The Pickwick Inn, Wadebridge

Tucked a little out of the way down country lanes, this isn’t somewhere you’re likely to stumble across by accident, but it is nonetheless only a couple of minutes away from the main A389 and also within fairly easy walking distance of Padstow. It looks as though it could perhaps be a recently constructed building, or at the very least an old building which has been extensively renovated. Certainly the accomodation block to the side looks to be quite new, and thus we didn’t have high expectations in terms of character. We were therefore very surprised when getting inside to find a quite remarkable pub with a lovely interior and something of an “olde worlde” feel to it, although I’m still not completely convinced that this was genuine and may well have been a modern interpretation. Regardless though, it’s been very well done. The main bar area is the most atmospheric with plenty of black wooden beams on the ceiling, as well as further supporting timberwork, some of which forms a sort of partitioning to segregate a couple of areas from the rest of the bar making it feel somewhat cosier. A large painting of The Pickwick Club was covering one wall, there were plenty of horse brasses around and various other bits and pieces such as miniature barrels, flagons, farming implements and so on. A pile of logs was stacked up in one corner ready for the colder weather next to a brick chimney breast and wood burning stove. In contrast the restaurant area at the rear was very contemporary and the windows at the back which covered almost the entire wall gave quite stunning views down the estuary to Rock and Padstow. A further room at the front was perhaps a little dull by comparison with the main bar, but was still nonetheless pleasant enough with dark wood strip on the floors, rough white plasterwork on the walls and various pictures dotted around. Beers on tap were Sharp’s Atlantic, Tribute and Proper Job whilst the ciders were Cornish Rattler and Cold River. The barman seemed a little miserable I thought, but the jovial landlord on the public side of the bar made up for it. All in all, I thought this was a cracking pub and well worth seeking out.

Official site of The Pickwick Inn - pickwickinn.co.uk

Official site of The Pickwick Inn - pickwickinn.co.uk