The Bridge Inn, Dulverton

Situated in the attractive small town of Dulverton, on the southern edge of Exmoor, is The Bridge INN. It’s a smallish pub, but one that occupies a prominent position just over the picturesque stone bridge leading into the town’s main street and square. It’s strapline is “Great ales, good food – a little taste of Exmoor” Reflecting the fact that this is prime walking country, there’s the inevitable water bowl for dogs in the small lobby inside the porch entrance, whereas, of course, we mere humans, have to walk up to the counter and specifically order our drinks. It’s a simply furnished room with a small L shaped bar counter, light pine tables and chairs and a mixture of carpeting and slate flooring. Several wood burning stoves and a stuffed mounted stags head add a bit of character and warmth to the place. Rather oddly, in the middle of the room, sits a solitary sofa with a table where you can peruse a variety of countryside related magazines and periodicals, as though you were waiting to see the dentist or the doctor. There’s several seating areas outside where you can watch the traffic negotiate the narrowish stone bridge. There’s something of a genteel, refined atmosphere to the place with, on my visit, several more mature groups and couples conversing in quiet, almost whispering tones. As is very de rigeur nowadays, the pub makes a great play of the fact that it uses local suppliers for its food produce and they are all listed in the pub’s menu. To supplement the food, a range of 7-8 bottled beers are stocked and recommendations are given for matching – eg Chimay Red Belgium ( 7%) is apparently “great with pate and sausages”. Occasional pub quizzes and folk evenings are held, but it didn’t seem that type of place to me. On the real ale front, beers on were Exmoor Ale ( £ 2.90p ) , Exmoor Wild Cat and Oakham Ales Citra, although the blackboard behind the bar listed Trelawny and Tribute as being on instead of the latter two. The pub is a CAMRA Good Beer Guide regular, but I didn’t particularly detect any great real ale interest, although I did learn that an annual beer festival is held when the town fete is taking place. Worth a look in if passing

Popular riverside pub by the bridge (you don't say) in Dulverton. Exmoor Ales available (Ale and Gold) also Otter Ale, but, surprisingly and most welcome, there was no Doom Bar; The Exmoor Ale was fine if a little cold. Busy Saturday lunchtime crowd; tasty cider chutney in my cheese baguette.

Nice pub by river, good food.