Wednesday 27 February started as a foggy late-winter morning as members made their way to Newquay for the start of a meandering pub crawl to pubs on the north coast A5 First Kernow bus route.

Our intrepid leader, Steve, was found having his breakfast in the Towan Blystra Wetherspoon pub in Newquay, where a pint of Bay’s Devon Dumpling made a good start to the day.

By the time the bus got to Newquay Airport, the sun had burned off the fog and we were in for a sunny day. This A5 did not descend into the Vale of Lanherne to the village of St Mawgan-in-Pydar, so we strolled down the lane past the Tudor buildings of Lanherne Carmelite Convent of Contemplative Sisters. However, we were contemplating the beers at the Falcon Inn where Dartmoor Legend, St Ives Boilers Golden Ale and Wadworth 6X were on offer, discounted for us as CAMRA members.

The bus timetable called, so we reluctantly left magical St Mawgan behind to follow a magical mystery tour through villages, airfields and holiday camps to eventually arrive at St Merryn. There are two pubs in the area, the Farmer’s Arms in the centre of St Merryn and another St Austell house the Cornish Arms in Treveglos, some 700 yards to the north east. Sadly, there was only time to visit the Farmer’s Arms for a pint from a choice of St Austell Cornish Best Bitter, Proper Job or Tribute before the next bus heading back to Mawgan Porth to the Merrymoor, where Sharp’s Original went down very well.

Suitably revitalised (can I use that word?), we decided to walk to the Traveller’s Rest at Trevarrian, have our last pint, and pick up the next bus back to Newquay. The Traveller’s Rest is only 1000 yards from the Merrymoor – an easy stroll? Not quite; There was the small matter of the 240 vertical feet, most of which is climbed in the first third of the journey. Now we know why the pub is so called. A rest we had with St Austell HSD to fortify us before the bus duly arrived.

This is an interesting area of Cornwall, always close to the north coast with quite a few pubs in scattered communities that we did not have time to visit. Our quaint, bucolic road system means that the bus takes ages to make progress across country so that only a few pubs can be reached in a day but it proved worth the effort as the photos show.