We had a huge turnout of members to the Twixmas pub crawl in Falmouth on Friday 27 December, organised by Jan and Vince Curtis. A veritable gathering of the clan.

As usual, we started at the Seven Stars although some members were early and nipped in the Packet Station for a quick one, while other members arrived 40 minutes late thanks to buses not running to timetable. The Seven Stars was packed with jovial members in seasonal dress. One even brought his pet piglet.

Then it was time to move on to the Beerwolf Books, again with a superb range of well-kept beers on handpump.

Suitably fortified, the next pub in the crawl was more of a breathless stagger up a great height of many steps to the Seaview Inn from which there is a great view of the sea (surprise, surprise) and Falmouth port. The mariner on the pub sign looked remarkably like the one famous for saying “I’ve never known a night like it…”. I was welcomed with various sorts of wave from my colleagues and even the piglet came out from his master’s coat to say hello. It was well worth the effort with more lovely beers on handpump!

Onward and downward to the Touc Inn which is a new bar opened in September 2024 downstairs under the Cornish Bank. The entrance can take a bit of finding and involves a serpentine staircase (its shape, not the rock) into the vaults of the Bank as evinced by the thick bars on the windows. Once inside, we packed the small bar, which is fully equipped for all sorts of drinks including handpumped cask ale and real cider.

Time marched on and it was to the Oddfellows Arms next, known as the Oddies to the locals. This meant more steps upwards but not too far this time. Three handpumped beers of different styles were there for our delectation. More conversation ensued and the little piglet had a sleep.

The day finished with a visit to another flagship pub – the ‘front on Custom House Quay. An even huger range of beers was available on the long row of pumps which made the choice so difficult. Last pint or two, and fish and chips from upstairs for some!

Thanks Jan and Vince for leading and to all those members who turned up to make it such a grand day out.

Cheers, Steve Barber