Stephen Angell and five friends have set a new record by visiting 38 Wetherspoon pubs in a single day, covering 78 miles across London in 17 hours and 30 minutes.
Epic 17-hour crawl
The group started their marathon at 7am at The Barrel Vault inside St Pancras International station, then travelled by Tube, bus and boat to visit each pub, posting photos online along the way. The crawl included a marathon 26 miles on foot.
Stephen said: “I’m pleased to share that we managed to drink in 38 Wetherspoon establishments over a period of 17 hours and 30 minutes, covering a total distance of 78 miles across London.”
Beating the previous record
He and pals Cam, Ed, Ryan N, Ryan M and Doug had meticulously planned their route to beat the previous record of 37 pubs, set in September 2025 by three men from Reading, Berks, and featured in the pub’s Wetherspoon News newsletter.
The challengers had planned to finish at The Sir John Hawkshaw at Cannon Street Station, but the pub was shut when they arrived. There was one other casualty – Doug had to leave at 6pm to go to his sister’s birthday party. According to Stephen, that was ‘arguably even more admirable than completing the crawl’.
Future plans
The challenge is far from over. Stephen said the group will be back next year with an even more ambitious target: “We’re heading back out next year to hopefully hit 40 pubs in a single day.” That will have to include pubs outside central London, as they have experienced every ‘Spoons in the heart of the capital.
Since its launch in 1979 by pub guru Sir Tim Martin, J D Wetherspoon has become a British institution with around 800 boozers across the UK, Isle of Man, Republic of Ireland and Spain. It is known for converting unconventional premises – such as cinemas and banks – into pubs offering food and drink at prices few others can match. It also operates 56 hotels. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange, is part of the FTSE 250 Index of influential firms, and its success landed Sir Tim a knighthood for his services to business and hospitality.
Spokesman for the pub chain Eddie Gershon said: "This is a great achievement by Wetherspoon fans. We applaud their dedication in visiting so many pubs in one day."
