Thursday 10 December 2020

10/12/20 - The Castle Inn, St Ives

Geocaches - 1 and an Adventure Lab Cache

Good Beer Guide Tick - #537

We fancied a change from the hardcore rambling, through mud and rain. 

So a day for pootling around.  St Ives (the real one), our destination.

An Adventure Lab Cache will guide us around the town - making us count the platforms at the Station (Spoiler Alert:  1), the windows on the door of the lifeboat station, the age of the oldest pub in town (sure this location will come in handy later) and a couple of chapels.  Super fun.... in perfect weather conditions, better than when you are meant to be on holiday.

St Ives
Looking down over town 

View from St Ives Head
A view from the final Adventure Lab Cache Location - St Ives Head

Beach Scene
Guide Dog in Training Abi enjoying a day off the rambling

I imagine both my blogfans to be not in Tier 1 and therefore expect  me to get on with the pubs.

Pilchard Press Alehouse

The sign carried two bits of worrying news.  It doesn't open until 4pm - when Mrs M likes to be back for her power nap - and their interpretation of the laws are stating that as they don't do food, only Tier 1'ers can come in.

Tierists.

The Pilchard Press Alehouse, St Ives
One for the dubious Good Beer Guide Tick Panel...


The Castle, Skinners Penny Come Quick Milk Stout

Castle Inn, St Ives
Success - Good Beer Guide Tick #537

I'd completed my research - I knew this was open and the web site says it does pub grub.  We are keen for a substantial meal, so should have no problems.

There's still a frisson of nervousness, as we queue behind the velvet rope and await instructions from the visored-ones.

Card Only, Sign In on Track and Trace, Hand Sanitisation but they have no food.  Apart from for Guide Dog Abi, who was supplied with copious amounts of dog treats.  Abi is such a door opener, I am tempted to retry the Star Inn at St Just but I am sure that the farmer would just shoot her for worrying his regulars.

Apart from the staff outnumbering us, we have the place to ourselves and sit in prime position - next to the Xmas Tree, with the light streaming in through the coloured glass lead windows.

Ignoring the Doom Bar, I get experimental with a milk stout.

Skinner Penny Come Quick at the Castle Inn, St Ives
Substantial and Satisfying, a meal in a glass

Castle Inn, St Ives
How I have missed these scenes

Castle Inn, St Ives
... In the company of Snowmen

I could have happily spent the afternoon there.  But we need food.

The Sloop Inn

I would tell you the age of the Sloop Inn but that would be a spoiler for the Cache.  Lets just say it could be troubling Ye Olde Fighting Cocks, The Trip and the Porch House.

The Sloop, St Ives
Its very old

Genuinely balmy - so we sit outside, under a gazebo, which means that we can listen to this particular Guv vet his potential customers.

The two lads in front of us are from Tier 2.  They are turned away, as they only want drinks.

We are from Tier 2 and we want food.  We are in (or should I say out) with no problem. 

The next group are also from Tier 2 but want to sit at the benches next to the harbour walls.  There is no food served at those benches but they are allowed to have beers and buy pasties from the bakery next door.

Keeping up blogfans?  There is a quiz at the end.

Finally, before we all get bored, our host guesses the next couples Tierage.... "I can tell you are from Cornwall, but can you let me know exactly where please?" he asks.

"Wales" is the reply.

"Oh that's fine then for drinks or food" he makes up on the spot.

I feel like protesting - isn't the whole of Wales in a worse position than Tier 2 - with no alcohol sold at any pub and closure at 6pm?  Twitter was even suggesting that Supermarkets would be booze free in the Principality.

Instead, I keep schtumm, for  I have a plan for the remainder of our trip.

I'll lose all vowels when communicating with Bar Staff.  

"peint o gwrw os gwelwch yn dda", if only I can get my tongue around it.

Instead, I got my tongue around a rather nice club sandwich and a Doom Bar.  In a plastic cup.


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