Devon Done & Dusted!

From Kingswear to Kingsbridge as I continued with the mission to tick all the current Good Beer Guide pubs in Devon.  I'd left a glorious section of the south coast for my final assault.

This journey starts on the eastern side of the Dart estuary at Kingswear, just a few miles from Brixham.  I made a short stroll uphill from the water's edge and heritage railway station to the Ship Inn.

The Ship Inn (Higher Street, Kingswear, TQ6 0AG)

A big draw of the Ship is the tiny terrace in front of it - next to the church and looking out at Dartmouth on the other side of the river.  Inside there is a central bar with seating areas either side, folks settling down for fish and chip lunches.
I grabbed a quick half of Salcombe 'Shingle Bay' (St Austell and Otter being the other options).  No space on the terrace, so I sat on a table out of the way, watching everyone get confused placing their food orders whilst I enjoyed a decent pale ale.

It's just a short ferry ride across the river to reach Dartmouth, at a cost of £2 if the fella can make his way around the foot passengers in time before docking on the other side.

Dartmouth is a full-on Devon tourist destination, hordes of folk wandering the historic streets.  They were desperately trying to squeeze into the Royal Castle Hotel, facing the harbour, enticed by £18 crab sandwiches and St Austell Tribute.

I made a quick visit to the very pleasant Seven Stars, which served a good ale despite dropping out of the Beer Guide this year, before making my way to the Cherub.

Cherub Inn (13 Higher Street, Dartmouth, TQ6 9RB) 
This is one of the oldest buildings in town, a Grade II listed former merchants house.

Looking great from the outside with three tiers of overhanging timber and added flower basket action.  Time to test that 'good hanging basket = good beer' theory again.

 

I loved the ground floor room, even excusing the condiment collection surrounding the wooden post in the middle.  Lots of timber, some good bench seating along the side, horse brasses as decoration, men in floral shirts examining the menu.

Cask ales were a local/national mix - Exmoor, Salcombe and South Hams representing Devon, with Proper Job, Brains Gold, and Rev James making a longer journey.

I picked the South Hams 'Stumble Bee', despite honey beer reservations (quite enough Fullers Honeydew when it was a new-fangled thing in the Euston Flyer).  It was okay - but not as good as the hanging baskets.
Also, don't drink too much of it if you're going to tackle the precarious winding staircase to the second floor loos!

Stoke Fleming is just a few miles south of Dartmouth, situated above the cliffs of Start Bay.  There's not much to the village - a vicious right angle turn on the coastal road, a church, restaurant, and holiday village.  I considered walking down to the splendid Blackpool Sands, but realised if I walked down I'd have to walk back up again, contenting myself with a blue sky view along the coast from up high.

The Green Dragon (Church Road, Stoke Fleming, TQ6 0PX)

The pub is tucked up a side street, near the church, as may have been expected with it being on Church Road. 
Legend has it there is a tunnel from the pub to the coast, although that would be an awful long tunnel, so I'm skeptical.

Inside, there are slate stone floors, tankards hanging from wooden beams, dried hops suspended from the ceiling, darts board in the corner, and a great pub dog.

Despite the rare sighting of Pedigree in these parts, I went with the 3.4% Otter 'Oak'.
And supped it to a soundtrack of Genesis, Steve Winwood, and The Four Seasons.

The Green Dragon has a Proper outdoor WC...

A little further along the coast I found myself at Slapton Sands, once used as a practice area by American troops preparing for the D-Day landings.

The village of Slapton is a half-mile walk inland from the beach.  A picturesque place which is home to just over 400 residents who have two pubs to chose from.  The Queen's Arms for me...

The Queen's Arms (Slapton, TQ7 2PN)

This is a charming trad 14th century village inn.  The bar counter is to the right of the front door, with seating to the left, a proper busy pub carpet, wooden beams, lots of brass implements on display.

Head out the back door and there is a wonderful garden with views of the village rooftops and the neighbouring church.
I stayed inside in the window seat, enjoying a well-kept 'Jail Ale'.

Interesting choice of artwork in the toilets, too -  would that be Pink Floyd-orientated mild smut...

Just a little further along the coast, past Torcross, and around the end of Slapton Ley, I opted to call into the South Hams Brewery tap. 

South Hams Brewery Tap (Stokeley Barton, TQ7 2SE)
This is part of Stokeley Farm Shop complex - Devon tourists do like a good farm shop.  There are lots of cars in the gravel car park, although I wasn't quite sure where everyone was.  Pass the decorative retro tractor and you're able to buy jewellery, metal art, and cashmere, get your hair done, and load up on shrubs and bedding plants.

The last metal shed has housed South Hams Brewery since 2019, seating and the bar in the one half of the unit, the 22 barrel brewery in the other. 
Beers 1-6 are the keg, 7-12 are the cask...

I really like the South Hams beers, so was happy to have one of these at source, even though it involved a patient wait behind someone having several growlers filled up painfully slowly.
I eventually procured a 'Devon Porter'.

And took this out to where all the other custom was, on outside benches in the sunshine.  It did feel a bit like drinking in a garden centre, but the porter was superb.

Just a few miles further on was Kingsbridge, the location of my final Devon Good Beer Guide tick.  This South Hams market town is located six miles inland, at the northern end of the twisty-turny creeks that make up the estuary.  Beyond the quay, Fore Street is the highlight with some great old buildings alongside cafes and shops.  

 

I could probably have spent a lot more time exploring the pubs of town but, after popping into the King Of Prussia to check if they had Bass on (nope😞), I only visited the Hermitage on this occasion.

The Hermitage (8 Mill Street, Kingsbridge, TQ7 1ED)
Basking in the sunshine in a quiet side street, the Hermitage is a spacious open-plan pub with parquet floors, a seventies-style faux timber framed bar, and lots of old pump clips displayed around the top of the walls throughout.

The giant dog, sitting on the windowsill in the picture below, came to check me out and managed to deposit roughly a half-pint of drool over my trousers.  Cheers. 

There were two cask ales on offer: Exeter 'Avocet' or South Hams 'Stumble Bee'.
I went for another Stumble Bee here - in much better condition than it had been at the Cherub Inn - a superb pint.  

You'll notice there wasn't a party in full swing to greet me in the Hermitage...

A couple of those criminal cocktail bar rotating high chairs on the corner of the bar, later occupied by some locals who at least added some life to the bar beyond me and the dozing dog.  Conversation topics ranged from dubious views on hot current affairs to (much more important) the difficulty of opening the crisps from the Asian supermarket in Plymouth.

I celebrated completion of the 124 Devon Beer Guide 2024 pubs with an ice cream. 
Double scoop.

Right, now what about Somerset?

Yes, I've pencil crayoned my beer guide.  There's more to life than Stabilo highlighters!!!

More Pubs on the Moor

A bumper post of Dartmoor Pub Delights, as I make an overdue attempt to try and write-up some of my 2024 Devon pub explorations.

Starting 8-miles north of Plymouth, on the edge of the moor, in Clearbrook.
Don't expect much of a metropolis - I think I've captured most of the buildings that make up the village in the picture below.

Somewhere toward the end of that row of houses is the pub.

The Skylark Inn (Clearbrook, PL20 6JD)
A whitewashed affair, looking out across at the gentle slopes of the moor opposite.

Points added for: Local real ale, warming fire, Dire Straits 'Sultans of Swing' at just the right volume.
Points deducted for: lots of reserved tables, writing on the wooden beams of the "A meal without wine is called breakfast" variety, and a queue being formed to the bar...

When the three chaps moved, I stood in their place alongside the couple who looked horrified that I wasn't waiting behind them.

Real ale options were Dartmoor 'IPA' and 'Jail Ale', or Tavistock Brewery 'Golden Ale'.  This was my first encounter with the Tavistock beer - a light and floral pale ale, which did the job.
Next to the obligatory Dartmoor pub fire place was an intriguing looking old bread oven.  I was willing the couple sitting in front of it to drink up and move on so I could get a closer look.

And there it is... a model village in a bread oven, complete with railway track and flagon of cider...

I returned my empty glass to the bar and left the increasingly busy Skylark Inn, wandering onto the footpaths at the side of the village.
I was determined to get a picture of the Dartmoor ponies for this post...job done...

Now I needed to find a route to the nearby village of Meavy, where my next Good Beer Guide pub lay.  It's only around 1½ miles from Clearbrook to Meavy, but a lack of footpaths going in the right direction meant most of this would be a trudge along the lanes.
And it's dangerous round these parts: "Man with large belly wanted for exposing genitals on Dartmoor" was the headline I got on a Google search looking for a route to the pub.

Meavy is home to just over 200 folk, and is gloriously picturesque in the sunshine.  At the heart of the village is the large oak tree, believed to be 900 years old, planted during the Reign of King John.

Royal Oak (Meavy, PL20 6PJ)
Dating back to the 15th century, the Royal Oak would make for a cracking picture of a proper village pub if only everyone wouldn't insist on parking right in front of it.
Heading through the front door, the bar counter straddles the two rooms - left side for the more polite dining custom, right side for more casual unreserved seating and an enormous inglenook fireplace that took up most of the width of the far wall.

Here's the real ale and cider choice.  

No surprises there, then.
I took my 'Legend' through to the side room where all the best chunky farmhouse benches and tables had been taken, leaving me sitting far too close to the fire.

Let me whisk you round to Peter Tavy, where my luck with the sunshine ended. The village, with a population of 296, is only a few miles from the thrills and spills of Tavistock, and a short way along lanes from the A386.  Yet it felt like I was miles from anywhere.
The Peter Tavy Inn is situated at the end of a single track lane, past sheep dogs dozing on dirty quad bikes and farm buildings full of cows.  A very rural aroma hung in the air.

Peter Tavy Inn (Peter Tavy, PL19 9NN)
The building started life as a farm cottage and blacksmiths shop, becoming an inn by the 19th century when it comprised a bar, kitchen, parlour, three lodging rooms and a stable.
Entrance is through a chunky wooden door with a tricky latch, a right turn taking you into the square bar. 
A second opportunity to try the Tavistock Brewery beer here.  Both the 'Golden' and 'English Ale' were on offer, plus a Dartmoor 'Jail Ale'.

 

One intriguing story in which the Peter Tavy Inn plays a part is that of Frank 'Axeman' Mitchell, the only person to escape from Princetown jail.  Despite being a notoriously violent prisoner who had no chance of parole and had previously made an escape from Broadmoor, Mitchell was somehow allowed out with working parties on the moor.  From which he's said to have nipped off in order to sink a few pints in the Peter Tavy Inn and other local pubs.  Legend has it that the Kray Brothers paid his tab, before assisting in his escape. 

Inevitably, the main seating areas of the Peter Tavy Inn have lost much of their traditional feel.  The wooden beams and slate floors and wood burners are present and correct, but to me it felt a lot like a pub for eating in without a more causal drinkers area.  Great location, but mildly disappointing for not being more rustic and ramshackle.

Moving on from the villages at the edge of Dartmoor, I'm heading onto higher ground.

A bit further down the road from whence the above picture came, is the town of Princetown, home to around 1,450 folk, 500-or-so of them who have no choice in the matter.
Princetown prison, from which Frank the Axeman absconded, is the highest prison in the country.  In fact, the town is the highest settlement within Dartmoor National Park and once boasted the highest railway station in the UK, until it was closed in the 1950's.   
And, at 1,465ft, I do believe it has the highest brewery in the country too.

Dartmoor Brewery, from which I must have drunk an awful lot of pints since starting my trawl around all the Beer Guide pubs of Devon, was set up in 1994.  Originally this was in the back of the Prince of Wales pub, although it has since expanded into larger purpose-built premises nearby.

Prince of Wales (Tavistock Road, Princetown, PL20 6QF)
This is a large open-plan pub, with seating on a couple of different levels.  There were a decent number of locals in when I visited, perhaps helped by this being a day when the other pub in town, the Plume of Feathers, was closed.

Welcoming young staff in their smart Dartmoor Brewery branded black shirts served up 'Legend', 'IPA' and 'Jail Ale', with Hunts 'Wobbler' on offer for the cider fans.
A 'Legend' for me, served in good condition as you'd hope in what's basically the brewery tap...

Here's the stash I accumulated from the brewery shop and National Park visitor centre.
Do I really need Jail Ale socks?  Of course I do!

Just one more Dartmoor pub before I bring the long post to a close.  One that I'd been waiting on with baited breath in the hopes that it would open again...

Drewe Arms (The Square, Drewsteignton, EX6 6QN)
This is a Grade II listed building dating back to the 17th century.  By 1890 it had become a public house named The New Inn, later to become the Druid Arms, before taking its current name.  

Mabel Mudge took over in 1919 and remained in charge of the pub for a whopping 75-years, making her the longest serving landlady in the UK.  Mabel retired in October 1994, aged 99, the pub subsequently managed by various folk on behalf of Whitbread, Ember, and Stonegate.  It closed in 2022 and has since been purchased by local residents who will run the Drewe Arms as a community venture. 

The interior has been little altered over the years.  The community effort to get the beer flowing again (the grand opening was on the 16th March 2024) hasn't affected the layout of this old village inn.  They have given it a spruce up and lick of paint.
Personally, I wouldn't have minding some cracks in the wall, stains, and cobwebs to give it that authentic rural heritage pub feel, but that's just me.

A Hanlon 'Yellow Hammer was my beer choice, from a familiar Devon cask selection including Otter and Dartmoor ales, all served straight from the barrel.  There are characterful rooms to sit in either side of the front door, but you really want the room to the left with long benches, fireplace, and hatch for service.

I was most content sat under the retro City Brewery poster and black & white pictures of the pub from another era.  A great heritage tick to wind up this extended post.

Next up, I'll be waffling on about some pubs on the Devon coast.

East Devon Pubs

Back to Devon for this post, and a handful of pubs on the 157 bus route and just beyond.
The single-decker 157 takes you between Exmouth and Sidmouth on some narrow lanes, just so long as you don't want to travel too late in the day or get anywhere very fast.

So, let's begin in Exmouth and a pub that I think could find its way into a future Good Beer Guide.  There are a few regular deserved entries for the town, but scope for flexibility on the last couple of spots, as we discovered passing the bouncers on our way to drink Doom Bar in The Strand, a blink-and-you'll-miss-it GBG entry when we visited 2023. 

On this occasion, I wandered to the marina, to the point that you can go no further..

With great views across the estuary in front of it and the marina to the side, you'll find the blue-painted Beach sitting on a corner in the sunshine...

The Beach (Victoria Road, Exmouth, EX8 1DR)
This looks like it has had a recent makeover, with the open-plan ground floor space looking smart and modern.  There were a fair few table reservations, fresh flowers and pastel shades.  All things I'd usually grumble about, yet I liked the Beach.  I wonder if my opinion was swayed by the beer.

Four ales on offer.  Three very regularly seen in Devon: Otter, Tribute, and Dartmoor Legend; One that you have to search a little bit harder for.

It's thanks again to the Wickingman's Bass list, a glance at which made me realise I didn't need to travel to Cullompton to get a pint of Staffordshire's finest in East Devon.

And on great form it was too. Look at the delightful contours of that head!

Hop aboard the Sidmouth bus on Exmouth Parade and you'll find yourself in East Budleigh roughly 27 minutes later.

East Budleigh has a population of 868 folk, no doubt attracted by the quiet village streets, thatched roofs and historical links to famous Elizabethan explorers.  The local pub is named after Sir Walter Raleigh, born nearby and commemorated by statue.

Sir Walter was one of the first people to popularise tobacco in England, hence the British American Tobacco Company footing the bill for erecting the statue in East Budleigh in 2007.  Ironically, in the same week that the pub smoking ban came into force.

The Sir Walter Raleigh Inn (22 High Street, East Budleigh, EX9 7ED)
This is a great-looking Grade II listed 16th century thatched village inn with a superb painted pub sign above the entrance. Inside there are two halves: the bar to the left, tables set up for dining on the right.  All with traditional furniture, wooden beams, and checked carpet.
It's a community run pub, the villagers having taken up an offer by the previous owner to buy the place themselves.

Real ale on offer was all local: Exeter 'Ferryman', Branscombe 'Branoc', Salcombe 'Gold', and - my pick - a well-kept Teignworthy 'Gundog', a 4.3% bronze ale made with Goldings hops.
A steady flow of customers made their way in and I began to feel a bit guilty that I may have nabbed a regulars favourite table in the corner by the bar counter. 

3.2 miles from East Budleigh is my next port of call: Newton Poppleford.
Which contains one of only three pubs in which I've played skittles and been thoroughly beaten by the local ladies of the Women's Institute.

The Cannon Inn (High Street, Newton Poppleford, EX10 0DW)
Despite having visited a few times, I've never set foot in the right hand bar, which I'm guessing is the locals room.  I really should have been adventurous on this occasion, but I know you get a view of the barrels of beer on stillage in the bar to the left, so that's where I gravitated to.

Butcombe 'Original' or Sharps 'Sea Fury' were the two barrels on this occasion.  A bit of a disappointing choice, as I know there is often something more exciting on offer.
Never mind, the Butcombe was on decent form, supped alongside a filling plate of home-cooked pub grub.

From Newton Pop, there are more buses (at least there should be - I spent an age waiting for a number 9) to the Regency seaside town of Sidmouth.

The Swan and The Anchor are the pubs that tend to take it in turns for a spot in the Good Beer Guide. But, as a regular visitor here, I often find every table given over to foodie custom and the drinker forced outside in both those pubs.
So I headed up to the Radway, which is always a good option for anyone who likes a down-to-earth boozer, dogs, Otter ale and footy on a big screen.

The Radway Inn (1 Radway Place, Sidmouth, EX10 8PY)
This street corner pub faces the Radway cinema and (one-time dubious GBG entry) the Conservative Club.  Head through the door on the corner and the bar is L-shaped, dart board at one end, pool table at the other.  
I settled on a dumpy stool by the window, where I could watch football on the screen and crack a grin every now and again listening to the banter between the locals.  The locals being everyone else there apart from me.

 

A decent, fresh pint of Otter 'Bitter' on this visit, with boxed scrumpy cider always being a back-up if the Otter or Doom Bar cask wasn't up to scratch.

A day later, I made the trip a couple more miles up the Jurassic Coast to the village of Branscombe.  Sidmouth attracts coachloads of holidaymakers year round, but you're really in peak East Devon tourist territory when you venture down the lanes beyond the donkey sanctuary to Branscombe.  There's a rocky beach, National Trust buildings, hilly footpaths and two pubs.

Firstly I called into The Masons Arms (Branscombe, EX12 3DJ), simply because it has generous opening hours.  
Picture postcard pub perfection in the sunshine...

The only problem with the Mason's is that it is geared very much toward booking a table for food, or booking yourself into one of the rooms for an overnight stay.  Not a traditional boozer then, and you'll find the gentlefolk are prone to form a small queue and peer closely at the pump clips, taking forever to make up their minds whether they want the Branscombe 'Summa This' or St Austell 'Anthem'.  Then ending up with a Carlsberg.
'Summa That' for me - a good, strong, peachy pale ale. 

Branscombe is supposed to be the longest village in the UK - something that seems believable when you walk from one pub to the other.  The Fountain Head is 1.1 miles uphill from the Masons, nestled between grassy slopes on either side.

The Fountain Head (Branscombe, EX12 3BG)
It's one of my Devon highlights.
A proper rural inn that serves food but hasn't become at all foody.  Wood panelled rooms to the back, a run of tables on the cobbles out front, and a great flagstone floored front bar.
I grabbed the big chunky wooden table in the corner of the front room, with the fire burning despite it being warm enough outside for me to be in short sleeves.

I guess the thick stone walls of this old building probably don't get let much of the summer heat inside, not that we've had much of that yet this year.
The two ales were both from the very local Branscombe Brewery : 'Branoc' or 'Golden Fiddle'.

And that's where I'll leave this East Devon post.
Sitting contentedly at one of the best tables in the pub, with a local bitter, the dog waiting expectantly for someone to come and serve him.

Next up: a random trawl through some Dartmoor inns.