A PUB enthusiast is well on her way to completing a three-year challenge to visit every Red Lion in Britain.

Cathy Price, from Preston in Lancashire, made it her mission to have a drink in every Red Lion after hearing that it was the most common name for a pub.

“It gets more interesting as I go,” said Cathy, who plans to write a book about her experiences. “I’ve met some really interesting people and every pub is different.”

Last weekend, she visited nine pubs around the North-East, including those in Coxhoe, Peterlee and East Boldon. If she comes across a closed Red Lion – such as the one in Peterlee – she nicknames them “Dead Lions”.

“I take myself off at weekends with friends and tick them all off as I go along,” Cathy said. The personal trainer began her epic pub crawl three years ago on April 6 and has since travelled across the country, from London to Scotland and Wales, sampling a drink from each pub.

In places where meals are offered, Cathy often tries the food and has stayed overnight several times.

“This quest has taken me all over Britain to places I would never normally go,” she said. “Some places are really fantastic.”