Sunday I set off on my West Country trip. A train into London ,a quick stop at M&S for train picnic supplies and train beers. Then it was off to the land of my forbearers. The trip through lush beautiful Dorset and Devonshire countryside was great, as was the M&S cheese and onion sandwich and pork pie. Alot of things get said about English food but really it seems much better quality and cheaper than home.
I checked into my hotel in Exeter and then met Adrian Tierny Jones in the hotel bar. Had a pint of bitter from Ringwood and a pint of Marstons Pedigree. We then went on to The Hourglass a great pub for a very good pint of Harveys Best , then to The Samual Jones a modern restaurant outfit for bottles of St Austell Big Job IPA. Adrian then went home so I went and got my first English donner kebab. It was delicious but almost impossible to eat without cutlery. After I headed to the The Pursuit of Hoppyness a local craft beer bar where I had a pint of something from Saltaire Brewery. As I was leaving Joe the sales manager for Salcombe Brewery , who were hosting me the next day, tracked me down and took me on a whirlwind Exeter pub crawl. We hit a student pub where I drank Hanlons formerly of Thomas Hardys Ale fame, then to the oldest pub in town which has an issue which makes it smell like a sewer, lovely pint of Otter, then past the cathedral to a JD Wetherspoons opposite my hotel. It was in a former Quaker worship house and wasn’t too bad. Apparently its Mr Brexit’s favourite one. A Titanic Stout and then a scotch and it was across the road to bed.