Finding Bass on the Rame Peninsula

In which we nip across into Cornwall from Plymouth, enjoying some glorious scenery, pretty villages, several whitewashed pubs, and a fine pint of Bass.

It's just a few days since Brapa wrote up an almost identical route around the Rame peninsula.  Bah!
So here I am just copying....a Brapa tribute act - like an Ozzy Osbourne tribute that refuses to play Mr Crowley and doesn't bite the heads off bats.

Our day began with a hop aboard the Cremyll ferry from a small jetty on Stonehouse.  £2 buys you 8 water-bound minutes, landing by the 'Welcome to Cornwall' sign in front of the Edgecumbe Arms.
(Too early for a pint?...'fraid so)

Close to the ferry landing is the entrance to Edgecumbe House, a stately home which sits above a grassy slope between rows of trees.
The coastal path took us past the Orangery and Italian Gardens, before following gentle hilly tracks through the estate's country park.

A couple of miles of pleasant walking later, the twin villages of Kingsand and Cawsand came into view.

We dropped down through the narrow streets into the village and to the wonderful little beach. With the layout of the town, the glorious sunshine, and folks paddle boarding and swimming in the clear, still, sea, we could have been somewhere on the Adriatic.
Safe to say I was won over.

The Devonport Inn has a prime location facing the beach.
We'd obviously walked too fast, as we'd arrived here at 10:45, but were happy to see it was an 11am opener.

The Devonport Inn (The Cleave, Kingsand, PL10 1NF - web)
The staff unlocked the door, then carefully chalked up the high tide times on the blackboard to the side of it.  We tentatively wandered in, first customers of the day.

It was actually pretty plain within, devoid of seafaring clutter or other such distractions.  Just a no-nonsense pub in a cracking seafront spot.

I opted for a St Austell 'Tribute' (the other cask ale being Dartmoor 'Legend').
Before long a regular had taken his spot at the bar, probably benefiting from having the second pint of Tribute poured today.

Then the tourists began to arrive, bagging their tables early for 12noon food service.  We drank up and left them to it, as we set about exploring the streets of the village a little more.

This is actually two places merged into one - at some point you cross into Cawsand which has it's own little beach on which ferries from Plymouth Barbican pull up several times a day.
Until 1844 the Devon-Cornwall border was located between the two villages.

We stopped in the Stores and procured the BEST CORNISH PASTY of the week, before popping into the Halfway House for a swift beverage. 

Signage overkill?  Triple A-Board action

The Halfway House Inn (Fore Street, Kingsand, PL10 1NA)
They served a reasonable 'Proper Job', with other options being the familiar Doom Bar, Landlord and Jail Ale.

Just a short visit, knocking back a half with no ceremony, as the buses only pass by on the main road once an hour.
The bus took us along the spectacular coastal road, high above the beaches of Whitsand Bay.  I briefly wondered why I was prancing around visiting pubs in this hot weather when the golden sands looked so enticing. 
Then remembered I get restless sitting on a beach in 15-minutes, sunburned in 10.

As the bus turned inland, having squeezed past numerous camper vans on the narrow road, we pressed the button and hopped out at Antony.
There's a pub handily by the bus stop...

The Carew Arms (Antony Hill, Antony, PL11 3AB - web)
Apparently this pub spent a fair few years closed, until it was rescued and refurbished in 2016.  So no surprise to see a big specials board above the fireplace, golf on the TV, pastel shades and everything looking very bright and airy.  But at least it's open.
Real ales on offer were the familiar culprits: Tribute and Jail Ale, alongside a Sharps 'Atlantic', which I ordered as at least it was something I'd not had in the past few days.

The Carew Arms hadn't been an intended pub visit, but we were well ahead of schedule today and too early for the nearby Beer Guide pub which didn't open until 2pm.
To get to this, we made a fifteen minute walk down a quiet country lane to the village of St John, where not a soul did stir.
You're off the beaten track here, in the realms beyond the knowledge of Sat Nav...

Sat Nav 0 Good Old Fashioned Signage 1

We were still too early, but walked to the St John Inn anyway to snap a picture then rest up on the bench out front, hoping nothing was amiss with the advertised opening time.

St John Inn (St John, PL11 3AW - web)
All was well: the door was unbolted 5-minutes early, a dog barked at us, and a cheery landlord ushered us inside.
Right, what to drink...?

This is another pub that spent several recent years closed, despite a history dating back to the 16th century.  It was re-opened in 2017, included a small community shop in the outbuilding in the car park, and a marquee in the garden hosting a range of events - the Wreckers Morris men would be on later if we cared to hang around for 6 hours.

The pub is a bit of a classic, lots of old wooden furniture, traditional pub stools, low beams adorned with horse brasses, and a red tiled floor.
And proper outdoor loos...

The landlord was happy to chat about the pub and pass on some other recommendations.  He was proud of the Bass, asking if I'd known beforehand that it was going to be on (yes, a man with a cauliflower promoted it on Twitter!).

This was in stark contrast to the other pubs visited earlier - a lived-in, characterful, cosy pub.  It almost felt wrong to be here with sunshine beaming in the windows, as I'm sure it would be idyllic to settle here next to the fire in colder months.

Four Cornish pubs, a pasty, Bass and a bit of the SW coast path walked.
That's a successful day trip in my book.

We hiked along Trevol Lane, aiming to pick up the bus to Plymouth via the Torpoint ferry.   Still plenty of the day left for further exploration of the city, which is where I'll pick up in the next post.

Plymouth - The Cider House Rules

Plymouth Pub Explorations from Turnchapel to the Tamar.
A little further down the Devon coast from the last post, our first stop in Plymouth was Turnchapel, on the opposite side of the water from the city centre.
It's a lovely short trip across on the £2 ferry, so why I decided to spend 35 minutes on the No.2 bus, sightseeing through the residential streets of Oreston, I have no idea.

Turnchapel is a little gem - approached down a steep narrow lane, past colourfully painted cottages, like all the best coastal fishing villages are.
The pub we were heading to was the Boringdon Arms, situated on a high pavement above the street...

Boringdon Arms (13 Boringdon Terrace, Turnchapel, PL9 9TQ - web)
This 18th century pub consists of two rooms, plus a bright, covered patio to the rear and a pleasant garden beyond.

Beers on offer were Sea Fury, Doom and Jail Ale, but it was the boxed cloudy cider that was tempting me.
Cider-quaffing ("Drink it slowly - it's 6%!") was accompanied by a 70's sound-track featuring Simon and Garfunkel and Elton John.
We enjoyed some great home-cooked food - and the BEST CHIPS of the week!

Leaving the Bori (as I'm sure I'm not allowed to call it after just one visit), we climbed back up the hill, and made our way to the Mount Batten ferry...

We'd developed a taste for cider, and to sate it we were heading to Bretonside, a busy road just above the Barbican.

Here's a pub that's had a fair few identities - previously the Friary, the Black Bull and the Black Horse.  Since 2015 it's been the Cider House, passionately run by a former headmaster from a nearby school.

Cider House (51-53 Bretonside, Plymouth, PL4 0BD)
On the hand pumps was Old Rosie, Black Rat, and Sandford's Devon Scrumpy, with a good dozen-or-so boxes of still cider racked in the corner of the bar.
But, oddly enough for a cider house, it's the 'Tribute' hand pump which is working the hardest, this seeming to be the tipple of choice of the locals.

More Elton John to entertain us, and a very rare pub airing of the Kinks 'Come Dancing'.

Plus: best collection of farming implements of the day...

I really liked the cider bar, but you can't spend all day drinking Lilley's Gladiator.

We took time-out to check in to our accommodation near the Hoe, then headed back for our second experience of the day on the number 2 bus.

This time we were heading to the other end of the line at Saltash.

Here we had two Beer Guide pubs to visit, one on either side of the river.

Starting on the Cornish side in the Union Inn.

Union Inn (Tamar Street, Saltash, PL12 4EL)

In the warm weather the Saltash kids were jumping off the nearby pier into the river, and most of the pub customers sat on the outdoor picnic benches.

I liked it indoors, the walls filled with local and nautical pictures, the gaming machines suitably retro, the door stickers superbly branded with Manchester's finest purveyor of cream ale.

 

The pumps on the bar dispensed Doom Bar, Jail Ale and Sam's cider, whilst blackboards  advertised Summerskills 'Blondie'. The staff had to pop into the cellar to pour this local brew straight from the barrel, and it was a lovely refreshing ale.

It's a steep old slog back up the hill to reach the bridge.

But worth it for the fine walk along the pedestrian section of the road bridge, ignoring the passing traffic and marveling at the views.

Back on the Eastern side, back in Devon, we found our way down to the river bank in search of the Ferry House Inn.

Via the unusual garden exhibit...

Is that a scene from Texas Chainsaw Massacre?

A little further along the road, we reached the pub who've gone for a much more modest paint job that their neighbours across the river...

Ferry House Inn (888 Wolsley Road, Saltash Passage, PL5 1LA - web)

I liked the bar room, with it's beamed ceiling, well-trodden wooden floors, and sea-faring decorations. But there were just the wrong number of people spread out within it, meaning we'd be awkwardly squeezing in, if we stayed inside.

So instead, I took my Dartmoor IPA out onto the riverside patio.

Where you really can't fault the view...

A great first four pubs on our visit to Plymouth.

The cider house didn't really rule - I just wanted to stick that in the title to pretend I knew stuff about books.

Paignton and Teignmouth Pub Explorations

Please do not touch the landlady's Jugs!

In which we explore several beer guide entries in the Devon coastal towns of Paignton and Teignmouth.
It's July, the sun is out, we're heading to the seaside, and PropUptheBar is one of the last people in long trousers, stubbornly refusing to succumb to shorts.

Paignton was our starting point, where we walked along the main drag toward the beach.
We briefly called into the sticky-tabled chaotic mess which was the Talk of the Town Wetherspoon, but were put off by the general hecticness and long orderly queue that had formed to the bar.

"We can do better than this" said Mrs PropUptheBar (who had made it back to shore after her epic Exe estuary paddle).
And she was right - Henry's Bar, just up the road, proved a bit of a winner. 

Henry's Bar (53 Torbay Road, Paignton, TQ4 6AJ - web)
The bar is located amongst cafes, waffle houses, slot machine emporiums and shops selling seaside tat along Torbay Road.

Outdoor tables under the canopy looked good for people-watching.  Inside was a long single room stretching back some way, locals sat at the end of the bar greeting familiar faces, tattooed Torbay holidaymakers settling in for lunch 'n' lager.

From the beer choice I opted for the South Hams Brewery 'Stumble Bee', with the alternatives being Rev James, Doom Bar (which was important enough to feature on two hand pumps) and a Sam's cask cider.
'Take My Breath Away' was playing in the background, followed by 'Don't Stop Believin'', then it was all downhill, musically, from that point on.

Henry's provided us with a good value, decent plate of home-cooked food, which we attempted to walk off with a stroll along the sea front and down to the end of the pier.

I spent my obligatory stash of 2p coins in the amusement arcade and failed to win a penny back.  Very disappointing.
The pier was packed to bursting with junk entertainment, with the chance to prove your basketball or shooting skills, bounce on a trampoline, and eat donuts (not all at the same time).

I tried to decide whether to pose for a picture next to a Marvel superhero or Star Wars character.  Star Wars won...

From left to right: Pub Blogger, Wookie

Having done the seaside bit, we headed inland, Google maps guiding us over the steam railway line crossing, then down gravel tracks past garages between the houses.
We emerged by the second of our beer guide ticks...

A fair way inland this may be, but when it was built in the 1600's
this pub was on the waterfront

Torbay Inn (34 Fisher Street, TQ4 5ER)

With a choice of two doors, we initially stepped into the lounge, a good trad pub room, but completely empty.  So we tried the second door instead, where the more down-to-earth bar at least contained a handful of locals and a small dog that barked at us.

Cornish fare on the hand pumps - Sharp's and St Austell.
I picked the Sharp's 'Sea Fury' (better than Doom Bar?) which was in good condition and went down well.
Journey's 'Don't Stop Believin'' got an airing in a second consecutive pub.

I didn't originally plan to call into the Conservative Club, but having visited two out of three beer guide pubs, I figured we may as well do the third for the sake of completion. 

Someone else trying to pluck up the courage to ring the buzzer for entry

Paignton Conservative Club (34 Palace Avenue, Paignton, TQ3 3HB)
We were confronted with a 'ring buzzer for entry' sign and a further notice that this was strictly a members club.  Which meant I entered quite nervously.
"Can I help you?" - argggh, the greeting which indicates you're out of place.
Waving my CAMRA card around allowed us to stay, at which point the lady at the bar apologised for only having two beers on instead of the four they often serve.
That was quite okay - my Salcombe 'Gold' was most enjoyable (the other option being 'Jail Ale').

Disappointing lack of Tory leadership contest arguments 

A strictly 60's playlist ensured that we weren't going to get 'Don't Stop Believin' three times in a row today.
I'm a little sorry that we sat in one place at the end of the first room, as reading up on the club later, I learnt that it's 'Tardis-like' with further areas and snooker tables upstairs.

Proclaiming that we'd 'done' Paignton, we hopped aboard the next train and made the 25-minute trip to Teignmouth.

We had time for a quick look at the sea and a tub of ice cream, before we went searching for the town's solitary Good Beer Guide entry.
But before we got there, we stumbled across the New Quay Inn...

The New Quay Inn (New Quay Street, Teignmouth, TQ14 8DA)
What a stunning location!
The pub sits alongside a little beach where a band were in full swing, set up under the shade of a couple of umbrellas, with an audience on picnic tables on the sand, and sat along the quay.
This looked too good to pass by, so I popped inside and procured an Exeter Brewery 'Ferryman'.

It was bare bones inside, airy high-ceiling open-plan rooms with stone floors.  Just a handful of folks had stayed within, hooked on the sport on TV.   We took our drinks outside and sat with feet dangling over the water, enjoying the good quality Fleetwood Mac/Dire Straits mash-up that the band were knocking out.

Once they'd finished, we headed through the pleasant streets of Teignmouth to the Blue Anchor.

Blue Anchor Inn (Teign Street, Teignmouth, TQ14 8EG)
Another great looking pub.  The pleasant outdoor patio to the side was packed full, so we headed into the quieter and cooler interior.
What Pub tells me it's the 'town's premier real ale pub' and it lived up to that billing with a run of hand pumps offering a variety of ales, mainly from SW micro breweries.
A tasty Nuttycombe 'Sovereign' session bitter for me.

Having done the music of the  60's, 70's and 80's at previous pubs, we were almost up-to-date here with a 00's mix featuring Hard-Fi, Bloc Party and Supergrass.

This had proved a great day out - a fine variety of pubs and bars, a mixed bag of beers, lots of blue sky and sunshine, and two piers in one day.
Our next destination was Plymouth, which I'll be waffling on about in the next post soon.

Cheers! 🍺

An Unexpected Pub Tour in Topsham

The last time I visited the Exe estuary was in December: on the western shore, in my winter coat, grey clouds threatening, Omicron running rife.
Now in sunny July, I returned to the opposite side of the river to visit pubs in Topsham and Exmouth.  (Omicron's still running rife, but we've decided we're not bothered about it any more...)

The starting point was a return visit to the Bridge Inn.
My enthusiasm was dampened by seeing the main door firmly closed and service from a stable door.  Guess we won't be sitting in the snug then.

Bridge Inn (Bridge Hill, Topsham, EX3 0QQ)
We placed our order at the hatch: veggie Scotch eggs, Salcombe 'Island Street Porter' and a Branscombe 'Flat Calm' cider.
We took these out to a picnic table next to the muddy banks of the River Clyst, with more tables alongside the edge of the car park and a small marquee at the end.

When the condiments were brought to our table, I timidly asked if they only operated outside at this time of year.  Apparently they keep the two front rooms and indoor bar counter shut in warm weather, so as just to serve from the one spot.
"But feel free to pop in and have a look around before you go", we were told. 
So we did.

The Tap Room

Whilst inside we were fortunate enough to get chatting to the daughter of the current licensee, another generation of the family who've run the Bridge Inn for over a hundred years.
We were given a rundown of the pub history, with it's many old features being pointed out to us.  Forget the recent Jubilee - there is still bunting from the Coronation hanging up in the snug.

The wonderful snug - complete with ancient grandfather clock from 1726.
The hatch was added after WWII to make serving the beer from the cellar easier.

We were taken behind the counter - the inner sanctum - then through the cellar, where beers are served straight from the barrel, and past some remnants of what would once have been the pub's own brewery.

The Malt House Room

The final room is the old malt house, now scattered with homely furniture, a giant pile of logs, and the ledge around the wall housing a crockery collection.

Thank you very much for the tour of the pub!
I left a very happy heritage pub ticker!

From little-altered historic inns, our next destination was originally a 16th century coaching inn, but has been much updated into gastro-territory for Topsham tourists.
This was located in the characterful narrow streets weaving through the town to the quay.
The bright sunshine behind the hotel scuppered my photo....

The Globe Hotel (Fore Street, EX3 0DY - web)
I feared for the worst, expecting a query of whether we would be eating/had a reservation.  But actually the room to the left of the entrance is a reasonably comfy bar with plenty of space for the casual drinker.
From the St Austell line-up on the bar, I picked their lesser-seen 'Anthem', an enjoyable easy-drinking golden ale brewed with all-British ingredients.

The other rooms to the side and rear were fully set-up for dining, although quiet enough for me to take a picture of the globe at the Globe...

  

Leaving Topsham, we headed south on bus 57, disembarking before it reached the bustling heart of Exmouth.
Our destination in the suburbs was the Holly Tree, a bit of a regular in the Beer Guide, which I'd never made it to before.

Holly Tree (161 Withycombe Village Road, Exmouth, EX8 3AN)
Being a mile from central Exmouth and even further from the promenade and sandy beach, it's not surprising that this is every bit the locals pub.  Or that not many of them were in, as we arrived shortly after their 2pm opening time.

Just three tables occupied, all as far apart from each other as possible, and the chap by the pool table scarpered into the garden as soon as we sat near him.

Beers on the bar were St Austell 'Tribute' and 'Proper Job' and my pick of a decent Dartmoor 'Jail Ale'.  We were going to see a lot of all these beers over the coming week.

We hopped aboard a bus into town and made our way to another current GBG entry, this time a club just beyond a car park.
Nice 'Non Members Welcome' banner outside, removing the stress of knowing whether we needed to brandish CAMRA membership cards in order to get served.

GWRSA Railway Club (3-5 Royal Avenue, Exmouth, EX8 1EN - web)
Interesting scout hall hut design.
Inside it's every bit a club, with a stage at one end, bar at the other, typical function room table and chairs inbetween.
Originally it was for employees of the Great Western Railway only, but as the number of these declined over the years anyone can now become a member and go to bingo night, or to see bands with names like the Grumpy Old Gits and Old Skool Rox.

There was a good variety of beers on the bar, with the 5.1% stout, 'Darkness - The Prince of Ales', from Exeter Brewery, being my pick.
And very nice it was too.

Drinking up, we strolled to the water-side, with fine views up and across the estuary.
In the warm weather Mrs PropUptheBar took the chance to paddle her feet.
Cripes, how far is she going...

Looks like she's on her way to tick off the Galleon Inn at Starcross on the other side of the Exe.
Come back!