retiredmartin

21st October 2022.

I’m not proud of this, but I spent most of that Friday in bed in Helston Premier Inn.

NOT because of the Spingo Special at the Blue Anchor, oh no, it was just things catching up with me. Mainly the trauma of those 10 minutes negotiating the lanes of Constantine and Gweek the day before.

I woke up about 11am because the cleaner was banging on my door and I realised I had to be out by noon so I booked another night, rather than park the campervan in a layby in Redruth.

I felt SO guilty.

At teatime I headed out to explore Helston (again), convinced that I’d never done it properly.

Oddly, my 2016 post on the town suggests I had been charmed by the hilly streets leading from the ancient Spoons to the church, so I’m clearly losing it.

It was really lovely.

And as I reached the Drippy Droppy a photo reached me that sparked a wave of joy.

No, not BRAPA’s knee* (the one he doesn’t like to talk about), the Cornwall page in the new Good Beer Guide, which Simon received a full week before me.

Sadly, not only can you not get anywhere from Helston (can I blame it on Beeching ?), so I was faced with more extra-GBG activity, frowned upon by professional tickers.

The Inn & Still promised keg gin, so I gave that a go.

If the exterior looks vaguely familiar, in 2016 it looked like this;

Well, apart from changing the same (I presume Seven Stars isn’t woke as we’re ALL stars these days) and sticking the sign in the garden,

the folk at Inn & Still have done a great job of making a pub that will delight the young and alienate the Mudg(i)es by recreating that 1950s look.

All the seating was just wrong, there were dogs running around, youngsters asking for samples of rum; it was great.

At the bar, I spied a barrel.

“What is it ?” I asked, though I didn’t care.

“I don’t know “ales” but those who had it said it tastes of treacle” said the cheery barperson.

“Those who had it” ? That means someone else has drunk it. I chanced a half, flat and tasty (NBSS 3.5). Blimey. A real ale gain (and yes, I’ve let Kernow CAMRA know) and even better beer than in the Blue Anchor, though of course you’re not allowed to think, let alone say, that.

Don’t worry, Blue Anchor. I doubt there’ll be an exodus of trade any time soon.

*Knee only available to Patronised readers.