The Ashes, Maidstone

A truly awful dive bar as described by others, below. The outside was adorned with piles of smelly rubbish and waves of fag-ends – presumably the source of the pub’s name. It was noisy, noisome and uncomfortable, while the bouncers on the door made the outside terrace at the front less than inviting. Inside was no better – third-rate football matches on multiple screens across two floors, accompanied by the monosyllabic grunting that would embarrass a hung-over walrus. There was no real ale nor was there anything else that looked appealing. Great for Stella-fueled yob culture, but not somewhere to which I’d be inclined to return.

The Ashes advertises itself as a sports bar so I wasn’t surprised to find a couple of projector screens and numerous plasma screens showing the Ryder Cup via Sky Sports during my visit last Friday. The bar faces the front of the pub and some steps to the right of the bar lead down to a room that houses two pool tables and a test your strength boxing machine. To the left of the bar some steps descend into a conservatory where access is gained to a rear paved beer garden full of picnic tables. The bar is stocked with standard draught and Amstel is also available, but the lone hand pump was unused. There is also an extensive cocktail menu. I found this place to be characterless and I think that there are far more comfortable places in Maidstone to watch some sport.