TWO brothers have visited 400 Wetherspoons pubs to rate an unusual item in every one.
James Dyer, an assistant product manager, and Matt Dyer, a timetable planner for a railway company, both 25, have travelled across the country on their unique mission.
The twins, from Rotherham, not only share a love of the popular boozer chain, but the establishments' quirky carpets.
And they have made it their life's goal to travel the UK and Ireland to rate hundreds of Wetherspoons' carpet patterns.
A routine that started off as a joke between the brothers has now turned into a passion and James and Matt have even turned their favourite boozers into a game of Top Trumps.
The brothers have always shared a love for travelling and cheap food and drinks, which led to them starting their epic pub quest back in 2017.
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Since then, the pair have travelled over 9,000 miles to visit Wetherspoons scattered across the country.
James said: "We often travelled around the country to go to football matches and just decided the local Spoons was the best place to meet.
"We knew about the carpets being different for each pub so just thought it would be a fun little way to keep a track of the places we go.
"This has since gotten out of hand a little bit.
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"We created a Google Maps, where we painstakingly added every Wetherspoons location individually, which is now our Bible to see where we need to go to tick off the next one.
"We colour code the map to help us – green = been to, red = not been to, dark red = not been to and hard to get to/middle of nowhere and yellow meaning we've not been to and it's up for sale.
"The main reason we go to Wetherspoons is because of the carpets, but of course the cheap food, drinks, no fuss and short waiting times are a plus."
James added that the pair not only like the carpets but are also fans of the architecture of the buildings, with their favourite being the Opera House in Tunbridge Wells.
He said: "My go-to is always a BBQ chicken and bacon panini with chips with a pint of Pepsi Max to wash it down. If we're having a pitcher, I will always choose a Purple Rain – Parma Violets in a drink, why wouldn’t you?"
Matt added: "My favourite order is a double buttermilk and grilled chicken breast burger with chips and a pint of Pepsi Max. Sometimes I feel fancy and add a side of curry sauce.
"It would have to be The Godfather for me, if I'm choosing a pitcher, and The Lord Wilson in Huddersfield do them best.
"We use the map to see where there’s a cluster of Spoons close together that can easily be done. James’ most recent one was a trip to Bristol to go to eight Wetherspoons.
"He started at Keynsham train station and walked 15 miles to eight different pubs, eating and drinking in some, and of course walking up endless steps to the toilets."
James' top five
1) The Opera House, Royal Tunbridge Wells, because eating curry on a stage is a great feeling.
2) The Flying Standard, Coventry, was James' local during his university years.
3) The Windmill in Stansted Airport has one of his favourite carpets, and he also enjoys a holiday pint at 4am before his flight.
4) The Stargazer in London's O2 Arena has great beer garden with amazing views of the city.
5) The Royal Victoria Pavilion in Ramsgate – despite the worst carpet he has ever seen, the beachfront views edges this location into the top five.
Matt's top five
1) The Lord Wilson in Huddersfield is the original Wetherspoons for Matt, and he has great memories from his university days there, despite the shocking carpet.
2) The John Fairweather in Cambuslang is an old converted theatre with the original seating intact.
3) The South Strand, Dublin, has really nice location in Dublin, although it has a ridiculously long walk to the toilets.
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4) The Mardi Gras in the Trafford Centre, Greater Manchester, made the cut because it's rare to find a Wetherspoons inside a shopping centre.
5) The Velvet Coaster in Blackpool is also a favourite because of its carpet design.
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