April 2025. Chatham. Back at the luxurious but also affordable (£27.99) Chatham Docks Travelodge it was time for tea. Being refined gentlefolk from the Wells, my in-laws were expecting a pre-dinner G & T, so I had to skip my planned Travelodge craft check-in on Untappd, and buy a round of Gordon’s and tonic (£6… Continue reading OH DEAR, WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SHEPS ?
Month: April 2025
“Are you Leon’s dad ?”. MISTAKEN IDENTITY AT GILLINGHAM’S FROG & TOAD
April 2025. Gillingham. Kent. Will Adams, Past and Present, Frog & Toad. What a run of pubs* you get in Gillingham, and the Frog is a joy for those who prefer unimproved pubs of the Plough/Stile ilk. Mrs RM may not have been quite so sure of its appeal. All the action takes place in… Continue reading “Are you Leon’s dad ?”. MISTAKEN IDENTITY AT GILLINGHAM’S FROG & TOAD
IN FAIRNESS TO GILLINGHAM…
April 2025. Gillingham. Kent. Important to add “Kent”, as its namesake in Dorset is a rather different beast (and all its pubs seemingly named after animals, too). While the in-laws snoozed at the Dockyard Travelodge I tried to make sense of North Kent’s most derided town, a place folk in Royal Tunbridge Wells have never… Continue reading IN FAIRNESS TO GILLINGHAM…
GILLINGHAM, PAST AND PRESENT
April 2025. Gillingham. The in-laws took a post-Dockyard nap at the Travelodge; I reckoned two hours, plus half an hour to make themselves a cup of tea, which gave me 150 minutes to restore my sanity. Absolutely no new GBG ticks possible in that time, so let’s revisit much maligned Gillingham. You’ll see from the… Continue reading GILLINGHAM, PAST AND PRESENT
CHATHAM DOCKYARD
April 2025. Chatham Docks. My father-in-law wanted to go to Chatham Dockyard, and if you make it to 87 I reckon you should get what you want, within reason. I booked a couple of rooms at the adjacent Travelodge for £27.99 on Easter Monday, which is a bargain, even if you are staying a mile… Continue reading CHATHAM DOCKYARD
FUGGLES (II) – ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS
April 2025. Royal Tunbridge Wells. As you leave High Brooms for T’Wells you notice more characterful houses, and some unprepossessing pubs. I’m tempted by the What Pub description of the Black Horse, “locals like to talk to you” and all, but inexplicably decide to head for my second Fuggles of the weekend, the original Tunbridge… Continue reading FUGGLES (II) – ROYAL TUNBRIDGE WELLS
ALLOTMENTS AND PUB DESERTS. A HIGH BROOMS WANDER
April 2025. Royal Tunbridge Wells. I’ve been spending more days in Tunbridge Wells than at any time since I asked Michael for Mrs RM’s hand in marriage. Since completing the GBG the desperate urge to shoot off from Southborough has eased a bit, but I’m still mentally unable to sit on a sofa in a… Continue reading ALLOTMENTS AND PUB DESERTS. A HIGH BROOMS WANDER
FUGGLED (I) – TONBRIDGE
April 2025. Tonbridge. I’m not used to this late night drinking. Arrive in Tonbridge at 9 on a Saturday night, quick pint of Harvey’s, then next door to the craft bar. Oh dear, Fuggles has a Huyghe tap takeover. You remember Huyghe… To be honest, I thought it was Danish for cosy blankets, not the… Continue reading FUGGLED (I) – TONBRIDGE
HARVEY’S DRINKING WELL AT THE IVY HOUSE
April 2025. Tonbridge. Another weekend down in Kent with the in-laws. They’re better company now than they were in 1992 when they almost didn’t show up at our wedding (Catholic stuff, don’t ask). Arriving at 9pm we parked the campervan up by the castle, near the shop with Dylan vinyl (£15 !), and hit the… Continue reading HARVEY’S DRINKING WELL AT THE IVY HOUSE
BRAINTREE REDISCOVERED
April 2025. Braintree. Essex. Yes, that medieval Flemish influenced town was Braintree, yet another reason to visit Essex for you summer holidays now Florida is ruled out. 20 minutes from Stansted, written off by me as one of those dull Essex towns. Unfairly. I mean, you’ll still know you’re in London overflow lane, but the… Continue reading BRAINTREE REDISCOVERED
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