The Shipwrights Arms, Hollow Shore, Faversham

An isolated white weatherboard pub at the confluence of Faversham and Oare Creeks,best approached on foot across the marshes from Faversham,along the Saxon Shore Way. Full of nooks and crannies, with comfy chairs and open fires. A shrine to Goacher's of Maidstone,all cask beers are served by gravity from behind the bar.Being a winter visit, I failed to notice any cooling provisions for the summer months,but the beer on our February visit was on top nick,including Goacher's legendary 1066 Old Ale.Also available were Harvey's Sussex Best Bitter, and Kent's Prohibition. The bar staff were very friendly, and the landlord suitably no nonsense.We enjoyed our fish'n'chips- most meals seemed reasonably priced,especially for the Southeast.This is one of our favourite pubs,mercifully free of modern tat.

This pub is very isolated and out of the way; if you chance upon this place by mistake you are probably very lost. As a destination pub, it's most certainly worth the effort to find it. We visited it for a meal on Friday evening when it was only moderately busy, and then again on Saturday lunchtime when it was very busy with ramblers doing the walk along the canal navigation out of Faversham. And if you're doing that walk it makes perfect sense to stop here for some refreshment. The pub is certainly at least 300 years old, and almost certainly there's been an inn on the site for much longer. Inside it's exactly as you would expect - wooden beams and posts, low ceilings, nooks and crannies, charming fireplaces, and a definitely ancient and lived in appeal. It has been extended a bit in living memory, in order to extend the dining area. There is maritime decor all over the place; a nice garden at the front (or back - not sure which is the front or back!) with access from the footpath. There's also a garden memorial to the landlord's wife, who died earlier this year. Normally one is dismayed to walk into a pub and see that there are no handpumps on the counter, but here I was forewarned that ales are gravity dispensed from stillage. There were five ales on - Harvey's Best (£3.90 a pint), plus four from Maidstone Brewery Goacher's: Dark Mild (3.4%/£3.30), Shipwrecked (3.8%/£3.50), Gold Star (5.1%/£3.80), and Green Hop (3.9%/£3.90). I had pints of the Shipwrecked, Gold Star, and Green Hop and all three were in superb condition. Apparently the Shipwrecked is a house ale, and is brewed by Goacher's for just three pubs. Main meals were pub grub - the roast chicken dinner was less than £9, and the steak & kidney pudding plus veg was £9.25. It looks as if their main business stream is daytime walkers, and many of the ones we saw were tucking into sandwiches and jacket potatoes. As I recall the sandwiches were a bit more than £4. This is a destination pub in every sense of the word. If you have the time and fitness, I would certainly recommend the trek out of Faversham to visit this little gem.

Official site of The Shipwrights Arms - www.theshipwrightsarmspub.co.uk

Official site of The Shipwrights Arms - www.theshipwrightsarmspub.co.uk