Stokie Rob keeps record of every pub he goes in - now he's visited his 12,000th
Ale-loving Rob Cocker has just sunk a pint in his 12,000th pub - having kept a record of every boozer he's visited over the last 55 years.
The 73-year-old, of Penkhull, has drank in all 55 English cities during that time as well as frequenting every single alehouse within 20 minutes of his home.
CAMRA member Rob reached his latest milestone on Friday when he took the train to Warrington for a civilised pub crawl.
He supped his landmark pint in the highly-rated Costello's Bar in nearby Stockton Heath.
Rob describes himself as a 'statto' and, aged 18, started to write down the names of the pubs he visited on the back of a fag packet before eventually keeping a diary.
He told Stoke-on-Trent Live: "I don't want to travel too far these days. I chose Warrington because there are a couple of pubs close to the train station and I can get to Stockton Heath on a bus.
"A couple of the pubs are also in The Good Beer Guide. I'd say 99 per cent of pubs I visit are either in the guide or have been, or they sell real ale."
Back in March 2020, Rob was celebrating visiting his 11,000th different pub - but little did he know then that it would take him more than four years to frequent another 1,000.
Just weeks after his feat, the country went into lockdown due to the pandemic.
"It felt like the pubs were shut for an eternity," said Rob. "I remember going back to my local The Marquis when the ban was lifted and then everything shut down again.
"I also remember going to the Wetherspoon in Hanley and sitting outside while it was lashing down."
Last weekend, Rob bought a rail ticket with unlimited travel and stopped off at several places - including Derby, Leicester, Peterborough and Nottingham - in order to sample new boozers.
And he managed to do it all in a day - being tucked up in bed just after 9pm.
"Since July I've made 14 trips and I stop at 10 or 11 pubs each time on average", he said. "Last Saturday I got the East Midlands Day Ranger ticket and visited 13 pubs.
"I set off on the train at 9.33am and I was back in the house by 9.10pm. I get chatting to shed loads of people. When I tell people I'm approaching my 12,000th pub they say 'get off'. They're gobsmacked."
He added: "I follow Stoke home and away so get a lot of pubs in that way. We play Sheffield United away soon and there are seven new pubs I'll be visiting in the Woodseats area.
"My wife has been on the pub trips with me too - she's approaching 3,000."
Subscribe free to our weekly newsletter for exclusive and original coverage from ITV News. Direct to your inbox every Friday morning.