THE Red Lion in Exboure has been named as the best pub in North Devon in the Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) Pub of the Year Awards.

This is the third time in four years that the pub has won the award.

Pubs are selected by CAMRA volunteers and judged on their atmosphere, decor, welcome, service, community focus and, most importantly, quality of beer.

Each year the judges evaluate pubs in their area to find their branch’s Pub of the Year.

The branch winners then go forward to battle it out in the regional heats in their quest to become National Pub of the Year.

Nick Hamlyn, landlord of the Red Lion, said: ‘We are completely thrilled to win the award for the third time in four years.

‘There’s a lot of criteria which you are judged on but what is great about the CAMRA awards is that you don’t enter yourself — you have to be nominated.

‘I think it is so important to look after our customers who want to drink in a proper country pub. I’ve owned the Red Lion Inn for about eight years now and I can still say that I love it!’

The pub is a traditional 16th Century real ale pub, and is only one of three pubs in Devon not to sell draught lager — this makes them a firm favourite with traditional drinkers who long for the days of old before pubs became bars.