The Volunteer Inn, Lyme Regis

Official site of The Volunteer Inn - www.thevolunteerlymeregis.com

Official site of The Volunteer Inn - www.thevolunteerlymeregis.com

The layout is much as described below, and when we visited it was lively, friendly and full of robust banter as a coach load of Somerset farmers had just rolled in. The staff were pleasant, and the beer was good. Four handpumps on the bar but only three ales – Landlord, Jail Ale and Exmoor Ale, all found to be in excellent condition. There was also a pair of hydrants dispensing Sandford Devon Mist and Carlsberg. A great place to spend the afternoon and/or evening and a definite for a crawl.

Fantastic cozy old pub! Always friendly with a great mix of young and old. The pub has strong Irish links so the Guiness is the best for miles! You'll lose hours here!

A traditional pub just up the hill from the centre of town, this seems to be a decent boozer with a more traditional feel than many of the nearby options which on the whole seem to be rather down at heel or overly touristy. Only a wet dog smell subtracted slightly from the ambience. The main bar to the right is a long, carpeted room with the walls being a mixture of exposed stone work and black wood panelling. The ceiling was a mustard colour and had plenty of black beams which were all adorned with blue and white fairly lights. A stone fire-place was on the right and the bar counter was opposite this, clad in what appeared to be some sort of wood effect Formica. A large mirror and a few old black and white pictures of the local area completed the decor and the seating was wooden benches with green cushions and green padded stools. The other bar to the left was an entirely different, contemporary affair with more of a bistro like feel to it. I assume this is for dining, although nobody was in here on a recent visit. The floor here is sanded wood, there is a white-washed brick fire-place with a wood burning stove, pale blue/green wood panelling on the walls and chunky pine tables. Beers on tap were Adam Henson’s Rare Breed from Butcombe, Tribute and Dartmoor Best. Ciders were Ashton Press, Cornish Rattler, Thatcher’s Dry and Thatcher’s Copper Press which was a new one on me – slightly embarrassing that I have to come all the way to the south coast to find it when I only live about ten miles from the brewery (cidery?).

A bit dingy and grubby and full of very loud (and half-pissed - at lunchtime) locals who like to dominate the room. Beers were OK but the lasting impression is that it's a bit of a dive.