Just to keep you guessing

Saturday’s Pub of the Year tour worked out well in the end, despite a mix-up over the initial  pick-up time, which saw us milling around outside Tunbridge Wells station, kicking our heels and champing at the bit.

Fortunately all was not lost, as having been advised of the revised collection time, we were able to reschedule our itinerary and  “knock off” one of the Tunbridge Wells pubs first.

We had a really good day and visited six excellent pubs; all potential winners of Pub of the Year, and all fine establishments in their own right. One thing many of us found, and I know I did, is scoring pubs according to the strict criteria laid down by CAMRA, is hard work. People might scoff at this, but it really does require a lot of thought and consideration to  score pubs accurately and as objectively as possible.

I would like to think I did this to the best of my ability, and I’m pretty certain that my travelling companions will have done the same. It’s all a lot different to the situation the branch found itself in a decade or so ago, when several regulars from one particular short-listed pub, booked themselves on the tour, and then promptly awarded that pub full marks in each section. As if they hadn’t already revealed their bias towards their favourite pub, they then proceeded to give low marks to the remaining five pubs.

Fortunately this attempt at vote swinging was so blatantly obvious, that it stood out like a sore thumb, and the votes of these individuals were discarded. Regrettably, it left the branch feeling wary of running this type of tour in the future, so Saturday’s trip was  deliberately kept low-key, in so much that it was not widely advertised, and restricted to members who were known and trusted.

Some might view this as elitism, but in truth the fact that such a tour was taking place, was made known to all those who bother to attend socials, or other branch events, and therefore those who put in the effort to turn up at CAMRA functions were those given the opportunity to participate in this important selection process. Personally I think this is not only fair, but also a just reward for all those who make the effort in the first place.

A full report of the pub tour will follow in due course, but for now I'll just say that whilst all six finalists were of a very high standard, there was one pub which for me, stood head and shoulders above the rest. Whether my fellow travellers/pub surveyors, thought the same, remains to be seen, but we will find out the results soon enough.

In the meantime the photos might provide a few clues as to the identity of the six finalists; especially to anyone living locally, or familiar with the pubs of West Kent.

Magical Mystery Tour - or Pub of the Year

In common with most, if not all, local branches, West Kent CAMRA run a Pub of the Year competition, usually abbreviated to POTY – an acronym I cringe at every time I hear it, even if it does save a bit of typing!  I have written about this yearly award on several previous occasions, and I suspect I shall be writing about it again before the month is out, but it's worth pointing out that I have mixed feelings about the value of Pub of the Year.

I obviously accept the award is good for the winning pub, but the competition can sometimes cause ill-feeling in the licensed trade as a whole; and it's not just a question of sour grapes. The selection process itself can also be fraught with problems, and there is no one size fits all approach when deciding on the winner.

Despite these reservations there has to be some method or other for choosing a winner, so this coming weekend West Kent CAMRA are running a mini-bus tour of the six pubs selected as finalists in this year's competition.

This heralds a return to a selection process last used six years ago, but abandoned for a variety of reasons, not least of which were the organisation involved in hiring a mini-bus and the job of finding a suitable “designated driver” willing to sit there drinking soft drinks all day.

These mini-bus trips invariably took place on a Saturday, because of their lengthy nature. Finding a mutually agreeable date could sometimes pose a problem, but the main concern was that by the time members had reached the last couple of pubs on the tour, their judgement was almost certainly clouded by the amount of beer they had drunk!

On the plus side these trips were highly enjoyable, so I for one am extremely pleased that the branch has decided to reinstate the mini-bus tour as a tried and tested means of selecting Pub of the Year. I am therefore really looking forward to Saturday's trip especially as it gives me the opportunity to visit  pubs I don't often get round to. This is particularly the case with some of the more rural pubs on the list.

Now I don't intend to name any of the six finalists at this stage; just on the off-chance that one or more of the licensees concerned reads this blog, but once the tour is over, I will be writing a short piece on each of the pubs visited. What I will say for now is four of  the contenders are rural, whilst the remaining two are town-centre outlets.

Saturday's forecast isn't looking that brilliant, but no matter we will be getting wet on the inside. It might just mean that some of the photo opportunities won't be as good as they might otherwise have been, if the sun was to be shining.

The other slight downside is that the trip will be quite a hurried affair, with the time at each pub restricted to around 45 minutes. This is to comply with legal requirements concerning driver's hours. I was also talking with a friend and work colleague earlier today, and we were both wondering which pub would be the best for lunch, and would the pub be able to accommodate a dozen hungry drinkers within that time-frame, especially when they turn up unannounced.

That last point is particularly valid, as we don't want publicans knowing in advance that we are coming, especially if they then guess the purpose of our visit. It may just be then that packets of crisps or bags of nuts will have to suffice until later in the evening when we've all been dropped off.

Finally, there are no clues from any of the photos either, all of which are strictly "neutral".

The road goes ever on

Well I'd like to think that after the unexpected, and rather dramatic start to the New Year, life in the Bailey household is slowly getting back to normal. Mrs PBT's  has made a good recovery, considering what she has been through, and is pretty much back to her usual self.

Now that the snow and ice have finally melted she will be able to get out and about on her own again, without having to rely on me. She admits that she needs to get out and do some walking, in order to build up her stamina and get some invigorating fresh air into her lungs.

On the subject of lungs, her illness and subsequent treatment has allowed her to finally quit the habit she has had from the age of 15 (or perhaps even earlier). Eileen is now a non-smoker; five weeks hospitalisation, including a week on a ventilator under sedation, means her body has lost its craving for nicotine; so following the adage that every cloud has a silver lining, some good has come from her incapacitation and near death experience.

The other major change is that we are now officially a two-car household, as son Matthew has finally got himself a set of wheels. No more late night pick-ups for me, and in fact there is now the prospect that he can now drive his old dad to the pub and back!

Returning to the subject of walking for a while, I have decided to complete the North Downs Way, long distance footpath, although this will be a "work in progress" rather than my previous undertakings (South Downs Way and Weald Way), within a set timetable.

Last summer, I joined a small group of friends in walking a couple of stretches of the NDW Canterbury loop, (Wye to Chartham in the hills above the Stour Valley and a more open stretch between Shepherdswell and Dover). There are a couple of gaps in the loop, to fill in, before I can return to Dover and begin the long westward journey towards the finish/start of the trail in the Surrey town of Farnham; so the journey really is only just beginning.

 

My plan for completing the walk is to break it down into a number of stages, each between eight and twelve miles in length. That way I can pick and choose whichever section takes my fancy, and am I tempted to make a start before Easter, as I've got three days annual leave to take before the end of the financial year. Like many company’s my employer works on a "use it or lose it" basis, although we are allowed to carry a certain number of days over.

The NDW is quite different from its southern counterpart because, whilst it follows a similar line which sticks quite closely to the escarpment, it does pass close to some of the most densely populated areas of southern England.

The SDW on the other hand, passes through a much more rural landscape, apart from the section to the north of Brighton. The advantage for me, is that many of the starting and finishing points on the NDW are within easy travelling distance from home; with many readily accessible by public transport.

It was 10 years ago when a  friend and I set off to walk the 100 or so miles from Eastbourne to Winchester. We completed the walk the following year, having divided the trail up into three manageable sections.

We stayed over night at B & B establishments along the way; some of which were pubs, and in the evenings especially, there was normally plenty of beer consumed to rejuvenate a tired and aching body. I cannot overstate the enjoyment of walking through some of the most attractive landscapes in southern England, the camaraderie and the people we met along the way.

The sense of achievement we felt at finishing, celebrated by our arrival of the Hospital of St Cross, just outside Winchester, where we asked for, and received the "Wayfarer's Dole" of bread and ale, is something I still remember to this day.

Sadly, I'm not sure now whether  my friend and walking companion will be able to accompany me for much of the NDW.  He is 10 years older than me, and has recently been diagnosed with an ailment peculiar to men; particularly those of advancing years. He may, of course, be able to join me on some of the stages, and I will do my best to include him wherever possible.

Sometimes it's nice to walk alone, especially when you fancy a bit of solitude, but the enjoyment which comes from shared experiences on the trail, such as appreciating a spectacular view, laughing at a particularly funny joke or sinking that first pint of the evening, is something which cannot be under-estimated.

It’s still early days, but it’s nice to set a challenge, plan it out and then set off to accomplish it. The fact the challenge is a physical one makes it even better, and walking the length of the county and then heading into neighbouring Surrey will take me to places I’ve not been to before, even though they’re at most a few hours drive or train ride away.

In the meantime, you can read about my experiences of walking the South Downs Way, by clicking on the following links.

 https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/south-downs-way-days-two-three.html

 https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.co.uk/2009/05/south-downs-way-final-day.html

 https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/south-downs-way-final-leg.html

It's snow Jim, but not as we know it!

It’s been rather a strange week, and I’m glad that it’s nearly over; work-wise at least. The over-hyped “Beast from the East” caused some disruption in this neck of the woods but like the model employee I am, I managed to make it in to work everyday; even if the drive in was as times, “interesting”.

We of course, don’t really do snow in the UK, and people tend to panic at the sight of the first snowflake. I accept it has been cold, and on my drive into work on Wednesday morning I was surprised to see the car temperature gauge showing an outside temperature of minus 11º C. This has to be the coldest I’ve experienced here in the UK.

I was left with little choice but to drive in, as although the village where I work has its own railway station, there were no trains running. This wouldn’t have happened back in the days of British Rail, I hear you say, and this is probably correct, but the simple truth is that here in the south, the antiquated “third-rail” system, originally installed by the Southern Railway back in the 1930’s, is extremely vulnerable to icing up, and associated loss of power. The trains cannot run without “juice”; end of!

Being of a certain age I am old enough to remember the winter of 1962/63; the “Big Freeze”as it later became known. It started snowing on Boxing Day (I can still recall looking out our front room window and seeing it coming down), and a few days later, the country was covered by a blanket of snow, with drifts several feet deep in places. Temperatures remained below freezing throughout January, and the following month there was more heavy snow. The thaw didn’t set in until early March.

Now I don’t wish to sound like the Four Yorkshiremen from the famous Monty Python sketch, but my sister and I went to school every day. There were no sissy “snow days” for us, where we couldn’t be driven into school; instead we walked in, through the snow and ice, me still wearing short trousers and my sister a school skirt.

The school playground was a sheet of ice, which meant we could make some fantastic slides. From memory, there were no broken bones, just the odd bruised bottom! Every so often the school caretaker would sprinkle a shovel full of ashes, from the coal-fired boiler, onto the ice, just to create a few less slippery walkways (probably for the benefit of the staff), and oh, before I forget the toilets were all outside; girls as well as boys!

Perhaps because we didn’t know any better, but I don’t recall being cold, miserable or in any way deprived during that memorable winter; instead we just got on with it. When the thaw did finally start to set in, us boys were given a shovel or a broom each and set to work helping the caretaker break up the ice on the playground and move it down into a great pile in the bottom right hand corner.

There have been other cold winters, of course, the last really significant one being in 1987, when parts of Kent were literally cut off for days on end, and the army had to use helicopters to bring in supplies to some remote villages.

So I look back on the past four days with a mixture of bewilderment and amusement. The media have had a field day, and we have seen reporter after reporter standing out either in a snowy landscape or next to a road littered with abandoned vehicles, carrying on as though the world had come to an end.

In a weeks or so’s time I fully expect everything to be back to normal, but before I treat you to some snow pictures, I want to end by reporting there has been one casualty of the snow and that is tomorrow’s (Saturday's) visit by West Kent CAMRA to Old Dairy Brewery down in Tenterden.

I wasn’t booked to go, as I went last year, but it is a shame for those looking forward to sampling some excellent Old Dairy beers at source, and also to our social secretary who put in the work to organise the trip. 

So scattered throughout this post are the snow photos, most of which were taken several years ago during previous snowy winters. Enjoy!

The Cock Inn - Boughton Monchelsea

If like me, you're an avid follower of Retired Martin, as he chronicles his trips up and down the country in pursuit of yet another Good Beer Guide "tick", you'll know what a prolific blogger he is.

Several posts ago, but probably less than a fortnight in real time, Martin described his visit to Maidstone; a town I know well, having lived there for five years during the early 1980's.  Martin began his post with the line, "I have to be careful what I say about Maidstone; one of my top readers lives there (probably in the posh bit with a long name)".

This sparked my curiosity, so I asked him which part of Maidstone he considered the "posh bit", and what was its long name?  "Boughton Monchelsea and the Farleighs", was the reply, so I retorted that both places were villages in their own right, and as far as I was concerned, neither were  parts of Maidstone. I finished by saying that I might be heading over that way the following week.

As it happened those words were no idle jest, as there was an equipment supplier to the south of Maidstone that a colleague and I had planned to visit, and the opportunity to do this came about at the beginning of the week.

We were part-exchanging a rather essential piece of laboratory equipment for a newer model, and seeing as Maidstone is only around 40 minutes drive from our works, we decided to take the part-exchange item over ourselves, and collect the new piece.

My colleague said he drive us, so we set off shortly before midday to conduct the exchange. We encountered quite a few snow showers en route, but nothing too heavy. Although we had visited this particular company before, their premises still took a bit of finding. Fortunately Google Directions on my colleague's phone helped us navigate there without too much effort.

The exchange carried out and the business concluded, we set off back to work. Our outward route had taken us through West Farleigh and Boughton Monchelsea; both places Martin had mentioned in his post. I had pointed out a couple of pubs as we drove through these places, so with lunchtime looming, we decided to stop off at one.

The pub in question was the Cock Inn, at Boughton Monchelsea; an attractive former coaching inn, dating from the 16th Century, and said to have been  built to provide lodgings for pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. It must have been over 30 years since I last set foot inside the Cock; probably when I was living in Maidstone.

Back then the pub belonged to Whitbread-Fremlins, but I distinctly remember it being acquired by Young's. I was somewhat surprise then to see that the Cock now belongs to Shepherd Neame.  Despite the intense cold, the sun was shining when we pulled into the car park, and the pub was looking particularly good.  I managed  to take a few decent  photos of the pub's exterior, before stepping inside.

As my last visit had taken place three decades ago, there was nothing inside the Cock which looked familiar. Instead my colleague and I were confronted with a dimly lit jumble of a pub with lots of interlinked areas, and the low, oak beamed ceiling one would expect of a building of this age. The bar counter was over to the right, and I noticed there were three Shep's beers on sale; Spitfire, Whitstable Bay and Bishop's Finger (tempting, as it's rarely seen on draught). There was also a guest ale in the form of Black Sheep Best Bitter, and this was my choice (3.0 NBSS).

The friendly landlady suggested we warm ourselves in front of the large  inglenook fireplace. My colleague grabbed himself a steak baguette, but as my sandwiches were waiting for me back at work,  I resisted.  The sun was streaming in where we were sitting at the front of the pub, which belied the cold wintry conditions outside. There were several groups of diners,  and I noticed on my way to the toilets that there was a substantial restaurant area at the rear of the building.

I took quite a few photos, after asking the landlady's permission, of course. Even so, she asked me if I was an estate agent; as if? Looking back at some of these now, it is quite obvious that the Cock is a “foodies” pub. Not pretentious food, but it is still a pub with a strong emphasis on food. Drinkers though are still made welcome, and according to the write-up on Whatpub, so are walkers and dogs.

The Cock wouldn’t have been my first choice; that was the Tickled Trout (formerly the Chequers), at West Farleigh, (but only because I wanted to see what it is like now). As my colleague was doing the driving though, I let him decide, and in a strange sort of way I was pleased that we called in where we did.

Fumbling around in the dark

Following on from my post about last weekend's Good Beer Guide selection meeting, I thought it was worth taking a closer look at one of the issues which came up on the day. This issue was a major one, and more than anything else, had the potential to derail the whole selection process.  This fly in the ointment/spanner in the works, was the fact there was insufficient information available on many  prospective GBG entries, to make a properly informed choice.

We are probably in a better position than many branches in that we make every effort to get round as many of the pubs in our area as possible. The rural ones are the most difficult, for obvious reasons, but a combination of rural bus routes and the odd country walk does mean it is possible to get round more of our country pubs than you might think.

Despite what might be considered a firm base, there's only so much a handful of us can achieve, and it's on occasions like selecting entries for the Good Beer Guide that the full effects of a lack of active members really comes to the fore. The crazy thing is that a ready made solution is available, but like anything worth doing in life, it does require a little effort, especially at the start.

CAMRA's Whatpub data base not only provides the ideal means for members to enter NBSS scores, but also allows them to amended out of date information. The former acts as an indicator to the quality of the beer in a particular pub; although in order to provide a true picture scores need to be submitted over a lengthy period and by as many people as possible.

The latter helps the branch form an up to date picture of what the pub is really like, and whether it is worthy of a second look and a possible guide entry. Last weekend although we did have NBSS scores to go by, more often than not, they were from just a handful of members.

This is a pretty poor show, given that we have over 600 members in the branch, but the sad truth seems to be most of them can't be bothered to submit scores. Surely these inactive, "armchair" members go to the pub, even if it's only occasionally? If not, why are they members of an organisation like CAMRA?

If there's one thing they could do for CAMRA and their local branch then it's submitting NBSS scores for the pubs they visit. Just think how up to date our branch pub database could be if these people just went online from time to time and submitted the occasional score?

I suppose we are all guilty of not doing this from time to time, but it's not hard to get into the habit of inputting your beers scores following a pub visit; you can even do it on your phone or tablet, whilst still in the pub!

Persuading "armchair" members to get into the NBSS habit is probably easier said than done, so perhaps branches need a strategy where they can put this into practice. So whilst I am not particularly involved with the GBG selection process these days, I would still be interested from members of other CAMRA branches to learn what they do.

The bottom line though, is every time you visit a pub, especially if it is one you don't normally go to, then use Whatpub and submit your NBSS scores. The more data the Campaign can amass, the more accurate CAMRA's flagship publication becomes. The more accurate the Guide is, then the more it is likely to appeal to both new buyers and seasoned users. This can surely, only be a good thing.

The Rock at Chiddingstone Hoath

A comment on my blog, by a character who goes under the name of "Greengrass", prompted me to make a fleeting Friday lunchtime visit to one of the pubs he was referring to. Mr Greengrass (I think I know who you are, btw), asked whether the branch had selected the  Rock at Chiddingstone Hoath for next year's Good Beer Guide, rather than the classic, National Inventory-listed Queens Arms, at Cowden Pound.

If you were paying attention you'll remember I rebutted our friend from “Heartbeat”, as like the rest of West Kent CAMRA I am sworn to secrecy, but checking out these pubs still seemed a good idea. Chiddingstone Hoath (hereafter referred to as the "Hoath"), is only a short drive from Chiddingstone Causeway; the village where I work, so yesterday I decided to forsake my usual lunchtime walk and take a trip up to the Hoath.

I say "up" because the Hoath is situated on high ground, to the south of the River Eden. It is a small isolated settlement, consisting of a few houses, huddled together on a sandstone plateau in the area known as the High Weald. The Rock is an old drovers inn, which has retained many original features. It is close to 500 years old, and is so named because it is close to one of several of the rocky outcrops which are a feature of this remote corner of Kent.

I have known the pub for nearly 30 years and despite its remote location have tried to visit it whenever possible. Three decades ago, the Rock belonged to Whitbread, but when that company ceased brewing, and started selling off its pubs, it became a free house. Not long after it was leased to local brewery Larkin's, who brew just down the road on the edge of Chiddingstone village.

There have been several changes of owner since then; the last occurring just over a year ago. This was shortly before my last visit to the Rock, which took place in March 2017. On that occasion I had walked to the pub with a group of friends, and wrote about it here. Renovation work was going on at the time. both inside and out, but as the pub was so crowded we only really saw the exterior. A return visit was therefore long overdue.

My drive from work took around 10 minutes. The sun was shining, but it was bitterly cold out. My route took me down and across the River Eden - little more than a large stream really, and then up past Larkin's Brewery. The road then begins to climb more steeply, through woodland and then up towards the High Weald.

The car park was full when I arrived, so I joined those who had parked out on the road. I stopped to take a few photos, before stepping inside. Despite the number of vehicles outside, the pub was not as crowded as I thought it would be. The first thing I noticed was the bar counter had been moved back and access had also been created to one side of it. This simple act has created some much needed space, and has probably increased the capacity of the pub by an extra third.

It seems as though I can't go anywhere locally without bumping into someone I know, and yesterday in the Rock was no exception. One of the people propping up the bar was the sales and office manager from Larkin's. I wasn't surprised to see him, as he is a regular visitor to the pub, but I was puzzled to see him without his faithful canine companion.

I assumed that poor Humphrey, the Labrador is no longer with us, but didn't like to ask. I was suitably castigated though for my choice of beer - Dark Star Hophead! I could have chosen Larkin's Traditional or Porter, but with a busy afternoon ahead the latter was too strong and the former is my least favourite from the Larkin's stable. Hophead then was the logical choice and it was in cracking form too, scoring 4 NBSS.

I also bumped into everyone's favourite "cider man", Bill who runs the cider bars at Tonbridge Juddians Beer Festival and Tonbridge Old Fire Station. Bill knows a good pub and yesterday was not the first time I have bumped into him on licensed premises.

He was there with his wife, having a spot of lunch. It was him who told me about some of the other alterations, including the relocation of the gents toilets, and the blocking off of the narrow passage which led to the old ones. This has created even more space, with a nice little window alcove at the far left of the pub.

The log burner was smouldering away gently in the substantial inglenook fireplace, overlooked by the stuffed horned head used for the "Ringing the Bull" game. There was group of women sat by the window opposite; "ladies that lunch".

Being a rural pub the Rock obviously attracts country folk, but they are proper work-a-day country people, rather than the green Wellington brigade. The floor of worn bricks means that muddy boots, and equally muddy dogs are welcome; although the latter were strangely absent on Friday.

I mentioned earlier that the Rock is centuries old, and this is reflected in both the exterior and interior of the building. It as been lovingly cared for over the years, and the recent alterations have only enhanced this. I didn't get a chance to see the menu, but I did notice that the raised area to the right of the main bar has not only been extended but is given over, not exclusively, to dining.

In view of the weather I also didn't get to see the garden at the rear of the pub. Whatpub describes it as a "secluded suntrap", and from memory I remember it was. I would have liked to have stayed longer, but regrettably, work called.

Before leaving I had a brief chat with the friendly girl behind the bar. I'm not sure if she was the landlady, although I have a feeling she might have been. She certainly seemed pleased at the way the things are going. One thing's for sure though, I will definitely be going back to the Rock, and next time I won't leave it for so long.