ONE day over a pint, two drinking buddies decided to go on a pub crawl to end all pub crawls.

The pals, Roy Caswell and Ralph Sherrington, decided to visit every pub in Bolton.

Not all at once you understand - but every Friday the pair decided to visit two pubs before retiring to their local to avoid drink driving.

Now 10 years on Roy and Ralph, who both live in Heaton, are on their third circuit of the town's hostelries and show no signs of stopping.

Retired physics teacher Roy and Ralph, a retired lift and crane engineer and inspector, think they have visited hundreds of pubs over the years.

As a bit of a laugh they decided to rate each pub they visited on whether or not it would suitable to take a wife to.

They grade the pubs from one to 10 and they say the ones with lower numbers are suitable for "a lad's night out" while the higher numbers signify pubs suitable for partners and wives.

Their quaffing quest has taken them as far as Westhoughton, Horwich and Little Lever, but sadly some of the pubs they visited have since called last orders for the last time. Roy, who is 60, was a former civil servant with the Inland Revenue before going to university and qualifying as a teacher.

He taught physics for the last 17 years at St James School, Farnworth, before retiring a few years ago. He is working part-time as a technician at the school until July this year when he will retire permanently.

"We started off with three of us but soon it was just two and we used to do Mondays and Fridays, but we just couldn't keep it up so now we just do Fridays.

"We look at pubs and assess them whether they are upmarket or downmarket and then we put the results on my website.

Ralph, who is 61, said: "Our Friday nights are just us two really. Roy is single and my wife Theresa stays at home - it's a lad's night out. After two pubs we come back to the Victory Reform Club."

Roy added: "We judge the pubs on surroundings, decor, clientele, beer and general atmosphere."

Roy said that their favourite pub that has since closed was the Halliwell Lodge: "It was a good local that served the local housing estates well."

The best upmarket pub is the Bob's Smithy while the best lad's pub was the Flag Inn while a good all round pub would be Wetherspoons in Bolton town centre. They are on their third time round now: "It's a bit like painting Blackpool Tower - once you finished it you have to start from the beginning all over again - and that's what we are doing with the pubs."

The pair intend carrying on with their supping sojourn until Ralph completes a move to Ireland.

It's a hard job - but someone has got to do it.

For more information on the pubs the pair have visited go to: HERE.