Mermaid, Bishopsbourneback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
After visiting 2 pubs not listed on here (the Pheasant at Ashford & the Chequers at Petham - I recommend the latter), we rounded off our Kent crawl in this Shepherd Neame establishment. Master Brew & Whitstable Bay were the 2 ales on offer. The 2 rooms with central bar have plenty of things on the walls to keep your mind occupied. The regulars were keeping themselves to themselves, apart from the pub dog who was friendly. There is an undercover smoking area just outside the toilets. Nice pub, if not exceptional.
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An undisputed classic of a pub, which I happily managed to revisit after a hiatus of, well, not far shy of a decade. And it was as I'd left it; that's to say an unspoilt, welcoming, traditional and unpretentious local. It could be a post office from outside, and inside it resembles someone's cosy front room. A cheery welcome awaits from the landlord, who will dispense a perfectly-kept pint of Shep's. In this instance I opted for the Whitstable Bay which was on song - vastly superior to the tired Shep's beer one finds in London. Before dismissing their ales at least get to somewhere like this and see if you alter your view. A corker, which hopefully will never change.
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Best Masterbrew I've ever had - lovely boozer
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True village pubs don't get much better than the Mermaid. First time visitors will be amazed a) by the welcome b) by the beer and c) to learn that the pub (previously run by the same tenants for >20 years) was throughly re-vamped only about 2 years ago! Yes, Shepherd Neame took it all apart, painted it, then put it all back much as they found it! Excellent bit of work they did too.
The 5th Earl of Wimbourne has stated that the Mermaid is worth a detour. In my humble capacity as a thirsty peasant, I would say that it's worth a special trip out to Bishopsbourne!
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Revisited after probably a couple of years, nothing has changed of importance. A proper country pub (take note gastro pubs and rural winebars!) In a way ot would be better to keep this a secret.......
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What a gem, cant say much more!!
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A clean nice pub to take granny too, okay sheps beer in a lovely setting, quaint and inoffence.
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A lovely, traditional Kent village boozer. The usual Shep's offerings. Worth a detour off the A2.
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