2nd stop on the outing: A 50-minute trot from the Chafford Arms led us shortly after 4pm to this very ancient weather-boarded Grade II-listed freehouse. You climb down from the quiet country lane, with a carpark for the pub opposite, a good many steps to enter its very original front-door which is so low you must duck if you are of the average height or above. Oak-beamed ceilings throughout are adorned with local hops no doubt. A very old-fashioned feel about it was slightly marred by somewhat loudly played synthesized music on the inside and with a different track playing simultaneously on the terrace at the pub's rear and which you could also hear where we sat close to the open-door to the terrace. Quarry-tiled flooring and very large rugs lent it a further rustic charm and where its interior extends the width of three farm cottages which were in place originally. A huge inglenook fireplace dominated the main bar area and with the other areas laid out for dining in. It is dated 1520 on the old oven door set into the fireplace. It is dog-friendly throughout and serves food all day on a Saturday. Prompt friendly service and the bonus of this visit was that they were staging their first ever beer festival with 6 casks on stillage and where you could help yourself once given a glass at the bar. I happened to go for a local Larkins on stillage that required the assistance of the barmaid to give its plastic tap-handle the right sort of tug to get it to turn. Gravity-dispensed beer from the tap was then achieved, while the finings (yeast and other brewing elements) were being collected in the "belly" of the cask below the tap hole.

Pub 3 in the Larkin's tour. They were growing pineapples in the garden, which itself gave fleeting views over the hills as the trees stayed gently in the breeze.

Fairly busy bank holiday Saturday lunchtime.A large family group of us came and dodged the wasps. Good pub.

I had the week off and Isabel was in Nursery so we decided to visit Penshurst place and come here for lunch. We arrived just before 12 and sat out the back and enjoyed the views over the Weald.