A Midlands man on a never-ending nationwide pub crawl has tasted what East Hampshire has to offer.

A handful of hostelries recently welcomed Peter Hill of the famed Black Country Ale Tairsters as the 68-year-old from West Bromwich toured the area.

The retired engineer has visited more than 24,000 pubs and drunk more than 55,000 pints since he started doing the rounds with his father in 1984.

But Peter and his fellow Tairsters – Black Country dialect for tasters – have also turned pints into pounds as their travels have raised tens of thousands for good causes.

Mr Hill visited The Townhouse in Petersfield at the end of April before starting May 1 at The Hawkley Inn.

Eight Bells CAMRA winner
Shirley Hawkley presents the East Hants CAMRA Pub of the Year certificate to Eight Bells landlord Phil Troubridge. The Alton pub is a “must visit” according to Peter. (East Hants CAMRA)

He lauded the village pub – the 23,889th he had visited - for its six real ales and “smashing welcome off everyone” before paying the nearby Selborne Arms a visit, noting its “unusual bench seats” and sitting in the “wild and lovely” beer garden.

He also called The Eight Bells in Alton a must, calling Philip Traubridge, its gaffer of 25 years, full of history and information before heading off to the Yew Tree in Lower Wield for an afternoon pint.

His final pint in our patch was at The Prince of Wales in Hammer Vale where he received a “lovely welcome” off Nick and Becky. The pair donated £20 to his air ambulance charity and served him an excellent pint of Dark Star before Peter called it a day and left for Hayling.

Peter’s journey began in 1984 and was inspired by a Marstons “pub and platter” map of the West Midlands.

He documents every pub visit in a log book, including the landlord’s signature, photographs and description of the watering hole. It’s thirsty work and you can follow his journey through his @blackcountryaletairsters Instagram account.

Speaking of charity and beer, staff at The Hawkley Inn will be rolling out the barrels later this week as their annual three-day beer festival in aid of The Rosemary Foundation begins this Friday (May 18).

Hawkley Inn Beer Festival
The Hawkley Inn Beer Festival in aid of The Rosemary Foundation begins this Friday. (The Hawkley Inn)

Expect a wide selection of real ales from a host of breweries along with live music from the likes of Ollie Hutch, Black Cherry Jam, Parallel Lines, Fleur Ash, Rescue Mission, Boost Button, Chicago 9 and The Remedy.

The event is nearly a sell-out but a handful of tickets may be available at https://www.entertainment-events.co.uk/hawkleyfestival