WHETHER your drink of choice is cider, lager or bitter, if you like a tipple you can join in a pub crawl that takes in some of Worcestershire's most distinctive hostelries.

The Worcester branch of the Campaign for Real Ale has organised an "Ale Trail" from Saturday, February 19, to Thursday, March 31, to encourage people to visit the region's pubs listed in the 2005 edition of the Good Beer Guide.

The Worcester branch area stretches from Tenbury Wells in the north-west to Eldersfield, near Tewkesbury, in the south, Evesham in the east and the Malvern hills in the west.

So whether you prefer the quiet setting of the Worcestershire countryside or a more bustling city atmosphere, the 23 pubs taking part offer something for everyone.

They include the Three Kings Inn in Hanley Castle - a former national CAMRA Pub of the Year winner which has been family-run for more than 90 years.

Favourite haunt for city real ale drinkers The Dragon Inn, in The Tything, Worcester - which has won the local CAMRA Pub of the Year accolade three times in a row and is housed in a listed Georgian building - is another taking part.

Also on the list are The Lamb in West Malvern - a thriving village pub which is regular packed for its frequent music nights - and the French House Inn at Upton Snodsbury - featuring a ceiling made entirely of wine bottles.

"The pub is a community focus and a great leveller," said Worcester CAMRA chairman Richard Oak.

"You don't need to be part of the upper echelons of society to go down the pub and have a beer and that's what this is about.

"We've got a vast range of pubs in the area - from city boozers to those out in the country - and we want to get people out there visiting them."

Each of the pubs visited will stamp a passport and after obtaining stamps from 15 different pubs the passport can be entered into a competition to win a Worcester Beer and Cider Festival glass.

Participants will also be in with a chance of winning tickets for this year's seventh Worcester Beer and Cider Festival, which runs from Thursday, August 11, to Saturday, August 13.

More details about the Ale Trail can be found by logging on to www.worcestercamra.org.uk