Originally I had said that I would give a blow by blow account of the day, but in reality a lot happens on these trips and many photos were taken. The main highlight for me on that day was the discovery of the 10oz Burger that is served by The Mare and Foal in Yeoford. This densely meaty burger was a fantastic mid-drink addition, and the whole afternoon got a whole lot better its discovery.
Leaving the station at 09.27 we wanted to get up in time for breakfast in Barnstaple. The first pub was Marshalls and luckily for us, they do a very reasonably priced breakfast. However we rocked up to the station three minutes late, so it was going to be breakfast in Exeter instead.
The Great Western had a board about breakfasts, so we pottered over to have a look. Unfortunately for The Great Western there was nobody at the bar, so we waited and when someone did appear they didn’t greet us with the customary ‘how can I help you?’, just a ‘hello’ and then just ignored until one of the party pursued him and found out that despite saying they did breakfasts, they weren’t serving food until 12pm. So a quick getaway to the burger van across the roundabout and a very nice Bacon and Egg Roll consumed.
We caught the next train up an hour later, and arrived at Barnstaple after a pleasant and picturesque journey. First pint in Marshalls was a pint of Fox by Exmoor Brewery, and then a quick departure back to the train to catch the train to the next pub. Our next pub was The Rising Sun in Umberleigh where I met ‘Dave’. Dave is an Ale brewed by Great Heck Brewery, a dark stout with a Smokey yet sweet taste to it. Certainly my favourite ale of the whole trip.
Then back on the train to Yeoford and the mighty 10oz Burger at The Mare and Foal.
If you tried to describe The Mare and Foal, the first word that would come to mind would be quirky. Owned by Trevor and Jane, Trevor does the cooking being the creator of this dense meat feast. Despite the fact a few pubs along the North Devon Ale Trail have dropped out, The Mare and Foal still gladly welcome train bound travellers who have given this pub a bit of a cult status.
The Burger:
Listed as a 10oz burger, the size of it didn’t strike me being worthy of the label until you bite in to it and realise how dense this thing is. Hand made in the pub, our entire party had decided that they would all like the burger so this ultimately meant they soon sold out (sucks to be the guy after us who I heard rather disappointedly head back to his table to say that the burgers were all sold out). The burger came with chips and a generic salad, but an epic portion for just shy over a tenner. Washed down with a pint of Bays Summer Ale it couldn’t get any better, plus it had a definite kick to it given the extra seasoning and spices that go in to it.
Soon it was back on the train and on to another pub. We had intended to stop at Newton St Cyres and visit The Beer Engine, but the train didn’t stop at Newton so we had to make an unexpected stop at Crediton.
Pub-wise, Crediton isn’t blessed with much. One of the pubs on the Ale Trail involves walking up a hill and in to town which, although it’s a nice walk, isn’t great if you’re of limited mobility because of either alchohol or health. So we decided to walk in a certain direction and see what we hit first. And we hit The Plymouth Inn. Not a real ale in sight but full of character instead. A sod off great Rottweiler patrolled the floor as we daintily sipped our weasel piss.
In no time at all we were back on the train heading back Exeter, and rather predictably we ended up in The Imperial sipping down a pint of Crispy Pig and reflecting on a successful day. I can't remember much after the first Jagarbomb but it all got a bit squiffy after that.
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