An Alton landlord has had his spirits lifted after his pub was named as one of the top six in the country by a true expert.

The Eight Bells received this prestigious recognition from Rob Cocker, who has spent over five decades touring the UK, sampling ales in thousands of pubs.

Phil Troubridge, who has owned The Eight Bells for 25 years, was cheered to be among Mr Cocker’s favourites.

“It’s very flattering to be named one of the best pubs,” said Troubridge. “I suppose he appreciated that we focus on running a proper alehouse. I always say there’s no excuse for a bad pub.”

Mr Troubridge couldn’t recall his distinguished visitor. “We get a lot of people coming through our doors,” he said, but he warmly invited Mr Cocker to return anytime.

Mr Cocker, from Stoke-on-Trent, began his pub-hopping adventure in 1969. “It all started when I got bored of visiting the same pub every weekend,” he said. “I decided to explore what else was out there.”

By 1971, he was jotting down his pub visits on the back of a cigarette packet.

Since then, Mr Cocker has traveled by bus, train, and even hitchhiked to enjoy a “quick half” in pubs from Oban in Scotland to Land’s End in Cornwall.

A retired payroll officer, he recently celebrated his 12,000th pub visit at Costello’s Bar in Warrington, Cheshire, and often checks off as many as 14 pubs in a single outing.

Proudly claiming to have visited every city in England, Mr Cocker has frequented 1,400 pubs in London and 471 Wetherspoon locations across the nation.

Thankfully, he says he has the full support of his wife of 37 years Lynn, 68, who often joins him on his ale-drinking odyssey, which isn't finished yet.

Since getting the CAMRA Guide in 1980, Mr Cocker has visited 1,800 CAMRA-listed pubs, about 40 percent of the total in the guide. While he acknowledges it would probably be impossible to visit every pub in Britain, he has certainly made a dent.

“People can’t believe what I do,” he said. "There were two young ladies in a Newcastle bar who asked me what I was doing when I began taking notes about the ale I was drinking.

"They didn't believe me, so I said 'Google me' and then they were screaming in the pub 'Oh my God, this bloke has been to 10,000 pubs’.”

He also claims he is not an exceptionally heavy drinker. "If I'm doing 10 pubs during a trip, I'll make sure I'll only have a half,” he said.

"I've just had my most recent health check and it all came back as clear. It's a lot of ale but I don't go over the top.”

Though he has also visited 84 countries, he doesn’t count the overseas experiences as true pub visits, considering them more like bars.

“I prefer traditional local boozers,” he added, which is clearly why The Eight Bells is among his top picks.