Dale Harvey is on a mission both ambitious and bold, underlining his desire to help the hospitality industry. He intends to visit and drink a half in every pub in the UK – and last week he was in Rye. The former pub landlord, from Nottingham, started his journey in 2022 in a bid to highlight businesses and put money in the tills. He was a manager of a pub for sixteen years or so and he knows how hard the industry is, so he thought the best thing to do would be to go out and try and help the industry in a different way.
How it all began
Dale’s journey began in 2022 when he and his partner Holly decided to visit every pub in Nottinghamshire, the county in which they lived. When they had finished Dale decided to carry on the quest to visit every pub in the UK. What began as a local crawl became a mission, vast in scale and rich in compassion. Over 1,000 pubs have closed since 2022 due to inflation, high energy costs and increased minimum wages. By raising awareness and pubs profiles Dale hopes to keep more pubs alive.
Pubs are close to his heart
He believes that pubs are the heart of local communities. They are a place where people meet, talk and support each other. Many folk that he has met on his travels have told him that the pub was their lifeline.
The pub crawl
Dale spends five days or so visiting towns having planned his route so that does not spend too much time on the road between towns. He does not always manage to cover all the pubs in one day and makes a return journey in the future. He writes up his blog each night because it is too much “memory overload” to wait until his return home for rest days.
Dale’s blog for his Rye visit, adapted for the paper
I headed into Rye for 11.30 am and made a beeline for The Mermaid Inn, an old smuggler’s inn and hotel that dates back to 1156.
The place is incredible, absolutely breath-taking and is now manned by incredible staff who are knowledgeable and passionate about the place they look after, as they should be, as places don’t come much more beautiful than this
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Now dubbed “the most haunted hotel in Britain” there are plenty of paranormal experience stories to go with the place… and we never let the truth get in the way of a good story…
The staff were also nice enough to show me down to the old cellar which was lovely to see!
It’s incredible and you MUST visit it at least once in your life.
I walked down the cobbled street where stop two was The Old Bell, originally built in 1390 and this was another old smuggling inn that is connected to The Mermaid via an underground tunnel! The lovely young ladies at the bar treated me to a bit of history and the stunning beams and features in this one are also really lovely. Two cask ales on and a great looking menu.
Stop three took me to The George which is a relative toddler in age terms compared to the first two, having only been around since 1575. Having also suffered a fire (much more recently) and reopened in 2022, this place has been lovingly restored and has fireplaces all over, two cask ales and a large dining space to go with the hotel.
Next stop was the Cinque Ports which is a Shepherd Neame pub and it’s a small-ish locals- style place with no bells and whistles. Friendly service and a couple of ales on.
Whilst then waiting for some others around there to open, I headed up to The Queens Head which is a large, rustic place with two cask ales on and a quirky and eclectic décor with a lovely young lady on the bar.
It was then time for the Waterworks which is Rye’s infamous micropub with a landlord whose reputation stretches far and wide… and what a legend Dave is. This place is phenomenal and everything a micropub should be, with plenty of their own brews on the casks (all of which have humorous toilet-themed names) and there’s even a Doom Bar pull handle to flush the toilet with! A micropub with trinkets and antiques dotted around everywhere that are mostly all for sale and a super bunch of regulars. It’s a phenomenal little place that has won countless awards and fills up almost as soon as the doors are open. Absolutely mega.
The Crown was my next port of call. A small friendly locals’ bar with one cask ale and a pool table. Another friendly welcome and decent bunch of locals in. Rumour has it, they are also getting a full-size snooker table at the pub very soon.
Just across the road is The Pipemaker’s Arms and what a lovely, friendly place this is… lovely landlady and staff and a historic old pub that has had an extension built to it over the years to almost double its size. They had Landlord on the cask front and there are plenty of great features and old beams to feast your eyes on and a lovely bunch of locals.
They also put on regular events such as live music
I headed through a small alley way and up some steps to get to The Standard Inn which is such a lovely place with a nice fire going, dog-friendly and three good cask ales on the bar with lovely service and an additional dining space to the rear.
The Old Borough Arms is a guest house with a bar, rather than a pub but it was a thoroughly lovely experience and they were happy to let me have a beer and get out of the rain. Rooms look lovely and this historic old place is definitely somewhere I would come and stay.
Just a few yards away is The Ship Inn which also offers two cask ales and a decent tap mix. The pub also has a bit of a rustic vibe and plenty of dining space to go with its great looking menu.
Then a ten minute walk along to The Ypres Castle Inn which all the locals basically call Wipers and it’s situated up a load of steps, but it’s very much worth the climb! They have a couple of cask ales and some excellent craft amongst the taps in what I would describe as a top-notch beer house.
I wandered through the town and my next stop was a jazz club/wine bar called The Grapevine and I absolutely loved this gaff as well! A classy establishment with lovely service provided at your table and the soothing jazz music in the background. A super set of top shelf spirits on offer and a lovely atmosphere.
Just down from there, I made it to Landgate and a thriving little bar with great folks running it and a top bunch of customers in. Four keg lines on the bar, a dog-friendly place and banging atmosphere on a Friday evening.
Next stop The Cricketers and a slightly more subdued affair. It’s a laid back, locals pub that was certainly friendly enough.
I headed over the bridge and it was The Globe up next which was packed. Slightly heavier on diners than drinkers and barely a spare seat in the house as hungry locals tucked into a great looking menu! A nice fire going in the bar space, some good cask ales and even some craft beer amongst the taps.
The Kings Head Inn was my penultimate stop and this one also knocks out some seriously great looking food. A fully functioning hotel still with friendly service and cask ale on from Harvey’s.
The last stop of the night was then the actual brewery belonging to Waterworks and I really wouldn’t have wanted to finish off this great day in any other way… a super brewery and tap room that puts regular live music on every Sunday and is an absolute gem of a place.
Day 1439 new pubs visited: 18. Running total of pubs visited so far: 8597
What do you think of Dale’s review of Rye pubs? Tell us your favourite by leaving a comment below.
Image Credits: Kt bruce , Dale Harvey .