Trevor Arms, Lewes

Very recently changed hands and refurbished. No longer belongs to Harvey's but is a free house with its eye on becoming a destination real-ale pub. It has now been stripped bare compared to the photo above and now comprises a smallish lounge to one side and a large, fairly basic bar to the other. The large garden remains much as ever. Over the Easter weekend they've had a mini-real ale festival going on , and live music most days. Beers seem ever changing, with Harvey's Best the permanent fixture, and it was in good nick too. Its role as a railway hotel disappeared years ago, and Glynde is no longer the sort of place to support a village local. The new incarnation may be just the thing and, with an hourly train even on a Sunday it could make an excellent target for a cheap day return.

I visited the Trevor Arms on a recent Sunny Sunday afternoon and took advantage of the huge beer garden that is dotted with picnic tables. There were only a handful of other customers which I thought odd for such a nice day, but as I entered the pub all became clear as the entire right hand side of the building is set up for diners and my visit was whilst the kitchen was closed between lunch and dinner services. A small bar complete with plasma screen (no Sky Sports advertisements seen), a dartboard and a Toad-in the-Hole box is located to the left of the pub. There is a limited standard draught selection and three hand pumps were drawing Harveys Best, Olympia and Hadlow. There was only one member of staff on duty and I had to wait a while to be served, but she was polite and friendly when she finally did get around to serving me. The toilets are located downstairs next to the kitchen that knocks out food for around the £10. There is a disabled toilet with step free access from the rear of the pub which is fine for people in the garden, but not so helpful for people in the pub as it is a bit of a trek around the building. Maybe there is another in the dining section that I did not spot. At the rear of the pub there is a grotty covered smoking area. I enjoyed my stay here watching the paragliders sling themselves off the big hill over the South Downs and there was plenty of room for my nippers to run around without getting up to mischief. I’d have no problem returning on another sunny afternoon, but I’d probably give it a miss if the weather was bad.