stockport. Never been outside the rail station there.

    ReplyDelete

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