A surprise choice at Number 3 ?
Knowing my lukewarm view of micropubs you might be, since Kent is actually 87% made up of the little devils.
But before Martyn Hillier invented micros, there were Proper Pubs in Kent.
Some relaxed and rural,
some rumbustuous.
and some a relic from better times.
We’ll wait to see what young BRAPA makes of the pubs under Covid restrictions, but for me Kent is up there with Essex for landscape, cosy pubs and beer quality.
I always seem to catch Whitstable on a good day, after the Londoners have gone home.
While, oddly, I always seem to have Sheppey to myself;
The coast is Kent’s great draw, but inland you’ve that lil ol’ England that Yanks visit for.
Street art is everywhere in Ramsgate, Canterbury’s windows are a joy,
and Gravesend is just weird.
As Paul Bailey knows, the prosaic is always rubbing up against the Posh in Kent, sometimes leaving a nasty splodge of hand sanitiser.
That lotion contains Pseudocerasus fruit extract, you know.
Some wonderful pub exteriors in earthy towns like Dartford, Gillingham and cross Thanet and Sheppey.
But if you had to explain Kent to a visitor, I’d send them to the towns that edge the county above Essex.
Underrated Faversham with its string of great pubs from the station into town.
the beach at Deal has our best sunsets, best experienced after an afternoon at the Berry,
while Ramsgate somehow has the UK’s biggest pub, its edgiest High Street outside Carluke, and its dodgiest looking shop.
EVEN the micropubs can have a charm about them; like the aptly named Wrong Turn.
For accommodation, I recommend the bijou.
On the downside, you’re GUARANTEED an unexpectedly closed pub.
But I guarantee that in the time you’re waiting for your pub to open, another new micro will have emerged to take its place.
retiredmartin 
Just imagine Whitstable without the Old Neptune?
Athens without its Acropolis would be less of a challenge.
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Burton without the Cooper’s?
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Northampton without the Rifle Drum ?
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Hastings is a great place to visit. I love those old streets. We need to visit Ramsgate and that area though. This list goes on in the same pattern much longer and I get two Doom Bars:)
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SO presumptuous.
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I am on tenterhooks.
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Hastings in East Sussex, Dave? (I was born in Sussex, so I’m looking forward with trepidation to see whether it’s no.1 or no.2 on Martin’s list.)
Or is there another one in Kent that isn’t on the radar yet…
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It was me who placed Hastings in Kent to annoy Mudgie, and Pauline picked it up first.
No different from sticking Stockport in Manchester.
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I admit I should have caught that…
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Sheffield Hatter,
Sussex (East) No. 2 and Sussex (West) No. 1
or
Sussex (West) No. 2 and Sussex (East) No. 1
– that’s the big question.
And there was me thinking that Greater Manchester would get in Martin’s top ten, and probably near the top.
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Is Carlukeshire a county ? You’re the ex-postie, you should know.
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I’d noticed that ‘North Britain’ isn’t represented yet and think it is but postcode areas replaced counties for primary sorting long before I first worked for them in 2002.
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Don’t forget,Hastings is in Sussex ! Whitstable is lovely -we try to go on quiet days & never on a weekend.Ashamed to say we’ve not been to many of the pubs you mention but then we don’t get out much……Nice to see you put my adopted County at number 3 anyway !
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Ha Ha you’re right !!
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Strictly I should give 3rd place to East Sussex now but Dave would be upset.
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We can move Hastings if we want, can’t we? It deserves to be in Kent.
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We can do what we like, Dave.
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I agree one hundred percent about Faversham, Martin. A very underrated town, with some great pubs. Canterbury has some good pubs too, once you get away from the tourist trail. Mrs PBT’s isn’t at all fond of Whitstable, but then she’s only visited when it IS full of Londoners.
Glad to see you included the Wrong Turn – a rural micro-pub, if there is such a thing!
I’m not sure we want Hastings in our county, however deserving it might be! It’s where that continental upstart, Duke William of Normandy, first stepped ashore.
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I had to substitute Faversham for Hastings when Pauline reminded me the latter was in Sussex, Paul. But Faversham is an unexpectedly lovely town and the trip out to Hollowshore a joy.
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Indeed, Paul.
Now, if only it had been Napoleon…
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What a revealing comment…
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Maybe less so than yours!
😆
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The Wrong Turn is certainly remote! Sadly, my local, the GBG listed George in Bethersden closed on Sunday, future uncertain. Pity, as the GBG2021 has my picture on page 207 (that’s not embargoed info, is it?)
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It is embargoed. You now have to self isolate till the 29th, John.
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Ooh, I know what you look like now, John ! Sad to here the George closed, liked that a lot.
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That’s not me in the photo!
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For clarity, I took the photo.
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“some rumbustuous.”
Is that a Kentish version of rumbustious?
“While, oddly, I always seem to have Sheppey to myself;”
I think BRAPA tweets them that you’re coming.
“but inland you’ve that lil ol’ England that Yanks visit for.”
Ahem. North Americans. 🙂
“and Gravesend is just weird.”
Blimey. That could be any middlin’ town in Belgium.
“That lotion contains Pseudocerasus fruit extract, you know.”
I love how, for the bottle on the right, that have to explain that ‘limon’ is really ‘lemon’. 🙂
“the beach at Deal has our best sunsets,”
Wait. How can a beach facing east have the best sunsets?
“and its dodgiest looking shop.”
Dodgy? Pfft. He’s not even wearing a mac. 😉
“But I guarantee that in the time you’re waiting for your pub to open, another new micro will have emerged to take its place.”
(slow golf clap)
Cheers
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