Branscombe has, by reasonable consensus, two of the better pubs in East Devon — and both are within walking distance of Hole Mill. Beyond the village itself, there is a wider hinterland of country pubs and gastro-rooms within twenty minutes' drive. This is the local's guide to the pubs we actually recommend, with honest notes on what each does well and what to expect.

In Branscombe itself

The Mason's Arms

The pub at the centre of Branscombe village. Twelfth-century thatched building (rebuilt and extended over the centuries), inglenook fireplaces, low beams, a stone-flagged bar, a small courtyard garden, and rooms upstairs if you want to make a night of it. Owned and run as a free house. Beer from St Austell, Otter Brewery and other south-west breweries. Food is gastropub-leaning — proper bar lunches at the bottom end, decent dinners at the top. Sunday lunch is busy, sensible to book.

The Mason's is the pub we recommend most often to guests for a sit-down dinner without driving. It is a 12-minute walk from Hole Mill (downhill — uphill on the way back).

Distance from Hole Mill: half a mile, about 12 minutes' walk. Best for: dinner and Sunday lunch, log fire in winter, drinks in the courtyard in summer. Booking: strongly recommended for dinner, essential for Sunday lunch.

The Fountain Head

At the top of the Branscombe valley — the higher of the two village pubs, named for the spring rising in the hill behind. Genuinely 14th century, with stone-flagged floors, a real fireplace, low beams, a tiny restaurant in the back, and the kind of atmosphere most modern pubs spend a fortune trying to fake. Cask beer from Branscombe Vale Brewery (brewed about 200 metres up the valley). The food is simpler than at The Mason's — proper pub lunches, good ploughman's, decent burgers, a few daily specials.

Distance from Hole Mill: about half a mile uphill, 15 minutes' walk on a steep track. Best for: a long pub lunch, a proper pint by the fire, walking guests in. Booking: sensible at weekends.

Within a 20-minute drive

The Pig at Combe (Honiton)

The southern outpost of the Pig hotel group, set in a 16th-century manor house in Gittisham, eight miles north of Branscombe. The dining room is an open kitchen with a wood-fired grill; the menu is "25-mile-radius" sourced (everything from within 25 miles, including a kitchen garden). Loud, busy, expensive, brilliant. Bar food (pizzas from the wood oven, bar plates) is more accessible than the full restaurant menu and excellent value. The bar and terrace are open to non-residents without booking.

Distance from Hole Mill: approximately 8 miles, 20 minutes by car. Best for: a smart lunch out, drinks on the terrace, the wood-fired pizzas in the bar. Booking: essential for the dining room; bar usually fine to walk in.

The Salty Monk (Sidford)

A long-established Devon restaurant with rooms, set in a 16th-century salt-house on the road into Sidmouth. Smart but unpretentious — owner-run, very local in feel, with a small fixed menu of three or four starters and mains that change with the season. Probably the best fine-dining you can do in this part of Devon without going further afield. Booking essential.

Distance from Hole Mill: approximately 6 miles, 15 minutes by car. Best for: a proper anniversary or celebration meal. Booking: essential — usually a few weeks ahead at weekends.

The Hare & Hounds (Putts Corner, near Honiton)

A roadside pub on the A375 between Sidmouth and Honiton, eight miles from Hole Mill. Big country pub with rooms, a strong gastropub menu, a vast beer garden, and reliable Sunday lunches. Not as smart as the Pig but considerably cheaper and unfussy. The kind of pub locals use for big family gatherings and hearty winter lunches.

Distance from Hole Mill: approximately 7 miles, 15 minutes by car. Best for: big family lunches, Sunday roast for groups. Booking: weekends only.

The Anchor Inn (Beer)

Halfway up the Beer village street, with a beer garden looking out over the cove. Standard pub fare done well, with seafood from the Beer fishing boats often featuring on the specials board. Brilliant for lunch after a Branscombe-to-Beer coastal walk.

Distance from Hole Mill: approximately 4 miles, 10 minutes by car (or 90 minutes' walk on the coast path). Best for: lunch after a coastal walk, fish from the local boats. Booking: weekends in summer.

The Barrel of Beer (Beer)

The other pub in Beer — at the top of the village, less polished, less busy with tourists, more of a locals' place. Good cask beer, simple bar food, friendly. Worth knowing about if The Anchor is full.

Distance from Hole Mill: approximately 4 miles, 10 minutes by car. Best for: a quieter pint when Beer is busy. Booking: not usually needed.

Slightly further afield (worth the drive)

The Queen's Arms (Corton Denham, Somerset)

A drive — about an hour from Hole Mill, near Sherborne in Somerset — but worth knowing about for a longer lunch outing. Award-winning country pub with rooms, a serious wine list, and food that takes itself seriously without being pretentious. The kind of pub you make a small expedition to.

Distance from Hole Mill: approximately 35 miles, 60 minutes by car. Best for: a destination lunch on a quieter day.

The King's Arms (Charlton Horethorne, Somerset)

A few miles from the Queen's Arms, very similar in style — an upmarket gastropub with rooms in a quiet Somerset village. Worth combining with the Queen's Arms if you are touring the area.

Distance from Hole Mill: approximately 35 miles, 60 minutes by car. Best for: a smarter Somerset lunch.

Pubs worth avoiding

We won't name them, but a couple of the more visible "tourist trail" pubs in the surrounding villages have a reputation among locals for inconsistent food and slow service. If a pub looks a bit too obviously aimed at coachloads, it probably is. The pubs we list above all serve their local trade as well as their visitors, which is the best signal there is.

Practical tips

  • Most pubs in Devon serve food from noon to 2 pm and from 6 to 9 pm. Outside those hours, you may struggle to find anything more substantial than a packet of crisps. Always check before you set off.
  • Sunday lunch is the local main event. Most country pubs serve from noon and stop taking orders by about 3 pm. Book at any pub worth visiting.
  • Children and dogs are welcome at almost every pub on this list, but check ahead at smarter places (The Pig and The Salty Monk are more restaurant than pub).
  • Cask beer. This is south-west England — proper cask beer is the rule, not the exception. Otter Brewery, St Austell, Branscombe Vale, Bath Ales, Exeter Brewery and Quantock Brewery all turn up regularly on local pumps. Don't miss them.

Walking pub crawl from Hole Mill

For anyone who wants to drink at a walking pace:

  • 2 pm: The Mason's Arms in the village (12 minutes downhill from Hole Mill).
  • 3 pm: Walk up the valley to The Fountain Head (about 25 minutes).
  • 5 pm: Walk back down to The Mason's.
  • 7 pm: Dinner at The Mason's.
  • 9.30 pm: Walk back uphill to Hole Mill.

A perfectly reasonable Saturday for grown-ups.

Branscombe punches above its weight on pubs — two genuinely good ones in the village, plus a wider radius of brilliant gastropubs within twenty minutes' drive. Check our availability for your dates.