The Turf

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The Turf Waterside pub on the Exe Estuary Trail, between Exeter and Dawlish, opposite Topsham. Seasonal food, local drinks & estuary views. Open May 8th to 1st Nov 2026.

Little turn in the weather 🤪 The first named storm of the season, Storm Austen, might send you heading for inside so we'...
22/10/2026

Little turn in the weather 🤪 The first named storm of the season, Storm Austen, might send you heading for inside so we've got the cosy covered! Fires are on, tables are laid and we're ready to take this on!

Opening hours (and yes we will be!) can be found just here https://the-turf.com/food-drink/

Did you know that Turf wasn't just built somewhere random?It was built here because this was where Exeter's canal met th...
12/10/2026

Did you know that Turf wasn't just built somewhere random?

It was built here because this was where Exeter's canal met the sea.

The Exeter Ship Canal itself goes all the way back to 1566, making it one of Britain’s earliest purpose-built canals. But by the 1820s, Exeter wanted to get larger vessels further inland.

Engineer James Green extended the canal south to Turf, creating the new Turf Lock, which opened in 1827. That meant ships could enter the canal directly from the Exe estuary rather than relying on the older arrangements.

The Turf Hotel was built alongside the new lock to accommodate the lock keeper and crews of vessels using the canal.

No rainbows without rain! Seasonal delights over the canal this lunchtime 🌈☔️
09/10/2026

No rainbows without rain! Seasonal delights over the canal this lunchtime 🌈☔️

Hot chocolate actually started life as a bitter, spiced drink enjoyed by the Maya and Aztecs in Mesoamerica, long before...
07/10/2026

Hot chocolate actually started life as a bitter, spiced drink enjoyed by the Maya and Aztecs in Mesoamerica, long before we got involved with the marshmallows and whipped cream. It was later sweetened and turned into the cosy chocolate drink we know today.

Which feels particularly appropriate in October. The days are getting shorter, there’s a bit of a chill in the canal air and suddenly sitting somewhere lovely with something warm (we got you!) in your hands feels like exactly the right thing to do.

So yes, today we think hot chocolate with a view is the order of the day!

Just two of our favourite people, doing what they do best. 🍻 Happy weekend, see you from 10!https://the-turf.com for all...
03/10/2026

Just two of our favourite people, doing what they do best. 🍻 Happy weekend, see you from 10!

https://the-turf.com for all our September and October info.

It’s that time of year again.⁠ The windows (and gardens!) here are quite good for this sort of thing.⁠⁠Look out across t...
29/09/2026

It’s that time of year again.⁠ The windows (and gardens!) here are quite good for this sort of thing.⁠
⁠
Look out across the estuary and you might start spotting some of the birds returning for autumn and winter - curlew, oystercatchers, redshank, dunlin, avocets, black-tailed godwits and, as the season goes on, those unmistakable dark-bellied brent geese.⁠
⁠
They’re not just passing through for the view, either.⁠ The Exe Estuary is an internationally important feeding and resting place for migrating and wintering birds, with around 15,000 waders and wildfowl spending the winter here. The mudflats and marshes are full of the food they need after some seriously long journeys.⁠
⁠
So if you see someone quietly staring out of the window this autumn, they not just waiting in their delicious lunch ❤️

Address

The Turf
Topsham
EX68EE

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 10pm
Wednesday 10am - 10pm
Thursday 10am - 10pm
Friday 10am - 10pm
Saturday 10am - 10pm
Sunday 10am - 8pm

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