Beer lover rejoices

JUST popping out for a pint has taken on a whole new meaning for beer-loving schoolteacher Peter Bradley.

He has clocked up hundreds of miles and visited nearly 150 pubs to win a competition run by an East Anglian brewer.

The history teacher at Westbourne High School in Ipswich even found a new local in the process, despite living 60 miles away.

Earlier this year, Norfolk brewer Woodforde's launched its 21st Anniversary Ale Trail, challenging drinkers to sample its beer in as many pubs as possible.

Participants had to buy a pint of Wherry Bitter in any of 152 listed pubs in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, getting a card stamped in each one in order to win prizes.

They needed to visit 48 pubs to claim a reward, but Mr Bradley, who has taught at Westbourne for 20 years, decided to visit the lot.

He lives in Chantry but found himself trekking all over East Anglia on his beer quest, using a special map marked up with all the Ale Trail pubs.

The 48-year-old does not drive so he used public transport and enlisted the help of five mates to transport him around the region during May and June.

One memorable pub crawl saw them start off in Dereham, visiting North Elmham, King's Lynn and Wisbech before last orders in March.

"The whole experience was brilliant. It cost me £1,000 but it was well worth it," said Mr Bradley, whose favourite Ipswich pubs are the Hogshead, in Lloyds Avenue, and the Fat Cat, in Spring Road.

"My friends rallied round and drove me to the places that were difficult to get to. There was one pub in Holt that was on the list by mistake and didn't even serve Woodforde's, but we went there anyway.

Peter, who is unmarried, ticked off a total of 149 pubs on the list - three were not open when visited.

He compiled a dossier on the pubs he visited – and even embarked on a "victory tour" of his favourites when he completed the trail.