Wetherspoons superfan hitch-hikes round UK to find his favourite budget boozer

Daily Mirror

a day ago

Derek Adams, 82, has raised £9,000 for The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, The British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research as he hitch-hikes his way across Britain
A beer-loving OAP is thumbing lifts up and down the country to test every Wetherspoon pub in Britain.
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Hitchhiker Derek Adams has visited 76 of the budget boozers since he began his quest in 2022. The 82-year-old has walked 3,690 miles along the British coast in the last three years. He hitches a ride at the start and end of every day.
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"At the end of a day's walking, around 6pm, I like to go and sit in a Wetherspoon pub. Because I know I'll be safe and warm and there'll be people to talk to," Derek, of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, said. "The staff are always very friendly and happy to hear about my travels, which I am keen to share. I've had lifts from English, Welsh, French, German and Austrian people."
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His favourite pubs are The William Rufus, in Carlisle, Cumbria, The Paddle Steamer, Largs, Scotland and The Corryvreckan, Oban, Scotland. Derek has raised £9,000 for The Royal National Lifeboat Institution, The British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research.
His charity work earns him shout-outs from radio stations, so that motorists hear about his work and are more likely to stop for him. Derek also wears a fluorescent jacket with "Derek Treks Britain" written on it.
He has a little way to go as there are 814 Wetherspoons in the UK. At the current rate that he visits a new one it will take him just over nine years to complete his aim.
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In 2023 pub fan David Bingham, then 60, celebrated completing his mission to visit all 875 Wetherspoons. He revealed he spent four years enjoying the 'longest pub crawl in history', often travelling thousands of miles every month.
His final bar tab for his epic mission was close to £30,000, including travel fares, drinks and overnight stays. And he ended the epic task by visiting the final Spoons on his list – the Flying Horse at Gatwick Airport – and celebrating with a couple of pints of his favourite Heineken lager.
The boozer is after the security barrier at Gatwick, meaning David had to buy an airline ticket before being allowed inside. He paid £18 for the cheapest flight to Shannon in Ireland and mingled with other passengers as he celebrated finishing his remarkable challenge.
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The retired forklift driver said: 'The cheapest air ticket I could get was to Shannon but I won't be flying anywhere, they don't even have a Wetherspoons so what's the point? It was the only way I could get to this pub but it's been worth it.
"I quite like the Flying Horse but there are no toilets because it's an airport so you have to go back out to departures but it's busy with lots of excited travellers so there's a buzz about the place. I always know I'll get my favourite lager and I wasn't disappointed.
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"I've loved ticking the pubs off my list and to be honest I'd love to do it again. The last four years has taken me all over Britain and Ireland and I've met some amazing 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.
'I've been into several Spoons and when I told the staff why I was there they said I'd just missed Tim. My brother met him once and apparently he knows who I am but I'd love to meet him in person and have a pint with him. I've written to the company to request a tour of their headquarters in Watford.
"I know it'll probably be offices but I'd love to see and thank everyone for doing such a great job. I just think Wetherspoons have breathed life into lovely old buildings and kept the cost of drinks down."
David, from West Hallam, Derbys., came up with his Spoons challenge after his partner Una Cooper, 63, bought him a £3 Wetherspoon directory off eBay.