The Railway (JD Wetherspoon), Gillingham

A surprising Spoons conversion of an old dead pub - you can only presume they got it cheap. It now bears little resemblance to its previous incarnation beyond the frontage, with a long low extension at the rear housing the main bar. There are two side rooms where the old pub used to be. The beer range seemed fair enough, with 4 guests on, and the non-urban environment gives the place a more relaxed feel than some of its stablemates. A useful break on a train journey.

A new and 'much, much larger than it initially looks' Wetherspoon outlet, partly incorporating an existing pub of the same name. It still looks traditional enough from the station or nearby main road, but the interior (much of it in the recent extension) is very anonymous. That said, it's a good addition to the local pub scene, and seemed to be doing good business on a Sunday afternoon. With nine different cask beers from the two banks of six handpumps, there was a decent choice of real ales, and my pint of the Minagof 'international brewer' Juicy IPA (£1.99) was excellent value.