Not your average pub crawl: Couple's quest to visit every boozer in Shropshire
A Shropshire couple are on a quest that could take them three years to complete. Their mission? To visit every single pub in the county.
Not the worst challenge one could take. Documenting their boozy adventure are Josh Dunderdale and Charlotte Stone – together, they're the Shropshire Swillers.
It's not just any old pub crawl either – Josh says a lot of thought has gone into their plan: "It was my idea initially, I just wanted to map every pub in Shropshire. As soon as I told Charlotte, we both looked at each other and it clicked - we decided that we were going on a quest to have a drink at every single one."
"We started doing some really in-depth research, I was even checking county boundaries between Shropshire, Staffordshire and Wales. I found a crossroad with a pub just outside the boundary, The Dartmouth Arms in Burnhill Green. I thought it was in Shropshire until I assessed the Staffordshire boundary on the map - it was literally 100m out, so it didn't make the cut."
Up until this morning, their list was 465 pubs strong, but Josh is convinced he's yet to find more.
"Today, I found one down the road from The Dartmouth Arms which IS in Shropshire, The Summerhouse in Boningale. That's 466 now, nightmare!"
"We might be missing around 15 to 20 at a push, just because I keep finding new ones. My mate mentioned one to me the other day that I'd never heard of.
"The list keeps getting longer, but I think we're pretty close."
The couple document their journey on Facebook and Instagram under @Shropshire_swillers and give an historical insight into each pub – they have visited 32 so far.
Starting their quest two months ago, Josh and Charlotte expect it to take three years – and they must stick to the rules:
"Rule one: It has to be a pub and identify as one - it can't be a bar or social club, or a restaurant that serves beer. Rule two: It needs to be in Shropshire. Rule three: We need to have at least one pint between the two of us, like a half pint each."
Asked about their drink of choice, Josh said: "Charlotte liked wine before she met me, now I'm getting her onto the ales. Her favourite is an Enville.
"I love an ale - normally I'd go for a stout or a mild. Not a fan of craft though, I'll always choose a real ale."
Josh says they both have a passion for history too, which is one of the reasons why they chose the challenge.
"We love history and we love pubs - Shropshire is the best place for it, " he said.
"We love our county, and it's a great opportunity to travel around it. Charlotte has lived here her whole life - me most of my life, I moved here when I was three. It's just a great chance to meet people and see the county, we learn something new every day and have a great time doing it, while challenging ourselves."
The adventurous couple lead busy lives, Josh works at a logistics firm in Market Drayton, while Charlotte's career lies in trade compliance – all while planning their move to Ironbridge in the coming days, but they haven't let that stop them.
"Fine margins in this game!" Josh joked. "We will try and finish packing up early tonight for the move, then go to a new pub after!"
