The Waterman’s Arms at Ashprington: A Country Pub on the Bow Creek

Three miles south of Totnes, where the lanes drop into the wooded valley of Bow Creek, the Waterman’s Arms sits on a stone bridge over the Harbourne River. The pub has been here since the 17th century, the bridge for longer, and the combination of slow water, hanging trees and a thick-walled inn full of fires makes this one of the most quietly atmospheric pubs in the South Hams.

The building and the setting

The Waterman’s has done a few things in its time. Old guides will tell you it served as a press-gang house and a prison, and at one point in the 20th century it doubled as a petrol station. The current building is unmistakably an old country pub: low ceilings, exposed stone, a log fire in the bar, a snug dining room and a riverside terrace that on a still summer evening is among the best in Devon.

It is owned by Dorset-based Palmers Brewery, which means three of their cask ales are on the bar at any time, alongside local ciders and a sensible by-the-glass wine list. Fifteen bedrooms are spread across the inn and an adjoining building, all comfortable rather than designed, with the better rooms looking down towards the water.

The food

The kitchen leans firmly into the West Country pantry. Recent menus have featured Nocellara olives and rosemary focaccia to start, a free-range pork and sage scotch egg with brown sauce, the Waterman’s double smash beef burger with proper triple-cooked chips, confit chicken leg with seasonal greens, braised free-range pork belly, battered Scottish smoked haddock for those who want the full fish-supper treatment, a braised beef shin and oxtail hot pot in cooler months, and a native breed eight-ounce rump steak. Sunday roasts are a fixture and book up quickly, particularly through autumn and winter. Vegetarian and vegan dishes are kept on the main menu rather than tucked into a corner.

Price bracket: ££. The menu changes with the seasons and the specials board carries whatever the chef has bought in fresh that day.

When to go

Try a midweek lunch in spring or autumn for the calmest atmosphere, when the woodland walks down the creek are at their best and the dining room is not full. Summer evenings on the terrace are obvious magic, but the pub knows it and weekends fill weeks in advance. Winter rewards anyone willing to drive the lanes: log fires, slow stews, the river smoking with mist outside the windows.

Booking and getting there

Bookings can be made through the pub’s website or by phone. For Sunday lunches and summer weekend evenings, book at least a week ahead. The pub is about a ten-minute drive from Totnes via Ashprington village; the lanes are narrow and slow, and satnav can be misleading, so allow more time than the distance suggests. There is a small car park on the riverbank just before the bridge.

Walks from the pub

A short footpath drops directly from the terrace and follows the Harbourne upstream through old oak woodland, with the option of looping back via Ashprington village and the Sharpham estate. From Tuckenhay, just downstream, there are gentle waterside paths along Bow Creek that work well as a pre-lunch appetite-builder. Pack proper shoes; the paths can be muddy after rain.

Who it suits

Sunday roasters, walkers, dog owners (dogs welcome in the bar and on the terrace), anyone who wants a country pub with bedrooms and the option of more than one drink with dinner. The setting is romantic without being twee, which makes it a quietly good choice for a low-key birthday or a slow weekend away. Couples often combine a stay here with a tasting at nearby Sandridge Barton, the home of Sharpham Wine, just up the lane.

For a country pub that still feels like a country pub, with a creek running past the door, the Waterman’s Arms is worth the wiggle of the lanes.

The Tuckenhay loop

A walk many regulars build around lunch follows Bow Creek from Tuckenhay (a five-minute drive away) along the old industrial wharf, through the woods on the south bank of the creek, and back up the lane into Ashprington village. The full loop is around four miles and crosses Bow Bridge directly outside the pub, which makes it the natural stopping point for a long Sunday. Watch the tide table: at low water the creek shows oyster catchers, curlews and the occasional egret working the mud, while high tide brings the water level all the way up to the bridge and gives the pub a striking riverside feel.

Staying overnight

The 15 bedrooms make the Waterman’s a comfortable base for two or three nights of slow Devon exploration. Sharpham Wine, Dartington Hall, Greenway (Agatha Christie’s old house) and the Dart Estuary ferries at Dittisham are all within easy reach. Rooms vary in size and view; the riverside-facing rooms book up first and are worth the small extra cost. Breakfast is served downstairs and uses local eggs, bacon and bread.