The Pandora Inn

Arran Sweater Kind of Place

I'm not a fan of crowded places, unless they're pubs — pubs can be packed to the rafters, as long as it's with the right kind of people making the right kind of uproar. You get the right kind of people crammed into The Pandora Inn, a 13th century pub at Mylor Bridge, near Falmouth, Cornwall. I spotted quite a bit of waxed-cotton and an Arran sweater when I visited, but, sadly, I didn't see a single Cornish fisherman's smock.

The Pandora Inn is good for bitter and real ale drinkers, which is something else that inspires confidence when choosing a pub. I enjoyed a delicious pint of Trelawny Ale from local St Austell Brewery, a bitter blended from English and South Australian hops. I look forward to trying their Cornish stout, Mena Dhu.

The inn passes the essential winter check, with real fires warming the unadulterated rooms. Photo taken before the lunchtime drinkers descended.

The upstairs eating area of The Pandora has the feel of an old (non-celebrity) gentleman's club. The menu emphasises local produce, and being on the estuary of the River Fal flowing into the English Channel you can expect lots of fish and seafood to be available.

Trelawny?

Trelawny Ale is named after Sir Jonathan Trelawny, Bishop of Bristol, Exeter and Winchester, who is mentioned (or possibly his father) in the Cornish anthem The Song of the Western Men.

Cornwall's Man Engine has a go at the anthem below. The tune sounds a bit like The Ground Old Duke of York to me.