On the trail ofthe Red Lion

She has her work set-out as the Red Lion is the most common pub name in the UK.

Cathy was in the Rye and Battle area recently when she paid a call to the Red Lions at Brede and Hooe.

Commenting on her local experience, she said: “Brede was number 532 of the pubs I have visited.

“The guys in the pub told me lots of local facts and history like the tunnels leading from the cellar to the Church house which was a Courthouse.

“They told me that the views behind the Church over the valley is where the King would go to review his fleet on the river, now only a few metres wide but once half a mile. One of them had just visited Red Lion, Parliament Street, which I know well.

“Hooe (number 533) was again friendly, the landlord was new and he had left his father in charge, quite a character, so I didnt meet him. The pub was about to get some refurbishment.

Personal trainer Cathy, 56, from Preston, spoke of the origins of her marathon pub crawl.

She was having a drink in the Red Lion at Hawkshead during the Grand National back in April 2011 when she decided to trek around the country visiting every pub with the same name.

With 630 Red Lion pubs dotted around the UK, the mission wasn’t any easy one. However, nearly four years later, the finish line is in sight for her.

She said: “I am up to 590 now and I will be reaching the mammoth milestone of 600 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.”

Cathy is documenting her journey by writing a book and her blog is at cathypriceredlions.co.uk.