The Shipwright's Arms in Swale

Really disappointing. It’s a long way off the beaten track for very little. Absolutely nothing to recommend it. The place is shabby. One toilet for a pub .. I mean ONE toilet ! Because my group was delayed. They wouldn’t do food. They didn’t even do hot drinks. No coke even. Desolate location , rough track to it. Awful on a bike. Just locals I think. Next to a boatyard but it didn’t look like you could look round it. In any case , looking at the prices of food I’m glad I didn’t get any. £5.50 apple pie ? Is it the ritz ? I’d never go back. Very poor.

Bit difficult to find, once found though never forgotten. Beautiful garden, lovely walks and dog friendly.

I have never felt so welcome as in this place, it is a very beautiful pub, full of history on its walls, very cozy, I would like to spend the whole day here!! The staff are very friendly, they serve delicious and very fresh local beer, it is a well-deserved reward after walking along the stream that overlooks the sea. The place has ample parking and a backyard to enjoy on sunny days... I recommend it with my eyes closed 20/10 for this pub

Fantastic little hidden gem of a pub nestled in a group of trees halfway around the Faversham creek loop. Really friendly staff and good beer 🍺

Authentic, cozy and picturesque. What a wonderfully surprising Pub. Friendly service, nice location and delicious food. And that for an affordable price. Thank you very much, we enjoyed it!

A lovely pub to find at the end of a walk basic pub food but delicious !!

Very interesting pub with loads of historic links to the area and plenty of splendid artifacts to look at. The beer is very good too.

Very old fashioned unspoiled gem of a pub in beautiful surroundings. I took the wife for a walk along the creek before having a pint in the beer garden. Wonderful afternoon watching the dragon fly’s.

Exactly what you'd expect from an old riverside pub. Certainly full of nautical history. A little dark in places, but that's the sort of place it is. I went there on a festival day and, although it was extremely busy, the staff were smiling and cheerful. They've a few real ales and a limited selection of more commercial beers. Its opening hours/days may be limited, but although it's a little off the beaten track, it's worth searching it out for the experience.

Well worth the trip. An authentic pub that specialises in well-kept beer. Great garden for kids and a snug, marine themed bar. It is next to Oare creek where the views and wildlife can be stunning.

What a wonderful, quirky place. Take it very slowly on the access road!

A lovely young man who was helping with the service compensated for the basic quality of food.

This pub is great to visit, it has so much character. The staff are always polite and courteous and prices are very reasonable. This is a very oldie worldy pub with low ceilings and open fires in the colder months, there are a number of tables and chairs with a couple of arm chairs by one of the fires and a sofa in another area of the bar. They offer a number of cask ales, on tap beers and cider and of course wines and spirits. There is a garden to the front and rear of the pub which are lovely to sit in for a quiet drink in the summer, just up a few steps onto the bank and you can enjoy views for a long distance up and down the river. I have never eaten here but they do offer food at certain times on certain days, worth checking before you go. The pub is out of the way and you really need to be going there and not just passing by, there is a long drive up to the pub with some uneven surfaces, so if you are in a low slung car beware. There is am unmade car park that does offer ample parking, all in all a lovely place to visit, well it must be because we travel about 17 miles to relax and have a drink.

Lovely quent pub located on the waters edge. Lovely place to visit for a meal and drinks. Nice garden table in the spring or summer and cosy fireplace in the winter

Unique place well worth a visit

Lovely spot at the end of a long and impossibly potholed road. But it has a great welcome, friendly locals and staff and serves goodnhonest pub food and beer. Long may it continue unspoilt!

Classic genuinely old and interesting pub in wonderful location. Really nice staff, Nice ciders etc. on tap

I love this place, a true old-fashioned pub, great cosy decor and wonderful staff. The beer garden in summer is awesome, and as it's in the middle of nowhere it's quiet. A great stop if you're out for a country walk!

Had a lovely lunch at Shipwright Arms. Very unique location, plenty of maritime decor and history. Friendly staff to assist with everything. Will definitely be coming back.

This has the feeling of a place time forgot. A wonderful old-fashioned no frills pub. Really rustic, with lots of fishermen's memorabilia. Wooden beams, Harvey's ale from a wooden cask. For the experience of times gone by this place is a must. Proper ham and eggs with decent chips. Traditional puds also. Very child friendly and a warm welcome. Right by the estuary at the end of a badly pot-holed drive (watch out for lethal sleeping policemen) - well worth the effort.

Quirky and friendly pub. We had sandwiches which were delicious

Great traditional pub serving real ales, sadly not many like this left. Very tasty sandwiches made with quality bread.

What a cracking little boozer. The usual Kent warm welcome and lovely beer. Thanks from Yorkshire 😎

Just great on every level. Quaint, but real. Wish I’d been here more than the dozen or so times I can get there.

Well worth the trip for that atmosphere of a true Public house nice wood fire friendly staff and good basic food

Went on Sunday 28/1/2023 Nowhere near as hard to reach as indicated in the KM. The cars suspension did make a few odd noises though. Lovely & warm inside. Really welcoming. Great beer. Basic but fantastic food. We both had liver & bacon. Recommended. A superb pub, great to visit & well worth the easy drive. Even the loo is perfectly adequate, unlike as mentioned in the KM. 100% recommended.

This is such a quaint pub. We heard about it from a book I was given years ago called Kent Smugglers' Pubs, and finally got round to visiting it. It's quite far along a little narrow lane, but easy enough to find. The ceilings are low, didn't bother me, but my husband had to duck, the low beams have bits of carpet fixed to them so if you do hit your head it won't be so hard. Loved the little sign for the toilet where you slide it along for vacant/engaged. Great to have log fires, more than one. My husband particularly likes real ales and had a pint of Shipwreck which he really enjoyed and would definitely go back for more. Being so close to the creek it's in a great position for lovely walks of the area. We walked part of the Saxon Shore Way to Faversham and back across the fields. The walk is well signposted, and we saw quite a few birds.

I used to come to this pub all the time around 25 years ago. We would walk across the marsh, jump over creeks and get chased by horses! It was always worth the walk. I returned yesterday with my new partner, this time we drove. The road is very pot holey so drive slowly! I'm glad to say worth the drive though. Its not changed since I visited before. Really atmospheric, so much to see, lovely open fires (at least 4!) So much to imagine the walls have seen over the hundreds of years they've been there. Menu is a bit limited but service was good

Walking the easy route, straight to the farm over the marshy path. Then turn left and follow the signs to the Pub. Either follow the footpath over the fields or follow the very very potholed road. Lovely generous log fires, conversation and a warm ambiance. Good ale n beers with hearty pub food. Long May it continue

A lovely place, classic old English pub with lots of nooks and crannies and 3 real fires burning. Take care on the approach road as it's full of potholes.

Delightfully quaint little pub in the middle of nowhere. The proprietor was quick to welcome us in and scout out a suitable place for us to sit by the fire. Lots of real ale and a cosy, welcoming feel. Well worth a visit!

A lovely welcoming hostelry serving simple pub grub. Well worth the walk out here.

Though the state of the road may put you off it's worth dodging the potholes. This gem of a Pub over 300 years old is always welcoming. They serve ale from the racked casks and serve good honest pub grub. In the summer there is a huge garden with seating . Inl the winter there are log fires to sit in front of and a collection of model boats photos and paintings of a maritime nature to interest the visitor. The staff are always welcoming and the will accept dogs and we'll behaved children. One sign reads "we do not have WiFi we have conversation'. A more interesting way to get there is to park in Faversham ignore the pubs in town walk and walk out along the Faversham Creek to lunch at the 'Shipwrights' then walk back to your car.

Very old pub at Hollow Shore, Between Oare and Faversham Creek. Great Atmosphere and very good 'kegs of beer.

Having eventually found the place, we enjoyed the unique experience; great beer, great service, great atmosphere. The journey is not for the faint hearted, but persevere; you won’t regret it…I promise. Put the Shipwright Arms on your bucket list immediately

What a beautiful classic pub, with family run values and home cooked foods! Definitely a place to visit again and again

Roads and car parking conditions not that good and check ahead to make sure it's open. Good food and staff found to be very helpful and friendly.

Unique and very old dark pub. Worth a visit

No Sunday roast available, otherwise nice pub inside and garden

Great pub well worth the trip out for the experience. Staff are friendly and helpful and ales are perfect. Easy walk from Faversham Town centre.

Being a regular customer to this pub I might come across as a bit biased!! All I can say about this old unspoilt & traditional pub, is the ales are great & there’s always a good selection (unless we’ve drank it all 😂) food menu is limited but I must recommend the homemade chilli wedge melt it’s amazing!! Some ppl that visit this pub don’t give good reviews (prob comparing to gastro pubs 🙄) but in my opinion if you want to experience a proper old English pub, then the Shipwrights is the place to visit if your in the faversham area & it’s a lovely walk out from the town too 👍

wow, what a find, transported back in time, stunning garden .perfect watering hole after a scenic walk

I am so glad to see this pub is still here almost untouched since I was about 18 I am 63 now. What a blessing. I intend to visit next time I am in Kent. Thrilled. It was an exciting place to find don';t go too fast... a hideaway and here it is just as was!

Only stopped for a drink while walking round the Creek. Quaint old pub.

Loved everything about this pub, a classic place that is rare to find these days. The choice and quality of the ales served straight from the cask was first class. The service was friendly and the food delicious. Glad we chose this one over the other local ones recommended to us.

This was such an atmospheric haunt, lovely service, totally unpretentious food offering, a truly unique destination in this day and age.

Really way out on the marshes..take care not to ground car in car park..otherwise a great pub.

Really nice hidden pub what seems in the middle of no-where :D but full of character! Amazing find! We were on a little roadtrip when decided to have lunch there and were really pleasantly surprised. It was a beautiful day so we sat outside in a cosy garden. Food was delicious! It's also dog and kid friendly. Highly recommended when you are in the area.

At the end of a rough and rutted road, the Shipwright Arms looks picturesque and has a pretty garden bordering fields, reed-beds and the seawall. Ideally placed for birders, yachtsmen and walkers as it is near to Oare Nature Reserve and adjacent to Faversham Creek. We turned up a couple of minutes before its midday opening time and wandered around the back to see the seawall and garden and thought we would be in for a treat. It styles itself as offering traditional pub grub with nothing fancy. We wandered in through the back door to the bar just as the bar staff arrived. I asked for a half a bitter "Sorry, bitters off". Then could I have a diet lemonade? "Sorry, no lemonade". While I wondered what to have Maggie asked for a diet coke. "Sorry, none up here, I'll go look in the stock". I settled for half a larger, Maggie had to settle for an Orange Juice. We expected the menu to be uninspiring... so were not disappointed at the very short menu. Maggie settled for a burger and I went for Scampi & Chips. She was intrigued (but not in a good way) by the (very thin) burger being served with raw onion and cucumber... not something she expected to see in a burger. My scampi was uninspiring as were the peas. As for the chips... I smothered them in vinegar to cover the taste which, to me, was redolent of stale cooking oil. We went expecting limited choice and plain food... and so cannot complain that that is what we got, albeit less tasty than expected. As for the pub... it must be a listed building which, properly appointed would be charming. It was shabby chic, but without the chic. Musty and dingy was the overall impression. I'm sure its hard to make a living out of lunchtime and weekend trade. But if this pub was a schoolboy, the report card would say... "could do better, must try harder".

A delightful, friendly pub .An oasis on a hot day. The menu had limited options for Vegans so plumped for the homemade vegetable curry,it was very tasty and a generous size. A pretty walk along the creek helped make room for another pint on our return. Hidden gem.

Great 300 year old pub at the end of a lengthy unmade pot-holed lane serving great local beers straight from the cask, decent home prepared food and friendly staff. Well worth the drive out to the pub for the unique experience.

What an incredible find! Oozing with 300+ years of history and character, every little corner has ambiance and amazing vibes bestowed by the excellent furnishings and low ceilings. It's a long walk from anywhere, so get wheels, and keep going past the point where it looks like you're driving into the middle of a marsh. Use a GPS satnav if you must. It's worth it. The barman is friendly and clever, there are great beers and real ales / cask ales (CAMRA recognized for 20 years?). The bacon and brie sandwich was far tastier than a lot of homemade-feeling places. It's dog and kid friendly if the little ones are friendly, and the locals are very friendly as well. Add to that, a big, lovely garden for sunny days!

You've gotta visit this pub. Just brilliant and very quirky. Worth the walk. Ales were fantastic! Recommended.

Had a great evening, lovely ales, will be back very soon 👍

Great pub, fantastic beer and lovely little beer garden

A lovely two and half walk approx. from Faversham along the Saxon Way. Can be approached via road from Davington. Nice garden with wooden picnic tables, ideal for customers with dogs(on lead) and children. Traditional bar, low beams etc. Lovely sandwiches available, scotch eggs looked huge, hot food. Good choice of ales

Went with my husband and mother, we wanted a coffee but they don't serve hot drinks!

Nothing has changed in the 5 years since my last visit, I'm glad to say. On a nice day, a wonderful place to relax with a pint. Poor weather? A cosy place to relax with a pint. Well worth finding (not easy). When you have the "this can't be right" moment as you bounce down the track and buildings disappear, keep going!

Terrific unspoilt pub at the confluence of Faversham and Oare Creeks. It's a genuinely olde worlde environment with an excellent choice of local cask beers (don't be put off by the lack of handpumps - everything's served by gravity straight from the firkin). It has a garden too for fine weather visitors. Well worth seeking out and I'd recommend the creek-side walk from Faversham.

Excellent pub in lovely surroundings and just what is needed at the midpoint of a coastal path walk

Pleasantly surprised to find this lovely welcoming, dog friendly traditional pub with traditional pub grub. Food was very nice. Service with a smile and a dog treat. Tricky & bumpy to get to, great for walks for amateurs come dryer days. We'll be back

Great pub for real ale lovers. Nice setting on the estuary with good size garden. They also do basic food but beer is the priority.

Warm and welcoming pub. Cheap drinks and idyllic location. Absolutely beautiful surroundings. Perfect for a pub stop on a long walk ☺️

We managed a visit after a two month absence and were greeted with a full pub adding to the usual "traditional" atmosphere of the place. As advertised - "pub grub" but a fair proportion home prepared and very tasty Our youngest traveller (3 1/2 years old) was greeted as an old friend by the landlord, our little grandson has been wanting to revisit for a while. Give it a go !

Love this pub food great atmosphere lovely We live in Faversham, but love to stop and have a drink. Xx

Proper pub with well kept cellar and great selection of Ale. Cosy and comfortable, with well behaved dogs allowed inside, and an appreciated no tolerance policy on misbehaved ones. No nonsense service and basic pub grub. Ticks all the boxes for a great local pub.

[Dec 2022] Atmospheric old Kent pub. As you sup your pint you could easily imagine a table of smugglers talking in hushed voices. Open fire, great beers, excellent ham, egg, and chips. Recommend, and would visit again if I was in the area.

Great beer and atmosphere. No need to go anywhere else.

Good warm cosy english pub. Open fires and a well kept pint of local ale.

You can’t beat a proper traditional pub in my opinion. Proper beer, no nonsense tasty food. I’d be a regular if I was local!

Half way through a walk with friends and visited this little gem. Great place to recharge the batteries. Good pub food and lovely friendly staff. We'll be back for sure.

We all love a walk with a great pub at the end (or middle) so get yourselves out along Faversham creek to the Shipwrights as it has amazing beer and a lovely welcome. If you love cask ales this is the place to go. Location is fab and the garden too 🍺

Nice cosy garden great to come across on our walk

Didn't get there due to the road being in such bad condition. Probably the reason why they have odd opening hours

Like stepping back in time. Best Pub around for sure

Great atmospheric pub on the edge of a creek. You can almost here the ghosts whispering.

Nice food and beer.Derick the landlord is a sweety, Real ale straight from the barrel delish.

Vary nice people get ther nice stop off get a drink food Michael from Teynham bike man

Lively wee pub and very interesting history

Lovely creek side free house. Been there many times but only for a drink today. Will certainly visit again.

Isolated, rustic and gorgeous! An ancient clapboarded hostelry full of cosy character. It's a proper pub, not a restaurant, real ale and bar food. Lovely. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (scampi and chips in a basket 😍)

Quite difficult to find with a poor long road down to it--but if you're walking there it must be a good walk! Not very friendly staff and the food is bar food with no pretensions. However the staff who brought the food out were very helpful even if they did bring one too many meals(refunded)We had 4 small children so it was a perfect pub for them especially as the garden is very large.

Idyllic setting, out on a headland in the marshes. Best appreciated if you walk there from Faversham. Good beers, smallish menu, mostly poshed up bar snacks; but for all that a welcoming and charming place. Staff eps gilrs chatty and made us welcome, water for the dogs etc. Ate in garden

Very friendly people lovely place and view lovely food as well perfect place for a drink and food x

Very nice pub in an iconic location. Perfect place to stop off on the loop walk from faversham. Intresting local beers and fine pub food.

An echo of bygone times in an increasingly frenetic world, this pub offers customers tranquil retreat along the creeks and coastline. History, good food and authentic real ales can all be found within these timber clad walls.

If you like an isolated, old fashioned pub this is the pub for you.

Fabulous little pub which hasn't changed much over the last 40 years. It now has mains electricity and inside toilets though. A good and varying selection of well kept beers and a pleasant garden. The track leading to it now has tarmac too, beware the speed bumps!

Lovely place, good prices and lovely food. Will be going back when next down

Nice lunch in pleasant surroundings.

A little remote , but well worth a walk . Good ales and atmosphere

A quant Little Pub On The Marshes Was NIce TO Stop For A Drink 🙂

Nice pub to walk to. Lots of character and a good range on offer.

A remote public the banks of Faversham Creek/Oare Creek. Always had a good reputation when I was in Faversham. Lovely character. Used to be a good place for food. Haven’t been there for a while. Next to a boatyard so can be very busy at times. A good place to stop for a drink when out for a walk. Also a good area to bring your camera if you are into photography.

Lovely pub at the end of a long walk! Very cosy. Good choice of drinks. No food being served that lunchtime but will definitely return to sample the food.

Wonderful proper pub with a good and interesting cask selection from Goachers. Warm and welcoming with open fires.

very friendly and welcoming pub , lots of interesting items & articles on display , some excellent ales , namely the shipwrecked bitter , reasonably priced lunch menu with sandwiches & jacket potatoes , would highly recommend .

Wonderfully remote. Huge sandwiches and good beer.

The Shipwright’s Arms is located, appropriately, opposite the boatbuilders at Hollowshore, right by the creek. At the end of a long private road, it’s hardly a pub you’d stumble across, unless you were walking the Saxon Shore Way, which passes right by. Despite having lived in or near Kent since the 1970’s, I’d never visited the pub until this week. So good was it, that I made a second visit within two days, and expect to return frequently from now on. The beer was extremely good, with a variety of local beers- Goachers, from Maidstone, Kent Brewery in Birling, Harvey’s from Lewes in Sussex. All from casks behind the bar, so gravity provided the propulsion rather than gas. The beers were well kept and delicious. For our non- drinker there was Nanny State from Brewdog, which she enjoyed. The food menu was perfect. No hint of jus, foam or small plates. Just simple, straightforward pub food, served in hearty portions at a reasonable price. Top marks to the chef for excellent fish and chips and a superb apple, pear and raspberry crumble with proper custard. The menus is not extensive but broad enough to cater for vegetarians. Service was cheerful and helpful. We sat in the garden but were shown to an indoor table when one became available. This felt like a pub that would welcome anyone who appreciates what if offers, No background music, no games machines, no Wi-Fi. No corporate branding, no flyers for booking your office Christmas party, no blackboards advertising cocktail pitchers. Just people sitting chatting in a warm pub, with a cheerful fire. A wide range of people of different ages, including children. Quite a lot of well behaved dogs too. Quite simply, pub heaven. We’ll be back, soon.

Cracking little pub. Good house ale, good food and reasonably priced