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.