Tea-lover's 92-county challenge

Teaching assistant Malcolm Watt hopes to enjoy cups of tea across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland over a period of two years.

On Wednesday, the 30-year-old began his journey from his home in Bristol to Fishguard in Pembrokeshire.

He will stop for a brew in each of Wales's 13 old counties in five days.

Mr Watt said his tea marathon was not a fundraising stunt, and was not being sponsored.

MR WATT'S TEA CHALLENGE RULES

• He must only use public transport
• He must set foot in each county to have his cup of tea
• He has to buy the tea from a teashop/tea room
• Where possible, he must avoid tea-shop chains
• He must wear a special drink tea T-shirt
• A photo must be taken at each tea shop he visits

However, one of the reasons behind his adventure is to raise awareness of the "raw beauty" of the UK.

He said: "We live in such a beautiful part of the world, and people are jetting off to other European destinations.

'British drink'

"I think the UK has a lot to offer, and I think that sometimes people don't realise that."

He said a book inspired him to study the map of the UK.

"From there, I thought wouldn't it be great to visit the 92 (counties) and also have a cup of tea in each one.

"Well, I did start thinking about beer and alcohol, and I thought it's kind of... narrowing down who you'll be socialising with.

"I think that tea is much more sociable, and it's a British drink," he said.

Mr Watt, who began his challenge by visiting London on 31 May, travelled by train from Bristol to Fishguard.

Next he will travel from Fishguard to Aberystwyth by coach, and from there plans to take trains to north Wales.

RELATED INTERNET LINKS
My Space - Malcolm Watt
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites