Hey Ho, Noss Mayo!

Further explorations of Devon took me to the corner of the South Hams - not far from Plymouth, but feeling miles away from the big city.
The plan here was to tick off the Beer Guide pubs in neighbouring villages Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo, before heading inland to Brixton.

Newton Ferrers was the first point of call.  The thriving centre (Co-op) is up on the hill, giving the first glimpses of the view across the water to Noss and the wooded slopes rising above the River Yealm.

At the bottom of the hill you'll find the village pub. 

Dolphin Inn (Riverside Road East, Newton Ferrers, PL8 1AE)
It was bright and airy and pleasant inside, although all the customers were outside across the lane on the two-level patio, a sun-trap with a glorious view.  
Even the staff member from behind the bar took the first opportunity to settle into the armchair outside the front door, as soon as she'd served me and struggled to explain to a French couple the difference between pub opening times and food service times.

I picked a Salcombe 'Gold', on great form, with the other option being Salcombe 'Seahorse', or cask cider.

The Dolphin doesn't attract those kind of ruffians who stick Tiverton FC Casuals stickers on the tanks in the WC.  Nope - Dartington Morris have been round marking their patch here...

Time it right when the tide is out and you can walk across the creek to the other side.  Ancient stone pathways called vosses enable you to navigate the estuary mud.
No such luck for me as the tide was in. This was what I reached when following the footpath signs to Noss Mayo...

No opportunity to take the Voss to Noss

The long way round for me, then.
The route around Newton Creek takes you on the low road under the impressive-looking St Peter's Church, past the Swan pub (outdoor terrace packed full - cask marque sign - I really should have called in for completions sake), then to the slipway at the top of the inlet.

Ship Inn (Noss Mayo, PL8 1EW)
Despite the location, the Ship didn't strike me as especially photogenic from any angle, nor inside, really.
Very much a smartly refurbished place with many tables set ready with cutlery and wine glasses for gentlefolk diners.
But I was happy with the beer choice: the familiar 'Tribute' and 'Jail Ale' and the local Noss Beer Works 'Church Ledge' or 'Ebb Rock'. 

I'd come across Noss Beer Works in the Christow Inn and enjoyed the Church Ledge.
The Ebb Rock was even better - a pretty perfectly presented chestnut coloured bitter.
And the location I drank it in was unbeatable...

Four-and-a-half miles inland, I found myself in the village of Brixton.

Where the pace of life was much more relaxed that it's London namesake.

And the Chip Shop was great.

The current front-runner for Prop Up the Bar's Best Chips 2023.

Here you'll find Good Beer Guide entry the Foxhound Inn...

The Foxhound Inn (Kingsbridge Road, Brixton, PL8 2AH)
Located on the main road through the village, it's a two roomer: 
Dining and real ale handles to the left; locals, lager, and cricket on TV to the right.

Beers on the bar were Summerskills 'Indiana's Bones' (topical at the moment, with Harrison Ford having another outing in the role), Summerskill's 'Red Coat' (brewed specially for the pub), Dartmoor 'Jail Ale' (of course) and South Hams 'Devon Pride'.

I figured I'd go for the Red Coat, being as it's unique to the Foxhound.  Then watched as the bar staff poured me a Devon Pride.
"Hmmm...that's not the Red Coat", says I.
"Oh.  Don't worry - it's the same price"

I guess this young chap probably considers them all the same and hasn't encountered CAMRA folks with meticulously organised little notebooks of all the beers they've ticked.
I'm not overly fussed myself - helped by the fact that the Devon Pride was lovely - but, y'know, it's kinda nice to get the beer you've actually asked for.

This was my last port of call for the afternoon, sat next to the TV with the cricket commentary on, under an impressive display of pump clips on the beams.

Three pleasant pubs, three decent ales, lots of sunshine and some stunning scenery around the Yealm estuary - a part of Devon that's well worth a visit.

Torquay Pub Explorations

I haven't been to Torquay since Forest visited Plainmoor for a pre-season friendly in 2005.
2-2 (Dobie and Commons) - the season that followed wasn't a vintage one.

On the extended Devon pub tickathon, it seemed a good time to finally revisit the English Riviera.

First impressions weren't great, probably on account of us approaching on foot down Union Street - not the most appealing walking route to the seaside.

Three closed and derelict pubs in a short space, including this great bit of now defunct signage...

Reaching the bottom of the hill and navigating the rather raucous shopping streets (mid-afternoon bouncers on MacDonalds, cripes!), it was a delight to make it to Torquay's pleasant harbour. Looking good in the sunshine...

As was the first pub of the afternoon, tucked a short way up a narrow lane to the side of the clock tower.

Hole in the Wall (6 Park Lane, Torquay, TQ1 2AU - web)
There's an A-board outside luring people in with tales that "smugglers, pirates, seafarers, highwaymen, locals and mere mortals" have been drinking here since 1540.
On our visit it seemed to be locals and tourists making up the clientele.  Not a smuggler in sight, although I guess you shouldn't judge by appearance.

It's a charming pub, full of character with it's low wooden beams.  Dining room to one end, a couple of indoor seating areas either side of the bar, and appealing outdoor tables in the flower basket laden alleyway.

There was a sizeable range of hand pumps on the bar offering six real ales plus a couple of Lilley's ciders.  Beers from Exeter, Dartmoor, Buttcombe and Timothy Taylor's.
A 'Dartmoor IPA' for me - a beer I've become quite familiar with, so at least I can be moderately confident when I say it was on good form.

We picked the appealing benches of the snug section at the back of the pub.
Right next to where the pub locals were sat, where we learnt all sorts of things we didn't need to know about knee replacements and various ailments afflicting the folk of Torquay.

Time for the obligatory bite-to-eat in Spoons.
I always grumble, then I always return for another burger and beer deal because it's such an easy option.

Spoons have moved in the many years since I was last here and now occupy an interesting building with dominant Sports Direct signage.

The Green Ginger (Lower Ground Floor, Winter Garden, Torquay, TQ2 5DZ - web)
Similar to the Teignmouth branch, the real ale choice holds few surprises and nothing to keep the ticker or rare-beer-finder happy.
But it's ideal for people watching as all walks of Torquay life passed through the pub in the short space of time that we were there.

Not my best Wetherspoon pub pic

Time to leave Torquay centre and head up the hill to Babbacombe.
Where I'd promised Mrs PropUptheBar fine views from the cliff tops.
Bugger...

Seriously?  Look at the blue skies in the earlier pictures.
The mist rolled in from the sea like something in a Stephen King story, except it wasn't deterring the teatime picnic brigade set up along the cliff top promenade.

The Buccaneer Inn (41 Babbacombe Downs Road, Torquay, TQ1 3LN - web)
Lots of choice of pubs and hotel bar terraces in the vicinity, but we picked the past Good Beer Guide entry the Buccaneer for a swift half.
With a very lively carpet, and nautical theme to the decor: pictures of sailing vessels, ship's anchors, helm and lifebuoy hanging from various bits of wall.

A St Austell house, with 'Proper Job' and 'Tribute' available.
The seating out front was proving the most popular with holiday-making folk tucking into pub grub.  I enjoyed a decent Proper Job whilst pretending the sea mist wasn't actually quite chilly and that I wasn't cold in my t-shirt.

A fifteen minute walk took us from Babbacombe to nearby St Mary's, where the second current Torquay GBG pub lies.
Another Molloy's...

Molloy's (20 Fore Street, St Mary's, Torquay, TQ1 4LY)
A pub blogging fail as I sat in the seat in Molloy's where it was impossible to photograph the pub or soak up the atmosphere.  Something that wasn't helped by a band taking up half the place as they set up their equipment to entertain the masses later.

Oh well, here's what it looks like outside...

Molloy's served me a decent pint of Bay's 'Devon Dumpling', a strong golden ale on good form, which made a nice change from the more regularly seen 'Topsail'.

And with that, we were done and homeward bound.
Without doing the cliffside railway or the model village.  Half-a-job - sorry!

Teignmouth Pub Explorations

When we last graced Teignmouth with our presence it was tacked on the end of a trip to Paignton, at a point in the day when any more chips, beer, or ice cream would have rendered me unwell on the train journey home.
So with the excuse of visiting 2023 Beer Guide entry Molloy's, I headed back to the seaside on a glorious June evening.

Let's do the Beer Guide pub first then.
Previously known as The Kanagroo, the old sign is on display in the back yard...

Molloy's (1 Teign Street, Teignmouth, TQ14 8EA)
Rather lacking in punters on an early Thursday evening.  When I arrived the tables outside on the pedestrianised street were busy with cheery revellers, but those tables had emptied as  they slipped into the shade by the time I took the pub picture on the way out...

Half a dozen within, spread out across the various areas in this open-plan pub.
The dark wood, benches along the wall and beer barrel tables give Molloy's a bit of an ale house vibe.

A re-run of the last weekend's Grand Prix played on a TV in the front to an audience of one.
The Kinks, Stones and Mama's and Papa's followed one another in a retro soundtrack.

Bays 'Topsail' or St Austell 'Proper Job' were the real ale options on the bar.
I went for the local Bay's, brewed down the coast in Paignton - a light amber ale on reasonable form although I doubt much of it had been poured throughout the day.
I suspect everyone else had been on the Carlsberg - the lager men call for.

Beer finished at Molloy's, I headed through the streets of town toward the Back Beach.
Past the Muse mural...

Teignmouth has the main beach where you'll find the pier and elegant 19th century buildings on Den Crescent, set back behind grassy parkland, crazy golf and bowling green.
Then, on the Teign Estuary side, the streets are narrow, the buildings harking back to days when the town was a thriving fishing port.  
The ideal spot for pubs - there were once 26 of them serving thirsty seafaring folk in the town.

Ship Inn (Queen Street, Teignmouth, TQ14 8BY)
The Ship Inn was my pick this time, occupying a grand spot looking out across the boats moored in the estuary waters, drinkers spread out onto the side of the quay and beach.

Inside you'll find the predictable display of knots in a case on the wall alongside other maritime bric-a-brac and old pictures of the town.
Beers came from St Austell or Otter - my pick being a very respectable pint of 'Rockin' Otter'. 

I shunned taking my drink outside and perched on a bench by the front window, enjoying my beer and the funky beats of the Bombdroppers.

I decided to pay a visit to Teignmouth Wetherspoon's with palm trees and tropical plants on a first floor balcony.  Okay, so it overlooks the Lidl car park rather than offering a sea view , but y'know, it's a step up from the pavement seating watching a busy road at my local Spoons.

Jolie Brise (9-15 Station Road, Teignmouth, TQ14 8PE - web)
The balcony also closes early evening, at the same time as the staff are chasing the families out as the no-children hour approaches.

A supermarket in a previous life, Teignmouth 'Spoons opened in 2015

There's a bit of summertime seaside Spoons chaos: large groups amassing impressive tablefuls of uncollected glasses; pizzas run out; irregular pub visitors who can't decide whether to stand at the bar or form a queue.
And it's not about to usurp the Blue Anchor as the town's real ale haven - serving up a very run-of-the-mill selection of big brand beers.

But, as usual it did the job of providing me with some food - one or two of the calories instantly burned off climbing the stairs to the third floor loos.

From Spoons, I backtracked on myself to visit the oldest pub in town.

Known as the Ferryboat many years ago, the inn survived the French ransacking of Teignmouth in the 1690's, thanks to it being used as their ransacking headquarters.
The kind of history snippet that allows them to use 'Ye Olde' in the current pub moniker...

Ye Olde Jolly Sailor (46 Northumberland Place, Teignmouth, TQ14 8DE - web)
Set back from the street, beyond a front courtyard of bench seating, the pub is made up of three separate areas within, featuring beamed ceilings and thick stone walls.
Not all set up for dining as I'd guessed it may be, with some great basic bench seating in the nooks and crannies at the back.
A handful of locals with shopping bags at the base of their stools propped up the bar and put the world to rights.

I opted for the Dartmoor 'Jail Ale', with the alternative real ale being 'London Pride'.
You end up drinking a lot of Dartmoor Brewery beers when exploring Devon pubs.

And that Jail Ale marked the end of a pleasant evening in Teignmouth.
Just time to bring you a picture of the sun setting over the estuary...

That's the Poltimore Arms, Kim

Devon is likely to feature fairly heavily on the blog over the coming weeks, as family commitments see Prop Up the Bar decamp to the south-west coast.

Plentiful opportunity to visit some of the counties Good Beer Guide pubs.
Yet - just when I feel I've ticked off LOADS of them - a quick check reveals that I've only just topped 70 current entries - a lowly 58%.
Not that I'm keeping lists or stocking up on Stabilo highlighters - honestly!

Anyway, here's a random quartet of Devon delights...

Starting in the middle of nowhere.
Up on the edge of Exmoor, a mile-and-a-half from the nearest neighbours is the Poltimore Arms.

On a minor road junction (I think one car passed down the lane in front of the pub in the half-hour I was sat outside in the sunshine).  There has been a coaching inn on this site since the 13th century.

Poltimore Arms (Yarde Down, Brayford, EX36 8HA)
When I arrived on a weekday afternoon there were a couple from the campervan, a motorcyclist, and the landlord, with his cup of coffee and roll-up, sitting out front.

Ambling in to the bar, with the landlord following me, I asked what ales they had being as there are no hand pumps of any nature on the counter.
"Exeter Brewery. 3.6%, so you can drink a lot of it".
"If you want lager", the gaffer continued, "it's in bottles.  Tried the electronic dispensers once but they're too much trouble and with bottles there's no line cleaning".

The Exeter ale comes straight from the barrel and was on fine form.  Seemingly the drink of choice at the Poltimore, it gets a quick turnover.

Continuing to chat to the landlord, I was told that the pub is off the grid, generating its own electricity and getting water from a Spring.  Hence the Poltimore being immune to the hiked utility bills that have proved the final straw for a number of pubs who've shut their doors in recent troubled times.

In a way, the Poltimore reminded me of the Peyton Arms in North Oxfordshire: both pubs in a world of their own, far removed from the modern era of food-orientated country inns, and both with characterful landlords keen to engage you in conversation.
A great pub that I was really pleased to have found my way to.

Heading back down south, 12 miles north of Exeter at junction 28 of the M5 you'll find the town of Cullompton.
Seven and a half thousand residents and seven pubs, although I was just looking for the Pony & Trap.

Pony & Trap (10 Exeter Hill, Cullompton, EX15 1DJ)
A cracking simple town pub with one rectangular room, the local blokes sat at the end of the room by the bar covering the hot topics of the day.
There are outdoor WCs, CAMRA awards displayed on the wall, homely decorations, local cider, and an interesting choice of beers.
Including this stuff..

On good form.  In a superb pub.
I now ask Mrs PropUptheBar if she wants to pull off the M5 every time we pass Cullompton, but she hasn't succumbed to this Devon Bass temptation yet.

4½ miles from Cullompton down narrow Devon lanes (intermediate level) is the village of Butterleigh.
According to Wiki, home to just over 100 people, a public house, village hall, and award-winning blacksmith.  You never know when you might need an award-winning blacksmith.

The Butterleigh Inn (The Green, Butterleigh, EX15 1PN)
No obvious front door as I wandered along the lane grumbling that the sun was in the wrong place for the perfect pub picture.
The entrance is via a vine-covered patio to the side, taking you through to an inviting bar.  There were local blokes at the bar counter, a dog excitedly running around looking for someone to throw a ball, a few tables of folks tucking into food.  And a lady in the side room doing the ironing...

The Butterleigh Inn has clocked up an impressive 35+ years in the Good Beer Guide.  And the Hanlon's 'Simcoe New IPA' was testament to that.  Exeter 'Ferryman' and two Sandford's ciders occupied the other handpumps.
The beer was superb: I supped half of it whilst sat inside on high backed benches, then retreated to the outdoor tables to make the most of the fine Devonshire evening.

Back in Exeter, I was on what some consider the 'wrong side of the river' in St Thomas, visiting new Beer Guide entry the Sawyer's Arms (121 Colwick Street, Exeter, EX4 1JD).

A far cry from the spectacular surroundings of the Imperial or George's Meeting House, this is a rare flat-roof Spoons.
Busy with a crowd of cheery locals who were all better at getting served at the bar than I was.  It's been ages since I've had to stand at the bar waiting for any length of time to be served.
Worth the wait for a great pint of South Hams 'Sherman', £2.57 less a 50p voucher being something of a bargain for my 6.4% American IPA.

It's just 30-minutes on foot from St Thomas to the picturesque village of Ide, somewhere which would have been swallowed up into greater Exeter were it not for the ring-road acting as the city limits.

Ide is home to 586 folks and 2 pubs.  The Huntsman Inn was closed when I was there on a Monday, so just a trip to the Poachers for me.

Poachers Inn (55 High Street, Ide, EX2 9RW - web)
Looking superb with the blue sky and sun shining on the white frontage.  The leader of the Ide teenage posse told his mates to stop so as not to get in the way of my picture.  We're not in Cowley now.

Inside is a brilliant cluttered selection of various types of furniture, framed rugby shirts on the wall, and a grand fireplace with antlers displayed above the wood burner.
One chap sitting inside in an armchair with paperback and a pint, the rest of the afternoon custom basking in the sunshine out back.

The ales on offer came from Salcombe and Branscombe, alongside several real ciders.  But it was the Exeter Brewery 'Tomahawk', served straight from the barrel which I opted for.  An above average beer in this and all the other pubs on this post.

I was pleased to have made it to Ide, somewhere which I'd wrongly assumed was a tricky place to get to having thought it was further away from Exeter than it actually is.
I did, however, manage to get hopelessly lost trying to find the outdoor WCs.  Someone, who may have been the landlord, had to correct me as I was wandering half way down the garden, embarrassingly unable to follow simple directions.

And what picture would I have used to finish the post if I hadn't been able to find the loos?