retiredmartin

September 2023. Royal Tunbridge Wells.

Mrs RM must have been jealous of my Big Night Out in t’Wells, as she insisted on joining me for some essential shopping in town the next day.

Very much my sort of shopping, as we singularly failed to buy what we’d gone in for, and instead considered our pub lunch options.

Never been to the Royal Wells Hotel, looked a bit too posh.

Great views from Mount Ephraim over the Wells’s underrated rocks.

We pressed on into town, looking for something less fancy. I stared forlornly at the Bedford, a recent GBG town pub stuck between roadworks.

“That looks fine” said Mrs RM, clearly a girl after my own heart.

And it was, even if the beer range looks a bit dull by 2023 standards, which is an odd thing to say about a range of five beers and a cider.

One of those beers is award-winning, of course.

And what did Mrs RM want ?

“I’ll have a pint of Abbot as well please”.

The little minx only had the second pint pulled, didn’t she !

Cool enough and foamy, mine was a 3, Mrs RM’s a 3.5.

I didn’t see another pint pulled while we were there, but it was a great mix of custom in a pub that only comes alive at the Golden Hour.

An Old Boy, another couple munching the Yeah Lovely burgers (good takeaway trade for those).

and the retired crossword pint lady with backpack.

I’d just come up with that category of pubgoer when Mrs RM nudged me and said “Look ! a crossword pint lady with a backpack. That’ll be me when you’re dead.“. A girl after my own heart.

It really is a cheery station pub, with a charming, sneezy, barmaid and an uplifting soundtrack;

Can’t say fairer than that.