The Locomotive, Ashford

Traditional corner pub, partly opened-out inside to provide an elongated 'L'-shaped with a more lounge-like area in the shorter front branch and an array of dining tables heading along the longer side. Unfussy decor throughout. Also has a separate pool / darts (and possibly music) room at the back. Two real ales from a total of four handpumps: Master Brew and Doom Bar (£3.00).

The Locomotive is a long and thin pub with seating to the right of the entrance and a bar that leads to more seating at the rear. There is another room rear right where access to the toilets can be found along with a pool table and two dartboards. The pub sports were out of bounds during my recent Monday night visit as the back room was bustling with people playing poker on two large separate tables. Back in the bar area there are two plasma screens and Sky Sports is advertised. There is also a jukebox on the wall which was playing some background music at a reasonable volume. I spotted a sign out the front as I walked in that mentioned a weekly quiz that takes place at 20:30 every Sunday. Available from the bar is a standard draught range along with Shepherd Neame’s Master Brew and Young’s Ordinary. Sunday roasts are advertised for Sundays, but I didn’t spot any other food advertised. This isn’t to say that food isn’t available at other times. I found the service to be friendly in a ‘you’re not from around here’ kind of way. I drank two pints in twenty minutes as I had to get back to Ashford Railway Station. I was declined when, buying my second pint, I asked if I could charge my phone in the socket next to where I was sitting. Apparently ‘He wouldn’t like that’ which led me to believe that a belligerent boss may have been lurking in the wings. I know that many landlords feel very precious about their electricity bill and me extracting 0.02p worth may have tipped this busy pubs accounts over the edge. It was a shame as a ten minute charge would have been very helpful to me at the time. Will I return? Probably not!

It's a bit of a "locals pubs", but not as "Royston Vasey" as some pubs can be. Has beer from the nearby micro-brewery in ROlvenden, so it's worth a visit for that if nothing else.