Pub Number 11 on the South-West Saunter , the final Beer Guide tick on the trip and a last hurrah for GBG20.
And the Devonshire in Sticklepath might just be the best pub in Devon. Take a close look and you’ll see a fair few classics just off the A38 zooming over Dartmoor so that’s quite a claim.
US Dave had recommended the Globe in Chagford, and I WILL get there soon, but somehow I had to tick Sticklepath and try (and fail) to get blog title out of it.
The wall opposite the Devonshire contains the flags of countries whose languages are spoken in Devon.
Wiki tells me the village “gives its name to one of the most important geological faults in south-west England, thought to have originated during the Tertiary period and known variously as the Sticklepath Fault, Sticklepath Fault Zone, Lustleigh-Sticklepath Fault or Sticklepath-Lustleigh Fault“.
The Devonshire itself is (I presume) named after this Hammer.
I’d tried to confirm opening hours on Twitter and Facebook but with no joy. Would we be met by a greeter ?
Er, no, we were met by a deserted pub. But what a pub !
No-one about. At 5pm on a Saturday.
I am USELESS at going “Hulloah there” to attract attention or asking for the bill, which is why I detest table service.
Mrs RM went to the Ladies, I went in search of life. Had the door just be left unlocked by accident like that time in Patrick’s ?
Finally I saw the bell, and meekly rang it.
No response.
Mrs RM had a go, only marginally less pathetically.
TEN minutes we stood there.
“I’m not leaving” I said, contemplating pouring myself a pint of Dartmoor.
And then, there was rustling in the back room.
A lovely lady I will not dare to put an age on entered, and we took our seats on the table with a Christmas tablecloth. Of course.
“Sorry to keep you. I was upstairs“. I sense the locals help themselves.
Well, the next half hour was one of the best 30 minutes of my pubbing life in the company of a widow who refused to let the challenges of 2020 get her down.
Our hero was simply the most intelligent company all year, and I met Duncan in the summer.
Over a half of Rich’s cider from the barrel (£1.60) and ginger beer (also £1.60) we talked Marks & Spencer, the merits of Launceston, local bus services, Norwegian Salmon fishing, and, you know, LIFE.
I urge you to go, even if the temporary lack of cask is an, ahem, GBG issue.
If she’s doing food, eat it.
And don’t forget to visit the Gents…
Wonderment
LikeLiked by 1 person
Which pubs run by mature publicans do you have up your way these days ? Duke of York ?
LikeLike
Nephew runs the DOY at Elton I hear but the limited opening hours means I’ve not been. Mary’s daughter has taken over at the Barley Mow at KI and Geoff and Pat have stepped back at Three Stags. The chap at Bowling Green at Winster is probably longest serving landlord. And of course the exception is the Quiet Woman at ES in so many ways.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The Quiet Woman is now closed and for sale due to the sad passing of landlord Ken Mellor a short while ago.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is sad to hear. It was very characterful.
LikeLike
This tops the Globe by a long ways. Wow. We missed one.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s always great when you stumble on one, isn’t it ? I felt that way last year in Leek with you.
LikeLike
Yes, and you know it right away. I really miss Leek.
LikeLike
Year ago, isn’t it ?
LikeLike
Time has completely changed in the course of the last year. I hope things look up very soon…
LikeLike
That is a great looking pub. But does it have an ice cream place (Devonshire Dairy) nearby like the Globe? It might make your “Top 100 Pubs with Ice Cream Within a Stones Throw” list.
We did miss one, add it to the list.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s a very exclusive list !
LikeLike
It was the ice cream we liked wasn’t it?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Honeycomb!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rosebud !!
LikeLike
This is delightful -a proper good old fashioned country pub- reminds me of how they were back in the 70’s
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yes, a real throwback, and just the right side of cluttered !
LikeLiked by 1 person
Me too!
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Well, the next half hour was one of the best 30 minutes of my pubbing life” –Coming from you, this really means something, and I dare say you can see this is a remarkable one by the photos alone.
Loved your description “A lovely lady I will not dare to put an age on.” 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always a bit conscious she might read this if some rogue blogger shows her it (like I’ve done with BRAPA posts before). Christine was a bit in awe of her sharpness and joy of life !
LikeLike
Proper pubbery 👍 maybe a Nickelback link might work on the title…?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ooh, classy. You should blog ;-0
LikeLike
😀
LikeLike
“Take a close look and you’ll see a fair few classics just off the A38 zooming over Dartmoor so that’s quite a claim.”
All I see is that weird names seem to afflict those places within Dartmoor National Park itself.
“but somehow I had to tick Sticklepath and try (and fail) to get blog title out of it.”
I feel your pain sir.
“The wall opposite the Devonshire contains the flags of countries whose languages are spoken in Devon.”
I thought that was some sort of semaphore thingy for ‘help! we’re trapped in here tending casks in the basement for pub tickers!’ 🙂
“Wiki tells me the village “gives its name to one of the most important geological faults in south-west England, thought to have originated during the Tertiary period and known variously as the Sticklepath Fault, Sticklepath Fault Zone, Lustleigh-Sticklepath Fault or Sticklepath-Lustleigh Fault“.”
Well… you can’t ‘fault’ them on that. 😉
“But what a pub !”
Agreed!
“Well, the next half hour was one of the best 30 minutes of my pubbing life in the company of a widow who refused to let the challenges of 2020 get her down.”
There’s many a joy in the world if you look for it. 🙂
“and, you know, LIFE.”
As you (and many others) have said; pub ticking isn’t about the (bloody) beer. 😉
“And don’t forget to visit the Gents…”
I was thinking of doing something similar for Halloween.
Cheers!
LikeLike
We always pay at least 3 visits to the Devonshire when we are in Dartmoor even though the Globe is our nearest pub. I agree with you about the Landlady. We have spent many hours as the only customers in the pub talking to her and never getting bored. The pub has a red and green light outside. If the red light is on it’s closed even though the doors are likely to be open
LikeLiked by 1 person
Really ? Missed the light at the time. Looking at my photo they were both open ! The lovely Landlady did talk us through her opening times. She was a great listener as well as a great talker, a rare combination (Duncan has it).
LikeLike
I am really liking the geology lesson. Geology is something I am qualified to talk about with a couple of degrees in the subject (hence the mad prof tag). The Sticklepath-Lustleigh fault is indeed Tertiary in age its a strike slip type fault, that is the movement is largely horizontal. The displacement along the fault is around 6km and is sinistral (left handed) in other words as you walk across the fault the land you are walking onto has moved by 6km to the left. There seems to be evidence that the fault is older than Tertiary and in an earlier age was a dextral strike slip fault with a displacement of up to 10km. So a bit of a hokey-cokey of a fault then.
LikeLike
It’s not my fault.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Does the lefthandedness depend on which direction you are walking.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Intuitively you would have thought so. But in fact no. Best way to explain is to see a diagram. The attached link gives you an idea
https://glossary.oilfield.slb.com/en/Terms/o/offset.aspx?p=1
LikeLike
Sir, that is the best post that I have read here in a very long time, and I salute you unreservedly.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Yes, the Mad Prof has certainly elevated the discussion. Are you two related ?
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh no, it’s a rock-licker!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Rock-lickers beat beer-tickers every time. Lower “R” rate.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dread to think what you could catch off fossilised Dino poop though….
LikeLiked by 1 person
From the photos alone, I can see the Devonshire is one of those now rarest of beasts – a proper, old-fashioned country pub that is old in a genuine way, rather than retro-fitted, Brunning & Price, fake antique.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh yes ! Reminds me of the Cowden Pound pub.
LikeLike