I was heading to Dover and, whilst I couldn’t be sure of a warm welcome, I at least hoped the natives wouldn’t be too restless.

The music was blaring at the Boars Head on Eaton Road but, other than what was being pumped through the jukebox, it was incredibly quiet and the barmaid was amusing herself on her phone.

The only thing close to ale on tap was Shipyard Pale Ale so I ordered a pint of that along with a packet of salt and vinegar. There’d been a run on S&V so I had to settle for plain and took a seat by the window.

I just had time to notice there are two dartboards, a skewiff pool table, to allow extra access, and an uninteresting game of snooker between Bingham and Lisowski was showing on the big screen.

Then… it happened.

An outbreak of shrieking, crashing and raucous laughter from outside the back door of the pub was followed by the entrance of two ladies, each seeming to hold the other one up. This frenetic entrance, accompanied by wafts of smoke, was quickly followed by them changing the tunes on the jukebox so they could treat me to a display of dance moves to dodgy country music.

It was certainly more entertaining than the snooker, but I was avoiding eye contact at all costs.

We’d also been joined by a much more restrained couple, with a small child , and a youth in a hooded top, who was soon practising his darts so I assumed there was safety in numbers, but boy was I wrong.

Seconds later, one of the very loud ladies had plonked herself next to me, put her arm around me and squeezed me tightly before slurring ‘You having a good time?’

I was then offered, in swift succession, a pink Barbie Bomb, a dance to the country music or a ‘huggle’, with the strict proviso I had to accept at least one of them. I decided the final suggestion would be over the soonest, and be the least painful, so I chose that and, given everyone else in the pub was also offered this combination of a hug and snuggle, it seemed the popular choice.

With duty done, I quickly switched my full attention to Julie the barmaid, who treated me to a whole series of informative facts about the pub.

She couldn’t remember which brewery it was linked to but said it does loads of great live music, both on a Saturday evening at 8.30 and on a Sunday at 3pm. The pub runs men’s, women’s and mixed darts’ teams, pool teams and skittle teams, it also holds regular quiz nights and the garden at the back is a great sun trap.

The pub is well furnished and is kept extremely neat and tidy, in fact, it looks as if it may have been decorated fairly recently.

There’s no doubt it is well run and is held in high regard by a large number of loyal regulars.

I paid the gents a swift visit and I’m pleased to report the facilities are as equally well-maintained as the rest of the pub. The skittle alley at the back, the site of the earlier raucous laughter, is in good order and the garden is well-kept too.

Back in the bar, one of the ladies had asked for the jukebox to be cranked up even louder and, as well as asking others to dance, issued more huggles before her partner finally persuaded her it was time to leave.

Following her departure we were briefly joined by the landlady Karen, who popped in to recount a few fun tales from her recent short break to Benidorm with her girlfriends.

Having discovered this surprisingly welcoming back street pub in Dover I was suitably impressed by everything it is doing to ensure its regulars are kept happy and can completely understand why it’s so popular with locals.

Unlike the live music, which is a regular weekend feature, I’m sure the additional exuberant and enthusiastic special welcome to visitors is very much a one-off. Though I can’t deny she certainly brightened up a quiet visit to the pub on an early Sunday evening.

So, I can report the natives are definitely friendly and if you’re interested the Sinus Rhythm Boys will be playing tomorrow (Saturday, May 4) at 8.30pm, with Ryan Start filling the Sunday afternoon slot at 3pm.

BOARS HEAD, 46-48 EATON ROAD, DOVER CT17 9PB

Decor: Immaculately maintained, with good furnishings and plenty of signs with witty sayings, it’s clearly a popular venue for those who enjoy pub games. ***

Drink: My Shipyard pale ale, served with good-sized creamy head, was citrusy with a good aftertaste but apart from this there wasn’t a great deal of choice. **

Price: A Shipyard Pale Ale and a packet of plain crisps cost £5.90 so I have to assume the pint was less than a fiver. A Kronenbourg was also the right side of this magic figure at £4.80, which isn’t too bad these days. ****

Staff: Barmaid Julie was very welcoming and not only happy to chat, but also to act as a diversion when required. She clearly enjoys her job. ****

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