The Dolphin Hotel, Plymouth

Okay, so most sensible visitors arrive in Plymouth and head down to the Hoe, get fish and chips on the Barbican, visit the aquarium and the gin distillery and such like.

But not PropUptheBar.

Nope, I ambled away from the train station in the opposite direction to go to Wetherspoon's and look at the football ground in the drizzle...

Actually, No.23 on Trip Advisor's Top Attractions in Plymouth,
so perhaps I'm not that odd after all.

Close to the ground and undoubtedly packed to the rafters on match days, the Wetherspoon's pub stands impressively on a busy road junction.

The Britannia Inn (2 Wolesley Road, Milehouse, Plymouth, PL2 3BH)
This inn, with Mock Tudor frontage, has the claim to fame of being built by the grandfather of Antarctic explorer Captain Scott.

Apart from those Tudor beams on the exterior, the main bar features enormous fireplaces at each end, which look as though they should be in some grand hall.  Seating by these was well occupied by Wetherspoons pre-noon regulars who looked like they'd be upset to be in a picture so, sorry, no interior shots of the pub.

Roadside 'Spoons.

There may have been ten hand pumps, but I'm yet to find an extensive or overly exciting line-up of beers in the chain since re-opening.

I asked for the Dartmoor 'Jail Ale', but this was off, the back-up being a tasty Rudgate 'Valkyrie'.  At least we've moved on from the choice of Abbot Ale or Doom Bar that I encountered in Cowley on the 4th July.

Following this, I walked back through Central Park, then through the shopping streets, to join the rest of Plymouth's tourist trade on the Barbican.

The Dolphin Hotel (14 The Barbican, Plymouth, PL1 2LS)

The Dolphin was brilliant.
It's a thoroughly down-to-earth basic boozer, unspoiled by progress.

The pub consists of one single room split into several areas.  It has stone flooring and tiling around the bar, metal posts holding the ceiling up, well sat-in bench seating, a piano, and lots pictures.

There are up to 8 ales available, although 'tickers' will be disappointed.
Doom Bar? Tribute? Proper Job?
There was one offering from a local micro, but the Bass mirrors subliminally tempted toward the one beer that the pub is famed for.

Local at the Dolphin demonstrates how to Prop Up the Bar.

My pint of Bass was poured straight from the barrel on a stillage at the back of the bar.  And what a marvelous and thoroughly enjoyable pint it was.

There were a committed dozen or so drinkers in on this afternoon, but I'd love to revisit and see the place in full swing one day.

Next up, Plymouth's oldest pub...

The Minerva (31 Looe Street, Barbican, Plymouth, PL4 0EA)
The Minerva dates back to 1540, or possibly 1572, or possibly no-one really knows.  Prior to being a pub it was a sea captain's house, then a sailors rest.

A big white van parked slap-bang in front of the Minerva added to the challenge of taking a picture.

There it is, managing to mess up my photo of the front window...

Don't park in front of pubs!

Being old, the pub has a raft of ghost stories attached to it.

It was also reputedly frequented by press-gangs, who would haul unsuspecting drunk souls through a tunnel that led from the pub to the docks.

Fortunately today's drinkers don't look like press gangers...

Pub life at the Minerva.

There are usually up to 4 ales including guests available at the Minerva, but in these strange and generally quieter times, they were just down to the one - St Austell 'Tribute'.  But y'know what? - it was a really good pint of Tribute.

The handful of locals did have some great banter making for entertaining ear-wigging, but the ambiance was rather spoiled when one of them sauntered over to the juke box and put on Lilly Allen and Katy Perry. 
By the time we hit 'Candle in the Wind' it was time to drink-up and move on. 


Never miss the opportunity to stock-up on a Cornish Devonshire pasty...

Barbican Pasty Co.  It was a GREAT pasty!

The Pub on the Hoe hadn't yet re-opened, so I trekked on past this and across the Hoe itself for some cracking, grey-skied views.

I had an ulterior motive for walking west along the front and through Stonehouse to the edge of Devonport.
My dad grew up in a house here, and I've got memories of visiting my Uncle and Auntie who stayed on in the family home.

It was one of the houses in the short terrace to the right of the picture below...

My Uncle Frank took me out crabbing on a rickety little rowboat on that inlet of water.  The fact that I was a terrible swimmer and my uncle, with his diet of pipe tobacco and fish 'n' chips, was probably even less buoyant than me, didn't seem to worry anyone in those days.

I like to think Uncle Frank would appreciate the pub visiting ethos of the blog.  Although he'd admonish me for picking a 'high-flying' Midlands football club to support instead of the Argyle.

Anyway, I'd figured being in this part of town would be a winner, as I could visit the revered Artillery Arms when it opened at 4pm.

Except it didn't open at 4pm and showed no signs of coming to life anytime soon.

Disappointing, as I was really looking forward to this pub.

As an alternative, I headed back to the Brewery Tap which I'd passed earlier.

At least it's somewhere a little different and probably doesn't often make an appearance on obscure pub blogs.

The Brewery Tap (99 Edgecumbe Street, Stonehouse, Plymouth, PL1 3SZ)
The brewery in question would have been the Regent Brewery, one door further down the road at one point.  This became the amalgamated Plymouth Brewing Co., eventually taken over by Courage in 1970 and shut down in 1983.
The pub has had a number of name changes over the year, from the Diamond Queen to the Royal, settling back to the Brewery Tap, without a brewery.

They had a Dartmoor Ale and another from Teignworthy, which was my choice - reasonable, without blowing me away.  I suspect the Carling was selling much better at the time of my visit.

Plymouth has no shortage of good pubs and this paltry little selection doesn't do it justice at all.  Sadly I had to catch an early evening train, so missed out on several others that were open at this time.
Another city to mark down on the 'must go back soon' list!