10:50 From Victoria, Rochester

A micropub set in a Victorian railway arch. It is fronted by a pleasant terraced garden with wooden platforms, though the views are somewhat industrial. The single bar room has many railway memorabilia as its décor, and the tiny woodburner provides more than enough heat to keep it warm, even with the doors open. The furniture is the 'standard' micro style of high wooden table sand benches plus a couple of barrels serving as drinkers' tables. The ale selection was predictably excellent, both in variety and quality. Old dairy's Flight of the Kiwi, Kent Prohibition, Pitchfork PG Steam, Grainstore's Rutland Beast and 4 fruit ciders were on offer. A nice touch is the use of oversized pint glasses to reduce spillage. Both the barmaids were friendly, though the landlord came across as a miserable git. The other clients were chatty, convivial and appreciative of this superb establishment. It is the best pub in Strood by a very long way, certainly the only one worth breaking a journey for, and it's even worth including in a Rochester crawl if time allows.