ENGLAND
General Tarleton Inn, Yorkshire Dales
Tommy Banks, one of Yorkshire’s favourite foodie sons, is renowned for his award-winning restaurant Black Swan at Oldstead, but he’s no stranger to pubs. In fact, the Black Swan started out as one, with Banks working behind the bar at his family’s establishment before graduating to the kitchen. Recently, he launched the Abbey Inn in Byland, and he has just started a hospitality arm dedicated to restoring other pubs across the UK. The first project is the eight-bedroom General Tarleton in the village of Ferrensby, near Harrogate. The cuisine is exceptional, with polished takes on pub classics made with regional ingredients – the perfect fuel for walks along the river and into the Nidd Gorge, a scenic local area.
The Bat and Ball, Oxfordshire
Dogs lounge by the fireplace and dog collars at the bar at this charming pub in the village of Cuddesdon, famous for its theological college. It was opened at the start of the year by the proprietors of the Lamb Inn in nearby Little Milton, and the chefs at both locations gained experience at two-Michelin-star Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons down the road. This pub is the more relaxed option – it even features a dartboard – and dishes take typical pub fare and dial them up with premium local produce. The five bedrooms have walls painted in rich autumnal shades to match the surrounding countryside, which is nestled between the Cotswolds and Chilterns.
Kings Arms Inn, Lakeland
This family-owned pub, which reopened at the end of August, is at the heart of the Lakeland village of Hawkshead, just a short walk from the Beatrix Potter gallery and Hawkshead Grammar School Museum, where the poet Wordsworth etched his name into his desk. It’s rich in history in oak beams and stone floors at the King’s Arms too, which originates in the 1600s. At the dark-wood bar is a selection of regional ales including Coniston Old Man Ale and Cumbrian Ales Loweswater Gold, while the menu focuses on classics with Cumberland scotch eggs and beef wellington. The perfect meal to be enjoying after a hike up nearby Latterbarrow fell.
Wellington Hotel, Cornish Coast
Known affectionately as The Welly, this centuries-old coaching inn overlooks Boscastle Harbor on Cornwall’s dramatic north coast. A local brewery recently invested heavily doing it up, and it shows in the snug dining areas, intimate corners and stained glass panelling. The pick of the bedrooms are the two in the pub’s turret with standalone tubs, but all 14 come with artwork by local artists and OS maps and guidebooks for the coast path for walks. The trail passes nearby: heading west to Tintagel Castle, legendary birthplace of King Arthur as per myth, or round past Pentargon waterfall. After a coastal hike, there’s pints of Proper Job by the fire and servings of fish and chips to look forward to, made with local catch in ale batter.
Woolpack Inn, Hampshire Countryside
Fresh from a makeover by influential interior designer Nina Campbell, this country pub is the social hub in the tiny hamlet of Totford in the tranquil Candover valley. It is surrounded by fields and woodlands, so head chef Luke Stradling has plenty of local produce to draw on – supplemented by the pub’s large kitchen garden, currently growing pumpkin, celeriac and winter leaves. As well as supplying almost all the vegetables on the menu, the team also donates 20% of the harvest to community charities and shelters. Upstairs, eight bedrooms are themed after game birds, but fly fishing is the local star draw – casting for trout in the famous chalk stream of the River Itchen.
Fleur de Lys Inn, Dorset Countryside
Pub and restaurant firm Chickpea has mastered the modern country pubs with rooms formula – great food, welcoming bar and competitive rates for overnighters. The newest member to the fold is the Fleur de Lys, a 17th-century inn in the village of Cranbourne. The novelist Thomas Hardy was a frequent visitor here and references it in his novel Tess. The revamp reflects its period charm: hops drape over the large open fireplace, candles flicker on tables and, upstairs, nine rooms are decorated in muted colours. Walking routes loop around Cranborne Estate, with dishes such as Brixham bass, venison barnsley chop and toffee pudding to look forward to back at the pub afterwards.
Penny Bun Inn, North Yorkshire
Inspired by a fungus found in local woods, the Penny Bun is a break from conventional pubs. With its earthen walls and palette of earthy browns, the look is more wabi-sabi minimalism than traditional pub fixtures. Located between Ilkley and Otley in the Yorkshire Dales, the new inn is part of the Denton Reserve, a 2,500-acre estate undergoing a sustainably led transformation, focusing on carbon capture and sustainable agriculture. It supplies many of the ingredients found on the menu at the Penny Bun, such as Tamworth pork croquette salad or beetroot gnocchi. The calming aesthetic particularly suits the five bedrooms (the plum one comes with a standalone tub), with deep beds to sink into after walks across Ilkley Moor, just steps away.
Ship Inn, Norfolk Coast
Recently, Sisters Siobhan and Caitriona Peyton rebooted this seaside inn with nine rustic rooms in the village of Brancaster. The cooking here has a light Mediterranean touch, and while menus have one eye on the sea (a short walk from the coast), game from local estates is the highlight in autumn. For Sunday lunch, expect roasted venison served with local wild mushrooms instead of the usual chicken or beef, while in the front bar settle in by the fire and tuck into a mangalitza pork sausage roll or monkfish with a pint of local ale. Outside, Norfolk’s big skies look especially arresting at this time of year – watch for flocks of migrating pink-footed geese – and walks cut through dunes and salt marshes.
Leicester Arms Inn, Kent
Across the road from the entrance to medieval Penshurst Place and Gardens, this Grade II-listed pub is looking prettier than ever after a £1.2m revamp last year. No wonder it won Kent’s county prize at the national awards: there are deep leather armchairs by the fire in the bar, authentic Kent ales from a local brewery, and superior cuisine in the dining room. The menu highlights local produce, with lamb scotch egg and oysters from Whitstable, while 11 nature-themed rooms are decorated in an attractive heritage style. Four rooms come with rolltop baths for soaking after walks after a ramble around the Penshurst Estate past the River Medway, lakes and giant oak trees.
The Swan, Sussex Countryside
The lengthy renovation of this historic inn in Fittleworth on the edge of the South Downs was worth the wait. Original features from its medieval origins mix with modern comfort in the bar, restaurant and 12 elegant rooms – though it remains traditional, says the owner. Dining in the wood-paneled, painting-lined dining room utilize local seasonal ingredients (foraged ceps and fresh plum pudding on our visit) and lavish breakfasts are served in a barn in the pretty gardens. Historic guestbooks are fascinating: notable guests include JMW Turner, John Constable and Rudyard Kipling. Nearby activities abound, from browsing antiques in local villages to walks on the downs, Petworth House and Arundel Castle.
Nevill Arms Inn, Leicestershire Countryside
With its honeyed hamlets, pretty market towns and undulating landscape, Welland Valley is in a part of the country sometimes referred to as the Notswolds (similar to the Cotswolds but more affordable). The Nevill Arms in the village of Medbourne was refurbished in 2023, with 10 bedrooms (including four-posters) spread between the pub and its converted stables – and next year they’ll add a three-bedroom stone cottage next door too. On the food front, beef, pork and lamb are sourced from the owner’s farm, while in the inky blue-painted bar there’s a rotating line up of Langton Brewery beers on tap – the most popular of which is an amber bitter, Inclined Plane, named after the canal lift at nearby Foxton Locks.
New Inn, Lancashire
New owners Ben and Lauren Sandiford took on the running of this seven-bedroom village inn in April. Ben applied his culinary skills to the kitchen, which now turns out elevated comfort dishes (shepherd’s pie with mashed potatoes and cheese or beef pudding) to be eaten in the rustic dining area beside the log burner. The bar attracts locals sipping on
