Pub Crawls & Village walks

Pub crawling & Village walks with the Mench family in Kent, UK….

1.   Duke William Pub Ickham.  Gigantic burgers, tasty ale and my favorite, cider! plus delicious desserts.  The Duke was a perfect way to introduce pub food to the kids and start our holiday off in a beautifully atmospheric place!  

Christmas lights, fireplace AND a Christmas tree?  I'm sold --this place is awesome!
Duke William Pub, Ickham, Kent, UK

2.  Sandwich, Kent.  In search of the "Ham" sign, but couldn't find it….but, we did find a charming village bustling with last minute preparations for Christmas on this most special day, December 23rd.   Yes, December 23rd is "not a holiday, per se," however, for Mike & Zach the day is marked with a special song they wait ALL year to sing! (you'll have to click this link)

It seemed every door in Sandwich was adorned with a wreath.  St Peter's church even had a unique door --the blue was so striking against so much green and gray.  And, small village homes don't have street numbers--instead they have names.  What would you name your house?    

3.  Lunch beckoned us to Deal, Kent, a short drive from Sandwich.  There we found a beautiful pier and quite possibly the windiest day ever (there was severe weather in the area later!)   When asking a few die-hard fishermen why they were even trying to fish, they answered pragmatically, "We had leftover bait."  Well...wouldn't want that to go to waste!

So windy it parted Nate's hair and nearly knocked his iPad out of his arms--his video clip is pretty crazy!

4. Deal, Kent:  Hunger pangs and the need to escape the 40mph winds, we enjoyed fish & chips with the BEST mushy peas in all of England (according to 3 of 4 boys in my house) at the  Sir Norman Wisdom Pub.   The sausages and mash were pretty darn good too.  Sir Norman Wisdom was a famous British comedian who hailed from Deal.  According to the locals, it just seemed "right" to name the pub in his honor.

(bangers) sausages & mash...yum!

5.  The Cliffs of Dover:  A little farther down the coast, we drove to the beach front at St Margaret's --the jumping off point for those famous "channel swims" commencing here since 1875.  We'd heard about tunnels in the cliffs dating back to Napoleonic Wars and later learned the wooden structure jutting out from the cliff face was a machine gun post, now only accessible by the rope dangling below.  We also discovered some interesting small caves, carved by erosion.  A piece of the cliff had broken off and was interesting to touch and feel the chalkiness -- Zach, searching for creatures, was positive he saw the largest, ugliest, red-eyed spider ever.  Turned out it was a coke can when big, brave Alex shined his flashlight into the cave.

Machine gun post --no way I'd venture out there to climb that rope!

Driving around to the other side of the cliffs, we were literally "blown away!"
Keeping the camera steady, let alone one's body, was impossible.  In the distance,
the Ferries were having quite a day as well--one of them was stuck in the harbor
14 hours trying to dock.  SO glad we didn't ferry over this trip! 

6.  The Coastguard,  hailed as the closest pub in Britain to France, or the "last beer in France before you reach Britain" (supposedly UK phone carriers don't recognize this little beach area as anything other than France!) The pub appeared to be an unpretentious, weathered shack; but upon researching it later, one I wish we'd ventured into!  Next time….





7.  The Rose Inn in Wickhambreaux:  Later that evening, we ventured out to the Rose Inn for dinner.  The boys wanted to return to the Duke William, but with so many great pubs to choose from, we really wanted to keep the adventure going.  And, boy were we glad.  The place was packed with locals celebrating, Christmas crackers popping at every table, holiday lights and decor (the green stuff hanging from the ceiling?  Hops.)  And dessert.  I don't remember what I ate for dinner, but it was melt in your mouth amazing!  Mike's vote?  Come back to this one.

8.  Maidstone & Leed's Castle area:  The windy day in Dover resulted in much damage in the Kent area the next day.  Flooded roads, downed trees and power lines made Christmas Eve difficult for many locals we encountered.  Just down the road from Leed's Castle, we walked into a rather dark pub with a blazing fireplace, candles on the tables and Christmas lights illuminating the bar.  The George Pub had lost power due to the storms, were using a generator and could only serve sandwiches and ale.  They could certainly understand if we didn't want to stay.  Down on their luck, we were hopeful and once again, delighted.   Bacon and brie sandwiches on grilled toast with a hearty, warm soup.  Kudos to the folks at George's, who wouldn't let obstacles prevent them from keeping and sharing a Merry Christmas Eve!

Lucky for George, the sun was shining to illuminate the place a bit!  

9.  The Anchor in Wingham was yet another culinary and atmospheric delight.  We were treated to a wonderful meal for Christmas Eve; Rudolph the Blinking Red Nosed Ale on draft (not sure that was Mike's favorite, but the draw knob was so darn cute) and a silly drawing game to pass the time (Christmas trees, fireplaces, stockings and more, all with ones' eyes closed!) as we waited the long hours til Christmas morning!

The Anchor in Wingham

10.  Margate, Whitby & Faversham, Kent:  Finishing up the Pub crawl, we were the epitome of the accidental tourist on Christmas Day.  You see, we didn't make reservations for dinner, assuming that surely something, somewhere would have open seating.  Turns out on Christmas Day, that's not so much the case.  But, let me stray from the pub for a moment….

  

After a hearty breakfast and unwrapping gifts from Father Christmas, we decided to head out for a drive to Margate.  We couldn't have asked for more beautiful weather!  This coastal town boasts the Turner Contemporary and Shell Grotto, however, this day, everything was closed.  The area reminded me of dilapidated Atlantic coastal towns--places where things were once hopping.  But, this being a very quiet time of year, I would imagine a much different scene here in the summer.

Margate seaside

Later that afternoon, armed with a cooler full of oranges, apples, nuts and granola bars; we picnicked in the car as we drove out of Margate to search for real food.  Several inquiries proved futile and even finding a open public toilet was becoming an issue! Drove into beautiful, trendy Whitby…nothing open.  Decided to hop on the carriageway and find a petrol station --I guess we weren't the only haphazard tourists as the "gourmet" sandwich bar was picked over.  Deciding whether to press on into London or return to our dwindling picnic supply back at the B&B, the gas attendant suggested we try Faversham.  Highly doubtful, but with a glimmer of hope, we decided to give it a try. First stop…closed.  2nd stop…the Railway Hotel.  

I ran inside to inquire at the bar --perhaps they would be able to scrounge up a sandwich and a beer for us weary travelers.  The bartender listened to my tale …"driving around for hours, 4 hungry boys, Christmas, no reservations, tourist…please we'll eat ANYTHING!"  He smiled and pointed to the empty table behind me, "I'm sorry this is all we have, if you don't mind sitting in the bar.  And, we might not have the full Christmas menu, but we'll do our best to find you something."  Blessed Jesus, Mary and Joseph!  I think I understand how they felt.  No room?  The stable?  YES!!!  WE'LL TAKE IT!

I can't say enough about the hospitality, ambience and delicious food at the Shepherd Neame Railway Hotel!  We enjoyed wonderful conversation with the bartender and several other guests at the bar; the kids enjoyed their drinks and we all had the best 3 course Christmas dinner ever.  We were pleasantly surprised with Black Pudding for dessert!  Most of all, we were so very grateful to the gas station guy who encouraged us to try Faversham, and to the bartender at the Shepherd Neame, who, incidentally, turned out to be the owner of the Inn.  We will come back.  That's for certain!  

The Shepherd Neame Railway Hotel in Faversham

Cheers to a wonderful Christmas!
Linda