It’s 11:30 a.m. and I’m hunkered in a corner of the cozy Crab & Ale House pub in Truro, southwest England. A six-pack of red-nosed locals are gossiping at the bar, ’60s pop music is softly percolating through concealed speakers, and an armada of nautical memorabilia — including a broken mast — hangs from the ceiling as if it’s been there forever.

Probably no one does old-school pubs better than the Brits, and the ancient inns of Devon and Cornwall make this arguably the country’s finest pilgrimage spot for travelers who like to sup as they explore. It’s even more attractive if you make your visit on the Maritime Line, one of seven specially designated Rail Ale Trails — picturesque train routes with pit stops at cities where you can take a self-guided tour of recommended pubs, all of them within walking distance of a station.

As I sip on a fruity half-pint of Doom Bar Bitter, just one of several enticing local offerings that line the counter, I open my map and plan an easygoing afternoon of quaffing as I travel from Truro to Falmouth. I have a multitude of choices: A half dozen Maritime Line stations are listed, with walking directions to 14 taverns. I finish my brew, nod to the bartender, and amble out toward the station. After purchasing an all-day train pass, I’m soon clattering past rolling, sheep-strewn hills fringed with broccoli-green hedgerows.

Within minutes, the half-empty two-car train rolls into Perranwell Station. The only passenger to alight — locals mostly use this line for their work commutes — I follow the gently curving road downhill. I quickly reach a small village of rose-covered stone cottages. My first stop: the Royal Oak.

Humming with convivial chatter, it’s the epitome of a great country pub. Several locals greet me at the tiny counter, and the barman walks over to recommend a couple of guest ales and to let me know that lunch is being served. Sliding into a window table, I’m somewhat surprised to find a gourmet menu of meat and seafood delicacies, so I decide that lining my stomach as a precursor to the beer that’s soon to follow is probably a good idea.

After a hearty feast of roasted Gressingham duck decorated with blackberries and served with dishes of steaming vegetables — augmented by a malty half-pint of mild Betty Stogs Bitter — I feel ready for a nap. Instead, I take the sobering uphill walk back to the station and arrive just as the train pulls in. The guard recognizes me (the same service rolls up and down the line all day) and tells me that Rail Ale pub crawls are popular on weekends, when over-indulgers often wind up looking sorry for themselves after trying a few too many of the stronger brews. As we screech to a halt at Penryn Station, I determine to keep things under control.

There are three recommended pubs in this town, and I have my sights set on one of them: the historic Kings Arms, which bills itself as having hosted the traveling court of Henry VII. Some of its scuffed tables look like they may have been there at the time, but there’s an amiable neighborhood-bar feel that makes this pub well worth a stop. Or maybe it’s the sudden rainfall lashing the windows that makes it so welcoming.

Once seated, a bearded old fellow at the adjoining table — the kind of twinkle-eyed character whose daily visits here are probably as regular as the tide — begins telling me about his favorite local beers. It’s like listening to someone describing his colorful, eccentric relatives. He suggests HSD, a dark St. Austell ale that sounds as if it could put hairs not only on your chest, but also the chests of everyone sitting around you.

Ducking back into the fading rain, I hike the seemingly obligatory hill and board the train to Penmere, where five pubs await. If the photo in my map booklet is a trustworthy indicator, the most intriguing of them is the Seven Stars, a three-story landmark with an unusual, brass-strewn interior. But it’s closed when I arrive, a reminder that some UK pubs shutter their doors in the afternoon.

Luckily, I spy a substitute across the town square that isn’t on the map: the Wodehouse Arms. I stop in for a glass of creamy Tribute ale before joining the locals on the now-sunny street and striking up a conversation with a father-and-son team who’ve just packed up their market stall for the day.

The cawing of circling seagulls reminds me that my sea-front destination is not too far down the line. Feeling a bit merry by this stage (a second glass of Tribute could possibly have something to do with my cheery demeanor), I’m soon on the train and bouncing along the final few miles of track.

No pubs are recommended for the Falmouth Docks stop at the end of the line, so I decide to disembark at Falmouth Town Station. With its centuries of seafaring heritage, this old port is an atmospheric tangle of cobbled streets and stone-built shops, suffused with the aroma of fish and chips wafting from several home-style cafes.

There are plenty of pubs to choose from here, but I head straight for the pink-painted Quayside Inn and the day’s final nip. An Aladdin’s cave of ales, the pub offers almost too many brews to choose from, but I finally settle for a pint of copper-colored Cornish Coaster from Sharp’s Brewery.

The dark, wood-lined bar is empty, so I take my pint outside to the portside patio, where the tables are crowded with locals and the air is thick with animated conversation. The slowly sinking sun casts a warm, orange glow over the early evening proceedings, and I sit back to enjoy the vista of bobbing fishing boats and snack-hunting seagulls. It’s hard to imagine being more relaxed — until I remember that, given my passenger-only status, I could have just one more for the road….

WHEN YOU GO
GETTING THERE
US Airways offers daily nonstop service to London’s Gatwick Airport from Charlotte and Philadelphia, and has recently added nonstop service from Philly to Heathrow Airport.

GETTING AROUND
You can reach the termini of the six Rail Ale Trails in Cornwall and Devon by car, bus, or rail. (A seventh line runs between Bristol and Weymouth.) A handy “Journey Planner” feature at the British Tourist Authority’s Web site provides details on travel times between cities (visitbritain.transportdirect.info/visitbritain/en). If you’ve already decided to make the journey by train, go to nationalrail.co.uk to see a list of timetables.

A Maritime Line Ranger ticket (£3) provides unlimited one-day train travel up and down the line between Truro and Falmouth. Map brochures and timetables are available at Truro Station. There are also five additional Rail Ale Trails in the Devon and Cornwall region. For info on the Rail Ale lines and destinations visit railaletrail.com.

WHERE TO STAY
Royal Hotel
Located on Lemon Street near Truro’s town center, the Royal offers modern, spacious ensuite rooms and a large restaurant featuring seasonal menus and Wi-Fi access.
Lemon Street
011.44.1872.270345
royalhotelcornwall.co.uk

Tudor Court Hotel
A large, traditional bed and breakfast, Tudor Court is only a five-minute walk from Falmouth Town Station.
55 Melvill Rd.
011.44.1326.312807
cornwall-online.co.uk/tudor-court-hotel

FOOD AND DRINK ON THE LINE
Crab & Ale House
Reputedly Truro’s oldest pub, this congenial bar offers choice local and regional beers like Doom Bar and Old Speckled Hen. The lunch-only menu features sandwiches and fresh seafood.

Royal Oak
This foodie pub in Perranwell offers the best eats on the Maritime Line, as well as beers from Sharp’s Brewery and a variety of guest ales. Lunch and dinner are served.

Kings Arms
A Penryn town center pub with a history and a regular clientele, the Kings Arms serves regional brews and traditional lunch and dinner bar food.

Wodehouse Arms
Overlooking Penmere market square, the Wodehouse offers plenty of local ales, particularly from St. Austell Brewery. Lunch and dinner are served Monday through Saturday from April through October, while a lunch-only menu is featured November through March. (Sunday lunches are available year-round.)

Quayside Inn
This big Falmouth pub has a great selection of beer from brewers like Sharp’s and Skinner’s — plus an ever-changing array of guest ales. Lunch and dinner are served.

ECCLESIASTICAL EXCURSIONS
Martin Luther once said that it’s better to think of the church in the alehouse than of the alehouse in church. And should the urge to visit a centuries-old chantry hit you as you’re enjoying a bitter — or if you prefer your explorations alcohol-free — the Cathedrals Express is for you. Operated by a company called Steam Dreams, these trains trundle their day-trip passengers on a scenic route from London through the countryside to some of England’s loveliest churches.

The trips aren’t just about colorful ecclesiastical heritage. Using a shiny battalion of steam locomotives dating to the 1920s and a clutch of restored period carriages, the Cathedrals Express carries passengers in old-fashioned style. Bath, Salisbury, and Stratford-upon-Avon are among the many destinations offered every week in the summer months, while special trips are scheduled for Valentine’s Day, Christmas, and during the “shoulder season” in spring and fall.

Passengers can choose to dine on board during their journey (all the trains have dining cars serving everything from quick snacks to full meals), and there’s usually about four hours to explore a town on foot before the return trip to London. And for those who aren’t averse to hard beverages when wandering around some of England’s medieval streets and market squares, you’re never far from a cozy old pub where you can raise a glass of ale to the golden age of steam — and the magnificence of English cathedrals.

Cathedrals Express day-trips around the UK start from £49.50 (about $96), with snacks and meals extra. For more information, call 011.44.1483.209888 or visit steamdreams.com.

John Lee is a British-born travel writer who resides in Vancouver, British Columbia. His work has appeared in this magazine, National Geographic Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and the Lonely Planet series of guidebooks.

Top photo: ER Productions/Corbis, barman: Guido Cozzi/Corbis, all others: Corbis, map by Poul Lange.