Devon Cider and Where to Drink It Near Totnes

Devon has been making cider for centuries, and the South Hams still hosts some of the country’s oldest and most respected producers. Real Devon cider is a serious drink: still or lightly sparkling, made from named apple varieties, often unfiltered, and very far from the bright supermarket brands that share the shelf label. Here are the makers and venues to find the genuine article near Totnes.

Hunts Cider, Stoke Gabriel

Hunt’s was established in 1805 and is still run by the same family, now four generations on. They work eighteen acres of cider orchards on a 400-acre farm above the Dart estuary at Stoke Gabriel, and produce somewhere between 5,000 and 7,000 gallons a year, mostly from their own apples. Sales are direct from the farm gate, which means a short, scenic drive from Totnes brings you to one of the most authentic cider experiences in the region. Their Devon Scrumpy is a benchmark for the style, dry, cloudy, and with a long, complex finish that supermarket cider drinkers rarely encounter.

Sandford Orchards, Crediton

Sandford Orchards operates from Britain’s oldest cider works, just over an hour north of Totnes, and turns out a wide range from still farmhouse Scrumpy to sparkling and fruit ciders. The Cider Works runs tour and tasting evenings paired with cheese and a home-cooked meal, which makes a memorable day out. Closer to home, you will find Sandford on tap at many decent Totnes-area pubs. Devon Red is the entry point for most drinkers new to the style, balanced and approachable, while the keeved ciders reward more careful attention.

Where to drink real cider in Totnes

Totnes itself supports cider through several pubs that take it seriously. Look for blackboard mentions of Hunt’s, Sandford, or other local farmhouse producers rather than the keg standards. Many pubs run a guest cider rotation, so it is worth asking what is on this week. The Royal Seven Stars on the Plains and a few smaller pubs along the Fore Street tend to keep something interesting on tap year-round.

What to ask the bar

If the bar staff cannot tell you the apple varieties or the farm behind the cider, you are probably not drinking the real thing. Genuine Devon cider often comes by the half-pint glass with a polite warning about its strength, which usually hovers around 6 to 8 percent.

The Albert Inn, Bridgetown

The Albert Inn just across the river in Bridgetown is best known for its own Bridgetown Brewery beer, but it also takes its cider list seriously and often pours a Hunt’s or another local farmhouse. South Devon CAMRA voted it Pub of the Year for 2025, and the cider selection is part of that reputation. Worth the short walk over the bridge from Totnes town. The pub itself is gloriously unmodernised, which is exactly the right setting for a half of unfiltered farmhouse Scrumpy.

Watermans Arms area and the Dart Valley pubs

Several pubs in the villages around Totnes pour proper Devon cider as a matter of routine. Country pubs in Ashprington, Stoke Gabriel, Cornworthy, and Tuckenhay all tend to keep at least one local cider on tap, often direct from the farm. The Stoke Gabriel village pub is a logical stop after a visit to Hunt’s, and the lanes between these villages give you the views to match the drink. Walking between two or three pubs along the river makes a proper Devon afternoon, ideally with a cheese plate at the second stop.

Luscombe Drinks, Buckfastleigh

Luscombe is technically a soft drinks producer rather than a cider maker, but they have been making organic apple-based drinks since 1975 from a farm in Buckfastleigh. Their hot ginger beer and apple juices pair beautifully with cheese boards and Sunday lunches, and their work helps explain why this corner of Devon takes its fruit drinks so seriously. You will find Luscombe bottles in most South Hams farm shops, and they make an excellent driver’s option on a cider-focused outing.

The South Devon CAMRA scene

The South Devon branch of CAMRA actively tracks local cider quality and produces regional listings of pubs serving real cider. A look at their site before visiting will turn up village pubs you might otherwise miss, particularly the smaller, less obviously food-led places where cider remains the heart of the business.

Building a cider day

A satisfying South Hams cider day starts at the Totnes Saturday Good Food market, where local producers often have stalls. From there, drive out to Stoke Gabriel for the farm gate at Hunt’s, then loop back via a pub lunch at one of the Dart Valley villages. Finish at the Albert Inn for a late-afternoon pint where Bridgetown beer and farmhouse cider share the bar. The Dart Valley Trail and various footpaths link several cider pubs, which is the slowest and most rewarding way to do the day.

For visitors used to industrial cider, that first taste of a real Devon Scrumpy from a family farm can take some getting used to. Stick with it through the first half-pint and you will probably never go back, which is exactly what generations of Devon drinkers have been telling outsiders for a very long time.