Castle Inn, Robertsbridge

Located directly opposite Bodiam Castle from which the pub presumably takes it’s name, this is a traditional looking, brick built pub but has clearly been renovated at some point, and now has a fairly generic interior with little in the way of any note. The bulk of the pub is an L-shaped room, somewhat smaller perhaps than might be expected from looking at the outside, although there was a further room off to one side. There was limited seating available in the main room so we poked our heads in here, only to be told in no uncertain terms that all seats in there were reserved. Clearly that’s not actually the case though, as another group turned up shortly afterwards without a reservation and were shown in. Obviously what they meant was that it’s only for people spending money on food, so with all other tables taken or reserved we had to perch on a couple of stools at the bar. That said, one family seemed to have taken over one whole leg of the L, with coats and other paraphernalia draped over all the tables, even though they were only actually using one. Quite why the bar staff didn’t sort this out I don’t know. Décor wise it’s fairly unremarkable, although not at all unpleasant, with plain wooden boards on the floor, deep blue paintwork on much of the walls, woodwork and ceiling and some feature walls with very floral wallpaper. An old brick fireplace off to one side was quite an attractive feature, with a black timber mantle and a slate hearth, and there were a few old black and white photographs of the locale dotted around the walls, as well as an old brewery advert or two. Beers on tap were Spitfire and Whitstable Bay, whilst a third pump had the clip reversed and a fourth appeared unused. The solitary cider meanwhile was Orchard View. Overall, not a bad pub by any means, but the lack of seating and disinterested bar staff mean that I didn’t particularly warm to it either.

Shepherd Neame pub in a small village that must benefit substantially for much of the year from being just across the National Trust's picturesque moated castle. Anyway, it has been partly opened-out to leave the front dining room and sparsely furnished bar area in a L-shaped arrangement, with both sections have been given a dark, semi-traditional look. Given the size of the building, there may well be one of more other rooms in occasional use. Side beer garden. Whitstable Bay Pale (£5.20) and Bishops Finger available from two of the four handpumps.

Just over 10 years since my last attempt to visit the Castle Inn in Bodiam and this time it was open to the public. Last time, it had been closed for a private function. The pub is a Shepherd Neame establishment, which has the National Trust property Bodiam Castle over the road and also overlooks a river and some meadows. A hailstorm had just passed through and it was cold enough for the hail to be sat on the ground, without melting - great weather for Boris' enforced outdoor drinking. A marquee did provide some shelter for diners. Otherwise, you had to dry the benches yourself before attempting to sit down. Spitfire & Master Brew were the ales offered to us. Although, other people were being told that Spitfire was off. The pub enjoys a nice location and is obviously convenient for the eponymous Castle opposite, but has very little else to recommend it for.