A Proper beer blogger would have called this “An Ale In Swale“. But I’m not.
The last of the Kent mini-series, which no doubt you’ll be pleased about. Hopefully I can meet up with Paul Bailey in Tonbridge and do karaoke again*.
At least the Sun in Bredgar is a Proper Pub, to a point.
Those villages south of the M2 are pleasingly mysterious and inaccessible. All I can tell you about this bit of Swale is that I was stuck on the A249 into Maidstone four years ago as pashmina-wearing Kentish folk queued to get into the County Showground for an “Elton John” gig. Reg hadn’t told me about it in advance.
Helped by blue skies, it was all very bucolic.
But you can never escape the twitching curtains.
“I’ve never been to Bredgar” as Charlene sang in 1982. Rural North Kent at its finest; technically Sittingbourne but with bottom ponds, light railways and Hucking, which was banned in the UK in 1984.
Annie Lennox, last heard in Tyler Hill, should have been banned in ’84, after the release of Music Crime (Nineteen Eighty-Four). Instead she continued to torment us with the soundtrack to a gazillion traditional pub lunches. The Sun was on track 2 of “Diva” when I got there.
Open all day, the Sun had an exciting suggestion of rare beers from Cornwall drawn from the cask.
Half a dozen drinkers spread throughout a rambling pub, none seemingly photogenic enough to warrant my intrusion into their privacy, and a decent Master Brew (NBSS 3) which nonetheless made me wish I’d gone for Sea Fury, since they’d imported it from Cornwall for the tickers..
After Annie, they played Toto. But not “Africa”. Mudgie can guess, I’m sure.
*No, I never did do that post. Saving it for a wet Tuesday in Stoke.
retiredmartin 
At this rate of posting, you’ll hit the 3000 mark before the end of next year !
If you ever fancy a day off, why don’t you put together an anthology of your dozen favourites for our pleasure in re-perusing ?
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> Sea Fury, since they’d imported it from Cornwall
Now for a serious question. Is Sharps brewed in Cornwall, Burton-on-Trent, or both these days ? Or is that Molson Coors little secret ?
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As far as I know cask in Cornwall, bottled in Burton.
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I really hope they played Toto’s “Rosanna” – that band’s finest hour.
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I’m trying to think of any charts material from the 1980s that I liked…nope, nothing’s coming.
Ah, wait a minute. I think that this got to about No. 54:
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Magnificent
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I think so Bill.
Perhaps I should set up an account, so that I can “like” other people’s comments too!
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It’s all a load of tosh, but forced to choose I prefer “Africa”.
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Some people – besides me – have too much time on their hands:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jan/15/toto-africa-desert-installation-play-for-all-eternity
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I’d agree with you Steve. Actually it was Hold the Line (158 million streams on Spotify, double Rosanna).
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looks like a pub from the outside, looks like a pub from the inside, so why don’t they put their casks in the cellar? Yes, I’ve been in pubs down south where they have a couple of warm casks on the bar back, but surekly this is inverted micropub gimmickry gone mad. And the beers? If you’re going do trad and boring then you might as well stick with the same beer. Ringing the changes of boring doesn’t really work for me. Apologies to the lovers of mainstream boring beers from mega brewers; London Pride if it is very well kept, maybe, otherwise you get on with it, I’d sooner stick pins in my eyes.
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Ah well, I probably won’t see you in my favourite pubs then. Then again, you wouldn’t see me unless you know a good opthalmic surgeon.
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Mrs B looks a bit like Annie Lennox. Similarities: blonde, Scottish. Dissimilarities: can’t carry a tune in a bucket, not worth gazillions. (The latter two may not be unrelated.)
Agree 1984 album rubbish but next two OK, then rubbish again.
Bredgar looks nice as does The Sun. Beers we’ve heard of always a bonus.
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I find the mid ’80s production very clunky. Oddly, first record I bought myself was The Tourists LP with “Only Want To Be With You” on it.
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Some of those settlements on top of the North Downs are quite isolated, Martin. Several years ago, a work colleague and I got hopelessly lost, trying to find our way to the Kent Science Park.
I don’t know Bredgar, but Tunstall and Oad Street are worth a visit, although I see that the excellent Plough & Harrow has now turned into a Greek Taverna.
Not sure about that karaoke, though. Will Mrs RM be joining us?
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Paul,
For the avoidance of doubt it’s the Tunstall in Kent that is worth a visit.
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“At least the Sun in Bredgar is a Proper Pub,”
I see it’s just south of Jason Bourne’s birthplace. 😉
“Reg hadn’t told me about it in advance.”
I’m sure it was an oversight by Mr. Dwight, and not meant as a sleight that he’ll right this plight to avoid any blight that might bite.
“Clock wrong, of course”
A very poor sundial to be sure.
“technically Sittingbourne but with bottom ponds”
There’s a joke in there somewhere.
“none seemingly photogenic enough to warrant my intrusion into their privacy,”
The complete opposite of when BRAPA visits a pub. 🙂
“After Annie, they played Toto. But not “Africa”.”
The one named after my darling wife?
Cheers
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“Former Post Office = future micro called the “Post Office” –Honestly if someone turned this into a micro pub I’d go visit it in a heartbeat; what a lovely old building!
Yes that 1984 song was so oddly tuneless, as if they suddenly completely forgot how to write a song. Eurythmics/Annie Lennox have always been among those artists that I could like well enough, but never deeply love, much as I was enthralled with so much music from that period.
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