Today I want to explore the mysterious affair of Charles Dawson’s Piltdown Man, a missing link of “evolution” discovered near Haywards Heath in East Sussex and take you on a 9 pub beers spectacular and discuss the future of Britain’s cask ales and pub industry – hopefully you’ll gain some new insights and feel invigorated!!
So first my pub trawl and then the Ape Man 🦧
Lots of interest there! I will be devising further Sussex trips but factor in there is no viable late pub for 25 miles from Heathfield to Tenterden!
I don’t quite follow the main route ..
Considering we have 40 local Kent micro brewers but the Tenterden White Lion only offers Sussex, London or Cornwall beers does British cask ale have a viable future?? 💀🤔
The Flying Horse Boughton Aluph good guest ales, open fire, food, piano but plastic hops!! 🤢
The ancient Ferry Inn Isle of Oxney with their own iconic delicious real ale — dating from the days when the isle was reached by sea
The Red Lion of Snargate a free house on bleak lonely Romney Marsh in the same family for over 100 years, no gin here! Best local ciders and ales with crisps, a true legend! My local 🍺
Woolpack of Warehorne an olde smuggling haunt south of Ashford rising up over the marsh
Ringles Cross Uckfield 1664 lager
The historic but modernised Piltdown Man pub of hoax legend fame (see below for story) 💀🦧
Blackboys inn from 1389 scruffiest ladies loo outside a railway station, big turn off
The Heathfield Runt in Tun and Tenterden White Lion 25 miles apart, what kind of pub crawl covers this kind of distance? Disgraceful on the part of Sussex Kent publicans, workshy
More south east pubs to feature here 2025 keep looking in and do your utmost to keep cask ale live — use it or lose it!
Now lets discover the Piltdown Man hoax – here are the skeleton details but do research! Later I will review the 1940s book — I hope I’ve whetted your appetite for local history exploration! I travelled about 110 miles mainly disappointing
Let’s keep history up to date! 🍺🍺🍺
♣