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Weekend in Truro – Nov 7^th to 10^th 2008

North Cotswold Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale

On this very enjoyable weekend, a group of 10 of us travelled to Truro on Friday by car or train. The weather forecast for the weekend was that it would be very wet, but this fortunately turned out to be incorrect. It was fairly warm for the time of year, and we did see the Sun on several occasions. Heavy rain did fall while returning home on Monday, but this did not spoil the visit.
We followed the itinerary below, with one change – the final evening meal on Sunday was in the Mannings Royal Hotel where we were all staying. The photo shows the hotel centrally located, with the famous cathedral beyond. http://www.manningshotels.co.uk
Friday Evening: All met in the Wetherspoon Pub Try Dowr Several asked about the origin of the name: it is from old Cornish meaning “Three Waters or Rivers”. Green King Bonkers Conkers (4.1), Skinners Figgys Brew (4.5), Ginger Tosser (3.8), and Badger Toads Croak (3.8) were amongst the beers on offer here. At 9 pm half our group went to the “Ask” restaurant for a meal while the rest went to the Old Ale House followed by the Crab & Ale House. The Crab was open until 1 am, but we left earlier to call it a day. You will note from the photo that this pub was originally the White Hart. Some of the beers on offer were Woodenhand Cornish Mutiny (4.8) and Skinners Kiddlewink (4.2) at the Old Ale House, and St. Austell’s Tribute, Sharp’s Doom Bar, Green King Bitter, Old Speckled Hen at the Crab.
Saturday was the day of the South West CAMRA regional meeting. Half the group attended this, and were well refreshed during the meeting with excellent Skinner’s beers: Heligan Honey (4.0), Cornish Knocker (4.5), Betty Stogs (4.0), and Press Gang Cornish Cider are shown in the photo. Others on offer were Ginger Tosser (3.8), Keel Over (4.2), and Figgys Brew (4.5), This was followed by an interesting trip around the Brewery.
Saturday Evening: All re-united for a meal at the City Inn Hotel .on Pydar Street. This Truro pub has been in the CAMRA good beer guide for many years. Beers on offer on this occasion were Skinners Betty Stogs, Courage Best Bitter and Sharp’s Doom Bar.
Sunday was mostly taken up by our day out to Falmouth by train. (see map below) Blue skies greeted our arrival. Although several pubs were listed on the internet as opening at 11 am on Sunday, they all had signs saying Noon opening. So we did some brief sightseeing on the Quay before starting our refreshment in the Quayside Inn. (3rd building to the right in the background of the photo). Here we sampled Sharp’s Special (5.2) and Skinner’s Betty Stogs (4.0)
Next call was the Oddfellow Arms, where you could imagine fishermen climbing up the hill to escape from the busy quayside to here, in days gone by. Fuller’s London Pride was being served straight from the barrel. Sharp’s Eden Pure Ale (4.3) and Special (5.2) were on hand pump.
The penultimate call was to the listed Pub The Seven Stars. This was a fascinating place, with a collection of key rings above the bar, as seen in the photo. Specially brewed Ginger Beer was on offer, plus Skinner’s Cornish Knocker, both straight from the barrel. We would have liked to stay longer, but the pub closed slightly earlier than expected at 2-30pm.
Finally we visited the Wetherspoon’s pub “The Packet Station”, before catching the train back to Truro.
Monday: All those remaining prepared to return home, with fond memories of the visit. Report & photos by Peter Rowe. Pub Beer lists provided by Roger Price.

The original Itinerary

Day	Time	Event	Detail
Friday Nov. 7^th	Lunch Time	Optional lunch stop for car travellers' en-route.	At the Blisland Inn, off the A30.
"	7 pm	Early meet time in Truro	Meet in the Wetherspoons Pub Try Dowr", on Lemon Quay
"	9 pm	Late meet time and late meal (optional)	Meet at the Ask Restaurant on Lemon Street (Pizza & Pasta)
Saturday Nov. 8th	Early Morning	Opportunity to explore Truro
"	11 am	Meet point & optional snack	Meet in the Wetherspoons Pub Try Dowr", on Lemon Quay
"	11:45 am	Walk to the Skinner's Brewery (about 15 minutes)	Attend the Regional Meeting which starts at 12:30 (Optional)
"	c. 4 pm	Meeting finishes. Optional tour of Brewery	The Brewery shop is open until 5-30 pm
"	c. 5:30 pm	Return to Truro Centre.
"	7 pm	Evening meet time	Meet, and have something to eat (optional), at the City Inn Hotel .Pydar Street. Followed by visiting other Truro Pubs.
Sunday Nov. 9th	11:11 am	Catch the first train to Falmouth Town	Scheduled arrive time 11:34 (23 minute journey)
"	11:34 am	Choice of Exploring Falmouth, or Pub Crawling, or both.
"	2 pm	First Meet Point at The Severn Stars, 1 the Moor.	This Pub closes at 3 pm, and does not re-open until 7 pm.
"	5:32 pm	Catch the train back. (Arrives Truro 5:56 pm)	From either the "Town" station or Penmere. Next train is at 7:25 pm
"	7 pm	Evening Meal in Truro	Meet in the Wetherspoons Pub Try Dowr", on Lemon Quay
"	Later	If you are still alive after a hard day:	Further Crawling in Truro, or start your journey back?
Monday Nov.10^th	Lunch Time	Optional lunch stop for car travellers' returning.	At the Tom Cobley Tavern, Spreyton, Devon. This pub has just been voted South West CAMRA Pub of the Year.

Miscellaneous information:

Foot ferries in the area generally do not operate on Sundays. At other times they operate a reduced service in the winter months, which includes November. Hence use of these services is not included in this itinerary.

There was a curious link with Truro and Hook Norton (see our Links page, Breweries section), back in the 1950s. Engine no. 7823 Hook Norton Manor, was stationed at Truro engine shed from January 1957 (when records began) until April 1959. Truro shed closed in March 1962.