The king and queen of Spoons! Wetherspoon fans visit 500th boozer

A pair of Wetherspoons superfans who are determined to visit each and every one of the boozers in the UK have marked reaching their 500th pub.

Dedicated Phil, 77, and Julie Fox, 74, challenged themselves more than 15 years ago to sample all 809 of the brand's pubs in the UK - and have even met the company's owner Tim Martin.

The couple from Halifax, West Yorkshire, have now visited their 500th boozer - The William Adams in Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk.

But while they are flying towards their target, Mr Fox has admitted it may be 'impossible' for them to complete the challenge because they would have to visit six venues that are located in airport departure lounges. 

The former newspaper production worker, said: 'We nearly called it quits when we reached 500 but that wouldn't have lasted long.

'It's impossible to do it though because we would have to book holidays abroad, because there's two at Birmingham Airport.

'So it's a bit of a trek to go to Birmingham, just to fly to Spain for Wetherspoons.'

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Celebrating the 500 milestone, the Foxes were photographed with a sign proclaiming their victory at the Norfolk venue.

Grandfather-of-seven Mr Fox originally came up with the idea in 2007, while drinking in his local ale house with his wife.

The pair say it has been a great way to explore parts of England they might not otherwise have visited, and originally set out to visit just 100 of the pubs.

Mr Fox said: 'We ran out of conversation and we were staring at each other, so I asked her how many Spoons we had been to.

'I worked out we had been in maybe 70, so we decided to do 100.

'We then went for 200 and it's carried on - it's become a part-time hobby.'

The couple plan trips to different parts of the UK so they can visit the pubs and sometimes even stay in a Wetherspoons Hotel.

He added: 'We've stayed in the hotels, the ones we've stayed in are all quite nice.

'But we will often stay in a Travelodge or a Premier Inn because of the costs, they are always cheap.

'We did London last year, so we went to eight pubs that all have the word moon in the title, so that was a nice holiday.'

The pair, who have five children between them, say their favourite pub is The Stamford Post in Stamford, Lincolnshire.

He said: 'We used to love the one in Keswick but we've got a new favourite.

'It's called the The Stamford Post - we've been there a few times and even visited a few days ago.

'It's an old newspaper office but it's really, really nice inside - they modernised it and everything.'

Mrs Fox, a retired retail worker, and her husband both try and have a different drink every time they visit the boozers.

Phil prefers a IPA beer while Julie often goes for a lager such as San Miguel or Cruzcampo - but both of them love the halloumi wrap.

He said: 'There is a good selection of beers, I've drifted towards the IPAs and they always have them.

'You go into a lot of modern pubs and they just have lagers, but Wetherspoons come at a good price as well.

'The food is good and my wife likes a beer, but she likes San Miguel and Cruzcampo.

'They are always introducing new things onto the menu, they are introducing a load of Korean things now, like crunchy chicken with coconut rice.

'We try all the food - we love the halloumi wraps and they are a good price.'