In what sounds like our personal dream holiday, a Plymouth man has driven from the northernmost pub on earth to the southernmost in an old Chimaera. Because, why not?

The idea for the Pub2Pub Expedition was conceived by Ben Coombs, an automotive writer and adventurer, whilst enjoying a pint in a pub in Dartmoor. In a noble quest to bring back the lost art travel, Coombs described the nature of his unique mission as, “a very British blend of elegance and eccentricity”. And, of course, it wouldn’t be very British if it didn’t involve a pub or two.

The first port of call took the team less than 700 miles from the North Pole, in an abandoned mining settlement called Pyramiden, on the Norwegian island of Svalbard. With the population of the settlement coming to a grand total of 4, all residents live together in the town’s old hotel – which just so happens to have a functioning bar. And since the requirements for an establishment to be classed as a ‘pub’ were to be 1) licensed, and 2) willing to sell a beer to any member of the public, the expedition was officially underway!

The Chimaera, nicknamed Kermit, was then driven through Europe to Southampton before being shipped to New York. Then began the long journey through the Americas to the southernmost bar, located in Puerto Williams in Tierra del Fuego, Chile. Which Mr Coombes told the BBC was “…a bit of a dive actually” – but we can’t have everything in life, I suppose.

During his expedition between the 2 bars at the ends of the Earth, Mr Coombs, and his various companions who joined him along the way, covered a total of 3 continents, 24 countries, and more than 20,000 miles. With a new clutch for Kermit being the only major repair of the trip. You can read a full account of the epic journey from the man himself on the Top Gear website, which we would highly recommend.

Now, as the quest comes to an end, our protagonist and his team are heading back to where it all started to celebrate their achievement – and you’re invited! Writing on the Pub2Pub Facebook page, Ben Coombs has requested friends and fans of the trek join him at the Two Bridges Hotel, Dartmoor to, “meet the Pub2Pub crew, hear about the adventure, gaze upon the legendary Kermit and find out what’s next for our unique brand of automotive adventuring.”.

So, if you happen to be in the area this weekend (Sunday 15^th April) why not pop along and be regaled with tales from the ultimate pub crawl! You might find yourself feeling inspired to take on your own…

The world’s most popular jumps race returns to Aintree this week, as 40 runners tackle the 30 formidable jumps of the 4 and a half mile Grand National course.

More than 150,000 racegoers are expected to attend across the 3 days of the festival, taking place around 6 miles outside of Liverpool from Thursday 12th – Saturday 14th April. For those of us without a golden ticket to the event itself, coverage will be provided by ITV, with the grand attraction going off at 5:15pm on the final day.

105 horses were entered this year, each assigned a weight by the British Horse Racing Authority Head of Handicapping. The weights were released on Valentine’s Day, sparking the withdrawal of just under 2/3 of entries by owners and trainers between that date and the beginning of the festival. The final field of 40 (and 4 reserves) will be confirmed in the days leading up to the big race. You can check out the provisional entries and their ante-post odds, here.

If you are lucky enough to be attending, or in the area, we have compiled a list of pubs and bars in Liverpool with plenty of offers and events to entertain you before, after, and even during the meeting.

Tally-ho!

Every year pubs and bars up and down the country dedicate their time and resources to organising events that raise money for various charities, both local and national, to the tune of an amazing £100 million annually.

PubAid is a working party dedicated to celebrating this great charity work done by UK pubs  and their customers through the press and social media. They also arrange charity events that raise awareness and funds for vital health charities, both mental and physical.

Last month we were lucky enough to be able to support one such effort – The World’s Biggest Quiz – an annual event organised by PubAid and Prostate Cancer UK. More than 2000 pubs took part and are estimated to have raised over £200,000.

Now, PubAid and the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group are honouring pubs who have been nominated by Members of Parliament and the industry for their exceptional contribution to charitable causes, with the Charity Fundraising Pub of the Year award.

Co-founder of PubAid, Des O’Flanagan, said: “PubAid is searching to find the charity fund raising pub of the year. Not just the one that raises the most money, because we all know pubs come in all shapes and sizes.

We will be looking for outlets that demonstrate a long-term commitment to raising money; are most imaginative in their fundraising ideas and show the greatest community involvement in their activities.”

Commenting on the new initiative, Mike Wood MP, Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Beer Group said “Great pubs are the heart of communities the length and breadth of the country. Not only do they provide a warm welcome and great beer, they also contribute an enormous amount to good causes.

Organising these events is always over and above the landlords very demanding day job and I am delighted to that the Beer Group is able to recognise the fantastic contribution that pubs make to charity.”

The judges have now completed the difficult task of shortlisting the finalists to just 8 pubs, one of which will be selected as overall winner at a ceremony on Tuesday 17th April at the House of Commons.

Click here to view the 8 finalists for Charity Fundraising Pub of the Year.

The quarter-finals of the Champions League get underway tonight, in a round which sees the two remaining Premier League sides battle it out for a place in the semi-finals. Click here to see where you can catch all the action in pubs near you.

First Leg

Tuesday, 3 April – 19:45

Juventus vs Real Madrid (BT Sport 2)

Sevilla vs Bayern Munich (BT Sport 3)

Wednesday, 4 April – 19:45

Barcelona vs Roma (BT Sport 3)

Liverpool vs Man City (BT Sport 2)

Second Leg

Tuesday, 10 April – 19:45

Man City vs Liverpool

Roma vs Barcelona

Wednesday, 11 April – 19:45

Bayern Munich vs Sevilla

Real Madrid vs Juventus