PENSIONER John Pentelow raises a glass to his pal Richard Savidge, whose death means time has been called on their 14-year pub crawl.

During retirement the two vowed to visit a different pub for lunch each week.

They notched up their 400th hostelry just a few days before Mr Savidge, 93, of Wollaton, passed away last month.

"I miss him. He really was an exceptional man and a great orator," said Mr Pentelow, 75, of Chilwell.

The pair became friends while working in quality control at Boots' head office in Beeston but lost contact when Mr Savidge retired.

When Mr Pentelow finished in 1996, he looked him up and they went for lunch at the Bull's Head in Wardlow, Derbyshire.

When they met the following week, Mr Savidge, a widower, insisted on going to a different bar – and so the long pub crawl began.

They sought out a new pub each Monday, some rural, some in the city.

Very occasionally they were joined by Mr Pentelow's wife Pamela or a friend.

They dined at the Beekeeper, in Chilwell, and Admiral Rodney, in Wollaton, but didn't count the ones close to home.

"That wasn't going out to us – we had to go at least 10 miles in the car," said Mr Pentelow.

They ventured to Papplewick, Kimberley and Edwinstowe in Notts or across the border to Staffordshire, Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.

They set a budget of £15 between them for their fish and chips or country pies. Among their favourites spots was The Barrel at Bretton in Derbyshire.

"It had a beautiful view of the area," said Mr Pentelow.

Another was Bartlewood Lodge at Ockbrook for its unbeatable £3.65 carvery.

As the years went by it became a greater challenge to find new venues. Another problem was finding pubs that served meals on Mondays.

"If we came to one that didn't serve food we went on to find the next. The record was six pubs not selling food, the sixth one having a sign 'food every day' but only from 5pm," said Mr Pentelow.

He meticulously kept a record of each pub visited.

"A lot of people asked why we didn't mark them but you can't compare one visited in 1996, which has probably changed hands three times, with now. The first one we visited is now a cattery."

Mr Savidge had picked up Dutch from his second wife, who had come from Holland, so when they visited the Jovial Dutchman in Crich, he began speaking the language to the barman.

"To his surprise two people at the bar answered him. They were visiting Crich from Holland," said Mr Pentelow. The duo ended up with nicknames from the TV series Last of the Summer Wine.

Mr Pentelow, who drove because his friend's sight had deteriorated, became known as Clegg, Mr Savidge was Compo, regaling anyone who would listen to his witty chatter.

In every pub he had a pint of beer, followed by the phrase: "Don't give him any, he's driving", while Mr Pentelow had half a bitter shandy. Mr Savidge's son Peter, 62, said his dad used to plan each trip.

"It was probably the highlight of the week to have this day out.

"They would look at a church or some other folly of interest and then onto the pub for lunch."

Monday lunchtimes aren't the same for Mr Pentelow.

However, he says might return to some of the pubs on the list with his wife, daughter or a friend.

lynette.pinchess@nottinghameveningpost.co.uk