Hop Festival

Starting a tour of the town in The Shepherd Neame Brewery sounded like an excellent idea, but coffee was the only thing on offer. The informative talk about the history of hops was excellent and I learned a great deal, especially specific information about the variety of Kent hops.

It's not often that a dozen Mayors process through a town, but tradition at the Hop Festival requires just that. The variety of stalls encouraged the people in the packed town centre to gather and browse through the merchandise for sale.

After the speeches and the dancing, we were free to wander through the town and enjoy the festive atmosphere. Many people had hats made of hops and the four or five dancing groups brought real colour to the proceedings.

The shops had participated in a 'Best Dressed Window' competition which certainly increased the sense of community and fun.

Once again, a lovely day, although rather hard on the feet with all that walking around!