Friday 1st July saw a small group of CAMRA Kernow branch members meet in the Ship Inn in Porthleven.

Some of the group had walked from Helston, via the Penrose Estate, the edge of Loe Pool and the coastal path to the beautiful harbour of Porthleven; other members arrived via the frequent bus services that serve the village from Helston and Penzance.

On meeting in the Ship, we were greeted by friendly bar staff and a choice of five real ales including Avocet from Exeter Brewery. While sampling the ales available we decided that our next ‘port of call’ would be the Atlantic Inn high above the village. It was a lovely sunny afternoon and as we made our way up to the Atlantic we looked down on some fantastic views of the harbour. At the Atlantic Inn there was a choice of three real ales including Tintagel Brewery’s Harbour Special and Sharp’s Atlantic. We sat outside at the front of the pub and enjoyed the spectacular vista.

Descending back down to the village we visited St Austell Brewery’s Harbour Inn. Here we found a relatively new brew from this brewery called Anthem available. At only 3.8% this is a very tasty addition to Tribute, Proper Job and Hick’s. Again, as the weather was so good, we sat outside on the harbourside and enjoyed watching the world go by.

For those of us heading home in an eastwards direction we caught the bus from Porthleven Square back to Helston. A visit was then made to the Blue Anchor pub were Spingo Middle and Spingo Special were available on the bar including other brews from this pub’s own brewery. This 15th Century pub with a thatched roof and corridor style layout is worth a visit at any time. Again as the weather was so good we gravitated to the large beer garden at the back of the pub. A good afternoon was enjoyed by all!

Report and photos by Jan Curtis