Sometimes I don’t think you lot appreciate the effort involved in compiling a blog post after a night of “research”. Goodness knows how BRAPA does it AND models weird clothes for a living.
This one comes to you after a night in Machynlleth with the estimable Mr Mudge, and two pints of NBSS 3.5 Draught Bass (amongst other delights).
There’s a wealth of dull diners in Devon, which isn’t to decry them, just be honest.
But even if the Horse & Groom in Bittaford is a bit plain, it’s on the edge of Dartmoor, which the National Parks Authority have kindly marked with a yellow felt tip pen.
In Devon’s defence, their pubs seem untouched by progress.
Of course another word for “untouched by progress” is plain.
I quite like plain. I don’t like four local beers when one will do.
If they were disappointed I wasn’t eating it didn’t show, possibly because they’d stopped serving at 2pm. The determination to make you eat lunch at traditional times comes as a shock after 40 years of Wetherspoons.
Bittaford is a small village that has put all the posh people in a deluxe housing development up the hill on the site of a former psychiatric hospital, so the real people can use the pub in an afternoon for its proper purpose.
Discussing their personal trainer, who’s converted to that noble profession from his calling as an accountant.
Bloke No. 2 lacks that get up and go to make the most of life.
“Why would I want to travel the world when I can just use Google Maps”
Why indeed.
Despite the average beer and the bizarre punky ska, there’s nowhere I’d rather be.
Except the Dolphin in Plymouth of course.
It’s good to see the GBG posters are given pride of place, anyway.
retiredmartin 
I didn’t know there were palm trees in England– is that part of the country not so cold in the winter?
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Seems to be a feature of the English Riviera. Probably grow bananas here if we keep getting these 100 degree days.!
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Yes Martin, even our dear Alexander Johnson seems to accept that something needs to be done. It was he, after all who proposed the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London. After the recent, all-time record, 100-115F heatwave across Europe, the petrolheads’ claim that “there’s nothing to see here – move along” perhaps isn’t heard so often this side of the pond nowadays.
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Basil Fawlty famously mentioned the fact that Torquay had palm trees in an episode of Fawlty Towers.
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There are palm trees at Plockton in North-West Scotland 🌴
Bench seating with red plush upholstery is always a good sign in a pub. As is St Austell HSD as opposed to their more “modern” beers.
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Not keen on Tribute and Proper Job then, Mudge?
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They’re known as “cabbage palms” but they’re not a cabbage and not a palm. They’re cordylines, from Aus and NZ. True palms do grow here though, especially the Chinese varieties, Mark. Martin has some shots of them in his recent blogs too.
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Thanks for the additional information– there’s no limit to the things I learn reading this blog!
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Don’t encourage them, Mark. 😉
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Punky ska… The Beat?
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I wish 😮🙄
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“Why would I want to travel the world when I can just use Google Maps” I have to be honest and say there are places I haven’t gone after viewing them on google maps. Not that they were bad, just that I felt no need to go there after the street view.
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