The Mackland Arms, Gillingham

Well-worn, ‘faded plush’ backstreet Sheps pub frequented by a bunch of oldies. L shaped interior which smelt of fags and dogs. Unexplained jumbo Ipswich promotion flag, presume the landlord must be a fan. Two Sheps beers on, Masterbrew and a seasonal; my Masterbrew was fair (NBSS 2.5) if somewhat light and watery to the extent I wondered briefly whether it actually was said beer. Nobody else was on it. Classic earthy GBG pick that nobody apart from the locals would be interested in going in more than once, I’m struggling to see why the reviewers below gave such high scores.

Official site of Mackland Arms - www.macklandarms.co.uk

Official site of Mackland Arms - www.macklandarms.co.uk

Nowadays something of a rarity (at least in the South East); an authentic side-street local with a modest selection but well-deserved reputation for real ale. Compact L-shaped layout with as much traditional seating as can be fitted into the limited space available. As a Shepherd Neame house, I not only found the seasonal It's Coming Home but also the festive but rare Christmas Ale (£3.90) as well as the expected Master Brew from three of the four handpumps.

The Mackland Arms is a u shaped Shepherd Neame pub with their usual draught and four hand pumps that were drawing Master Brew (x2), Spitfire and Late Red during my recent early Thursday evening visit. There were six or seven locals sitting around the bar and I was quickly involved in friendly conversation with them and the governor. Sky Sports is advertised, but the television was being used to play Magic FM making the jukebox redundant. I managed to step over the massive, but friendly, pub dog to note the dartboard around to the rear of the bar. I didn’t visit the advertised beer garden. This is a friendly local pub that I would gladly visit again.