Food, drink and sleep

Descending from Scafell Pike my opening gambit to the visitors was often “beer or ice cream?”

There was a reason; trying to engage tourists in a genuine conversations quickly provided intel and conditions on the top were key when searching for casualties. The response was often similar, “what would you recommend”?

This led me to a quandary, the better brew pub was further down the valley whilst the historical centre served good beer at too high a price. My reply was often “the local beers”.

This wasn’t what the punters wanted, they really wanted you to say “well I am a local and I always drink in the King George”, they also sell ice creams …

The problems with making recommendations is that they change and therefore are with controversy.

Here is my basic three hit assessment:

1. Service; do they greet you with a smile and ask you what you want?

2. Is the beer / coffee / bed good value.

3. For me the third requirement was always an open fire. This has changed and increasingly I ask for Wi-Fi. I fully understand that this in not available everywhere but today with limited mobile reception in some places this can be a basic rescue requirement or preparation. Do they know the forecast if they have no wi-fi?

On my adventures, so far I have experienced a wide variety of service and I share them here.

Breakfast

The cafe in Dunsford is superb. Closed from October half term to Valentine’s Day he will cook me two eggs, four bacon and toast for £4. The perfect breakfast, the service is great but there is no Wi-fi. That’s okay because I often don’t need it first thing. The pub across the road shows promise … but I still have yet to catch it open.

The Fox Tor cafe serves a good breakfast too, especially when I have been stealthing it at 390.

The Wi-fi hums, in a Princetown sort of way and bunking at £13 is good value. Parking is simple, straightforward and the free visitor centre worth a visit.

It’s also worth mentioning the Priddy farm cafe here, up on Mendip, a favourite of mine; open at 9.

Brunch

I say brunch because I don’t really do lunch. I sometimes start late, tick a couple of squares [box codes] and then drop for a coffee or grab a pasty. The shop in Christow, Dunsford and South Zeal are all great for pasties and armed with a flask of boiled water [more later] I push on into the day. Coffee is brilliant in Moretonhampsted and both the Cross Street cafe and Central cafe provide great coffee, cakes and Wi-fi. There is also a bunkhouse which I will explore further.

The bakery in Horrabridge is organic and the pasties homegrown and fab.

Midday

Okay, so I don’t settle to a formal meal at lunch time but often a liquid one suffices. There are plenty of great pubs but it tends to be those off of the beaten track which have the best prices and genuinely provide for visitors, after all I am really a grockel here.

Somewhere to grab a pint, plan the next leg and maybe add a few images always helps.

The Kestor inn in Freeland, near Manaton provide all of the above along with plenty of 365 banter. It is a village store, was receptive to a lunchtime pint despite serving dinners and a ‘working mans’ venue, by this I mean, great value, choice of beer, mainly cask with Lino and wipe clean table. I do not seek out hirsute establishments with dark brown sofas as trying to scribble out the next plan onto an OS map does not work on a couch. I am also wearing my walking boots and so am only too realistic about where I will feel most comfortable.

The Fox and Hounds, near Lydford is another one of those establishment I can drop in whenever, I may sometimes grab a burger too.

The Warren House is is both a square, [i13] and an historical landmark. It is not the best value pint but here is always variety and the beer is well kept. I sit in the same place, beside the fire – another guarantee – and talk 365 … Increasingly as I am tweeting or posting 365 images LIVE word gets around I am out and about. This is a great place to meet.

On a side note here, some ask why I tweet rather than post as a primary channel? It is very simple, twitter drops your image to low res. on your phone, makes the priority uploading this and ignores the download. This makes better use of limited connectivity and battery.

The Peter Tavy inn shares similar credentials; variety, value – a published tariff – and welcome. Wi-fi is limited to the bar area, but who wants to sit with emmets gorging themselves?

The Skylark was my most recent visit, the beer was fair and I met some lovely punters but a request for Wi-fi was met abruptly and next time I will try the Meavy Oak. It takes little to be polite, the staff sat and ran down customers in the Bearslake Inn to such an extent that it spoilt my beer. I will try again because service depends on personalities but with the Castle Inn also in competition [a great nights accommodation] you would think this was a priority.

Another great lunchtime pint can be achieved in the Manor Inn, Lower Ashton and just outside of the 365 area but genuine service and great food too. The Cridford, in Trusham nearby has changed hands again, watch this space but in the meantime push that bit further up the valley.

Dinner

For me, dinner is the main meal of the day whether taken at midday or in the evening. The Elephants nest is a favourite [j3 Horndon] but the Fox and Hounds is my ‘go to’ venue. I often live off of cans from the back of the van and so set myself a daily allowance of about £10. With a beer at lunch this doesn’t leave much. I dine on just a main course, no frills, but with a ceiling of £10 the Fox always delivers.

Weatherspoons in Okehampton also offers great value. Emma’s cafe where the A30 meets the A303 offers beans on toast or egg on toast for £1.20, together this makes a meal. The transport cafe at Sourton Down is similar but no Wi-fi again.

The Plume of Feathers in Princetown offer straightforward meal efficiently served but the beer price is climbing and without internet value depreciates. I have been moved on before for not having a meal but also utilised a good value shared b&b room.

I’d like to explore local cafes and pubs more but I have friends in the east and so it is only recently that I am living on the western moors increasingly. Now that my van has a cooking platform it is so easy to warm up cans or sachets and the view is always stupendous.

Sleep.

Living in Sherborne I like to maximise my carbon and spend as much time on the moor as I can. Last time this involved some van sleeping but also some paid accommodation. Heading back towards Exeter costs carbon and whilst company is excellent it is harder to fully utilise daylight.

Initially I asked for recommendations from the 365 Facebook group and I have followed these up. I prefer bunkhouse accommodation but increasingly realise that if you talk to proprietors when they are empty, prices are quite fluid. Bed and breakfast offers the advantage of being up early and fully fuelled, before stepping out. Booking.com type sites offer a good introduction but with limited data are sometimes difficult to access.

Betty Cottles offers some of the cheapest rooms on these sites but Wi-fi is limited, the beer choice narrow and the chance of a good night sleep variable. It has just changed hands and the breakfast has declined in quality. Instead I now head for Meadowlea in Okehampton, single rooms are excellent value and combined with Weatherspoons you can get a great top up in calories. Breakfast is superb and they fill my flask without question.

I often pay between £20 and £25 for a single room, slightly more than a hostel place but the quality of sleep is so much better. Hotels such as the Fox offer singles from £40, I wouldn’t pay more. They offer the cheapest bunkhouse accommodation at £8 and I prefer this to a night in the snow but despite showers being included the beds are damp, pick a mattress carefully.

My primary choice is still van and whilst 320 and 270 offer the best quality all round views I still wants to spend more time exploring bunk and economy. This is mainly because the less I pay the longer I can stay out. In the silver seasons you often have exclusivity in the bunkhouses and tied with a good cafe this is an ultimate combination.

This just leaves the request for recommendations; add you favourite pub, cafe or bunk or even stealth spot. I try to be honest but do not shy away from poor service. If there is no internet then fine but be polite, I have 4G and so a solution is available often. Offer to try a beer or go off menu to complete a request. Breakfast shouldn’t be a can of tomatoes and a can of beans, I can buy those myself in the Co-op, if I fancy a veggie morning with a couple of poached eggs and some mushrooms on toast it probably shouldn’t cost £7!

And one final service which I totally recommend is Brocante of Tavistock. Penny tirelessly volunteers for 365 and keeps stickers and badges. She produced the maps and is now posting out the second edition of the book. She will also recommend a good place for ice creams!