It has got to be said that Sussex is one of the most prized areas in the UK. Famous for its beautiful countryside, amazing attractions the jewel of the South is steeped in history and natural beauty, Sussex combines the perfect combination of coast and county. It also has some of the best ale in the world, yes that is the World served in some of the best pubs in the world- yes that’s world again!
For hundreds of years, Sussex has been home some the world’s best breweries and hostelries. Serving and perfecting a world class product in our quintessential villages and towns. An export that we chose not to export, a wonderful home grown secret that politely declines the offer to travel.
With this in mind you can have no idea how excited I was to receive my invitation to join the inaugural press trip for a new business venture entitled Southern Ale Safaris. An opportunity to experience the best ales, pubs, sites and hotels that the county has to offer. I quickly scanned the website and gave a veritable squeal of manly excitement. I was to embark on a trip that includes a guided tour of some of the greatest public houses ever created. A brewery tour of the now legendary Dark Star brewery and some great points of interest throughout the county. Over my weekend I was to be chauffeured to sample the finest Ales and food that Sussex has to offer. I was just sublimely happy.
Built in the swinging sixties- that’s the 1260's The Star Alfriston is a historic hotel (one of England's oldest) in the Tudor village of Alfriston, East Sussex. It’s nestled between Brighton and Eastbourne, at the base of the South Downs National Park and the hotel's history brings with it a charm and character that truly make it unique.
The hotel is a good size despite looking like a haunt for the extras in Lord of the Rings. There are 37 well-appointed bedrooms, two of which are feature rooms from the original building, which is over 800 years old. We were treated to coffee and some of the best homemade biscuits I have ever tasted when we arrived on a glorious sunny June weekend. The staff and management are vibrant group of people who come from all walks of life and seem to really enjoy working at the hotel and taking care of its guests. There was a hugely enthusiastic bar manager on tap at 10am on a Saturday morning- he was on top form and had huge amounts of knowledge of the Safari and what we were about to do- I think given half the chance he would ditch his apron in a New York minute and take us on the tour himself. In the hotel there’s a great looking restaurant and a cute alcove of a bar. Here there was the dutiful appearance of two of my particular favorite ales from local Sussex breweries Hepworth of Horsham and at the delicious “Beachy Head” from East Dean. This was looking better each crucial second of my trip!
Staying in the village of Alfriston is like taking a step back in time. It’s both a very popular tourist destination and local gem serving the ultimate Sunday Roast. The hotel has a constant stream of interesting guests: tourists from Europe and America, walking groups who come to walk the South Downs, opera enthusiasts who come to go to Glyndebourne, as well as families (Drusilla's Animal Park is just down the road. As the sleek silver coach of Mr Clive our trusted driver for the weekend pulled up the butterflies were really having a field day in my tummy. I could sense this was going to be fun!
I quickly found out you'll find everything you need to unwind on an SAS (Southern Ales Safaris) tour. 3-Star accommodation at the Star, Alfriston including full English breakfast and Buffet meal on the first evening (everything was Sussex sourced and incredibly tasty) This was then followed by and a fantastic Tasting session conducted by brewers from 4 local companies. A very informative talk and a great way to really appreciate the ale we were here to enjoy.
Our chauffeured executive coach driver Mr Clive was a CAMRA member. Clive proved to be a hugely experienced guide and certainly knew his ale. He expertly navigated our tour and led the charge for the Brewery tour in Partridge Green. We visited 6 traditional pubs taking in the now legendary Ram at Firle serving a great selection of ales from the Harveys Brewery. Randomly we got to meet Gok Wan as he was actually holding court at this wonderful location tucked between Lewes and Eastbourne. I can confirm although not an Ale drinker Mr Wan was delightful and had wound his way through South London traffic just to visit the pub! We got well until I started pitching him my idea of a follow up to his hit TV show - “How to look good overdressed and tipsy” It fell on deaf ears unfortunately!
Other pubs included in the weekend included The Chequers in Steyning. This was really popular with my fellow tour guests as they served Dark Star and as we were fresh from the brewery tour it’s seemed rude not to pay a visit. We played skittles and supped Horsham Best bitter from the Hepworth Brewery at the The Fountain at Maple Hurst. The Cricketers Alciston was amazing and served an immense array of Harveys beers direct from the Keg. The White Horse also from Maplehurst was where we had the greatest Chili I have ever eaten and we drank 1648 in the garden. Could things get any better?
By breaking up the tour with some delightful points of interest- A visit to historic Lewes, the Observatory tour, shopping in Steyning was a great idea as were the weather dependent guided county walks. This was a staggeringly well thought out and sensitive look at what Sussex does so very well. I am busy telling all my lady friends to treat their menfolk to this as the ultimate gift or treat. I am also letting my friends and colleagues know that this is the most civilized way ever of sampling the best ales known to mankind in a county shaped by the gods.
With weekday and weekend safaris staring from £299 per person this has to be one of the greatest deals in The UK at the moment. I would recommend an early booking to get on the dates over this Summer and Autumn
www.southernalesafaris.com or call 01273 204200 for more information
To book call The Star, Alfriston on 01323 870495
