Comedians and presenters Tom Sandham and Ben McFarland, who are known as the Thinking Drinkers, will cycle on a tandem from Lands End to John O’Groats in a bid to highlight the pub sectors plight.
The duo came up with the idea after discovering six pubs are closing each week, so they have decided to embark on their epic quest, pledging to only, eat, drink, sleep and stop at British boozers.
The pair, who are also the drinks presenters on ITV’s This Morning, will be doing the ride on a tandem which they have borrowed off a man they met down the pub.
“If we don’t use pubs, we’ll lose them – so that’s what we’re doing, relying entirely on lovely ‘locals’ during our nationwide ride,” said Sandham. “No shops. No restaurants. No coffee chains or cafes. No petrol stations. Not even a Greggs.”
McFarland added: “We’ve never ridden a tandem, it’s a frighteningly long way and rather than a gentle pootle around some pretty pubs, it’s going to be a brutal bike ride on behalf of the beleaguered British boozer - but it’s nothing compared to the daily struggles facing pubs up and down the country.”
Get behind the campaign
The award-winning writers, who promote pubs through their Guinness World Record-breaking live comedy shows, will be documenting every mile of their epic pub pilgrimage on their Thinking Drinkers YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@TheThinkingDrinkers).
“We are urging the pub trade to subscribe, like and get behind the campaign,” said Sandham. “By making a lot of noise, we will make things happen and raise awareness of the issues facing pubs. People need to know.”
The Thinking Drinkers, who met whilst working on The Publican newspaper back in the early 2000s, have received wholehearted, widespread industry support from pub companies, brewers, drinks firms and the online resource “Stay In A Pub”.
They are also working in tandem (pun intended) with the British Beer & Pub Association’s “Long Live The Local” initiative which campaigns for a reduction in the unfair burdens on pubs.
“The costs for pubs to simply do business are far too high – no other business sector in the economy is taxed so heavily and unjustly and this has pushed the price of a pint above the £5 barrier,” added McFarland. “With even really busy pubs currently struggling to survive and the average publican making just 12p profit on a pint, we’re calling for a reduction in business rates to give them a much-needed lifeline.”
Crippling combination
In the last forty years, the UK has lost 20,000 pubs while, more recently, the pub trade has been hit by a crippling combination of COVID, rocketing energy bills, the cost of living crisis, a hike in national insurance and reams of red tape.
“Pubs today are much more than just a place to drink,” said Sandham. “They are unique, historical national institutions, the cornerstones of our communities, the heartbeat of our high streets and proven antidotes to loneliness.”
McFarland added: “Pubs are essential in bringing communities together and do so much to improve our collective mental well-being. They provide crucial social respite to the people who live around them - from coffee mornings for new parents and pensioners; to live music, comedy nights, kids’ parties, pilates, hot-desking work spaces and, hopefully, somewhere safe to apply anti-chafing cream to very sore bottoms!”
Remaining loyal to their motto of ‘Drink Less, Drink Better’, the Thinking Drinkers will be abstaining from alcohol entirely whilst on their tandem bike and even after they’ve dismounted, they will not be exceeding the recommended 14 units a week.
The pair will set-off from Land’s End on Friday 20th June and plan to arrive at John O’Groats on Thursday 3rd July having visited four pubs every day – a total of more than 60 pubs over the two weeks.
You can find their route here and on the Thinking Drinkers YouTube channel – and the Thinking Drinkers are asking pub-goers to come and support them in their mission.
“Please come and meet us at one of the pubs on our journey,” said Sandham. “We want to encourage the public to get off their sofas and support their locals – because if we don’t, we’ll seriously miss them when they’re gone.”