Six friends from across the UK have reached their 200th pub on a 'never-ending' crawl, including what has been described as the 'most exclusive pub in the world'. The group, known as the Jolly Boys, achieved the feat during their latest annual crawl of the capital, adding 35 pubs to their tally and bringing the total to 205.
The six friends, all in their 50s and living across the UK, managed to get through the doors of The Keys, an invite-only pub hidden inside the 900-year-old Tower of London. Run by the Tower's 35 serving Yeomen Warders, the pub is normally only open to their personal guests and has previously been described by Business Insider as what "might just be the most exclusive pub in the world".
Three years of letters for an invite
Getting an invite was no easy task. Karl Young, 55, said he could not reveal exactly who eventually helped them get inside, but admitted it followed three years of sending letters. The engineer, from Bakewell, Derbyshire, said: "It took us three years to get an invite to even get in there. It is amazing. It is definitely regarded as one of the most exclusive pubs in this country. If you are into London pubs it is almost that mythical place that you might never get an invite to."
He added: "It is full of military history. You have to wear shoes, trousers, a jacket, a tie, a shirt. It is quite an event. It was half the price of any London pub." The group spent more than three hours at the historic venue and watched the Ceremony of the Keys, the centuries-old tradition which sees the Tower of London locked up for the night.
An annual tradition since a historic pub book
The Jolly Boys have turned their pub crawl into an annual tradition, descending on London on the third weekend of September each year. It began after they picked up a book featuring some of London's most historic pubs and set about ticking them off one by one. Once they had visited them all, they decided to keep going.
The group is made up of engineers Richard Moore, Karl Young and Dave Russell, hairdresser Jon Main, business owner Vaughan Williams and commercial manager Trevor Power. Every trip sees the pals meet at the Betjeman Arms in St Pancras station when they arrive on Friday before setting off on their carefully mapped route across the capital.
Among the pubs that have impressed them most over the years are the Prospect of Whitby in Wapping, the Mayflower in Rotherhithe and Ye Olde Mitre in Holborn. This year's challenge saw them attempt to make their way from West Brompton into central London on foot without passing a pub. The Antelope and The Hoop and Toy were among their standout stops, but The Keys proved particularly special after their years-long effort to get inside.
Guinness staples and future plans
After drinking their way through more than 200 pubs, the pals have developed a system. They order a pint of Guinness at each stop, saying it is always good and easier to drink without the carbonation. They have even crowned the Guinea Grill in Mayfair as serving the best Guinness they have found in London so far.
Karl added: "I can't believe we managed to do all of these. It is ridiculous really. It is something that takes a lot of planning but something that we all really love. It is not just for the drinking, it is more like a lads weekend away. It is a bit of therapy really I suppose. London pubs are absolutely the best in the world and there are so many to go at, it is just amazing."
Passing the 200-pub milestone does not mean the Jolly Boys are calling time on their tradition. Next year they hope to get inside the Houses of Parliament to sample its bars and are already pleading with MPs to help them secure entry. They have also decided to up the stakes for next year's Saturday crawl, with plans to squeeze 30 pubs into a single night by ordering half a pint at each.
Karl, who masterminds their routes, said: "It takes quite a long time to plan. I do a full document route every year. We have probably run out of notably historic London pubs and now it is more a question of hitting a borough and working out how to get through it without crossing our paths." Richard Moore, 59, said keeping the same September weekend permanently blocked out in their calendars means there is little room for excuses. He said: "It's the only way we can guarantee we are all going to be available. The third weekend in September is always booked out in our calendars. Wives can't plan anything for that weekend - it's our weekend."
