The Ship Inn, Dartmouth

This is a great traditional 15th century inn situated just up the hill from the steam railway station. At the front of the building is a small porch with two doors, one left and one right which both lead into the public bar room, this is U shaped around the back of a central island bar with two open log fires at either side of the room, the fire on the left has a large ships wheel above it and the fire on the right has a rough stone surround and horse brasses. On the right of the room next to the fire place is an arch which leads to a small dining area that has around a dozen tables set ready for eating with nice paintings of sailing ships on the walls and a second large ships wheel. At the front of the pub is a small patio area with good views across the river Dart. Regular ales are Adnams Bitter, Otter Bitter and Otter Ale with three changing guests which were Sharp’s Doom Bar, Young’s Bitter and Branscombe Vale Branoc on this visit. I tried four halves and all seemed well kept in my opinion (Cask Marque and GBG2011). An excellent traditional pub with a nice friendly and cosy feel to it, there was a great selection of beers of which many were to my taste. I did not eat here but I believe that they have a good reputation for the fish dishes as it is sourced from only a couple of hundred yards away! I felt very comfortable here and could quite easily have stayed for many hours but unfortunately I had to catch the train back, I would definitely recommend this place for the beers on offer at least.

Official site of the Ship Inn, includes menu and events listings - www.theshipinnkingswear.co.uk

Official site of the Ship Inn, includes menu and events listings - www.theshipinnkingswear.co.uk