TENDRING CAMRA celebrated Trafalgar Day by visiting four pubs with a connection to the historic battle.

Trafalgar Day takes place annually on October 21 and is a celebration of the Royal Navy’s victory over the combined Spanish and French fleets in the Battle of Trafalgar.

There is also a Tendring link to the Battle of Trafalgar.

The HMS Conqueror, the ship which took the French surrender at Trafalgar, was built in Harwich’s Royal Naval dockyard.

Napoleon, the French Emperor, had planned to invade the United Kingdom, so the combined French and Spanish fleets sought to seize control of the English Channel.

Under the command of admiral Pierre-Charles Villeneuve, they sailed from the Spanish port of Cadiz on October 18, 1805 only to be encountered by the British fleet under Lord Nelson.

In fact, the Royal Navy was outnumbered with 27 ships to the combined French and Spanish fleet’s 33.

The day also commemorates the injuries and loss of lives on both sides.

The battle took place off Cape Trafalgar in southwest Spain and the Royal Navy faced more than 400 losses, including Lord Nelson himself.

The Trafalgar pub in Dovercourt was among the establishments visited by Tendring CAMRA.

They also stopped by Ship in Great Holland, Victory in Walton-on-the-Naze and Ship in Kirby-le-Soken, all of which also have a connection to Trafalgar Day. 

Mick said: "It was a great day with great company, great pubs and great beer.

“One of the highlights for me was the engagement with some of the customers and bar staff.

“Whilst in the Traff, I had a great chat with a young lad (born and raised in Harwich) who was inquisitive of why we were in there.

"Whilst being surrounded with Nelson and Trafalgar memorabilia he had combined the Armada with the Battle of Trafalgar and saw it as one conflict; you can imagine I put him right in the nicest possible way."