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The General Tarleton, Yorkshire Dales

Tommy Banks, a celebrated Yorkshire chef, is most famous for the Michelin-starred restaurant Black Swan at Oldstead, and he also has deep pub roots. 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. In 2023, he opened 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 General Tarleton with eight rooms in Ferrensby village, near Harrogate. Food, naturally, is top notch, with polished takes on pub classics made with local produce – the perfect fuel for riverside strolls and into the Nidd Gorge, a local beauty spot.

Bat and Ball Inn, Oxfordshire

It’s dogs by the fire and clergy at the bar at this charming pub in the village of Cuddesdon, best known for its clergy college. It was opened at the start of the year by the owners of the Lamb Inn in nearby Little Milton, and the culinary team at both locations cut their teeth at the esteemed Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons down the road. The Bat and Ball is the more casual of the pair – there’s even a dart board – and menu items elevate classic pub food and dial them up with premium local produce. Five guest rooms have walls painted in rich autumnal shades to match the nearby landscape, 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, just a short walk from Beatrix Potter Gallery and Hawkshead Grammar School Museum, where the poet Wordsworth carved his name into his desk. It’s rich in history in the oak beams and stone floors at the King’s Arms too, which dates back to the 17th century. At the dark-wood 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 enjoying after a hike up nearby Latterbarrow fell.

The Wellington at Boscastle, Cornwall

Affectionately called The Welly, this historic coaching house overlooks Boscastle harbour on Cornwall’s dramatic north coast. A local brewery recently invested heavily doing it up, and it shows in the cosy dining rooms, intimate corners and stained-glass windows. The best rooms are the turret suites with standalone tubs, but all 14 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: west to Tintagel Castle, legendary birthplace of King Arthur according to legend, or east towards Pentargon waterfall. Post-hike, there’s pints of local ale by the fire and servings of fish and chips to look forward to, made with fresh local fish in ale batter.

The Woolpack Inn, Hampshire

Recently renovated by renowned 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 chef Luke Stradling has plenty of local produce 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, the team also donates 20% of the harvest to community charities and homeless shelters. Upstairs, eight bedrooms are themed after game birds, but it’s fly fishing the local main attraction – casting for trout in the famous chalk stream of the River Itchen.

Fleur de Lys Inn, Dorset

Pub and restaurant firm Chickpea has mastered the modern country pubs with rooms formula – great food, friendly bar and keen prices for overnighters. The newest member to the fold is Fleur de Lys, a 17th-century inn in the village of Cranbourne. Author Thomas Hardy was a regular guest here and makes reference to it in his novel Tess. The revamp reflects its historical character: hops drape over the large open fireplace, candles glow on tables and, upstairs, the nine bedrooms are decorated in subdued tones. Walking routes loop around Cranborne Manor, with dishes such as Brixham sea bass, venison barnsley chop and sticky 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 departure from your traditional boozer. With its earthen walls and earth-toned palette, the style is minimalist than traditional pub fixtures. Between Ilkley and Otley in the Yorkshire Dales, the recently opened pub is part of Denton Reserve, a 2,500-acre estate undergoing a sustainably led transformation, shifting to carbon sequestering and regenerative farming. It provides 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 plum one comes with a freestanding bath), with deep beds to sink into after hikes on Ilkley Moor, just steps away.

The Ship, Norfolk Coast

Recently, Sisters Siobhan and Caitriona Peyton rebooted this seaside inn with nine rustic rooms in the village of Brancaster. The cuisine 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 star turn in autumn. For Sunday lunch, expect whole pot-roasted venison shoulders served with foraged mushrooms instead of traditional meats, while in the front bar relax by the fireplace and enjoy a pork roll or monkfish scampi with a pint of local ale. Outside, Norfolk’s big skies look especially arresting at this time of year – look out for flocks of pink-footed geese – and trails cut through dunes and salt marshes.

Leicester Arms Inn, Kent Countryside

Across the road from the entrance to medieval Penshurst Place and Gardens, this historic pub is looking prettier than ever after a £1.2m revamp last year. It’s easy to see why it won Kent’s county prize at the 2025 National Bar and Pub Awards: there are plush armchairs by the fire in the bar, real Kentish ales from nearby Larkins, and superior cuisine in the dining room. The menu highlights local produce, with lamb scotch egg and Whitstable oysters, while 11 nature-themed rooms are decorated in a classic style. Four rooms come with rolltop baths for post-walk soaks after a stroll around the Penshurst Estate past the River Medway, lakes and ancient oaks.

Swan Inn, West Sussex

The lengthy renovation of this historic inn in Fittleworth on the South Downs was well worth it. Original features from its medieval origins mix with modern comfort in the bar, restaurant and 12 elegant rooms – though it remains “proudly old fashioned”, says owner Angus Davies. Meals served in the wood-panelled, art-adorned dining room utilize seasonal local produce (wild mushrooms and plum pudding on our visit) and generous 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 antique shopping in local villages to downland walks, Petworth House and Arundel Castle.

Nevill Arms Inn, Leicestershire Countryside

With its picturesque villages, charming towns and undulating landscape, Welland Valley is in a part of the country sometimes referred to as the Notswolds (like the Cotswolds but more affordable). The Nevill Arms in the village of Medbourne was refurbished in 2023, with 10 rooms (including four-posters) spread between the inn and former stables – and next year they’ll add a three-bedroom stone cottage next door too. Culinarily, beef, pork and lamb are reared on the owner’s farm, while in the inky blue-painted bar there’s a changing selection of Langton Brewery beers on tap – the favorite of which is an amber ale, Inclined Plane, named after the lift at nearby Foxton Locks.

New Inn Yealand, Lancashire Countryside

New owners Ben and Lauren Sandiford assumed the running of this seven-room 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 fireplace. The bar attracts locals sipping on