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ENGLAND'S BEST PUBS

The General Tarleton, North Yorkshire

Tommy Banks, one of Yorkshire’s favourite foodie sons, is most famous for the Michelin-starred restaurant Black Swan at Oldstead, but he’s no stranger to pubs. Actually, the Black Swan originally operated as a pub, 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 recently launched a hospitality arm dedicated to restoring other pubs across the UK. The first project is General Tarleton with eight rooms in Ferrensby village, near Harrogate. Food, naturally, is top notch, with refined versions of traditional pub dishes made with regional ingredients – the perfect fuel for riverside strolls and into the Nidd Gorge, a local beauty spot.

The Bat and Ball, Oxfordshire

It’s dogs by the fire 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 the esteemed Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons down the road. The Bat and Ball is the more casual of the pair – it even features a dartboard – and dishes take typical pub fare and dial them up with carefully sourced local ingredients. The five bedrooms have walls painted in deep fall colors to match the surrounding countryside, which is sandwiched between the Cotswolds and Chilterns.

King’s Arms, 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 Beatrix Potter Gallery and the Hawkshead Grammar School museum, where the poet Wordsworth carved 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. 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 tucking into after a hike up nearby Latterbarrow fell.

The Wellington at Boscastle, Cornish Coast

Known affectionately as The Welly, this centuries-old coaching inn overlooks Boscastle harbour on Cornwall’s dramatic north coast. A local brewery recently invested heavily doing it up, and it shows in the snug dining areas, snugs 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 a South West Coast Path national trail book for walks. The path runs right outside: heading west to Tintagel Castle, legendary birthplace of King Arthur according to legend, 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 fresh local fish in Gem Ale batter.

Woolpack Inn, Hampshire Countryside

Recently renovated by renowned designer Nina Campbell, this rural inn 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 abundant regional ingredients to draw on – supplemented by the pub’s sizeable vegetable 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 shelters. Upstairs, eight bedrooms are themed 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

Pub and restaurant firm Chickpea has nailed the contemporary inns with accommodation formula – excellent cuisine, friendly bar and keen prices for overnighters. The newest member to the fold is Fleur de Lys, a historic inn in the village of Cranbourne. The novelist Thomas Hardy was a frequent visitor here and references it in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. The revamp reflects its historical character: hops drape over the large open fireplace, candles glow 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 toffee pudding to look forward to back at the pub afterwards.

The Penny Bun, North Yorkshire

Inspired by a fungus found in local woods, 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. Located between Ilkley and Otley in the Yorkshire Dales, the recently opened pub is part of the Denton Reserve, a 1,012-hectare 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 pork croquette salad or gnocchi with roasted garden beetroots. The serene decor particularly suits the five bedrooms (the best room comes with a standalone tub), with deep beds to sink into after hikes on Ilkley Moor, right outside the front door.

The Ship, Norfolk Coast

This summer, The Peyton sisters revitalized this historic coastal inn with nine beamed bedrooms in the village of Brancaster. The cooking here has a light Mediterranean touch, and while menus have one eye on the sea (less than a mile’s walk away), local game is the star turn in autumn. On Sundays, expect whole pot-roasted venison shoulders served with foraged mushrooms instead of the usual chicken or beef, while in the front bar relax by the fireplace and enjoy a mangalitza pork sausage roll or monkfish scampi with a pint of Moon Gazer Ale. Outside, Norfolk’s big skies look particularly stunning at this time of year – look out for flocks of migrating pink-footed geese – and trails cut through dunes and marshes.

Leicester Arms Inn, Kent

Opposite from the entrance to medieval Penshurst Place and Gardens, this Grade II-listed pub is more attractive than ever after a £1.2m revamp last year. No wonder it scooped Kent’s county prize at the national awards: there are deep leather armchairs by the fire in the bar, real Kentish ales from nearby Larkins, and cut-above cooking in the dining room. The menu focuses on local produce, with lamb scotch egg and Whitstable oysters, while the 11 botanically named bedrooms are decorated in a classic style. Four rooms come with rolltop baths for soaking after walks after a stroll around the Penshurst Estate past River Medway, lakes and giant oak trees.

Swan Inn, West Sussex

The two-and-a-half year refurbishment of this Grade II-listed coaching inn in Fittleworth on the South Downs was worth the wait. Original features from its 14th-century roots mix with stylish comfort in the bar, restaurant and 12 elegant rooms – though it remains traditional, says owner Angus Davies. Meals served in the wood-panelled, art-adorned dining room draw on seasonal local produce (wild mushrooms and fresh plum pudding on our visit) and lavish breakfasts are served in a barn in the pretty gardens. Historic guestbooks are fascinating: famous visitors include JMW Turner, John Constable and Rudyard Kipling. There’s plenty to do nearby, from browsing antiques in local villages to walks on the downs, Petworth House and Arundel castle.

The Nevill Arms, Leicestershire Countryside

With its honeyed hamlets, charming towns and undulating landscape, the Welland valley is in a region sometimes referred to as the Notswolds (like the Cotswolds but more affordable). Nevill Arms in the village of Medbourne was revamped in 2023, with 10 rooms (including four-posters) spread between the pub and former stables – and soon 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 ales on tap – the favorite of which is an amber ale, Inclined Plane, named after the lift at nearby Foxton Locks.

New Inn Yealand, Lancashire

Young couple Ben and Lauren Sandiford took on the running of this seven-bedroom village inn in April. Ben brought his chef experience to the kitchen, which now turns out classy comfort food (shepherd's pie with mashed potatoes and cheese or beef pudding) to be eaten in the beamed dining room beside the log burner. The bar attracts locals sipping on