The Golden Lion (JD Wetherspoon), Rochester

An unplanned stop due to getting into town a bit early,a fairly standard spoons interior though not as cluttered as some. Ten handpulls on the bar with seven occupied with the usual offerings, some doubled up, three guests clipped up and I chose Beartown Bear Ass only to be told it's not on, great, leaving two guests, Brains SA and Grainstore Rutland Beast, a strong mild that proved to be too sweet for my taste.A fairly average pub experience.

Rambling JDW, that is several buildings knocked into one - allowing for all sorts of nooks and crannies. Massive queue of teenage Tim fans trying to get in at 10pm on a Saturday night. As residents, we were able to bypass this nonsense, as you wouldn't catch me queuing for much. Standard Pub - but as a hotel, the rooms exceeded expectations massively. Decor, style and facilities worthy of a much more expensive hotel. Lovely.

Large Wetherspoons with hotel attached and even more emphasis on food than normal, with a large side room mainly populated by diners and a room at the back with a kitchen counter even more so. Still plenty of room for drinkers at the front though, and it also benefits from a large and very-tabled garden at the back, although this suffers a bit from traffic noise. The ale range included several Kentish beers, mainly from Wantsum, alongside the usual suspects and condition was good.