A coworker of mine told me about the Faversham Hops Festival in Kent, where hops growing is a tradition. Hops is a major ingredient in beer, so this seemed like a must-do.
The weather was predicted to be good on Saturday, so we got up and headed off to St Pancras train station to catch the high speed train for the 1 hour train ride to Faversham. Our friend Dara was joining us, but unfortunately, she missed the train and had to follow us a half-hour later.
Faversham is a cute little country town east of London. It once served as an important port during medieval times. Today it is mostly rural, surrounded by orchards growing apples and cherries and of course large fields growing Hop vines. It is also the town where Shepherd Neame, the oldest brewery in England, makes beer.
We all rendezvoused at the train station, and started walking down the one main road in the town. It was one of those rare sunny and warm English Days, and I think we all planned to make the most of it.
There are some very old buildings that are in wonderful condition, and show many major periods in British architecture. From Mixed timber to Tudor brick to 1800's modern, you'll see them all mixed in together side by side.
Faversham even has the one thing that no small English country village can do without - A Kebab Shop. . .
It wasn't long before we came across a huge truckload of Hops. It smelled of grass and pine.
They were making Hops wreaths for everyone. Tony quickly "hopped" into the action and made wreathes for all of us too.
It was a lot of fun feeling a part of something as hometowny as this. It reminded me a bit of when we went to the Orange County Fair of the Crawfish Festival in Louisiana.
Mostly, it was fun to cut loose and enjoy the beautiful day and the fresh country air. Early Londoners used to go on working holidays to Kent to pick the hops and enjoy a break from the city. I can see why.
Even Bentley and Pepper got into the spirit of the day. We called them our little "Hop Dogs".
As Kent is known for Hops and Beermaking, it wasn't long before we found our first microbrewed beer stand.
It was turning into a hot day, so it was time for the first round. Dara and I had the Nelson IPA, a strong hoppy beer that seemed appropriate for the occasion. Tony sampled their locally sourced Cider.
A little further down the villages mainstreet, we encountered a local folk dance troop that was performing a traditional dance involving the clapping of pieces of wood. I've seen these different troops around at different locations, and they always put a wry smile on my face.
They were accompanied by a small group of musicians playing some traditional folk instruments. It really felt hometowny. . .
We walked on through the pretty little village until we came to the main square where food stalls were set up. They had roasted a whole hog, and we had to have a pork sandwich complete with crackling, dressing, and homemade apple sauce.
We found a spot to sit on some grass, and enjoy it. If ever any of you come to England, do not pass up the oportunity to have one of these amazing pork sandwiches. You will find them at most fairs, and at the Portabello Road market on Saturday. Yum!
And of course some more Hoppy Beer.
Faversham was once an important town for England, and as such, signs are everywhere celebrating it's past. One sign referenced a visit to the town by Queen Elizabeth I. The town was heavily involved with the making of gun powder, but thankfully by the time of WWII, it was no longer involved, and appears to have escaped largely unhurt.
It is also a rural area, and there are cows wandering through the pastures just across the inlet from the main street. We walked with the dogs out into the field, and Bentley got very excited seeing the cows.
It was a beautiful afternoon for a walk out in the countryside.
There was one particularly picturesque building that was once some sort of warehouse, but has now been converted into residential living. It is right on the water. If there were a place I'd want to live in Faversham, it would be here. Really nice.
Wild Blackberries were growing in abundance, and they gave us quick little sugar bursts to fuel our walk.
Of course we discovered a wonderful country pub
conveniently located on the water.
It was run by the main local brewery, Shepherd Neame, and was serving all of the special Hop Harvest Brews.
Before long it was time to start making our way back to the train station. Enroute, we ran into a troop of "little old ladies" riding their shopping carts. It is a common site to see older women pushing these shopping carts for their daily groceries, so these were a wonderful send up of them.
It looked like they'd taken Segways and adapted them to make the carts, and then they had fake legs on top to make it look like they were riding the carts. They were a huge hit with the crowd.
We decided to have one more beer for the road. How often would we have the chance to have fresh microbrewed beer out in the countryside on a beautiful day like this.
On the trainride back, we saw what is called an Oast House. It is where they would dry the hops. Most of these are no longer in use, but they have such a place in English beer making history that they are being preserved in some form.
We also saw an old submarine in the River Medway near Rochester. Turns out that it is "The Black Widow", a Russian Hunter/Killer Class submarine built in the mid sixties in the cold war.
Guess we have another adventure in store for us down here someday. . .
