ENGLAND'S BEST PUBS
The General Tarleton, North Yorkshire
Tommy Banks, one of Yorkshire’s favourite foodie sons, is renowned for his award-winning restaurant Black Swan at Oldstead, and he also has deep pub roots. In fact, the Black Swan started out as one, with Banks serving drinks at his family’s establishment before graduating to the kitchen. In 2023, he launched the Abbey Inn in Byland, and he has just started a hospitality arm focused on reviving other pubs across the UK. First up is the eight-bedroom General Tarleton in the village of Ferrensby, near Harrogate. The cuisine is exceptional, with refined versions of traditional pub dishes made with regional ingredients – the perfect fuel for walks along the river and into Nidd Gorge, a local beauty spot.
Bat and Ball Inn, Oxfordshire Countryside
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 Lamb Inn in nearby Little Milton, and the chefs at both locations cut their teeth at two-Michelin-star Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons down the road. This pub is the more relaxed option – there’s even a dart board – and dishes take typical pub fare and enhance them with premium local produce. The five bedrooms have walls painted in rich autumnal shades to match the surrounding countryside, which is sandwiched between the Cotswolds and Chilterns.
King’s Arms, Lake District
This family-owned pub, which relaunched at the end of August, is at the heart of the Lakeland village of Hawkshead, around the corner from Beatrix Potter Gallery and the Hawkshead Grammar School museum, where the poet Wordsworth etched his name into his desk. It’s rich in history in the oak beams and slate floors at the King’s Arms too, which originates in the 1600s. Behind the dark-wood panelled bar is a roster of local beers including Coniston Old Man Ale and Cumbrian Ales Loweswater Gold, while the food leans towards classic with Cumberland scotch eggs and beef wellington. Just the thing to be tucking into after a stomp up nearby Latterbarrow fell.
Wellington Hotel, Cornish Coast
Known affectionately as The Welly, this historic coaching house overlooks Boscastle Harbor on the rugged north Cornwall coast. A local brewery recently splashed millions doing it up, and it shows in the cosy dining rooms, snugs and stained-glass windows. The pick of the bedrooms are the turret suites with freestanding baths, but every room come with local art on the walls and ordnance survey maps and a South West Coast Path national trail book for walks. The path runs right outside: heading west to Tintagel Castle, birthplace of King Arthur as per myth, or round past Pentargon waterfall. Post-hike, there’s pints of Proper Job by the fire and plates of fish and chips to look forward to, made with local catch in Gem Ale batter.
Woolpack Inn, Hampshire
Recently renovated by renowned designer Nina Campbell, this country pub is the centre of life in the tiny hamlet of Totford in the tranquil Candover valley. Set amid fields and forests, so head chef Luke Stradling has plenty of local produce to draw on – supplemented by the pub’s large kitchen garden, right now filled with pumpkin, celeriac and winter leaves. In addition to providing almost all the vegetables on the menu, staff also contribute 20% of the harvest to community charities and homeless shelters. Upstairs, eight guest rooms are named after game birds, but fly fishing is the local main attraction – angling for trout in the famous chalk stream of the River Itchen.
Fleur de Lys Inn, Dorset Countryside
Hospitality group Chickpea has nailed the modern country pubs with rooms formula – great food, friendly bar and competitive rates for overnighters. The newest member to the fold is the Fleur de Lys, a historic inn in the village of Cranbourne. Author Thomas Hardy was a frequent visitor here and references it in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. The revamp reflects its historical character: hops hang over the large open fireplace, candles flicker on tables and, upstairs, nine rooms are decorated in muted colours. Trails loop around Cranborne Estate, with dishes such as Brixham bass, venison chop and sticky toffee pudding to look forward to back at the pub afterwards.
The Penny Bun, Yorkshire Dales
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 style is minimalist than brass beer pumps. Between Ilkley and Otley in the Yorkshire Dales, the new inn is part of Denton Reserve, a 1,012-hectare estate undergoing an eco-friendly overhaul, shifting to carbon sequestering and regenerative farming. It supplies many of the ingredients found on the menu at the Penny Bun, such as pork croquette salad or beetroot gnocchi. The calming aesthetic particularly suits the five rooms (the best room comes with a standalone tub), with plush beds to sink into after hikes on Ilkley Moor, right outside the front door.
The Ship, Norfolk
This summer, Sisters Siobhan and Caitriona Peyton revitalized this seaside inn with nine rustic rooms in the village of Brancaster. The cuisine has a light Mediterranean touch, and while menus have a focus on seafood (less than a mile’s walk away), game from local estates is the highlight in autumn. On Sundays, expect whole pot-roasted venison shoulders served with foraged mushrooms instead of traditional meats, while in the front bar relax by the fireplace and tuck into a pork roll or monkfish scampi with a pint of Moon Gazer Ale. Outside, the vast skies look particularly stunning at this time of year – watch for flocks of pink-footed geese – and trails cut through dunes and salt marshes.
Leicester Arms Inn, Kent Countryside
Opposite from the entrance to Penshurst Place, this historic pub is looking prettier than ever after a major renovation last year. It’s easy to see why it won Kent’s county prize at the 2025 National Bar and Pub Awards: there are deep leather armchairs by the fire in the bar, real Kentish ales from a local brewery, and cut-above cooking in the dining room. The menu highlights local produce, with lamb scotch egg and Whitstable oysters, while the 11 botanically named bedrooms are decorated in an attractive heritage style. Four of them come with rolltop baths for post-walk soaks after a stroll around the Penshurst Estate past the River Medway, lakes and ancient oaks.
The Swan, West Sussex
The two-and-a-half year refurbishment of this Grade II-listed coaching inn in Fittleworth on the South Downs was well worth it. Period details from its medieval origins mix with modern comfort in the bar, restaurant and 12 beautifully designed rooms – though it remains traditional, says the owner. Meals served in the wood-paneled, painting-lined dining room draw on local seasonal ingredients (foraged ceps and plum pudding on our visit) and lavish breakfasts are served in the barn in the gardens. The old visitor books are fascinating: notable guests include JMW Turner, John Constable and Rudyard Kipling. There’s plenty to do nearby, from antique shopping in local villages to walks on the downs, Petworth House and Arundel castle.
Nevill Arms Inn, Leicestershire Countryside
With its picturesque villages, pretty market towns and rolling countryside, Welland Valley is in a part of the country sometimes referred to as the Notswolds (like the Cotswolds but more affordable). Nevill Arms in the village of Medbourne was refurbished in 2023, with 10 rooms (some with four-poster beds) spread between the inn and former stables – and next year they’ll add a three-bedroom stone cottage next door too. On the food front, beef, pork and lamb are reared on 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 ale, Inclined Plane, named after the canal lift at nearby Foxton Locks.
New Inn, Lancashire Countryside
Young couple Ben and Lauren Sandiford took on the running of this seven-room inn in April. Ben applied his culinary skills to the kitchen, which now produces elevated comfort dishes (shepherd’s pie with mash and ewe’s cheese crumb or beef and ale suet pudding) to be eaten in the rustic dining area beside the fireplace. The bar is filled with locals sipping on
