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ENGLAND

The General Tarleton, Yorkshire Dales

Tommy Banks, one of Yorkshire’s favourite foodie sons, is renowned for the Michelin-starred restaurant the 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 moving into the kitchen. In 2023, he launched the Abbey Inn in Byland, and he has recently launched a hospitality arm focused on reviving other pubs across the UK. The first project is the eight-bedroom General Tarleton in the village of Ferrensby, near Harrogate. Food, naturally, is top notch, with polished takes on pub classics made with regional ingredients – ideal sustenance for walks along the river 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, famous for its theological college. It launched at the start of the year by the owners of the Lamb Inn in nearby Little Milton, and the culinary team at both locations gained experience 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 dial them up with premium local produce. Five guest rooms have walls painted in deep fall colors to match the nearby landscape, which is sandwiched between the Cotswolds and Chilterns.

King’s Arms, Lakeland

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 a young William 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 dates back to the 17th century. 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 stomp up nearby Latterbarrow fell.

The Wellington at Boscastle, Cornwall

Affectionately called The Welly, this centuries-old coaching inn overlooks Boscastle Harbor on Cornwall’s dramatic north coast. A local brewery recently invested heavily renovating it, and the results are evident in the snug dining areas, snugs and stained-glass windows. The pick of the bedrooms are the turret suites with standalone tubs, 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, 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 local catch in Gem Ale batter.

Woolpack Inn, Hampshire

Fresh from a makeover by renowned designer Nina Campbell, this country pub is the centre of life in the tiny hamlet of Totford in peaceful 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, currently growing pumpkin, celeriac and winter leaves. As well as supplying 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 themed after game birds, but it’s fly fishing the local star draw – angling for trout in the world renowned chalk stream of the River Itchen.

The Fleur de Lys, Dorset Countryside

Pub and restaurant firm Chickpea has nailed the modern country pubs with rooms formula – excellent cuisine, friendly bar and keen prices for overnighters. The latest addition 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 Tess of the D’Urbervilles. The renovation reflects its historical character: hops hang over the large open fireplace, candles glow on tables and, upstairs, the nine bedrooms are decorated in muted colours. Trails loop around Cranborne Manor, with dishes such as Brixham sea bass, venison barnsley chop and toffee pudding to look forward to back at the pub afterwards.

Penny Bun Inn, North Yorkshire

Named after a mushroom 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. Between Ilkley and Otley in the Yorkshire Dales, the recently opened pub is part of the Denton Reserve, a 2,500-acre estate undergoing an eco-friendly overhaul, 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 best room comes with a standalone tub), with plush beds to sink into after walks across Ilkley Moor, just steps away.

The Ship, Norfolk

This summer, The Peyton sisters revitalized this historic coastal inn with nine beamed bedrooms in the village of Brancaster. The cuisine has Mediterranean influences, 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 whole pot-roasted venison shoulders served with foraged mushrooms instead of traditional meats, while in the front bar settle in by the fire and tuck into a mangalitza pork sausage roll or monkfish scampi with a pint of local ale. Outside, the vast skies look particularly stunning at this time of year – look out for flocks of pink-footed geese – and walks cut through dunes and marshes.

Leicester Arms Inn, Kent

Across the road 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 2025 National Bar and Pub Awards: there are plush 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 a classic style. Four of them come with clawfoot tubs for post-walk soaks after a stroll around the Penshurst Estate past the River Medway, lakes and giant oak trees.

The Swan, West Sussex

The two-and-a-half year refurbishment of this historic inn in Fittleworth on the South Downs was well worth it. Period details from its medieval origins mix with stylish comfort in the bar, restaurant and 12 beautifully designed rooms – though it remains traditional, says the owner. Dining in the wood-paneled, painting-lined dining room utilize seasonal local produce (foraged ceps and plum pudding on our visit) and generous breakfasts are served in a barn in the pretty gardens. Historic guestbooks are interesting: famous visitors include JMW Turner, John Constable and Rudyard Kipling. There’s plenty to do nearby, from antique shopping in local villages to downland walks, Petworth House and Arundel castle.

The Nevill Arms, Leicestershire

With its honeyed hamlets, pretty market towns and undulating landscape, Welland Valley is in a region sometimes referred to as the Notswolds (like the Cotswolds but more affordable). The Nevill Arms in the village of Medbourne was revamped in 2023, with 10 bedrooms (including four-posters) spread between the inn and its converted stables – and soon they’ll add a 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 ales on tap – the favorite of which is an amber bitter, Inclined Plane, named after the lift at nearby Foxton Locks.

New Inn, Lancashire

Young couple 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 mash and ewe’s cheese crumb or beef pudding) to be eaten in the rustic dining area beside the log burner. The bar is filled with locals sipping on