A reminder that this Saturday, 19th May is the day for the joint Canterbury City pub crawl and social with Dover, Deal & Sandwich and Ashford, Folkestone and Romney Marsh CAMRA branches. We will be meeting in the Foundry on White Horse Lane from 12:00 and finishing at the New Inn on Havelock Street at 17:00 where the manager is kindly putting on a finger buffet for us. Full details are given below.

A reminder, too, of our orchid walk the following day, Sunday, 20th May, which Gill Keay will be leading. We will be meeting in The Hop Pocket at Bossingham at mid day. Again, full details are below.

The mini coach tour of the branch country pubs on Saturday, 16th June is now fully booked. If any seats become available through cancellation, I will let you know.

Another Stagecoach Explorer day out is planned in August. The provisional date is Saturday 4th August and we will probably be visiting Hythe, Folkestone and the Elham Valley.

The Two Sawyers at Woolage Green will be hosting a beer festival from Friday 25th to Sunday 27th May with at least 12 real ales and cider, music and hot food. Contact 01304 830295 for further details.

Kevin from The Haywain has now provided me with details of the Haywain Beer Festival at Bramling which runs from Friday 1st to Tuesday 4th June, which is the Queen’s Jubilee Holiday weekend. There will be 32 real ales and ciders, live music and a barbecue. Opening times are Friday 7 p.m. to 11.30; Saturday 12 p.m. to midnight; Sunday 12 p.m. to 10.30 and Monday 12 p.m. to 6. For further information, please contact Kevin on 01227 720676.

A reminder, too, that The New Inn on Havelock Street, Canterbury are having a beer festival between Friday 1st and Tues 5th June. There will be about 30 different beers available during the festival period, with about 15 on at any one time. There will be a BBQ, bands and Morris Dancing on the Saturday.

The Duke of Cumberland, Barham, near Canterbury will be hosting a Beerfest from Friday 8th to Sunday 10th June. There will be over 30 real ales and ciders from across the country, not to mention live music for the three days, BBQs, hog roasts and bouncy castles.

Detailed below are full details of forthcoming branch social events.

SATURDAY 19th MAY: PUB CRAWL/ SOCIAL IN THE CITY OF CANTERBURY

We will be meeting in the Foundry, White Horse Lane from 12:00 onwards and will be given the use of the upstairs seating area. We will be visiting some of the best real ale pubs in Canterbury. Details are as follows:

The Foundry, White Horse Lane 12:00 to 13:00

The Old Brewery Tavern, Stour Street 13:00 to 13:30

The Eight Bells, London Road 13:45 to 14:15

The Unicorn, St Dunstan’s Street 14:20 to 15:10

The Bottle Shop, Station Road West 15:15 to 15:55

The Dolphin, St Radigunds 16:05 to 16:50

The New Inn, Havelock Street from 17:00 onwards

The management of The New Inn are kindly providing a finger buffet.

Most of the pubs have gardens or outside terraces.

You can join or leave the pub crawl wherever you want. If you want to join us during the day and want to find out where we are, please contact me on my mobile number, which is 079 139 34919.

SUNDAY 20th MAY: SHORT ORCHID WALK AND PUB VISIT

Gill Keay will be leading a short country walk and we will be visiting the Park Gate Nature Reserve with rare orchids which will be in flower. We will be meeting in the Hop Pocket at Bossingham at 12:00 where food will be available if required. There are a couple of options which will involve no more than 3 miles walking. To get to Bossingham, take the Old Dover Road out of Canterbury and just past the cricket ground, turn right (direction Hythe) onto the B2068 Nackington Road. After about 3 miles, turn left on to Hardres Court Road which after about another 3 ½ miles becomes The Street, Bossingham. The pub is on the left.

WEDNESDAY 6th to SUNDAY 10th JUNE: CAMRA BRANCH BEER TENT (IN AID OF CHARITY) AT TUNBRIDGE WELLS CRICKET WEEK

Drink beer and watch cricket. Charities are: Age UK, Arthritis Research, and Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.

For further information or if you would like to volunteer to help, please contact Gill Keay by telephone 01227 463478 or email: gillandgerrykeay@btinternet.com

See www.camra-canterbury.org.uk for more details about fixtures etc.

SATURDAY 16th JUNE: MINI COACH TOUR OF THE BRANCH COUNTRY PUBS

This is now fully booked. If any seats become available through cancellation, I will contact you.

SATURDAY 4th AUGUST (PROVISIONAL): STAGECOACH EXPLORER PUB CRAWL IN THE FOLKESTONE, HYTHE AND ELHAM VALLEY AREA

This is currently being planned and full details will be given in the next social newsletter.

Other Events

The updated list of all known local activities is below. Please keep me updated and I will add to it as the summer progresses and more beer festivals are announced.

Wednesday 16th May: Branch meeting at The Local, Chartham Downs Road, Chartham

Saturday 19th May: Joint Social/ Pub Crawl with Dover, Deal & Sandwich and Ashford, Folkestone and Romney Marsh branches. Meet in the Foundry brew pub on White Horse Lane at 12:00.

Sunday 20th May: Country Walk to be organized by Gill Keay – Park Gate Nature Reserve and Hop Pocket at Bossingham where we meet at 12:00.

Friday 25th to Sunday 27th May: Beer Festival at The Two Sawyers at Woolage Green

Friday 1st to Monday 4th June: Whitsun Holiday Beer Festival at The Haywain at Bramling.

Friday 1st to Monday 4th June: Crabble Corn Mill 8th annual beer festival.

Friday 1st to Tuesday 5th June: Beer Festival at The New Inn, Havelock Street, Canterbury

Friday 1st to Tuesday 5th June: Queen’s Jubilee Beer Festival at The Chequers Inn, Stone Street, Petham

Wednesday 6th to Sunday 10th June: Cricket beer Tent at Tunbridge Wells (Kent v. Hampshire 6th to 9th & Kent v. Northamptonshire 10th)

Friday 8th to Sunday 10th June: Beerfest at The Duke of Cumberland at Barham

Saturday 16th June: Luxury Mini Coach Tour of the Branch Area

Saturday 16th June: 4th Kent & East Sussex Railway Real Ale & Cider Festival at Tenterden Town Station.

Wednesday 20th June: Branch meeting at The Prince of Wales, Mortimer Street, Herne Bay

Thursday 5th to Sunday 8th July: Summer Beer Festival at The Frog & Orange at Shatterling

Saturday July 14th: CAMRA Beer Tent at Hambrook Haymaking Festival just outside Canterbury

Thursday 19th to Saturday 21st July: Kent Beer Festival 2012 at Merton Farm off Nackington Lane, Canterbury.

Wednesday 25th July: Branch meeting at The Four Horseshoes, Borstal Hill, Whitstable

Saturday 4th August (provisional): Stagecoach Explorer day out in Folkestone, Hythe and the Elham Valley

Wednesday 8th to Sunday 12th August: Cricket beer Tent at Canterbury (Kent v. Essex 8th to 11th & Kent v. Derbyshire 12th)

Saturday 25th to Monday 27th August: East Kent Railway Beer Festival at Eyethorne.

Saturday 1st/ Sunday 2nd September: Faversham International Hop Festival (and CAMRA Beer Stall).

Friday 28th to Sunday 30th September: Late Summer Beer Festival at The Haywain at Bramling.

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Please get in touch if you require any further information on any of the above events. You can contact me by email: John.Hedington@btinternet.com

John Hedington Social Organiser

CAMRA Canterbury Herne Bay and Whitstable Branch

Details of branch events are also on our Facebook Page

http://www.facebook.com/CAMRACanterbury

We are also on Twitter: http://twitter.com/CAMRACanterbury