All of pub-hopper Rob's astonishing numbers plus his best and worst boozers
"That's very hard," laughs ale-loving Stokie Rob Cocker when asked to name his favourite pubs. It's an understandable response given the 73-year-old from Penkhull has just visited his 12,000th boozer.
The pub-hopping CAMRA member has kept a record of every different alehouse he's visited over the last 55 years. But narrowing them down to select his favourite watering holes is quite the task - especially when there are so many he struggles to remember.
"I've visited 1,400 pubs in London and they are all superb," said Stoke City fan Rob. "But it's hard to recall them." He reached his latest milestone on Friday when he took the train to Warrington, Cheshire, for a civilised pub crawl.
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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. His figures are extraordinary - and even his wife is now fast approaching 3,000 different pub visits.
Rob's incredible pub-hopping stats
He has now visited over 12,000 different pubs since he was 18
He has frequented every single boozer within 20 miles of his home
He has drank in every city in England
He has gone to over 1,400 alehouses in London
He has visited 471 Wetherspoon pubs
Rob's top six ales
Tiny Rebel Stay Puft
Marstons Pedigree
Salopian
Cloudwater
Leather Britches
Bass
Rob's six favourite pubs
Rat Race Real Ale House, Station Approach, Hartlepool, County Durham
The Eight Bells, Church Street, Alton, Hampshire
The Royal Hop Pole (Wetherspoon), Church Street, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire
The Cask Bar, Andrew Place, Newcastle, Staffordshire
The Imperial (Wetherspoon), New N Road, Exeter, Devon
York Tap, York Station, Station Road, York, Yorkshire
And the worst...
"I still can't believe it," laughs Rob. He won't be drawn on the name of it, but says the worst watering hole was in the Black Country.
"When I went in there was a big gap between where all the people were stood and the bar. I wondered why they were queuing here.
"When I eventually got up to them there was a big sink hole in the middle of the pub! It was incredible! I've never seen anything like it."
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