Mildenhall area beer festivals August 27-29

[slogen51]

Not strictly aviation related but I know a lot of people visit and camp in the Mildenhall area.

Today I noticed two signs for two beer festivals local to Mildenhall :-

Judes Ferry Beer festival 27-28 August , details on the Judes Ferry Facebook

Worlington Beer festival 27-29 August at Worlington Cricket Club.

https://worlingtonbeerfestival.co.uk/

[plmc135]

Shouldn't this be in General Chat section?

[Nighthawke]

"Fighter Control Mess

A forum for discussing all things related to MILITARY AVIATION including Military Aviation news. No off-topic discussions here please."

Direct from Board Index.

But Mike knows that of course as a Moderator

[Blackcat1]

Ah many happy days over the years at Jude's Ferry by the river

[baz1]

"Fighter Control Mess

A forum for discussing all things related to MILITARY AVIATION including Military Aviation news. No off-topic discussions here please."

Direct from Board Index.

But Mike knows that of course as a Moderator

he did mention Mildenhall i thought that was Military!?

[slogen51]

This probably is the right section - I thought it fell into the category of military spotting and where to stay etc etc

Anyway I have persuaded the missus that she should drive me over to Mildenhall one Saturday at the end of August and we could visit the local attractions!

[raptor9]

Ah, memories of lunches at Jude's Ferry with a dear departed friend. Met a man and his wife on their boat named 'Tarka' [after the otter]. Turned out to be an ex Lightning driver, and the brother of Mike Keegan of British World Airways fame, and the uncle of one time F. 1 driver, Rupert Keegan. As Blackcat says... happy days!.

[slogen51]

I have not been to the Jude's Ferry since before Covid-19 (BC). They do a decent Sunday carvery and the decking down by the river is quite a pleasant place to sit although it is a longish walk back to the bar!

The pub has changed quite a bit since the chicken in a basket days back in the 80s

The Worlington beer fest is at the cricket club - I have not been there before so shall probably investigate the beer on offer at a new venue for me.

[plmc135]

Acquire an out of service USAF KC-135. Have all the tanks either flushed out or replaced and then fill them up with your favourite ales. 58-0055 might be a suitable candidate soon

[H.A.Bucken]

Happy memories of the Judes Ferry fests: have all the T shirts from the first up to 2001; the earlier ones don't fit any more and others are a bit moth-eaten.
Great days when Dave and his missus created this week-end; much of his darts team was of Pratt and Whitney and Honeywell personnel working for 'DET 4' and I wonder if they had influence on the design of the local 'dart-board' patch.
There was a short time when the pub was taken over by a new landlord who totally ignored us at the bar when we were desirous of an evening meal having beaten all the Airfete traffic by using a motorbike. That was our big mistake as we found out later he had an aversion to bikers. However, when he'd gone things returned to normal.
Unfortunately, my days of horsing off down to East Anglia are over so those of you who can make it, as they say in the one-word-sentence 'enjoy'.
Roger, S. Lakes.

[Blackcat1]

My favourite places to eat, drink or stay in that area were

Smoke House Inn (Beck Row)
Riverside Hotel (Mildenhall)
Jude's Ferry
The Lakenheath Hotel ( when run by John Dawes and his wife Jan, both now sadly passed)
The Half moon (Lakenheath)
The Red Lion (Icklingham)

Happy memories of visits with my family.

[H.A.Bucken]

Can't remember if it was The Bell or the long-gone White Hart in Mildenhall which did a 'pig-out night' in their carvery on Thursday evenings. I remember one night a guy stacked his plate indecently; the patron happened to walk past and noticed:- said to him "scaffolding's over there"!
Stayed in the Red Lion one year when my car was off the road; got a lift back from the Hall by an RC-135 air-crew member. That was very interesting. Can' say any more as my library concession is coming to an end, so to speak.
Roger

[Blackcat1]

As a thank you the owner of the LN hotel John treated my late Uncle and I to a beautiful steak meal I think it was the White Hart Hotel as a thank you for being such good customers over the years before he left the Lakenheath hotel. I remember we were upstairs , the only customers at the time and there were cats fast asleep on some of the chairs under the tables! We all loved cats, so didn't bother us, they didn't even wake up when they smelt the Steaks!

[page_verify]

I too have great memories of the Mildenhall area from my younger years as part of my family are from Lakenheath. We were regular visitors to the Air Fetes and to a corner of a relative's farm to see the F-111s and SR-71s depart, I even remember getting my hair cut at the barber shop on the Mildenhall accommodation site, perhaps in 2001?

However, I'm not surprised that many of the memories people have shared are about places outside of Mildenhall. A couple of years ago, I stayed in the Riverside Hotel in the hope I could sleep somewhere nice, drive to John's Field each day, and then eat and drink in a nice local pub in the evening. I'd have felt safer, cleaner, and happier camping in John's Field each night.....the hotel and local pubs reminded me of Liverpool in the early 2000s.

[slogen51]

Before I moved up here in 2018 we used to stay occasionally at the Riverside in Mildenhall , I always found it a good stay, these days it's quite up market with a terrific beer garden down to the river. From the top floor rooms you could see aircraft on the ground at Mildenhall and if you are quick read off arrivals to 29 as it was then. In 2016 it was £90 BB but I bet the prices have markedly increased.

Off to the Beer fest later.

[slogen51]

First £20 of tokens sunk!