The Bedford, Tunbridge Wells

Visited 25/07/24 Traditional single room pub with bar along the back wall. Several TV’s on the walls including one v big one on the wall at the side of the bar. Stools to sit at the bar and tables and chairs dotted around the perimeter. Live music every Friday and a monthly quiz on the last Sunday of the month it seems. Venue was quiet with just a smattering of locals in during my half hour stop here on Thursday lunchtime on my way to an appointment. Good cask offering. Seven hand pulls, two unused, the other five offering Old Speckled Hen, TT Landlord, GK IPA (what else), Long Man Rising Giant (an American Pale Ale) and Hopping the Tasman from Iron Pier. Keg choices were Corona, Madri, Peroni, Pravha, Staro, Guinness, Neck Oil, Aspall cider and the GK IPA quaff Hazy Days. Have passed this pub many times over the years when in TW as always got impression it was a bit small and pokey from the outside. It indeed is a small pub and hardly salubrious but it did offer a good beer selection and my pint of Rising Giant was well kept and enjoyable.

This one needed two visits, as there was nobody behind the bar first time and, with a punter already awaiting service, I opted for a better-staffed pub. On returning, things were much improved, with an attentive barmaid who also had to bring the food and clear the old glasses. A Greene King pub, but with an ale range going beyond - I tried a couple of ales from Kent Brewery, but didn't sample Only With Love's Yacht Rock, nor the 3 GK. The TV screens were showing the cricket, but it was possible to grab a table out of the line of sight. Street-side tables are also available. It was worth persisting then, and I don't suppose you'll encounter the same absence of staff.

A slightly rough and ready corner pub with multiple screens for sport TV, not particularly my favourite type of venue but this one had a mostly good beer lineup. apart from the Greene King IPA there was Oakham Citra, Fell Ghyll, Northern Monk Eternal and Burning Sky Plateau along with Old Rosie Cider. With that kind of choice certainly worth a look as well as the fact It's the nearest pub to The train station.

This is a fairly simple Greene King pub located just across the road from Tunbridge Wells station, but as uninspiring as that may sound, there is a redeeming feature in the shape of twelve handpulls, of which nine were in action on my late Friday night visit. These options amounted to Greene King IPA, Belhaven Bedford Steam Best Bitter, Laine Breaker and Merry Berry, Wantsum Citra and Montgomery, Musket Fife & Drum and Iron Pier Bitter, with a pump dedicated to a real cider option as well. My pint of the Citra was in pretty good shape and served to me by one of the attentive team of bar staff who seemed upbeat even at the end of the Friday night shift. The pub has a fairly no frills, single room set-up, with a bare boarded room, whitewashed walls plus a section of ‘fake’ brickwork to the front, and the servery along the mid-section of the left hand wall. Some nice banquette seating has been provided either side of the entrance, aided by some standard chairs to create a couple of decent, mid-size seating areas. High tables further into the room, give way to more basic tables and chairs and a few short sofas. A small performance space in the rear right corner was occupied by a rather dull local band playing covers with a good degree of ineptitude as well as a few of their own tuneless numbers, whilst a plasma screen above them remained stubbornly switched off, which was a shame as it would’ve provided much more entertainment. Beyond the end of the bar, there is a small area with a couple more tables for those keen for a bit of privacy. The bar itself has a fairly standard tongue and groove counter – a theme throughout Tunbridge Wells it would seem – a modern bar back and metal frame pot shelf. A dartboard to the left of the bar had a shelf full of board games next to it as well as a TV screen showing muted music videos. Boards next to the stage list the ales available, but they are blocked by a pillar when you’re stood near the bar, so consultation is required prior to approaching the bar. This was a decent enough pub in which to round out my crawl around Tunbridge Wells, its proximity to the station making it perfect for exactly that purpose. The wide ale range makes it a tempting option, although it would be interesting to know whether they’re able to maintain quality across so many handpulls at all times. A slightly characterless place, but certainly worthy of a look.