Some premier family time in Northumberland

The Bailey family are on holiday, and it is a rare occasion for all three of us to be away from home at the same time. We’ve driven up to Northumberland, all the way from Kent stopping off for the night at Harrogate, in order to break the journey. There will be a similar arrangement next Saturday, on the return journey, with a night at Huntingdon (junction of A1 and A14) pre-booked.

Three different Premier Inns are involved as part of this trip, with the main one being our current resting place at Alnwick. It’s turned out to be a good choice, but then again, it’s a new hotel, unlike the one at Harrogate where we stayed on Sunday evening. The hotel was looking a bit tired, but that wasn’t a problem, instead the issue which seemed to get everyone’s goat was the lack of hot food in the evening.

I found out the hard way, when I called in at the restaurant shortly after our arrival, in order to book a table. I discovered, to my horror that unless I’d pre-ordered a “meal deal” in advance, the family and I would be unable to eat. I was told it would be fine to have a drink in the pub, but we all wanted something more substantial than crisps or nuts. Talking further to the staff member acting as “front of house” I learnt that Premier Inns are closing a significant number of the pubs attached to the hotels and converting them into additional accommodation. This arrangement only applies to those outlets where the pub/restaurant forms an integral part of the building. 

So, in the case of Premier Inn’s Harrogate South outlet, the former pub, that was popular with, and well patronised by, local people, as well as hotel guests, is basically no more. Staff had already received redundancy notices, and the rump restaurant, plus the hotel, were ticking over with a skeleton crew. Understandably, morale was at an all time low, so the workforce could obviously be forgiven, if their hearts weren’t exactly in it. 

As for our meal that night, the fact that we’d checked in on a Sunday didn’t help, as the only restaurant within easy walking distance - a rather good-looking Italian place was closed. The worthy citizens of Harrogate must be proper god-fearing folk, for not trading on the Lord’s Day!  Of course, there was nothing stopping me from jumping in the car and driving off in search of a fast-food outlet, but having just completed a 200 + mile journey up from Kent, driving was the last thing I felt like doing. Matthew had better luck though, as he managed to get a Domino’s Pizza delivered, courtesy of Just Eat.

I was up bright and early the following morning, and set off, on foot, in search of some breakfast. Google Maps showed there was an M&S Foodhall, just 10 minutes’ walk away, which meant I was able to bring home the bacon for myself and the rest of the family, even if it was just a couple of bags of croissants! I’d probably got the better deal, as one couple Mrs PBT’s spoke to just after we checked out, reported that the breakfast was poor value to money. Gone was the “all you can eat” option, replaced by a carefully proportioned “rationed” offer of a single rasher of bacon, a fried egg, a single sausage, plus two slices of toast.

The harassed staff member I spoke to the previous evening said the hotel was struggling with staff number, following a round of redundancies – hardly conducive to running an efficient business in the cutthroat hospitality business. She told me the hotel was struggling to operate with reduced staffing levels, and whilst she was doing her best to remain upbeat, there did seem to be an air of despondency about the place.

The following day, we drove a further 116 miles along the crowded and  at times, very busy A1, to the pleasant market town of Alnwick, our base for the next five days. I have never been this far north in England before, although I have travelled through the area, by train several times, on visits to Edinburgh. Those journeys along the East Coast Mainline highlighted the beauty of this stretch of coastline, and as mentioned in another post, a conversation with our neighbour, over the garden fence helped make up our minds to visit Northumberland  on our next UK trip away.

The drive up to Alnwick took longer than planned, due to roadworks in the Newcastle area – next time we shall listen to what the Sat-Nav is telling us. Fortunately, the town’s Premier Inn exceed our expectations, and was in a different league to the one we had left behind in Harrogate. 

Modern, and functionally stylish, the hotel offered everything that the one in Harrogate could not, which is just as well, given that we booked in for a five night’s stay. Although it is necessary to pre-book an evening meal at Alnwick, its modern restaurant, with its well-thought-out food offering, demonstrates just what was missing at Harrogate. Perhaps once the alterations have taken place at the latter, the outlet will find its mojo again and get back on its feet.

We’ve one more Premier Inn to experience on this holiday, and that is the one at Huntingdon. But as that is just a stopover on our journey home, it doesn’t really matter, as long as it is clean and not too noisy. Our experiences with the Premier chain this week, highlight the differences existing within a chain that is built on providing a standardised approach to the overnight hospitality business. They also reinforce my approach to staying away from home, which is to go for an independent outlet, even if it does mean taking the occasional punt.

As far as the local attractions are concerned, we are really impressed with Alnwick. In addition, we've enjoyed a walk along the lovely, unspoilt, sandy beach at Alnmouth, had a posh fish-finger sandwich, plus a pint of locally brewed Tyneside Blonde from Hadrian & Border Brewery, at the Olde Ship Inn at Seahouses, where we sat out soaking up the sun in the secluded spot behind the pub, overlooking the harbour.

We also made a short trip across the border into Scotland. Stopping for coffee and cake at the harbour side village of Eyemouth, the first settlement of any size as you cross into Scotland. It was very pleasant sitting out in the warm early September sunshine, looking out across the narrow harbour.  There were even a couple of seals swimming lazily in the water. We found a baker’s selling coffee and some rather nice cakes, before embarking on the return journey back to Alnwick, via Berwick.

Disappointingly, we failed in our quest to visit Bamburgh, as both roads leading into the village from the A1 were closed by roadworks. Similarly, the sheer volume of traffic, heading back along the narrow road from Holy Island, plus the warning warnings about not getting caught out on the causeway by the tide, put us off from visiting Lindisfarne.

There’s still time for another attempt at Holy Island, although not today, as the weather has taken a turn for the worse, with drizzle blowing in from the North Sea. Not exactly conducive for sight-seeing!

 

No tangled feet from Badger, following their eye-catching rebrand

Sometimes the old beers are the best, a strange comment possibly in these days of IPA’s Double and even Triple IPA’s, to say nothing of all the murk that’s on tap or on the shelves, at the moment. So, it’s good to see one of the remaining, independent, family brewers not particularly re-inventing themselves and going all-out for the citrus, hop-bomb market, but instead adopting an approach that is modern, contemporary and forward looking.

The brewery concerned is Dorset-based Hall & Woodhouse, better known today as Badger Brewery. Founded in 1777 on the banks of the River Stour at Blandford, Dorset, the company is rich in history, whilst its beers are full of character, and passionately made using the finest ingredients. After seven generations and almost two-and-a-half centuries later, the company is still independent and brewing some excellent beers, in a state-of-the-art, modern brewery that proudly alongside their old, Victorian brewery on the banks of the River Stour, in Blandford, Dorset.

I first became acquainted with Hall & Woodhouse, and Badger Ales, in the late 1970’s, and early 1980's when I was heavily involved with the Maidstone branch of the Campaign for Real Ale. In 1978 the branch held a rather large beer festival, at the hall, close to Maidstone’s Lock Meadow Market. This ambitious event featured beers from all over the south and south east, but back in the days before beer agencies, and beer exchanges, it was usually necessary to place orders with the brewery concerned, and then turn up a couple of weeks later, in person, to pick up the beer.

Prior to the festival, the branch made arrangements to collect all pre-ordered beer that couldn’t be delivered – the bulk of the beer order, basically. There was a budget for van hire, so all that was needed were volunteers to drive a van to each brewery, collect the beers, and then convey the precious casks back to Maidstone. A friend and I made two such trips, sharing the driving duties between us. One trip was to the Thames Valley, collecting casks from Brakspear’s at Henley-on Thames, and Wethered’s Brewery, at Marlow (both breweries are no longer with us). A few days later we headed into Dorset, picking up beer from Palmer’s at Bridport (a decent lunch at a Palmer’s pub, close to the brewery), before stopping off, on the drive back to Kent, at Blandford St Mary’s, to collect casks from Hall & Woodhouse.

We didn’t sample any Badger ales at the brewery - not that we we were offered any, because we were both driving, and also because we’d already enjoyed a couple of Palmer’s beers earlier in the day. Blandford seemed an attractive place though, and 17 years later, I found myself back in the town when Mrs PBT’s and I, along with son Matthew plus pet dog, rented a holiday cottage in a small village, close to the town. I’m not 100% certain which village it was, and I‘m not even sure it had a pub. I was a keen home-brewer back then – proper full-mash, whole hops, and all that, so I took a polypin of home-brew along with me.

One morning, on a trip into Blandford, we called in at the Hall & Woodhouse shop to pick up a few bottles, and whilst there enquired about a brewery visit.  We were told that whilst tours for individuals were not available, the company was hosting a tour the following evening, on behalf of a local company. The firm in question was Poole-based BDH (British Drug Houses) a famous and familiar name to anyone who has ever worked in a laboratory. There were a couple of tickets spare so Eileen and I, or just one of us was welcome to tag along.

Eileen had young master Matthew to look after, and wasn’t that interested in breweries anyway, so I went by myself, but as I had to drive into Blandford from our holiday cottage, it rather limited my post brewery-tour sampling.  It was still an interesting visit and hidden away somewhere at home, I’ve got photos of mash tuns, coppers, horizonal fermentation tanks, plus a few of the attractive 19^th Century brewery buildings themselves.

Today, a new state of the art brewery stands alongside the old brewery buildings, which now house the Brewery Tap and Shop. The new brewery is energy saving, more flexible, and much more cost-effective than the old, but nowhere near as attractive. Looking back briefly at the tour, the ticket price included a sit-down, cold buffet, plus plenty of samples. As I was driving, the staff kindly presented me with a selection of bottled beers, to drink later, at my leisure.

Further exposure to Badger Brewery came in the early 2000’s when Eileen and I were running our own, independent off-licence licence, selling a wide variety of both bottled and cask beers – the latter, filled into containers for customers to take away and drink at home. A few months after setting up the business, we came into contact with Badger directly, following their acquisition of Horsham brewer, King & Barnes, and its 55 tied houses. The takeover came about following an abortive bid by Shepherd Neame for K&B, when this fell through Hall & Woodhouse made a counterbid, which was accepted. Sadly, the Horsham Brewery was surplus to the new owner’s requirements and was closed in August 2000. A few of King & Barnes’s more popular beers were brewed at Blandford for a while but were eventually discontinued.

The acquisition gave Badger a foothold into Sussex and West Kent, that they didn’t have before, and locally this included the Hopbine at Petteridge and the Huntsman at Eridge, both of which were former K&B pubs. Seeing as their drays were now delivering into what, for them, was new territory, the company was keen to pick up additional business in the area. Consequently, they were happy to establish an account with our off-licence, so the Cask & Glass started stocking both bottled and cask beers from Badger.

Looking back, the K&B acquisition, probably wasn’t the wisest purchases for Badger to have made, as with very few (if any) tied Badger pubs in neighbouring Hampshire, delivering into Sussex, and Kent meant a lengthy a journey for their drays, through that county.  Consequently, they eventually disposed of both the Hopbine and the Huntsman. Badger cask beers are not often found in the local free trade either, so it is there that the Badger story might have ended for south-east residents like me, were it not for the much-maligned supermarket trade, and a rather clever re-brand.

Just over a year ago, Badger put out a press release under the banner of “Same beer, new bottles”, and it was the eye-catching nature of the bottles that did the trick for me. The brewery had obviously put a lot of work into re-branding their beers, and unlike others in the past – and present (Adnam’s for example), this one actually worked. All the new designs have clear tasting notes on the front and feature colours designed to stand out amongst the sea of brown bottles on supermarket shelves. Badger claim the new designs bring fun and clarity to beer drinkers, and this press release from the brewery explains the thinking behind these changes, far better than I could.

I’ve got our two most recent cruises to thank for re-uniting me with one particular Badger beer, and for making me appreciate what a fine beer it is. I’m talking about Tangle Foot, a 5.0% premium bitter, described today by the brewery as a “golden ale”, despite that term not being around in the 1980’s, when the beer was first developed. Along with other PBA’s (Premium Bottled Ales) from the likes of Adnam's, Charles Wells, Fuller’s, Marston’s St Austell, and Theakston’s, bottled Tangle Foot was readily available, not just in the Golden Lion pub, but in the numerous other bars and eateries onboard both Queen Victoria and Queen Anne.

I developed quite a taste for it, despite the bottles being chilled to a degree of two above freezing, and when I returned to the UK after the last cruise, noticed cans of Tangle Foot on sale at our local Tesco’s. The description “crisp and balanced, with a noble hop character” fits the beer perfectly, but what is more surprising is the use of the more traditional hop varieties, Challenger and Goldings, to give the beer a delicate floral aroma, set against a satisfying bitterness.

So, no "citrus bombs" here thankfully, and no peach of lychee aromas to distract the drinker from enjoyment of this well-balanced and refreshing, gold coloured beer. But when you’ve got 240 years of brewing experience behind you, with all the passion of an independent, family-owned brewery, what else can you expect?

Tunbridge Wells Circular Walk - complete at last!

A couple of Friday’s ago I finally finished the Tunbridge Wells Circular Walk, a task that took far longer than it should have done. For the uninitiated, the TWCW is a cross-country walk which, as its name suggests, is a route around the rural periphery of Tunbridge Wells. The route passes through the High Weald Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and allows walkers to enjoy the undulating countryside of the High Weald, a landscape of patchwork fields, broad-leaved woodland, and parkland. On the way, it takes in the villages of Southborough, Pembury, Frant, Groombridge and Speldhurst. – a 27½ mile rural walk around the periphery of the former spa town of Tunbridge Wells.

I’d been aware of the TWCW for some time after a conversation with my friend Eric, who had completed the walk with his brother-in-law, some years previously. I had also walked parts of the trail myself, in the company of other friends/CAMRA members, on a number of different pub outings. That was the extent of my interest until a visit to Larkin’s Alehouse in Cranbrook in February 2022 , and there, on sale behind the bar, was a guidebook to the Tunbridge Wells Circular Walk .

I purchased a copy with the intention of walking this footpath myself, but before doing so, I needed to complete the North Downs Way. I’d been walking this long-distance-footpath, in stages, since the summer of 2017, and finally completed at the beginning of February 2023. This was almost a year to the day since buying that TWCW Guidebook, and during that time I’d been studying the route with interest. The book divides the walk into four, manageable sections, moving in a clockwise around Tunbridge Wells, leaving users the choice of four different starting points.

Later that month I began the walk in earnest, starting with the Southborough to Pembury section. As this is the longest stretch of the TW Circular, I completed it in two halves, due mainly to time constraints. February wasn’t the best month to be starting a cross-country walk, and conditions underfoot were wet and quite muddy in places. I also took a wrong turn as I approached Tonbridge, a mistake I only realised when I reached the railway line, instead of the A21 main road.  I ended up walking that missing last half mile or so, a few weeks later, for the sake of completeness.

It was halfway through May that I finally finished Tonbridge to Pembury section, following one of the wettest March and Aprils I can recall. The first part of the walk, up through the grounds of Somerhill House was a familiar one, as it forms part of a walk to Capel and the Dovecote Inn, but as the trail climbed up towards the area known as Dislingbury, it became much harder to follow.

I eventually found my way to the grounds of St Peter’s Old Church, the original place of worship for the settlement of Pippenbury, before the village was re-named and re-sited. A bench, in the tranquil setting of the old churchyard, formed the perfect place for me to sit and enjoy my packed lunch, before heading off, past the waterworks, to the A228 road. Snipe Wood, to the south of Pippin’s Farm, was the ideal place to get lost and completely throw me off course, but eventually I found my way out of the wood and into Pembury village itself. The King Wiliam IV, on the Old Hastings Road, provided a couple of welcoming pints, as reward for finally finishing this section.

The fine weather continued throughout May, so I felt confident in tackling the next stage of the circular walk, from Pembury to Frant. My objective was to follow the footpath as far as the village of Frant, which lies to the south of Tunbridge Wells, enjoy a pint, and possibly a bite to eat at the George Inn, before catching a couple of buses home. This particular stage was a very doable 5 miles, so I was confident of arriving at the George in time for lunch. I perhaps, should have known better, as a poorly signposted route through woodland, took me off course, not just once, but twice.

Fortunately, memories from a previous walk came to my assistance, and I emerged onto close to the rather prestigious Nevill Golf Club. Whilst passing the clubhouse, I asked a couple of golfers if I was heading in the right direction. I was, but this wasn’t quite the end of the walk.  

 After crossing the busy Bayham Road, I followed a track past a farm and then up into Chase Wood. I had walked the steep path through this wood previously, and in both directions, so I knew it was quite a climb. Eventually I emerged from the trees into the first of two fields that took me into Frant. I arrived at the attractive looking George Inn at a quarter to three, and fortunately for me, the pub was open all afternoon. Not so fortunate was missing the last orders for food by 15 minutes, but I was much more in need of liquid, rather than solid refreshment

It was February 2024, when I next set foot on the trail, this time with the aim of walking from Frant to Eridge. This equated to roughly half of the section detailed in the guidebook, which runs all the way to Groombridge. It had been the best part of eight months since I last set foot on the TWCW, a combination of poor weather, plus other commitments had dampened my enthusiasm, but with two weeks of dry and relatively warm weather, I was determined to do something about it.

I took the bus to Frant, and following a quick pint at Abergavenny Arms, set off to find the spot where the TWCW branches off from the main A267 road, and descends into Eridge Park. The drop down into the park was every bit as steep as I recalled from a walk 3½ years previously and was slippery as well. It also featured umpteen trip hazards, in the form of exposed tree roots. Worse was to come, in the form of mud, so my initial optimism that it might be reasonably dry underfoot, soon vanished. The muddy conditions made for slow going, meaning that a walk which should only have taken an hour, ended up taking nearly two because of the constant need to make my way around the worst of the muddy areas.

After passing a series of ornamental lakes at the bottom of the valley it was time to climb back up to higher ground, where I encountered another place where the path deviated from what seemed like the most logical route. With the end in sight, there were two fields filled with sheep to pass through, but unfortunately, they weren’t “friendly” sheep, and seemed determined to harass this person who had invaded their territory. You can read more about my ovine encounter here, and I’m pleased to report I reached the end of the path, unscathed. The Nevill Crest & Gun pub, just a few minutes’ walk away, provided one of the best pints of Harvey’s that I’d had in a long time, and with the bus stop just a short distance away, the ideal place to finish my walk.

Poor weather again intervened leaving a two-month gap before conditions improved sufficiently for me to resume the TWCW. So, in mid-April I picked from where I left off back at the start of February, by taking the No. 29 bus to Eridge Green.  My aim was to walk the three and a half miles from Eridge to Groombridge, passing on the way the impressive rocky outcrops that make up Harrison’s Rocks. Despite a much-needed dry spell at the start of April, the weather again took a turn for the worse, with several heavy downpours, mid-afternoon, that caught me out, right in the middle of a ploughed field. I’d more or less dried out by the time I’d reached the aforementioned Harrison’s Rocks, which are quite impressive and surprisingly high in places.

The Rocks are popular with both novice rock scramblers, and more experienced mountaineers, and form a backdrop to the Spa Valley Railway, whose line follows the valley floor in its run between Eridge and Groombridge stations. There was no welcoming pint at the end of the walk, at least not at Groombridge, but this was due to bus timings rather than anything else, so I called in at Fuggles Beer Cafe instead, when I got back to Tunbridge Wells.

10 days ago, I finally finished the Tunbridge Wells circular, by walking the entire section between Groombridge and Southborough. The guidebook claims this section is just over six miles in length, but they must be “country miles” as the walk seemed considerably longer, especially after I stopped for a rest and a well-earned pint at the George & Dragon in Speldhurst. The guidebook delivered this time around, and more than proved its worth on several occasions.

The Harvey’s at the G&D was in top form, which was just as well, as I found the stretch between Speldhurst and Southborough quite challenging. I was very relieved then when I arrived at Southborough Common, and after passing the long-closed, but sadly missed Beehive pub, at Modest Corner, was soon traversing the cricket ground from where the bus home awaited me.

Despite its modest 27½ mile length, the TWCW is still quite a challenge, in terms of terrain, quality of footpaths - especially the absence of waymarks from where they perhaps should be, and the availability of public transport to convey walkers to and from the various section start and end points. It also “belongs” to this area, as do other localised walks in their own unique setting. What I’m trying to say here is, because it is circular, rather than linear it doesn’t form part of any longer footpaths or indeed any networks of walks. There is still a sense of achievement for having completed it, but it’s not the same as a long-distance, linear walk such as the North or South Downs.

So, what next? Well, Kent Ramblers have published a guide to “Three River Valley Walks in West Kent”, and these are Darent Valley Path, Eden Valley Walk and Medway Valley Walk. The guide follows the same format TWCW, with descriptions of the routes and full-colour mapping. The walks are divided into convenient sections that connect with rail stations, or local buses, meaning they are readily accessible so you can leave the car at home. The only question is, which of these three walks will I attempt first?

The best laid plans go astray, even on the buses

On Thursday, I joined a small group of local CAMRA members on what promised to be my second foray into darkest Sussex. The branch social secretary had arranged a visit to the village of Rotherfield, stopping off at the tiny settlement of Mark Cross on the way. Rotherfield is the neighbouring village to Mayfield which, if you remember, was the place I wanted to visit, following my bus ride out that way, at the end of last week. The CAMRA outing therefore seemed the perfect opportunity to experience Rotherfield’s two remaining pubs, whilst enjoying some pleasant, shared company, in the process. So, what could possibly go wrong?

West Kent CAMRA bus trips have an unfortunate habit of going astray, despite the often quite meticulous planning by the organisers, but that prospect was far from my head when I joined my fellow passengers ("bus wankers" according to Mrs PBT’s), at the bus stop out side Tunbridge Wells’s Royal Victoria Place, shopping centre.

I’d arrived in the Wells with plenty of time to spare, enough in fact to enjoy an expensive, but rather nice flat white coffee, from Café Nero. I normally get my coffee from Greggs, priced at just £2, but following Mrs PBT’s adage about getting what you pay for, bit the bullet and went for the posh option, which was nearly double, at £3.70! The barista, or whatever fancy name coffee chains give their coffee fixers/pourers, asked if I would like to try their promotional single variety, Brazilian beans? Same price? Was my response. No, 30p extra, was the reply. I politely informed him he could keep his Brazilian beans, and told him that I don’t respond well to up-selling, either!

Grumpy old git bit out of the way, I joined my CAMRA comrades as they boarded the bus. Being near the rear of the queue, I missed what the driver had said to them, but basically, due to road works (more road works?), narrow country lanes, and a not quite so narrow bus, the 51 would not be calling at Rotherfield until the works were finished.  (Note, how the powers that be, always describe such works as “essential.”) A brief crisis management discussion then ensued, which resulted in our party still boarding the bus, with the aim of alighting at Mark Cross, and the first pub of the day – the Lazy Fox. 

Formerly the Mark Cross Inn, this large pub has received an extensive makeover, and is now forms part of Elite Pubs, growing estate. You might remember me writing about another of the group’s pubs, the Vineyard at Lamberhurst where, as a family, we celebrated the final birthday of my sixtieth decade on this rock we call, Planet Earth.  

The Lazy Fox follows a similar pattern, with its tiled floors, floral-painted walls, and extensive dining areas complete with its own pizza oven. There are also reputed to be stunning views from the rear garden, but given the wet and windy conditions outside, we didn’t investigate this further. Whether the Fox counts as a true village “local” is open to question, although judging by the number of tables already occupied at quarter to one on a Thursday lunchtime, it is obviously a popular destination for the smart set who like to dine out.

We managed to find a couple of vacant tables, but not before ordering ourselves a beer, from a choice of Harvey’s Sussex Best or Sharp’s Solar Wave Hazy IPA. Oh no, a pint of murk, and whilst I normally avoid such abominations, I was feeling devilish that afternoon (something to do with the wind?), that I thought I’d give it a go. Described by the brewery as “a vibrant, golden, juicy, hazy IPA brewed to hit the sweet spot between fruitiness and hop bitterness,” I found it far more fruity than bitter, although it was perfectly acceptable – as a “one off”!

The great debate then ensued as to where to go next, or to stay at the Fox for something to eat. The wood-fired pizzas coming out of the oven, certainly looked tempting, although the prices seemed equally mouthwatering. Some members of the group succumbed, with one couple (not related), deciding to share one. The rest of us wanted to eat somewhere a bit more down to earth, but with Rotherfield and its two pubs denied to us, where to go next?

Mayfield with its excellent Rose & Crown, that I visited the week before seemed the obvious choice, but there were a couple of people in our part with mobility issues, and the walk to the pub along Fletching Street would have been too much. 

The Middle House Hotel was deemed too posh, so the only options were to board the next bus heading south and try our luck in places such as Five Ashes, or Heathfield, or head back towards Tunbridge Wells. The first option would take us into uncharted territory, whilst the second would take us to places that were more familiar. I was all for a bit of exploring, although it would have been stabbing in the dark somewhat, as a poor internet connection at the Fox, left us unable to check out sites, such as What Pub.

Northwards it was then, with the village of Frant our destination. We left the three members who were still eating, at the Fox, and upon leaving the bus at Frant, split into two with four of us heading to the Abergavenny Arms, whilst the other two making for the George Inn. I quite fancied trying the George, but it was the food offer at the Abergavenny that caught me attention. One member of the group had noticed a two courses for £12 offer, advertised in a local business magazine, and as we entered the pub there were some  leaflets promoting this offer. Most of us went for the haddock and chips, with a deep-fried, king prawn starter, although the pate and toast also looked a good, first-course option. Harvey’s Sussex Best was the sole cask offering, but it was in good form.

Whilst the Abergavenny wasn’t packed, it still seemed to be ticking over nicely, with two other tables of diners, no doubt taking advantage of the two for £12 offer. Before leaving, we were joined for a short period by the two members who went to the George. Harvey’s again was the cask option. I like the George, having called in there for the first time last summer, after completing a section of the Tunbridge Wells Circular Walk, but the four of us who ate at the Abergavenny definitely enjoyed the better deal. It was back on the bus again after that, although there was still no sign of the two people we’d left behind at Mark Cross. We later discovered that two buses in succession had been cancelled, leaving our friends stranded for another hour at Mark Cross.

We didn’t have far to travel to the next pub, which was the Bull on Frant Road, right on the edge of Tunbridge Wells. It’s a Shepherd Neame house, which probably explains why I had never been in there before, but despite this, the Bull appeared a pleasant, bright and airy pub, apart from there being no cask ale available. This was evident from the lack of pump-clips on any of the three, retro-looking, stainless steel hand pulls. The young barmaid was quite apologetic about the situation, but they’d only had their delivery that morning, and the beer hadn’t had time to clear.

Oh dear, we’re the Campaign for Real Ale, and there’s no real ale for us to drink. I was tempted to stay for a glass of Beavertown, and might well have done had my companions not decided to leave. (One member stayed for a short while, in order to update the Bull’s What Pub entry). I felt bad about leaving, but as one of my companions said, later on, what sort of pub let’s its cask stocks run so low, that they end up with none ready for sale? There might have been a perfectly rational explanation, but given the situation, I left the Bull along with my companions and headed down to the Pantiles area of Tunbridge Wells, on foot.

The Pantiles is the oldest, and most famous part of the Wells, and the pub we were making for once had a legendary reputation in the town. Tucked away in a small courtyard, the Sussex Arms has mellowed over the years back to something that resembles what it was like before the revamp and tart-up the pub received when that area of the Pantiles was “gentrified" in the late 1980’s. It’s never going to be quite the same as it was when the legendary Dennis and Barbara Lane were the licensees – and you can read my thoughts about the old Sussex here.

There was a good line up of beers on the bar, including a couple from the local Fonthill Brewing Co, who based in a stale block behind the George public house on Mount Ephraim, at the other end of Tunbridge Wells. Psychedelic Jungle West Coast IPA, a hoppy and fruity IPA, but being “West Coast” it is bright, rather than hazy. There was a pleasant and relaxed atmosphere inside the Sussex that afternoon, and the pub certainly felt like a comfortable and secure haven from the wind and the rain outside.

We visited one more pub that afternoon, which was Fuggles at the top end of Tunbridge Wells. The less mobile and less fit members of the party travelled up by bus, whilst the rest of us walked up, despite the hilly nature of the town. Fuggles was buzzing when we arrived, although there were still sufficient spare seats and tables where we could base ourselves. Also present in the pub, were several other CAMRA members and sympathisers.

As with the Sussex Arms, the beer range at Fuggles was exemplary, and star of the show was a beer from Thornbridge Brewery, brewed using one of the Burton Union sets. 90 Shilling, described as an American Amber Ale, is said to be a version of the 90/- Ale brewed by Colorado-based Odell Brewing Company. Whatever its origin, and its make-up, it was the best beer of the day, and that includes some excellent Harvey’s at the Abergavenny.

So, not quite the day out we had been expecting, but nevertheless an interesting and enjoyable one. The only downside, for me, was not visiting Rotherfield, but that can easily be rectified at a later date.