Just hopped into the Hopbine

Yesterday witnessed the return of the bus outing's organised by my local CAMRA branch, on behalf of members and friends. I now fall into the latter category, but was glad to turn join the trip, which included a visit to the historic Leicester Arms at Penshurst, followed by checking out a couple of pubs in the small West Kent town of Edenbridge. A full report about the trip will follow in due course, but for the time being I want to mention an old favourite, which I visited last weekend.

The pub in question is the Hopbine Inn at Petteridge, a small settlement six miles to the east of Tunbridge Wells. I popped in briefly, last Sunday lunchtime, with son Matthew, after enjoying a cooked breakfast at Chiddingstone Causeway village hall, followed by running a few errands on behalf of Mrs PBT’s. I hadn't been to the Hopbine since before the pandemic, so as we were in the area, I decided it was time to put that right.

Sunday lunchtime was probably not the best time for our visit, because as we discovered the Hopbine was packed out by diners enjoying the pub’s popular Sunday roast, and whilst we didn't have any trouble getting served at the bar, looking around it there didn't seem to be anywhere for us to sit down. We had noticed a several small groups of drinkers sitting outside, as we walked along from the car park, so that should have served as a warning, but as the weather seemed reasonable, I suggested to Matthew that we should join them,

I knew from previous visits that there was a covered terraced area, set at a lower level to the rear of the pub, so after ordering our drinks, that is where we headed. There was a choice of three beers – Traditional, from Tonbridge Brewery, a house beer brewed by Cellar Head, plus local favourite Harvey's Sussex Best. I opted for the latter, whilst Matthew went for a pint of Hofmeister.  

We had the rear terrace to ourselves, probably because unlike the front of the pub, the area was partially in the shade, so whilst the weather initially seemed OK, it soon felt a little cold. Sitting on metal chairs, without their normal padded cushions, didn’t help either, but as we both had coats on, we stuck it out – for one pint, that is!

I've known the Hopbine on and off, for many years, back to the days when it belonged to the much-missed Horsham brewers, King & Barnes, through it's later ownership by Hall & Woodhouse. Often known as Badger, the latter company took control of King & Barnes when they got into financial difficulty. This new relationship didn’t last too long, as a pub in Kent that was just about serviceable from a brewery based in West Sussex, was a whole different ballgame for a company like Badger, who are based in the heart of Dorset. Running a pub that distance away from the brewery, wasn’t economically viable, so the Hopbine was sold on, and now functions as a free house.

Several years ago, the Hopbine seemed under the threat of closure, but a change of owners has breathed new life into the pub and turned the business around. Now, following the end of COVID, the Hopbine seems to be doing quite nicely, as Matthew and I found out. We didn't stay for another pint, particularly as I was driving, but it was good to see pub in a rural and relatively isolated situation, still managing to attract customers.

For the record, the majority of my visits to the Hopbine, have been on foot, either walking, across country from Paddock Wood rail station, or by taking the 297 Tunbridge Wells – Tenterden bus, and alighting at the stop between Matfield and Brenchley. From there, it is a short, 10-minute walk along Petteridge Lane, to the Hopbine Inn which is situated at the top of a hill on the edge of this small settlement.