Ashburton, Devon, UK. Ashburton (population approx. 4,100) is located on the southern edge of Dartmoor. It was formerly important as a stannery (relating to tin) town, and is the largest town within the national park. The town has four pubs, although one is currently closed for renovation.

The first I visited was The Bay Horse Inn. The building is a three story 18th century timber framed structure located on North Street next to a memorial to a local soldier who was killed the Second Boer War, and is often associated with a neighboring cottage known as the "First and Last". The interior has exposed stone walls, dark timber beams and paneling, flagstone and wooden floors, an open fireplace with a wood burning a stove, and mainly upholstered perimeter banquette seating with tables. There are stools at the central bar, two of which have leather saddles as their seat. Out back there is a beer garden carved into the cliff face. It is said to be haunted , with the laughing and crying of children and footsteps being heard from upstairs. I sat down with a Dartmoor IPA from Dartmoor Brewery and had a nice chat with a couple of the locals, mostly about the horrible weather of the previous two weeks.

The next stop on my Ashburton crawl was the Silent Whistle. It was originally established in 1825 as the Old Bottle Inn and became The Railway Inn in 1872 following the arrival of the South Devon Railway. It was renamed the Silent Whistle in 1973 to mark the closing of the local railway line, operated as the Fleece and Firkin after a 1985 closure, then reverting back to the Silent Whistle in 1994. It is a warm and welcoming family run pub with two rooms off to either side of the bar, a snug room, a pool room a bit farther back, and a beer garden on the roof that I hear is quite the hang in the summer. I sat at the bar with a Jail Ale from Dartmoor Brewery and had a great chat with owner/bartender Paul about the town, beer, and the crazy politics of our time. I really got a great sense of town community from him - all the local pubs are friendly (which Bethany and I both felt about the town in general) and support each other.

My next stop was the Royal Oak (yes, yet another!). The building is believed to have been built in the late medieval period, potentially featuring a two room and cross passage plan with an open hall, as documented in HeritageGateway. It later served as a coaching inn, with history stretching back to the English Civil War when soldiers were billeted there. It is sometimes referred to as the Hound of the Baskervilles at the Royal Oak to fit its dog friendly environment ( I can vouch for this as I was almost knocked down by two romping pups!). Owner/bartender Carl (Paul from the Silent Whistle said to make sure I said hello from him) promotes local small breweries so he and I had a great conversation where I received so much great info. Two beers from Bridgetown Brewery (Totnes) - The Real Emergency Service! Albert Ale and West Country IPA were both delicious.

Unfortunately the Old Exeter Inn was closed for renovation. This was a real shame for me as it dates back to 1130 ( thought to be the oldest free house in the world!) and was known to be visited by Sir Francis Drake and Sir Walter Raleigh (who was arrested for reason there in 1603). Oh well, a reason to come back!

If you are ever in South Devon I highly recommend a visit to Ashburton. Great people, great pubs and great antique stores (which made Bethany very happy!).