Ramsgate, Kent:
Nothing to see here, it’s a ‘spoons
Actually, there is something to see. Like many ‘spoons pubs, the building is lovely, and with this one, the sheer scale is stunning. This place is huge, and over multiple floors.
Other than that, yes, it is a ‘spoons, so the normal selection of cheap food and drink. The outside decking area upstairs offers great views out to sea.
Reculver, Herne Bay, Kent:
We’d popped to see the Reculver Towers, and rather handily this place was nearby and it was lunchtime.
A lovely traditional free house pub, lovely landlady, really good food.
Several real ales on offer, alcohol free beer, nice outside decking; this is what you’d expect from a Kent pub.
Old Town, Margate, Kent:
We were here for the Thai restaurant upstairs, but we entered the pub and a drink was purchased.
This a 1933 pub originally known as The Queen’s Head. I’d actually taken the interior for Victorian or Edwardian, but no, it’s an inter-war pub with quite a few original features. The location in the old town has other bars and restaurants nearby.
Inside, it got points for the jukebox at sensible levels and decent music, as well as helpful staff. A downvote for the beer price: £9 for two 330ml bottles of alcohol-free.
Westgate-on-Sea, Kent:
Felt like a hotel, with a function suite and a restaurant, but it isn’t, it is indeed a pub. Said restaurant isn’t bad at all, but there’s a proper bar/lounge and beer garden too. There was entertainment on as well, if that’s what you like. Pleasant staff.
Hednesford, Staffs:
I’ve known The Cross Keys for a long time, and driven past it a lot, but somehow, I’ve never been in it until now. We were having a meal in the restaurant which occupies part of the building but is a separate business, and we were early for our table.
There’s decent outside space, but we headed inside. Friendly staff, very traditional and relaxing inside, 2 cask ales on offer and a couple of alcohol free options, friendly staff behind the bar- overall a nice place for a drink.
It’s a very old building, a former coaching inn, and the centre of Hednesford was here, but is now some way north.
Blair Atholl, near Pitlochry:
Attached to the Atholl Arms hotel, but definitely a pub. Really nice, funny barman, really good food and a nice place to pause our journey south. The hotel looks quite grand, the bar is pleasant and confortable.
Lelant, near Hayle, Cornwall:
One pub? On holiday?
Yes. Something went wrong, we were ill. We’d ventured out, and time was getting on, so we needed lunch. The one thing that went right was I spotted this place, serving food until 3pm.
It really is a watermill, with wheel inside, some machinery inside.
Staff were great, food was good, AF bottled beer was OK. It was a bit cold inside but they provide blankets and the atmosphere was nice.
East End, near Lyndhurst, New Forest, Hampshire:
Positively lovely pub. It’s not even a village pub- East End is a very small hamlet- but it’s a great pub, owned by John Illsley, one of the founders of Dire Straits.
We happened upon this entirely by accident while driving around back roads, and what a happy accident that was!
Really friendly staff and locals, good food, good choice of ale and AF options. You can stay here, as well.
Brook, New Forest, Hampshire:
Lovely village pub. Traditional inside and out, multi-roomed with a nice snug you can hire for a group.
Decent, if not cheap, food, pleasant staff, good parking. We chose this as our friend described the other pub nearby as “a bit golf club”.
Pub cat was a bit unresponsive.
Southampton:
We should have known better, but we needed a sit down, a drink, and lunch. The outside impressions were of a typical, perhaps student-aimed, city centre pub.
Inside, it was, as our friend said, “a drinking shed”. Quite accurate- it’s a big space, no real character, quite spoons-a-like, down to the mucky table that we had to ask to be cleaned.
To be fair, the staff were pleasant, and service was quick, but the food was a bit disappointing- the bread was past its best, for a start.
This was the worst pub of the trip, but still not actually awful, but compared to the others, a bit of a disappointment.