please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
Worth visiting along with the Plough Inn just along the road in the North Downs. The Bowl seemed more like a locals pub. It does have a dining area. But this wasn't being used. Although it was almost Sunday evening. Most of those in were drinkers. Unfortunately many were hogging the bar, making ale choice difficult. 4 were available - Old Dairy Blue Top, Wantsum Fortitude, Sharps Doom Bar & Tonbridge Rustic. Talking of rustic, there were a number of old rusty farming implements scattered around the property. There's a stuffed fox in the fireplace.
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On the way back to London from Canterbury we stopped for a pint and a sandwich in this isolated country pub just outside the village of Charing.
Found via the trusty sat nav and the 2105 Camra GBG.
We arrived bang on 2pm on a Sunday and the pub was very busy and buzzy. Plenty of families enjoying lunch. The main course meals looked really good.
4 ales on cask. Sharps Doombar, Hopdaemon's Incubus and 2 offerings from Wantsum. I opted for the lower strength More's Head @ 3.5% and it was very good.
A huge inglenook fireplace dominates the bar as you enter which also splits the pub into 2 separate areas. There are carpets throughout and the walls are adorned with local images and brewiana.
Large garden to the rear and ample parking at the side.
A very nice pub that I wouldn't of known about without the GBG.
8/10 for the welcome, service, food and ale.
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Absolutely disagree with previous reviews of this pub! Visited one recent Saturday lunchtime and hoped to have some lunch. Only available food was snacks or sandwiches which looked somewhat less than inviting so we passed on this. Beer selection was okay on the day, but there was no atmosphere in the place whatsoever and staff at the bar were no exactly welcoming when we arrived. Do places like this not know that a warm welcome keeps the customers coming back even if the place is not as good as others in the area?
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Great proper old pub fantastic beer festival in mid july
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Still a very nice pub.
They've opened out the main bar a bit by knocking down part of the wall next to the fireplace. The effect is to give the pub a much more light and airy feel.
Beer was excellent although a little disappointing in terms of the ales on offer. London Pride, Harvey's Sussex best, Fullers Chiswick. Nothing wrong with any of those but I'd have preferred to try something a little more "off the wall". That's not a complaint though, just a question of timing as they had a list of the forthcoming ales that seemed to fitthe bill a bit better!
Pleasant service and friendly locals make this a very welcoming place indeed.
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Fine country pub, just a few minutes from the busy A20 but seemingly miles away from the hustle and bustle of modern life. Usually three or four real ales on - and today's pint of Whitstable East India Pale Ale was in excellent condition (as the beers always are here). Full of nice touches, including the small external clock for those sitting on the wooden benches out the front.
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Gem of a pub in a wonderful location, the beer selection wasnt the best 3 real ales on but the location is perfect, also not this pub has a hexagonal shaped pool table which i have never seen and probably never will in a pub.
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Popped by with a bunch of friends and by chance found we'd arrived on the day of the beer festival. Well done, the Bowl. Rows and rows of barrels, loads of people (300ish). Keep it up.
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This pub has a well deserved reputation for keeping and selling a range of fine ales. They're not always tip-top, but Alan, the Landlord, has an enviable reputation for doing his best. The array of awards received is testament to his diligence.
This is not a pretty downland retreat. Far from it. It's a building with a fair sized car park, camping and gardens. They also have an excellent beer festival, one of the best pub festivals in the area.
On the downside, the pub is very cliquey and strangers don't exactly fit in. We are not talking Deliverance though as they rarely shoot people.
Sadly this place has a small collection of extremely homophobic customers and consequently this is being posted on a number of sites. If you're gay and a beer drinker, drink elsewhere. If you don't mind cohorting with dinosaurs, enjoy a fine ale, a roaring fire and a somewhat unusual pool table (don't play it inebriated or maybe this is the best way to play on it), get there!!
If you want a good beer and convivial conversation without the inbreeds, drink at the Plough just down the road (where the food is fantastic), or most other places.
This is a pub that shouldn't be missed out as long as you can cope with bigotry. A good selection and a knowledgeable, passionate landlord make up for the folk that drink on the hill. Not quite the folk that live under the stairs but just as scary.
Make the effort as you're unlikely to get a duff pint.
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A group of us have taken to popping in here once a month after a monthly social event in nearby Lenham. The beer's good - you don't see Ringwood in many places in Kent. The bar staff are friendly, and they do a good pickled egg.
But being in the middle of nowhere you'd not think it was a "locals pub" - you can always spot a "local pub for local people" because the requlars are sprawled all over the bar making it very difficult (if not physically impossible) for anyone else to get to the bar. I'll give it one more try, but I'm fed up with struggling to get near to the bar. There's never anyone else wanting to be served, just a seemingly constant heap of people propping up the bar so you can't get there.
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Definately one of the best pubs in this part of Kent. it has that certain buzz about it that only means a good pub;far too many have followed the gastro-pub route with mixed results, leaving the proper drinking/social pub in limbo-this however hits the spot.I needn't go into raptures about the beer, as I've never had a bad pint here.
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Returned on Sunday. A lovely open fire was burning away and once again we received a very friendly welcome from staff and locals alike. Beer was extremely well kept and this time we sampled the food. The menu is limited to sandwiches/burgers etc although they do steak nights and curry nights during the week so it may just have been a lunchtime menu. Whatever, it was very good value for money and we will be back at the earliest opportunity ! I can't recommend this pub highly enough.
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Just to add to the previous comments, this really is a lovely pub. Extremely friendly staff, I was made to feel like a local on my first visit this week. Didn't sample the food but if it comes up to the standard of the beer (which was obviously well kept) then there should be no problems. It even boasts an unusual (to me anyway) circular pool table. Highly recommended.
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Apologies for my last posting, the landlord and landlady's names are, infact, Alan and Sue. Not 'Bob and Sue'. Doh !
Apologies to you Alan, purveyor of fine ales.
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This is a super little place in lovely surroundings on top of the North Downs. We visited with grandparents and our 2 boys in late April, on a sunny day, to find good beer, friendly reception and a pretty garden. Several couples were sat out front reading papers and having a quiet drink in the sunshine. The food was simple, ploughmans, sandwiches, scrambled eggs and nicely prepared with locally produced chutneys fom Brogdale adding a quality touch. The loos were immaculate, a good sign, the clientele civilised. Altogether a very enjoyable experience.
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A stunning establishment set on top of the North Downs. The best landlord and landlady (Bob and Sue) that I've ever had the pleasure of coming across, anywhere. Always four ales on tap, with one or two guest ales always available, and these are constantly being rotated. Food choices are plentiful and very good too !
An annual beer festival is held here in the enormous and lovely garden. In good weather, it's heaven on earth. Thank God for the Bowl Inn.
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