Steam Packet Inn, Totnes

Substantial dining pub - with multiple rooms and a very pleasant terrace - provided you can fight off the seagulls. We were a little early for a booked table, so spent a pleasant half hour on the patio, looking over the river Dart. Pedestrian choice of Jail Ale, Landlord and Doom Bar and a little more unusual Salcombe Gold.

A pleasant and good sized pub in a great spot alongside the river, with a terrace right by the river’s edge to make the most of the outlook as well as a conservatory at the rear which also looked as if it would offer good views. Internally it’s something of a U-shape, and is quite traditional in style, although it has clearly been renovated at some point, so perhaps modern traditional would be more apt. There was wood strip flooring throughout, with the main bar at the front of the pub having white plasterwork on the walls as well as a plain whitewashed ceiling, dark blue wood panelling on the lower part of the walls, and further dark blue wood cladding on the bar counter. A bookshelf ran around the top of the room and there were a few prints on the walls. A smaller room to the right was a little more attractive perhaps, although broadly similar in terms of décor it had an old fireplace stacked up with logs, and oil painting or two and a pile of board games stacked up in the corner. A snug at the other end looked to the best spot with exposed stone walling on one side, a fitted book shelf completely filling another wall, and a stone chimney breast with a couple of horse brasses dotted around, although the large TV mounted up above it jarred somewhat. Fortunately, this was not in use on our visit. Beers on tap were Doom Bar, Exeter Brewery’s Ferryman and Dartmoor Jail Ale, with the Salcombe Gold appearing to have run out. Ciders meanwhile were Henry Weston’s Vintage, Inch’s Medium Apple and Old Mout Berries & Cherries.

Situated on the banks of the River Dart. A dining pub really but the cheerful young barmaid poured a really good half of Exeter's Falls Over Xmas ale (NBSS 4) with Salcombe, Dartmoor and Sharps as the other options. U shaped interior with a passage to the rear and done to a nice standard. I preferred it to the King William and Albert, but maybe on another day when full of diners that might not hold – but you play the cards that are dealt and this was a good hand. 7.5

To the right of the entrance in the Steam Packet is a serving counter that faces banquettes with copper topped tables along the front wall. To the left is some seating behind a weirdly placed curved waist high wall and a fireplace sits on the left-hand wall that is stacked with lots of chopped logs. At the rear is a dining area and out back is some riverside seating that I didn’t visit due to my visit being late on a winter evening. Premium keg was available alongside Brixton Lager and three of the four hand pumps were in use drawing Jail Ale, Salcombe’s Devon Amber and Doom Bar. The Amber was a very good pint. I liked it in here and can see why there were so many other customers when the other pubs in the area were maybe not so busy.