Larkin's Best at the Dovecote, Capel

I only found out the other day that local brewer Larkin’s are celebrating their 40^th anniversary this year. I unearthed this milestone whilst ordering a pint of Larkin’s Best in a local firehouse. The pub in question was the Dovecote at Capel, situated in Alders Road, on the back route between Colts Hill and Tudeley. From the outside it is a typical Victorian building, that has been extended at the front and at the side, whilst to the rear there is a part-covered terrace, along with an extensive garden and large carpark. With very few chimney pots in the immediate vicinity, the Dovecote has always needed something different to offer its customers, and it achieves this by selling a wide range of cask beers (up to six), direct from the cask, alongside a selection of what it describes as “good traditional, locally sourced homely food, in a cosy atmosphere”.

I made a brief stop there on Sunday lunchtime, after a check on the local Real Ale Finder app revealed that Larkin’s Best Bitter was on sale at the pub. Larkin’s, I hear you say, what’s so special about that? Larkin’s is available at many pubs in this compact little corner of West Kent, and you’d be right about the brewery, but wrong about the actual beer.  The thing is, Larkin’s Traditional – often abbreviated to “Trad”, is a common sight throughout this part of the county, and sometimes further away too, but Trad has an abv of just 3.4%, whilst Larkin’s Best Bitter weighs in at a much more respectable strength of 4.4% abv, this Kentish style Best Bitter is a rich, fruity and slightly sweet ale.

Trad, on the other hand, is weaker, although it still packs in plenty of character and flavour for a beer of such low abv, and because of this it remains Larkin’s staple bitter and best seller. A true session beer if you like, and I recall, many years ago now, Bob Dockerty, the brewery’s founder, and Head Brewer at the time, saying that Trad’s low abv, allowed customers to enjoy a couple of pints of this well-balanced, tawny session bitter and still be able to drive home. This was an important consideration given that the majority of pubs stocking Larkin’s beers were rural affairs, with very little in the way of public transport connections, especially in the evenings.  

Larkin’s Brewery is situated in the scenic village of Chiddingstone, near Edenbridge, where it produces award-winning traditional Kentish real ales. Established in 1986 by Marjorie and Ted Dockerty, together with their son, Bob - a commercial hop grower and enthusiastic home brewer at the time. Larkin’s operates as a close-knit family business, that includes Head Brewer Harry Dockerty (Bob’s nephew), Accounts & Office Manager Becky Dockerty, Drayman Martin Ayres, and Director Karah Templeton. In addition, a dedicated group of part-time team members play an essential role in supporting the ongoing success of the brewery.

Today, the company offers three core beers plus two seasonal varieties, crafted exclusively from hops cultivated on Larkin's Farm. The brewery supplies approximately 40-50 local pubs and restaurants, as well as serving private customers for parties, weddings, and community events. Sadly, just over three years ago, Bob passed away, quite suddenly, leaving behind a huge hole, not only in the family and the brewery, but the wider community too. He was certainly a character, as anyone who had the good fortune to meet him, would confirm. Fortunately for the beer lovers of this world, Bob left a strong and successful local business as his legacy, producing beers packed with local character, and bittered entirely with hops, grown on the family farm.

With Larkin’s Brewery approaching its 40^th Anniversary year, it is pleasing to say that Bob's life work is going from strength to strength, with many favourable comments and reviews being received regarding the quality and consistency of the range of beers produced at Larkin’s. The pint of the brewery’s Best Bitter that I enjoyed last Sunday, certainly hit the spot, but as I was driving, I sensibly limited myself to just the one pint. After ordering my pint, I had a brief chat with Simon, the Dovecote’s landlord who, together with wife Lindsey, has been looking after the pub for several years. Despite their laid-back appearance, the pair run a highly professional and very tight ship, which is reflected in the strong client base they have built up, since taking over the reins.

Simon told me that they’d had a good Christmas and New Year, and judging by the number of both drinkers and diners in the pub, the good times seem set to continue well into January. It was certainly good to witness a country pub that is thriving. I mentioned my trip down to Hastings, the previous day (details still to come) where every one of the four pubs I visited was busy, with standing room only in a couple of them. With all the sh*t going on in the world, at the moment, people obviously need a safety valve where they can let their hair down, get away from the bad stuff and forget their troubles for a while, and where better to do so than in relaxing and welcoming atmosphere of a traditional English pub – other home nations, also qualify here!

 

 

 

Four more books to be enjoyed at bedtime

As the year kicks off, there’s nothing like a book review to give it a head start. Before publishing this on, I took a look back at previous reviews and was surprised to see I have published six, so far, since starting the ball rolling back in August 2020. You may recall we were still in the grip of the COVID pandemic back then, and despite a brief respite over that summer, the insidious corona virus was getting ready to launch a new wave of infection, and associated restrictions across the country. Now, having set the scene, and possibly whetted your appetites for some further literary reviews, here we go with Book Review No. 7.

After finishing off “The Secret Commonwealth”, Volume 2 in Philip Pullman's trilogy, “The Book of Dust”, I was waiting for the final novel in this series to be published. With a publication date of 23^rd October, and Mrs PBT’s and I away cruising the high seas, I postponed the purchase of this book until we returned from our autumn cruise. When it arrived, I handed the book over to Mrs PBT’s, saying it could be one of my Christmas presents.

Whilst on that subject, in common with many people of a similar age, there isn't really a lot that us too oldies desire as gifts for the festive season. It might sound a bit of a cliché, but fitness, health and happiness, rather than worldly riches, go towards creating, content and fulfilled individuals. That 3rd book of this series, entitled “The Rose Field”, arrived in the post once we were back from our voyage, but in the meantime, I was looking for a suitable publication to become engrossed in and to while away the hours on our lengthy sea voyage.

It was probably the three-day journey down to the Azores, which was our first port of call, when I was looking for something to occupy my mind and get me away from the incessant Sky News on continuous repeat, that Mrs PBT's insisted on having on in the cabin. This was despite me saying that I am not in the least bit interested in what is happening in the world, whilst I'm away.  Her reply was she liked to keep abreast of things but, as I explained there’s a major difference between what is going on in the background and receiving saturation news coverage.

Fair enough, one news bulletin in the morning and possibly another in the evening is more than sufficient, particularly when it's the same old shit, Putin, Trump, Gaza, Farage and now several other rogue countries on the brink of chaos. I told her that knowing this information wouldn't enrich her life in any shape or form, which led to my dismissal as a “grumpy old git”. All the better then to have a book in which to lose oneself but having finished Volume 2 of the latest (and probably final) Philip Pullman series, and Volume 3 not then available, I splashed out on a four-book series by the same author.

Set in Victorian London, and in a world, readers can easily relate to, rather than the parallel universe of the “His Dark Materials” series, the Sally Lockhart Mysteries, follow the fortunes of Miss Sally Lockhart who, after abandoning her rather overbearing guardian at the tender age of 16, sets up shop with an unorthodox and slightly Bohemian brother and sister, who run a photographic business. This is whilst Sally is attempting to unravel the mystery surrounding the death of her father, a former sea captain, responsible for trading goods back and forth between London and the Far East (China mainly).

As well as being commanding his own ship, Sally’s father was a partner in a shipping firm, when he went missing, and assumed lost at sea. Given the date and the Chinese location, the sinister trade in opium played a part in Captain Lockhart’s disappearance. Fortunately for Sally, as she later discovers, her father left her some money, plus his share in the shipping line, wealth that she would inherit, when she came of age.

The other three books follow Sally’s fortunes as she sets herself up as a successful private investigator, gives birth to an illegitimate child, has her identify stolen, by a cunning and devious individual who purports to be her husband and the father of that child, before exposing the fraudster and marrying a radical Jewish immigrant, who goes on to become a successful politician. I’ve just finished the fourth and final book in the series, which is more about Sally’s protégé, Jim, who becomes involved in the political machinations involving a tiny, imaginary kingdom, sandwiched between Austria-Hungary and the German Empire.

All rather “boy’s own” you might think, but escapism, as well and with a series of convoluted plots, just the thing before hitting the sack, and drifting off into restful sleep. Before saying goodbye toSally Lockhart, it's worth noting that whilst the four books are stand-alone novels, it still makes sense to read them in the order that Philip Pullman intended, in order to get the best out of them, because there is a connective thread, running through them all. I’ve passed the books on to a work colleague and will be embarking on “The Rose Field” soon, that’s if I don’t save it for our forthcoming Norwegian cruise.

Speaking of cruises, you will probably remember that due to adverse weather conditions, our ship was unable to dock at two of its scheduled ports of call. These happened to be the first and the last destinations on the cruise, Praia de Vitoria in the Azores, plus Vigo in Spain. The cruise line issued us all with an explanation letter, detailing what had happened, with the suggestion of using this document for any claim against our travel insurance. Like all such forms, the insurance claim took a bit of filling out, but I pressed on ahead and posted it off (I could have scanned it and sent it by email, but I used old-fashioned “snail mail” instead.

A couple of weeks later, after receiving an official acknowledgement, I was notified, by email, that our claim was being upheld, and we would both receive £400 compensation – working out at £200 per person, per missed port. Proof, if it were needed, that it’s always worth pursuing such claims, even if the process is rather time consuming. Contrast this to the rather paltry £12.50, “Delay- Repay”, I received from Great Western Railway, after a broken-down train, led to me and fellow passengers, being dumped off and abandoned at Taunton station, on the journey home from Exeter. Still, as my wife would say, “every little helps”, before claiming these were the alleged words of "the lady who "p*ssed in the sea!"

 

Banging the beat for the New Drum

I had planned to bring you highlights of the two remaining Tonbridge pubs that I has still to visit, before the year was out, but unfortunately that obligation didn’t materialise. However, what difference does a few days make, especially as the time strictures set for this task were set by me, and it’s a sorry state of affairs if I can’t break my own rules. I have actually visited one of the outstanding pubs, and whilst I’d originally planned to visit the remaining one today, something came up that prevented me from fulfilling this obligation.

So, let’s look at pub No. 14 which, according to my phone, I called in at on Sunday 4^th January. That pub was the New Drum, tucked away down the steep narrow side street that is Lavender Hill.  Why did the Victorians choose such picturesque names for their streets of two-up, two-down houses? That’s a question for another time, but the pub in question started life as two adjoining Victorian terraced cottages that were knocked through into one, sometime in the late 19^th century.

Known today as the New Drum, it began life as simply the Drum, but when I first became acquainted with it, in the early 1980's. It had recently been modernised and was then called the Victoria Tavern, and I was taken there by a work colleague, so lived nearby. I found the place a bit too modern for my liking, although as things turned out, the Victoria didn’t keep that name for long, as a year or so later, the pub changed hands. It's new owners were an elderly couple named Tom and Margaret. With the new owners, came a new name; Uncle Tom's Cabin - probably one of the daftest names for a pub I've come across, but one that seemed to have stuck over the years.

I have a particular soft spot for what became known as the Cabin or just plain, Tom's, as for the six or seven years between my moving to Tonbridge and the birth of our son, Tom's was very much my local. I wasn't in there every night, or even every other night, but one session I never missed was Sunday lunchtime. I would take our dog for a long walk on a Sunday morning, and then invariably end up in the Cabin, joining a very erudite bunch of regulars who, like me, were all thirty somethings.We'd have a laugh and a joke, whilst at the same time putting the world to right.

As well as the above, we would consume several pints of beer, chosen from an ever-changing list (Tom's was a free house). There was also a weekly meat raffle, so it was an added bonus if I could return home in triumph, with a joint of meat ready for the following Sunday's roast. Tom and Margaret were succeeded by another couple, Richard and Joan, who for a while obtained their beer from the Crown Brewery (former South Wales Clubs Brewery) of Pontyclun. Disappointingly the Welsh beers were not to the taste of the locals (including me, and not long afterwards, the pair switched their beers supply to Greene King. The Suffolk company was not particularly well represented in the South East at the time, and their beers were a welcome addition to the local scene.

Things continued in much the same vein as before, but my pub-going started to tail off following the birth of our son Matthew in late 1991. Eventually yet another change of hands saw experienced licensee Tony, who also ran a pub in Goudhurst, buying the pub and putting his son Matt in charge. The father and son team made some welcome changes, which opening the pub up and extending it even further backwards. They re-named it the New Drum; a far more sensible name than its previous one!

The downside, so far as I was concerned, was that Matt was an out and out sports fanatic and, no matter what time of day or night one visited the pub, there would be sport of some description showing on one of the all-pervasive television screens. Somewhere along the line, the New Drum changed from being pub that majored on cask to being one that was keg only, but with my pub going severely slimmed down, it wasn’t a situation I was acutely aware of. I’m also uncertain as to why cask was dropped from the line up on the bar, although I imagine it might have been due to change in the make up of the pub’s regulars.

Over the course of the next 30 years, I popped in occasionally, primarily to see whether or not cask had made a comeback – it hadn’t, so when I stepped inside the New Drum last Sunday, on a freezing cold, early January afternoon, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of change. What I did notice was the line-up on the bar of a couple of Jeremy Clarkson’s, finest Hawkstone beers. I ordered a pint of Premium, and once poured, took my glass over to a convenient table, close to the welcoming log burner.

I wasn’t sure whether it was Matt who served me, as people obviously change over the years, but a little later on, when he wandered over to place a few more logs into the wood burner, it was definitely the aforementioned gentleman, as he stopped to ask how I was. We chatted about a number of things, but primarily about Hawkstone. Matt told me that the beers were selling remarkably well, especially the IPA. Although obviously a keg beer, I was tempted to try it, and I may well do so, the next time I see it on sale.

Although the pub was quiet, that particular day, Matt confirmed that trade was generally good. With the log burner providing some welcoming warmth, there was a nice atmosphere within the pub, although I have to say that with Premier League football on one screen, and horse racing on the other, nothing much has changed, in that respect. The moral of this tale is to always give pubs you are uncertain about, another chance. You might be pleasantly surprised, as indeed I was.

Scores on the doors!

It was perhaps always going to be a rather futile bid, to get anywhere near visiting as many pubs over the course of the year, as experienced pub tickers, such as Retired Martin, Simon Everitt and Stafford Paul. However, there’s no harm in trying, and with this aim in mind, I’d been keeping score on the number of pubs I’ve been in, over the past 12 months. In the end, I topped out at 106, after plans for a final few hostelries fell into disarray, right at the last hurdle. This was evidenced by my drive back from a visit to the local Waste Transfer Station on New Year’s Eve, when I found the Poet at Matfield and the George & Dragon at Tudeley both firmly closed.

The latter at least had a note on the door, advising the pub would be closed for two weeks, due to family holidays. I was also thwarted by a completely full car park at the Star, also at Matfield. Talk about no room at the inn! I suppose it make sense for some pubs to close following the hectic Christmas – New Year period, and with trade traditionally quiet, or even dead, at the start of January, why not shut up shop for a few weeks, and allow both licensees and staff to head off for a well-earned holiday, providing there’s money in the till to pay for it.

That total of one hundred & six different pubs, some of which I visited on several occasions, pales into insignificance compared to the totals of some dedicated pub men. My total for 2025 is considerably up on the previous year’s score of 74 pubs, which strangely was down on 2023’s total of 84. 

It still represents the highest number of pubs visited since I began keeping proper records of my pub going activities. Of course, I only counting each pub once, even if multiple visits are made over the course of the year, but starting from 1^st January, I shall be indicating repeat visits, which is something I haven’t done before. I shall also be setting certain ground rules, going forward in order to avoid any duplication or waste of effort.  

Looking back on 2025, I eventually reached a situation where I was running out of the more local hostelries, which meant having to journey farther afield to “tick” pubs in towns and villages that weren’t exactly on the doorstep. I don’t mind this, as I always enjoy visiting different locations, and whilst most of these ticks won’t have been totally new ones, at least for that year, they were still as far as the current count is concerned.

Even better, is visiting an unfamiliar location for the first time, where every pub or bar is a new one, and should the visit be extended over a number of days – a mini-break, if you like, then this is a golden opportunity to dramatically increase one’s pub scores. But even returning to a previously visited town or city, can have the same benefit, especially as this little competition seems to be a yearly occurrence, amongst pub men.

I’m off to a reasonable start so far this year, having ticked five pubs to date, and it’s worth noting that two of these outlets were places I wouldn’t normally have set foot in. And there’s the rub, because by risking replacing familiar, and by association, pubs one feels comfortable in, with the unfamiliar, where one feels edgy, and definitely out of one’s comfort zone, is the obvious key to success in the pub ticking game.  Who knows, you may stumble upon a hitherto unknown gem.

It's back to my part time job tomorrow morning and, apart from a potentially icy commute into work, I’m looking forward to a dose of reality, and an escape from the temptation of all those mince pies! Happy New Year to one and all.

The Year in Beer - a beery look back at 2025

It’s that time of the year again, when bloggers take a look-back at the past 12 months, with particular reference to all things beery, and in my case with a little travel and personal stuff thrown in for good measure. In previous years, I’ve written reviews, either under the banner of “The Year in Beer,” or that of “Golden Pints”. For several years I’ve considered the latter as rather naff and even sparked off a brief discussion on Ed Wray’s site, about the origin of the term. (For the record, does anyone know who Andy Mogg is?)  

The Year in Beer it is then, and we kick off with:

Best beer on home turf

A difficult one, as it would be far too easy to say Harvey’s Best Bitter – an excellent beer by any stretch of the imagination, and one that is a must stock brand in the vast majority of local pubs. So, primarily because it’s so widely available, I’m opting for something different, and nowhere near as easy to come by.

Instead, I’m going to say Sarah Hughes Dark Ruby Mild, which was a guest beer at the Nelson Arms in Tonbridge, and one which brought back fond memories of a visit I’d made the previous year, to the beer’s home - Sedgley’s Beacon Hotel. 

The latter establishment is where Dark Ruby Mild is brewed, and back in 2023, I made a flying visit to the pub with Stafford Paul and Retired Martin. I’m not sure how the beer managed to make an appearance at the Nelson, but regardless of the means, it was well received by the me and the pub’s regulars. 

  Best beers abroad  

An easy one here. A perfectly poured pint of Murphy’s Irish Stout, enjoyed in the packed, and characterful surroundings of the Mauretania Bar. This traditional Irish bar is located close to the waterfront at Cobh, the port for nearby Cork, and this deep-water anchorage was where our cruise ship berthed on what was the final port on last year’s Round Britain Cruise. 

 

Even Mrs PBT’s enjoyed this lively bar, despite having to scale the steep and narrow staircase, leading to the Ladies. As for the beer,  Murphy's knocked the heavily-hyped and over-promoted Guinness into the proverbial cocked hat.

 

Speersort Hofbräu – despite being housed in a rather anonymous looking building, in central Hamburg, this typical Bavarian beer hall would not have looked out of place in central Munich. Matthew and I enjoyed half litres each of both Hofbräu Original plus the strong, seasonal Maibock. It was certainly a most welcome find on a cold and rain-swept Sunday in Hamburg, a day when the majority of shops and bars in central Hamburg were closed for religious reasons.

 

Best Locations to Enjoy a Beer (UK) 

There are several contenders here, but the Starbank Inn, at Newhaven, overlooking the Firth of Forth, a few miles to the west of Edinburgh, tops the list. The pub had that immediate “wow” factor, that screamed out this place is going to be a good, a feeling that was enhanced by the friendly greeting I received from the landlady. A pint of Lost in Mosaic, from Loch Lomond Brewery, plus a chicken and bacon ciabatta, from the “lite bites” selection, made the perfect lunchtime stop on the aforementioned Round Britain cruise.

The Bridge Tavern, a classic waterside pub, situated at Portsmouth’s Camber Dock, on the opposite quayside to the Isle of Wight car ferry terminal. The nautical theme of this characterful Fuller's house extended into the pub’s interior, with an impressive bar counter, set towards rear of the building and a number of alcoves leading off either side. With Stafford Paul and Dave Southworth for company, the three of us sat, putting the world to rights, close to the window, from where we had an excellent view of the nautical scene outside.

Best Locations to Enjoy a Beer Abroad

Funchal, Madeira. With lunchtime visits on two consecutive days, and two quite different restaurants/bars in which to enjoy a local beer, with a meal, the Madeiran capital ticked al the right boxes. But then, how could this bustling and charming town, with its vistas out towards the Atlantic, fail to charm visitors like us. Local brew Coral provided the beers on both occasions – Coral White (lager) and Coral Stout being the perfect accompaniment for two completely different but well satisfying al fresco lunches.

Best pub finds

There are two, contrasting entries here. First, the strangely named Sonder, a modern shop conversion in Broadstairs. The name apparently comes from a word meaning "the acknowledging of others and having feelings of empathy for them". I’m not a massive fan of modern pubs, especially those repurposed from something else, but everything clicked with this spacious and welcoming corner pub.

 Fitted out in the style of the arts and crafts movement, with a wood panelled ceiling and friendly staff, Sonder had a bright, and airy seaside feel about it. In my view, it was the best pub of a day spent with a couple CAMRA pals, whilst on a pub crawl around the lovely old seaside town of Broadstairs.

Bridge Inn, Topsham. A legendary pub that I had been wanting to visit, ever since reading about it in,  “A Pub For All Seasons”, by veteran beer writer Adrian Tierney-Jones. Topsham, which occupies a coastal location near Exeter, was a long way to travel for a pint, but I picked the perfect day weather-wise. Despite having to abandon my homeward bound train at Taunton (due to engine failure), I still made it back to Tonbridge before midnight. 

This historic and cosy 16^th century inn overlooks the nearby River Clyst and has been run by five generations of the same family since 1897. There are several different rooms in which to sit and enjoy the gravity dispensed beers, plus the more solid fayre of homemade pasties, soup and crusty bread. Topsham itself also has a good selection of pubs, even if the town is all “pashminas and posh pooches” in places.

Best Beer City  

This would be Portsmouth & Southsea, although it’s difficult to know where the boundary between the two towns lies. Back in February, I spent a day with Stafford Paul and Dave Southworth, wandering around a selection of the local pubs. I’ve already mentioned the Fuller’s owned, Bridge Tavern, and whilst we missed out on the famous Sally Port Inn, due to its late opening, the nearby Pembroke came up trumps with some excellent Draught Bass and cheese cobs, for those still hungry!

Beer festivals

I’d been planning to attend the Great British Beer Festival at Birmingham’s NEC but left planning my trip until the last minute. Consequently, I missed out on any cut-price rail tickets. As things turned out, I’m glad that I didn’t, as the event wasn’t a success and ended up losing CAMRA a staggering amount of money. Sadly, there almost certainly won’t be another UK event of this magnitude, for a very long time, if ever!

Instead, I attended the laid-back beer festival held in the expansive pub garden, of the Halfway House at Brenchley. Now in its 22^nd year, and offering an impressive lineup of 60, gravity served beers, racked up in the outside barn, plus an additional 10 in the pub. Cask drinkers are certainly spoiled for choice at this event, which for many, including myself, provides an ideal conclusion to summer.

Best days out

A “curated pub crawl” of the Hampshire towns of Alton & Farnham, involving a dozen or so participants, including Citra Mick, Nick C, plus Retired Martin. The majority of the group were local CAMRA members, most of whom were described to me as members of "CAMRA Discourse".  They seemed a decent enough crowd, and our full-on itinerary allowed us to visit a good selection of pubs, within the two towns.

A saunter around Chichester, with Stafford Paul + Dave & Joan Southworth. An enjoyable day spent exploring a selection of Chichester’s finest pubs, including a number that I’d visited the previous year, with son Matthew.

Best beer book 

A pub book, rather than a beer book, but none the worse for that. A Pub for All Seasons, is a yearlong journey in search of the perfect British local. Researched and written by Adrian Tierney Jones, this highly personal reflection on a selection of some of his favourite pubs, is the sort of book you can dip in and out of, without losing the thread.

Adrian states that during a lifetime of dedicated pub going, he’s come to believe there is a pub for every season, and it is this seasonal effect that is the main theme of the book.   There’s a reasonable percentage of pubs in this book that I have visited, just as there are quite a few others that I would like to set foot in, given half the chance. One of these pubs is the Bridge Inn at Topsham, mentioned above, and I have Adrian to thank for first inspiring me to visit it.

Much missed Pub Man & Blogger

Dedicated pub-man, and fellow blogger, Peter Edwardson, sadly and quite unexpectedly, passed away in early December. Writing under the name of Pub Curmudgeon, both on his own well-informed blog, and also as a long-standing contributor to various CAMRA magazines and newsletters, Peter could be particularly scathing of the big brewers and Pubco’s. He was also equally critical of those “left of centre” politicians who he regarded as responsible for the “nanny state,” the smoking ban and any other legislation brought in to control the population and stop them from having “fun.”

I had the pleasure of meeting Peter a few times, including the fleeting visit he made to Tunbridge Wells, 10 or so years ago, but more recently on the various pub crawls I joined him on. These events included visits to Burton, Shifnal, Stockport and Macclesfield. He came across as a rather private individual, who was often. very matter of fact, but under the right circumstances -invariably in a decent pub, with equally decent beer, he would be good company. The last time I saw him was just prior to Christmas 2023, on a pub crawl of Macclesfield which, I believe, he had a hand in organising. Like on the other occasions, he was excellent company, which makes it all the more sadder that we won’t be seeing him again.

Photo of Peter Edwardson - courtesy of Retired Martin 

Farewell to 2025 - a gentle look back

It’s New Years’ Eve, and I’m painfully aware that I haven’t published an end of year review. I have been working on one, but it’s been slow progress, and at times like this, I’m easily distracted, and not just by trivia. One distraction was to book a trip to the local tip – sorry, "Waste Transfer Station" as Deform UK controlled, Kent County Council like to call them these days, although to be fair, it was the previous Tory administration that came up with this euphemism.

We have quite a lot of items to dispose of, and most of these were already bagged or boxed up in the shed, awaiting their fate. Well, that moment came earlier this afternoon when these pre-backed items were unceremoniously loaded into the back of the car, ready to be driven over to North Farm (it’s the industrial and wholesale area of Tunbridge Wells). I’d managed to book one of the two available slots for New Year’s Eve, so all I need do now, is drive over to the WTS, unload, dump the stuff (carefully unload each type of junk).

With luck there will be time for a pint on the way back, although as I shall be driving, it will strictly be a single pint of low to medium strength beer. There will then be the tallying up of number of different pubs visited over the past 12 months, even though I already know the score. Prior to my visit, I shall be calling in at my workplace to check the progress of a major revamp taking place to our staff canteen and kitchen area. 

Somewhere along the line, my official title of Safety Advisor, has morphed into that of Site Manager, which does mean I ought to be checking up on the project. Like HS2, and all manner of similar projects, this one isn’t running to time. I know this as the contractors sent me some photos earlier, but it is what it is, and at the end of the day if the job isn’t fully complete by the time the bulk of the workforce (me included), return to work next Monday, it won’t be the end of the world.

Looking back, it’s been quite a restful break that has allowed me to catch up on, or even complete, a number of different projects. There is one thing that has suffered, or rather has been neglected, and has been the absence of country walks. This unfortunately followed on from the pattern of the previous year, as since completing the North Downs Way in 2022, and then the Tunbridge Wells Circular Walk, the following year, there have been no set hikes or rambles for me to follow. And no pub walks either. I don’t know whether this is a sign of growing older, or whether general apathy has set in, but this worrying trend is one that needs fixing.

There used to be a WhatsApp group called the Weekend Walking Group, that was linked to the local CAMRA WhatsApp group, but that became moribund several years ago. The absence of these organised groups shouldn’t be seen as a barrier, because whilst my walk along the North Downs Way started out as part of an organised group, because I came in at the tail end of a friend’s completion of this Long-Distance Footpath, I was quite content to carry on from where this individual had finished off.  The Three River Valley Walks would be good series of rambles to look at in 2026. I already have a guidebook for this, and in case you’re wondering, the three walks are, the Darent Valley Path, the Eden Valley Walk, and the Medway Valley Walk.

As all three of these rambles primarily follow river courses, there is little, if anything in the way of gradients, and the majority of each ramble is potentially flat. So, these trails are easy going in most respects, although accessing the start of the Eden Valley Walk, takes a bit of detective work on the ground – clue, the source of the Eden, is in the middle of a field, and isn’t easily accessible by public transport. There’s another hurdle to overcome, because as the years go by, Mrs PBT’s has become a little over-protective, especially when it concerns me walking alone.

I like walking on my own, as I can set my own pace, but even I have to admit, it’s good to have company on such walks as well. Walking with companions isn’t always a guarantee of safety though, as I remember a colleague who went into cardiac arrest, whilst on a walk with his wife and daughter. Despite his wife being trained in first aid, the CPR she administered proved ineffective, and the wooded terrain the group was walking through, meant the air ambulance was unable to land either. Barry was younger than me, by several years, and as a cross-country runner, was considerably fitter, as well.

That’s enough doom and gloom for the time being, but it’s a timely reminder that none of use know how long we’ve got on this earth, and we owe it to ourselves and others, to keep ourselves fit and healthy, so we can live our best lives. Moving onto more cheerful things, Eileen and I booked ourselves on a circular navigation of the British Isles, cruising in an anticlockwise direction right around Britain, on Cunard’s newest cruise ship, Queen Anne. We made a return visit to Hamburg, a voyage on which we were joined by son Matthew, for his first cruise, and towards the end of the year, we visited the Azores plus the lovely island of Madeira. That, for me, was a long overdue return visit to those particular Atlantic islands, having first visited them on an “educational” school cruise, at the tender age of 16.

There wasn’t as much travel within the British Isles, as I would have liked – something I intend to rectify this coming year, but I managed visits to St Albans, Portsmouth, Topsham – a trip that touched briefly on Exeter as well plus I also made a return visit to Farnham, scene of my NDW completion, three years ago. The sea voyage took us to Newhaven (Edinburgh), Invergordon, Stornoway, Greenock, Liverpool, and Cobh (ROI). 

 On the home-front, we had a new kitchen installed, a job which also included fitting a new window, plus a complete re-plastering of the kitchen area.  We made the sensible decision of having this work carried out, whilst we were away on the Round Britain Cruise, which meant we missed the bulk of the disruption and virtually all of the mess. We were also able to have a good clear-out of the kitchen and cookery utensils that we’d accumulated over 40+ years of living together.

That’s probably it for the time being, apart from saying that I finished off the mini cask of Harvey’s XXXX Old Ale. I cracked it open on Christmas Eve, which was the day I finished work. I’m please to report that this dark, luscious and full-bodied beer remained bright, lively and well-conditioned, right down to the last drop. And now, after sharing that little pearl with you, I shall sign off and wish you all a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.