The Magnificent Seven (Ian, Brian, Social Bob, Magnus, June, Bill and me) met up for an attempt on the Tamar Valley Rail Ale Passport, 19 pubs accessible by rail on the Plumouth to Gunnislake line. Was in a foul mood most of the weekend due to sinusitis and inner ear infection – but after a few beers I cheered up a bit and the constant boat-motion seemed less noticeable! On the Friday we had a four-hour train journey to Plymouth in a nice comfy South West Train. There were some great views of the sea around Dawlish but fog closed in as we approached the Tamar valley. Spent the evening visiting a few pubs in Devonport and Plymouth, the most memorable ones being the Dolphin (‘accepts all comers and frequently gets them’) and the Minerva (good vibes, good live saxophonist). Next day six of us went on a walk around Gunnislake to see the historic mineworkings, lock, lime kiln etc, then in to the Tavistock for some delicious local cider. Next stop was the Rising Sun for some stonking Betty Stoggs, but was miffed that they weren’t serving food. Half an hours’ walk to the Rifle Volunteer, where Bill, Brian and I sampled the (very good) food – well earned after climbing uphill quite a lot!
Then it was all the way back down the hill to the Cornishman and another pub before the inevitable climb back to the station.
Next stop on the train was Calstock where we found the lovely Tamar Inn, enjoying some good beer there. Unfortunately the Riverside Restaurant wasn’t serving beer, but we had an excellent cream tea there, homemade scones with lashings of jam and cream :-p The other pub in town, the Boat, was very nice too, they serve a lovely bag of Burts crisps!
I was pretty tired by the time we got back to Plymouth and moaned about the 10-minute uphill walk to the ‘nearby’ Fortescue, which did not have a good range of beers. Ian, Bill and I attempted to find the ‘nearby’ Sutton Brewery tap, but were scuppered by an early-closing bridge.
Sunday Bill and I visited the National Aquarium whilst the more dedicated CAMRA members continued the ale trail. All those cod, scampi etc. made me hungry so we had traditional pasties and fudge in the Hoe park.
Nice weekend, beer wasn’t up to much in some of the pubs but it was good to have a change of scenery.
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