Lostwithiel is an exceptional place for several reasons. Founded not long after the Norman Conquest it was built by the lords of nearby Restormel Castle and became the capital of Cornwall in the 13th century. Today it still contains several historic buildings and the pack-horse bridge over the River Fowey at its tidal limit. It is one of the five Stannary Towns in Cornwall and was the scene of an important battle between the Roundheads and Cavaliers in 1644 (the Cavaliers won). An unusual fact of Lostwithiel is the coincidence of the St Michael and St Mary currents, or ley lines, at the church which itself contains some intriguing features. These currents course from near Land's End all the way to the Norfolk coast. St Michael runs along the road over the bridge and past the Globe Inn while St Mary goes right through the King's Arms and runs across the railway station.

So to this venerable town on Saturday 14 January 2023 fourteen jolly members of Cornwall CAMRA branch sat down to an excellent three-course post-Christmas lunch at the Royal Oak.

Arriving at the railway station, we walked over the bridge and headed for the Royal Oak, passing the Globe which did not open until 5pm.

After a period of heavy rain, the Fowey was looking quite menacing. Ironic that we still have a hosepipe ban.

The Royal Oak was a warm and welcome retreat from the January weather. We soon settled into the dining room with pints in hand. Our hosts had Doom Bar, Proper Job and Tribute on handpump, all in great condition. Apparently the locals get through a lot of it!

As you can see from the group photo, everyone is having a whale of a time; the beers went down, the meal courses came and went, once a little confusion was sorted out over who had ordered what. No names...

Sadly, the time came to head back home. A few of us popped into the King's Arms on the way back to the station. On arrival at the station we waited for our train back west but it didn't come. We found that it had been cancelled. So we trudged back to the King's Arms again for liquid comfort. Another warm and comfortable refuge from the weather with a nice pint of Tribute.

Lostwithiel level crossing is notorious for trapping would-be passengers on the wrong side of the line when their train is imminent. There is no footbridge so if the barriers are down you stand and watch your train come in and go out without you.

Although we were in time, we found the barrier down! We waited and watched a down-train pass through ahead of ours but the barriers did not go up. Instead, an up-train came in and stopped with our train imminent. We were expecting another trip to the King's Arms but our train did not arrive and the barriers went up. So we nipped over to the platform and were pleased, for once, to see that our train was about 15 minutes late. It did turn up and we got home dreckly.

Roll on next year's lunch! Thank you Roger for organising a jolly day out.

Cheers, Steve Barber