The Okehampton castle ruin is mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as the centre of the estates of Baldwin de Brionne, Sheriff of Devon, during the late 11th century. Little exact history is know of this castle ruin but it is said to be the largest in Devon. As you can see it's a bit of a steep climb and on this visit we just didn't have time to explore as I would have liked to. Henry VIII did a nasty thing called the blood-purge of old White Rose nobility. I am not historically knowledgeable enough about it other than to say that in 1538 Henry put to death the owner of this castle... and then the castle was torn down.
It is located just a short walk from the centre of town up Castle Lane, which starts at the intersection of where George Street, Mill Road and Station Road all meet. George Street is just off East Street where the Museum of Dartmoor life is located.
A little foot bridge crosses this small river which runs past the castle grounds. There was an abundant bird population here, I found it quite restful. It was then my good brother in law Roger mentioned we must go up to the Okehampton Country Club, he had a bit of business to see to and then we would have a pint... and the Castle was also visible from the course... that is if I wanted to bother to have a view... I wasn't about to say no.
The Okehampton golf course is situated on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon. It's an 18 hole course, the greens are said to be well maintained and my Brother in Law say's in some parts when walking it would do you well to have one leg longer than the other. He's a member and plays at least once a week.
The Clubhouse itself is very quiet, that's most likely due to serious golf talk going on... I enjoyed sitting here sipping my ale while Roger took care of business.
We made our way up to the bar to order, Roger asked for a Legend and I thought do the opposite, order a Reel Ale, and while he was attending to his business I drank the Legend by mistake.
Legend Ale: from the website we read... " The combination of cool pure Dartmoor Water, the finest Devon Grown Malted Barley and the best of English Hops has created a classic cask conditioned beer smooth full flavoured and balanced with a delicious crispy malt fruit finish." 4.4% VOL...
I will agree with that.
Roger returned to find I had doused his ale... he laughed and we did another round... this time I went for the Reel Ale, anther fine ale brewed locally by Teignworthy Brewery and from their website we find: "This is their popular session beer at 4% VOL. It has a clean, quenching taste and smooth finish and is made with traditional floor-malted barley and a blend of English hops. My only regret is Roger wasn't going out for a round of golf today... for if he were... I would have been legless upon his return.
Teignworthy Reel Ale: (Click Here)
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