The Horseshoe and Castle, Cooling - pub details
Address: Main Road, Cooling, Rochester, Kent, ME3 8DJ [map] [gmap]
Tel: 0871 951 1000 (ref 12079) - calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras
Higham (3.8 miles), Strood (4.7 miles), Gillingham - Kent (5.2 miles)
Pub facilities/features:
- Real ale
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> Current user rating: 7.1/10 (rated by 13 users)
other pubs nearby:
Red Dog, High Halstow (1.4 miles), Six Bells, Cliffe (1.4 miles), Evening Star, Cliffe (1.4 miles)
user reviews of the Horseshoe and Castle, Cooling
please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
5 most recent reviews of 13 shown - see all reviews
| A visit on a Sunday afternoon for lunch with the wife, this pub was chosen for 2 reasons , first of all it appears in the 2017 GBG and secondly it was the only pub in the guide in the area that had tables available for lunch! Bar area to the left as you enter through the front door with a separate dining area to the right. The pub was pretty busy and the restaurant being half full. There's only 8 tables in the dining room with seating for around 22 people. 3 hand pumps with 2 ales on, one from Shepard and Neame and my choice which was Nelson Breweries Revengence Bitter @ 3.7%. Music played at a decent level through the bar and dining room. The walls in the dining area have many paintings, drawings and history of the village and local area as well as several stags heads, antlers and some taxidermy. There's a cabinet stocked with miniature whiskey's, I didn't take a close look bit it seemed to be some collection. The food was very good (especially if you like fish) and reasonably priced. Service was attentive and food arrived swiftly. A flying visit really as after our meal and my 1 pint we left. As i didn't spend any time in the pub I cannot really comment, but the food was good and the pint I had was well kept. lezford - 3 Feb 2017 10:26 |
| Great pub at the eastern end of the village of Cooling. It's a free house which has a rotating local ale and Shepherd Neame Masterbrew. The local ale when we visited was a highly quaffable 4% bitter from the Rockin Robin brewery in Maidstone. There was also a local cider from the Biddenden vineyard, which the landlord allowed me to sample - it was like nectar. This pub is definitely worth a visit if you're visiting the RSPB reserves at Northward Hill and Cliffe Pools. Taxidermists will also love it as it's full of stuffed birds. Number11 - 19 Jun 2014 23:20 |
| I visited here just last week as I was staying with the family in a local Haven caravan park. This was only a short drive away down winding country lanes and it made it even better as I had a chauffer as the other half is not that bothered about sampling the fine Kentish ale on offer. I found this pub to be very friendly and welcoming. Sometimes one can be a bit unsure of going into rural village pubs and I guess they can sometimes be a bit cliquey. However, as soon as I set foot in the door we were made to feel as welcome as if we had been drinking here for years. I had Scampi and Chips which went down quicker than a whores knickers. It was cooked perfectly and just the right amount. Enjoyed an ale from the Royal Tunbridge Wells brewery. All in all, very impressed and would definitely recommend a visit. I wish there were more pubs of this ilk in the area of Greater London where I live however if this was the case I am sure my liver and bank balance would take a turn for the worse. 8 out of 10 BeerGutt - 12 Sep 2011 13:37 |
| It seems some of the guys who have posted a review on this pub have been disappointed which is a real shame! if you are to stroll in on a monday or tuesday you are quite possibly going to find it a little quiet as it is right out in a rural but beautiful farmland area and a wonderful part of kent. It stocks fantastic Kent Ales and even sports a kent Pilsner from the whitstable brewery! along with great food available, (there is a choice for anyones taste)and you would be hard pressed to find a warmer welcome in the medway towns! I have no hesitations in recommending this pub to anyone who really is looking for a real village pub and a friendly atmosphere! I am a regular of "The Shoes" and find it a shame to come across reviews that are years out of date. Maybe if a few more members were to visit they could make up thier own minds but personally I think its great! itisi - 29 Jun 2011 00:07 |
| Our second visit, on a walk Higham - Gravesend on Good Friday, and confirmed this as a good lunch stop. The hot pea and ham soup for lunch was just right, along with a pint of Oldershaw Caskade. The others also enjoyed their food and beer. It was the rain that we had to walk into and through for the next hour and a half that was almost too much. Still, buoyed up by our lunch, we struggled through the wet and mud ......... zorrodp - 4 Apr 2010 12:14 |
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