6th CAMRA Real Ale & Cider Festival and Autumn Diesel Gala

With just three days to go, here is a belated plug for my own local CAMRA branch’s Beer Festival. The 6th West Kent CAMRA Real Ale & Cider Festival, held in conjunction with the Spa Valley Railway (SVR), takes place this coming weekend (21^st - 23^rd October), at the Heritage Railway’s preserved Victorian Engine Shed at Tunbridge Wells West Station.

This year’s event will be bigger than ever, with 130 Real Ales, 27 Green Hop Beers, plus 15 Key-Key/Cask Beers and for the first time the festival will be featuring a number of Belgian Beers. There will also be 30 traditional ciders; most of them locally sourced from within either Kent or Sussex.

As in previous years, the beers and ciders will be spread out between the three stations at Tunbridge Wells, Groombridge & Eridge; although the majority will found at Tunbridge Wells. There will also be bars on two of the SVR’s train sets. To reach all the locations the organisers recommend a day rover ticket, which allows unlimited travel all day, up and down the line between Tunbridge Wells and Eridge. For CAMRA members there is a special CAMRA Day Rover ticket available for just £15!

I haven’t been involved with the organisation of this year’s event, but I will be there on Saturday, at one or more of the locations, serving behind the bar. So why not come along and treat yourself to a ride through the Kent and Sussex countryside, and stop and say hello.

Full details of the festival, including a list of all the beers and ciders, can be found by clicking the link here.