The Bounty, Rochester

L-shaped estate pub atop the hill near the western extremity of Strood, with the bar along one arm, another seating area in the first part of the other, a pool table / darts area at the far end and a smaller room off to one side. Plainly furnished and decorated but all tidy enough. No real ale, unfortunately, so John Smith's (£2.90) it was in preference to the bottled Newcastle Brown.

A large post-war estate pub which exists solely to serve its host community, an extensive housing estate on the outskirts of Strood. It has a car park, which must be paid for unless you remember to tap in when you go into the pub. There is no garden, and outside drinking is not allowed after 9pm. There is a single large L-shared bar with a games area at the long end. Pool, darts and gaming machines are all available. The clientele is almost exclusively from the estate, a large proportion of them being mothers with young children. TV screens abound, several in view from every point in the pub, all showing live sports. There is no real ale, no real cider, and the only bottled offering worth mentioning was Newcastle Brown. The staff were friendly enough, but the locals didn’t want to know us. If you came in search of paradise you would be disappointed.