A very nice, comfortable and update pub. The interior is contemporary and super clean and…read moreunpretentious. There are also a variety of inn rooms to let. The service was very friendly and cheerful. Everything seemed very orderly and organized. We came specifically for fish and chips and were not disappointed. The menu for both drinks and food is varied. As for a beer I chose a pint of draught, the Proper. A light beer with a nice light mellow taste it uses American hops, oddly enough. The fish and chips were excellent. As for the fish itself it was flakey, fresh and the breading perfect. It never got soggy. The quality could hit be beat. Also the chips were plump and well prepared and delicious. The meal came with a small side of mushy peas, warm and quite good as well as a tartar sauce and a brown sauce with a curry flavor. All very good. It was a filling meal and most enjoyable. If you want a nice contemporary pub or a very good fish and chips, this is a great place to have a meal.

My clear favourite pub in St Austell & its environs. And in this case we are in the environs, in…read moreCharleston. This is the first pub you encounter on the way down the hill and if drink is all you are interested in then you can probably just stop here. I love St Austell Brewery, but not many of their pubs have a guest (first time I have seen it). This pub had an almost full selection of their beers (even the Black Prince was holding court) and local wench Betty Stogs was available too. Had to go for Proper Job, what with it being one of my five favourite beers ever, but if I'd been able to stay longer I would not have been bored! Lovely feel to the place with a nice garden for the warmer weather. Perfect? Maybe if they get in an exterminator in to fumigate the Stella infestation :)

Great local pub, with a lovely catering option. The staff are very friendly and the garden has a…read morewonderful view out on to the old square of Llantwit where a number of other pubs reside. Guinness is always good here

A genuinely historic pub serving real ale and food - with a real fire in winter…read more The Old Swan Inn sits in the old centre of the ancient town of Llantwit Major, across the narrow street from the 15th Century town hall. The pub building may be almost as old - it is thought to have been built as a substantial house in the 16th century, although it is not clear when it became a pub. Records show that in the 1650s the owner was allowed to mint his own tokens due to a shortage of coinage - usually a sign of a pub or other business. Anyway, it has now been a pub for at least 200 years, and feels like it: the stone-built exterior is fairly plain, with a low door giving on to a small, cosy room, with another room (with the bar) off to the right. The interiors are exactly what you would expect: flagstone floors, stone walls, traditional dark wood furniture, and low beamed ceilings. There is an attractive beer garden outside for use in the summer, as well. The pub is known for its real ale, and has three or four on at any time - usually local or interesting small breweries, which makes for a nice change. They serve food as well - roasts on Sundays, with a slightly more adventurous menu during the week. The food is fine, though not outstanding, but service was prompt and very friendly - as were the bar staff. On my visit, there was a roaring fire in the main dining area. The main downer is that it does get very busy, and is worth booking a table if you want to eat. The crowd a mixture of locals (coming to drink) and well-heeled Vale types coming to eat. There's no car parking at the pub, (the streets are far too narrow for that) but there is a municipal car park over the road, just behind the town hall.

I stayed here for several days while on a trip for work. If you need to go to the Met (UK…read moreMeteorological Office) or anywhere else in the Exeter Business Park and want to stay within walking distance, this is one of your only 2 choices. I didn't check out the other hotel (Rok?). I would definitely be happy to stay here again if I had business in the area. Clean, well kept, and the people are friendly. Parking is free and plentiful. If you're able to drive on the left side of the road, it's only a few minutes drive into Exeter proper. Truth be told, I'm better off not driving on the 'wrong' side, so I took the bus most days. The front desk staff steered me wrong on the bus schedule and route numbers, but I have to admit the bus routes are a little confusing. I had to go on trial and error. On the plus side, the buses stop right across the street. This hotel has a bar with some light snacks and provides the typical free breakfast (which is very good!), surprisingly similar to the one you get at Holiday Inn Express hotels in the United States. The only restaurant within walking distance is the Barn Owl, but it is good food.

A nice hotel just down the road from downtown Exeter. You can catch the hop and ride bus just…read moreacross the street from the hotel, which run every 15 minutes. The hotel itself is pretty decent. The rooms are not a bad size, although the double bed that I have is not really double sized, so they lied to me there. Lots of tv channels on a big screen tv and there is a kettle with coffee and tea available in the room. Best is the breakfast - scrambled eggs, beans, toast, sausages, etc.

In the middle of Widecombe in the Moor is this fantastic hostelry. Good choice of real ales (fursty…read moreferret was my favourite) and a very, friendly, professional atmosphere. I had a simple ham, egg and chips. Sorry, used the word simple but this was not your standard fayre. The eggs were free range and the ham just melted in the mouth. Normally a bit of chewing is needed but this ham, as i have said, melted. Lovely pub to finish off the day having wandered around this interesting village/hamlet.

The Old Inn is a large, recently refurbished brewery pub. It has a mixture of small dining rooms…read moreand larger eating areas. There is a large, attractive beer garden and parking at the rear. The smaller rooms have some charm but the larger area could be any plastic pub. I visited The Old Inn on a Thursday in May with a couple of friends after a long and tiring day. I had recommended it after a pleasant previous visit made better by Munich Hofbrau on tap. When we arrived in the pub at 10pm and ordered a round there wasn't anyone else in there. About 20 minutes later the manager turned the music off which struck us as a little odd. At 10.30pm we went to the bar to get another round before the bell rang for last orders. Our simple, "Same again please," was met with an abrupt, "We're shut," from the manager. We left. And went to the Rugglestone Inn down the road.

The Duke of Wellington is a great place to relax with friends and enjoy a drink and grab a quick…read morebite. I'm American so I ordered the Philly cheesesteak which is a bit different from what I'm used to but it was overall tasty.

Tip: If you are about to embark on a DIY ale trail of Cardiffs best real-ale pubs, don't start at…read morethe Duke Of Wellington Pub at The Hayes. And why not I hear you ask? Because it has some of the most comfortable seats, the nicest barmen, the cosiest ambience and the very best beers brewed by Cardiff's own Brains Brewery. If you're anything like us, then you'll not want to leave! Our ale trail began and ended with the Duke of Wellington, with no stops in-between, so was a bit of a non-starter as it were. On the plus side at least we still have that list of recommended Cardiff real ale pubs on hand for our next visit. A big thanks to the Duke of Wellington for a lovely afternoon well spent. They even have an interesting bar menu with extensive vegetarian options. I am a little bit in love!

Perched on the edge of the river Taff near the Millennium Stadium's walkway, next door to Holiday…read moreInn Cardiff, Callaghan's is an Irish pub although there's more emphasis on live gigs than anything particularly Irish. I think they still have Irish folk on, on one night a week - but other nights see open mic, Celtic rock, Djs, and so on. It has outdoor balcony seating which overlooks the river, with a fairly spacious garden area with picnic benches. On match days the place inevitably fills up with sports fans very quickly, as it's just a couple of minutes' walk around the corner from the stadium, but apart from that it's also popular with some students and live music fans.

Callaghan's is the large Irish bar placed directly across from Cooper's Field and just behind the…read moreMillenium Stadium. And when I say large, I mean it. I've been there countless times, and I don't think I've managed to see the entire thing yet. I've seen bands play on the main stage, gone to a different part of the pub and been unable to hear them. It's actually quite a wonderful aspect of the place. Being directly below the large Holiday Inn hotel, the pub is peppered with load-bearing pillars that can't be removed which adds a little something to the ambience of the place. It closes off small portions of the bar so that patrons can feel like they have a degree of privacy, which is always nice. The pub is especially great on home match days, when they roll down the screens, turn on the projectors and let the atmosphere from the stadium next door seep into the crowd. It's a bit of a nightmare afterward, having to navigate the stadium crowd and the pub punters, but it's worth it for the experience. In short, the beer is cold, the cider is crisp, the whiskys are many and the atmosphere is great, and that's all that matters.