After a bracing walk on the moors, what could be nicer than spending a few hours in a cosy local pub. You can toast yourself next to a roaring log fire while enjoying a hearty meal, which will often be made from locally-produced ingredients, and wash it down with a pint of the local ale or cider. Nearly every village in Devon has its own watering hole, so you’ll be spoiled for choice. Here are a few good pubs to try in the area:
The Tors, Belstone
This is the closest pub to Acorn Cottage and is just a few minutes drive away in the village of Belstone, and you get fantastic views of Cosdon Beacon from the village. It serves evening meals from 6pm to 11pm. It’s very cosy inside with a lovely open fire. Dogs are welcome.
Oxenham Arms, South Zeal
This is reputed to be the oldest heritage pub in Devon and Cornwall, and parts of the building date back some 840 years. It was originally a monastery and manor house, and was constructed by monks around the South Zeal Menhir Standing Stone, a 5000 year old Neolithic granite stone, which can still be seen inside the building. The pub has won awards for its food in recent years.
New Inn, Sampford Courtenay
www.newinnsampfordcourtenay.co.uk
Sampford Courtenay is full of pretty thatched cottages, and has a great pub too in the New Inn. All of the chefs have worked in Michelin starred restaurants and they specialise in serving food from local producers wherever possible.
Fingle Bridge Inn, Drewsteignton
This pub has an absolutely fantastic location, on the bank of the River Teign. It only serves evening meals on Tuesdays – Saturdays, although it is open for lunches all week.
Castle Inn, Lydford
A traditional 16th-century inn, located right next door to the atmospheric ruin of Lydford Castle (which is reputed to be haunted), it looks very plain from the outside but is full of character once you’re through the door. The food is all home cooked and most of it is locally sourced and the helpings are generous.
Highwayman Inn, Sourton
You’ll find this pub on the road to Lydford. Unfortunately, they don’t serve meals in the evenings but it’s worth stopping in for a drink, or just a look around, as it’s probably the most bizarre building you will ever see! It also has several resident ghosts, one of whom is called Sam – watch out for a man dressed in green with a feather in his hat!
The Cleave Hotel, Lustleigh
http://www.thecleavelustleigh.co.uk
This pub started life as the main building of Lustleigh Farm and only became an inn in the 1920s, although the building itself is around 500 years old. The main part of the pub houses a magnificent fireplace, complete with oak beam and bread oven, which was only discovered in the 1950s. There is a full menu, which changes regularly with the seasons, and includes a traditional roast on Sundays. Dogs are welcome both inside the pub and in the lovely flower-filled beer garden.
Ring of Bells Inn, North Bovey
Located right in the heart of the National Park, this is a popular place with both locals and visitors alike and has a great reputation for food. Following a devastating fire in 2016, this 13th-century thatched building was painstakingly restored. Using materials reclaimed from the blaze, builders reinstated the wobbly walls, bricks floors and exposed granite blocks, and now the building appears to be almost unchanged from when it was first built to house stonemasons working on the nearby church. In the winter the cosy lounge is heated by a wood-burning stove. On a sunny summer’s day, you can eat outside on picnic benches and admire the charming village of North Bovey.
Warren House Inn, Dartmoor
The Warren House Inn lies at the very centre of Dartmoor, between Moretonhampstead and Postbridge. At 434m above sea level, it is the highest inn in southern England (and the third highest in England) and said to be the loneliest. It was named after the nearby rabbit warrens, which were established to keep local tin miners in fresh meat. The present Inn was built in 1845 and the fire in the hearth has been burning continuously since then. The house speciality is “Warrener’s Pie”, made from rabbits to the inn’s own recipe.
The Rugglestone Inn, Widecombe in the Moor
This is a lovely part of Dartmoor, although the village can get very busy, particularly in the summer. The home-cooked menu is prepared from locally sourced produce. Dogs on a lead are welcome. Booking is advisable, as it’s very popular and it’s not very big – it’s actually one of the smallest pubs in England.
