Swindon’s three Wetherspoon pubs have been reviewed by a couple travelling the UK and rating the chain’s watering holes.
Partners Andy and Izzy, known as Wetho Wanderers, decided in May 2023 to tour the country and rate every Wetherspoon pub along the way.
The scoring system considers the pub’s building, interior and toilets but not the service or food and drink available on the menu.
“We've always enjoyed travelling the country, and whenever we do we tend to gravitate to the nearest Wetherspoons,” said Andy.
“Sometimes the chain gets a bad reputation but I think a lot of people don't realise how impressive some of the buildings are.
“Doing this has already led us to places in the country that we might not have otherwise visited and taught us plenty of new things.
“Swindon is a brilliant example of this as we ended up learning so much about its history as a railway town.”
Swindon has three Wetherspoon pubs with two of these in the town centre but it was at The Dockle Farmhouse where Wetho Wanderer’s Wiltshire journey began.
The Bridge End Road watering hole is made up of three buildings with the oldest one dating back to 1800 when it operated as a Dockle Farm.
After touring the facilities, Andy and Izzy gave the pub a healthy score of 3/5 but were unimpressed with the lavatories.
“We found a remarkable beer garden, stretching the full length of the pub with dozens of tables and benches,” they said.
“The pub is situated next to a main road but most of the beer garden is enclosed by trees and bushes to block out the outside world whilst you enjoy a drink or a meal.
“The toilets are a little small and underwhelming for a pub of this size, which is the only reason we couldn’t score the pub higher.”
Next up for the pair was The Sir Daniel Arms in the town centre which they gave a rating of 3.17/5.
“It inhabits a unique and quite impressive building, and it takes its name from Sir Daniel Gooch, a man who played a pivotal role in Swindon’s railway heritage,” they said.
“The exposed ventilation on the ceiling gives it an industrial feel, which fits the theme of Swindon’s history but feels rather unconventional in quite a traditional Wetherspoon.”
Former cinema The Savoy was the final stop on Andy and Izzy’s Swindon tour, earning a 3.33/5 score.
“It feels like a cinema from the moment you enter, with steps leading down to the sunken bar area,” they said.
“Cosy booths occupy the flanks of the room as it opens out into a large but quite cosy seating area.
“To either side are more raised seating areas surrounded by bookshelves, giving a very warm and welcoming feel to the pub.
“Even though our visit was on a Saturday night, the atmosphere in The Savoy felt calm and relaxed, which gave it a pleasant and welcoming vibe.
“It's fair to say Swindon’s Wetherspoons are above average, although refreshing the toilets would push them towards the top of the rankings.”
The couple hope to visit every Wetherspoon pub but admit that it will be a long commitment which will take years to complete.
“Last weekend we visited our 100th pub since we started this properly back in May,” said Andy.
“We probably won't do as much travelling over winter as we did earlier in the year but we should realistically be able to touch 150 in our first year.
“The total number of Spoons fluctuates as they buy and sell pubs but if we continue at that rate we should be able to complete all 850 or so in between five and six years.”
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