Cheers as Cathy’s huge Red Lion pub crawl nearly over

The personal trainer from Lancashire will soon reach the milestone of 600 pubs with the total to visit 630 – including pubs in Shoreham, Arundel and Ashington.

Cathy, 56, embarked upon the quest to have a drink in every Red Lion Pub in Britain on a whim while in the Red Lion at Hawkshead, in Cumbria, watching the Grand National back in April 2011.

She said: “I will be reaching the mammoth milestone of 600 soon and will celebrate this at the Red Lion, Gatwick Airport North Terminal in the first week of May - from then it is countdown until the quest is complete.

“My final Red Lion will be at Northmoor, Oxford which has been a community-owned pub for almost a year.

“Hook Norton Brewery is involved in this big celebration which will be in July. In August there will be a big party at Hawkshead Red Lion, so then I will have come full circle.”

Cathy is writing a book on the mission which she says in making ‘good progress’.

She said: “Eighty per cent of my Red Lions have been only metres away from a church. I have seen some amazing old churches, in fact many Red Lions were built specially to house the building materials and builders while the church was been built. Many started out as morgues or blacksmiths, lots even claim to be haunted.

I have stayed overnight in Red Lions, dined, lunched and had breakfast in Red Lions, watched live bands, danced and even done karaoke in Red Lions. I have played games of pool, Bullring, darts and skittles in Red Lions.”

• Follow Cathy’s progress on her blog, on Twitter, or on Facebook.