Pubfan completes his quest to visit every Wetherspoons pub in the country
A pub lover has fulfilled his dream of having a drink in each of the Wetherspoons pubs across the UK and Ireland this afternoon.
Pub fan David Bingham, from West Hallam, Derbyshire, celebrated completing his mission to visit all 875 Wetherspoons – and says he wants to take boss Tim Martin out for a pint.
David, 60, has been enjoying the “longest pub crawl in history” for four years now, often covering thousands of miles a month. His final bar tab for his epic mission is nearly £30,000, which includes travel, drinks and accommodation.
Yesterday he visited the last spoonful on his list – the Flying Horse at Gatwick Airport – and celebrated with a few pints of his favorite Heineken lager.
The boozer is behind the security barrier at Gatwick, meaning David had to buy a plane ticket before he was allowed in.
Pub fan David Bingham, from West Hallam, Derbyshire, celebrated completing his mission to visit all 875 Wetherspoons – and says he wants to take boss Tim Martin out for a pint
He paid £18 for the cheapest flight to Ireland’s Shannon and mingled with other passengers as he celebrated completing his remarkable challenge.
The retired forklift driver said, ‘The cheapest plane ticket I could get was to Shannon, but I’m not flying anywhere, they don’t even have a Wetherspoons pub so what’s the point?
‘It was the only way to get to this pub, but it’s been worth it.
‘I really like the Flying Horse but there are no toilets because it’s an airport so you have to get back to the departure lounge but it’s busy with a lot of excited travellers, so there’s a buzz about the place.
‘I always know I’m getting my favorite lager and I wasn’t disappointed.
‘I loved ticking the pubs off my list and to be honest I’d love to do it again.
‘Over the past four years I have traveled all over Britain and Ireland and met some fantastic people along the way.
‘I met legendary footballer John Barnes when he opened the Prense Well pub in the Wirral, but the person I’d really like to meet is Tim Martin.
Yesterday he visited the last spoonful on his list – the Flying Horse at Gatwick Airport – and celebrated with a few pints of his favorite Heineken lager
‘I’ve been in several spoons and when I told the staff why I was there they said I just missed Tim.
‘My brother met him once and apparently he knows who I am, but I’d like to meet him in person and have a pint with him.
‘I have written to the company requesting a tour of their headquarters in Watford.
“I know it will probably be offices, but I would like to see and thank everyone for their great work.
“I just think Wetherspoons have breathed life into lovely old buildings and kept the cost of drinks down.”
David had to buy a plane ticket before he could get in, but he didn’t mind the extra expense to reach his goal
David has flown across the country to visit every pub, enjoying a Guinness in a Wetherspoon in Belfast with partner Una Cooper
Some of David’s trips to the branches took a few minutes and on one occasion he even booked a flight to Poland – which he didn’t get on – to get through security and access Heathrow’s Wetherspoon Airport (pictured)
David, from West Hallam, Derbys, came up with his Spoons challenge after his partner Una Cooper, 63, bought him a £3 Wetherspoon directory on eBay.
The pair took it to their local establishment, The Observatory, in nearby Ilkeston, and David decided to visit all of them on the list.
His challenge has taken him to 875 Spoons, including more than 40 that have since closed.
David is often joined by tee-total Una, with the pair taking public transport to tick off the pubs.
David Bingham, 60, from West Hallam, Derbyshire, has visited 875 Wetherspoon pubs across the UK and Ireland. Pictured at The Regal in Cambridge with his partner
He once visited 14 of the sites in one day and last month took a 9 day cruise across Ireland to visit every Wetherspoon on the Emerald Isle (pictured in Dublin’s Temple Bar with partner Una)
As well as trains and buses, the pair took a hovercraft to reach the Man in the Moon pub on the Isle of Wight.
Last month, they knocked off nine more on a ten-day cruise of Ireland’s west coast.
David, who has a daughter, stepson and grandson, said: ‘I like going to Wetherspoon pubs because they’re all different buildings.
‘Many of them are old fire stations, post offices, churches and other beautiful places.
“I call them fun boxes because you never know where they’re going to be.”
His favorite spoons are the Royal Victoria Pavilion in Ramsgate, Kent; The corn
Exchange at Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk; the winter gardens at Harrogate; and the Caley Picture House in Edinburgh.