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ENGLAND'S BEST PUBS

The General Tarleton, Yorkshire Dales

Tommy Banks, a celebrated Yorkshire chef, is best known for his award-winning restaurant the 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 launched 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 Ferrensby village, near Harrogate. The cuisine is exceptional, with polished takes on pub classics made with regional ingredients – the perfect fuel for riverside strolls and into Nidd Gorge, a scenic local area.

The Bat and Ball, Oxfordshire Countryside

It’s dogs by the fire and clergy at the bar at this quaint inn in the village of Cuddesdon, famous for its theological college. It launched at the start of the year by the owners of 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 – 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 sandwiched 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, around the corner from the Beatrix Potter gallery and Hawkshead Grammar School Museum, where the poet Wordsworth carved his name into his desk. It’s rich in history in 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 stomp up nearby Latterbarrow fell.

Wellington Hotel, Cornwall

Affectionately called The Welly, this historic coaching house overlooks Boscastle harbour on the rugged north Cornwall coast. A local brewery recently splashed millions renovating it, and the results are evident in the snug dining areas, intimate corners and stained glass panelling. The pick of the bedrooms are the turret suites with freestanding baths, but every room come with artwork by local artists and ordnance survey 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 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.

Woolpack Inn, Hampshire

Recently renovated by renowned designer Nina Campbell, this country pub is the centre of life in the small village of Totford in the tranquil Candover valley. It is surrounded by fields and woodlands, so chef Luke Stradling has abundant regional ingredients to draw on – complemented 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 local charities and homeless shelters. Upstairs, eight guest rooms are named after game birds, but it’s fly fishing the local main attraction – angling for trout in the famous chalk stream of the River Itchen.

The Fleur de Lys, Dorset

Pub and restaurant firm Chickpea has nailed the contemporary inns with accommodation 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 his novel Tess. The renovation reflects its historical character: hops hang over the large open fireplace, candles glow on tables and, upstairs, nine rooms 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

Named after a mushroom found in local woods, the Penny Bun is a departure from your traditional boozer. With its earthen walls and palette of earthy browns, the look is more wabi-sabi minimalism than brass beer pumps. Located 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 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 calming aesthetic particularly suits the five bedrooms (the best room comes with a standalone tub), with plush beds to sink into after hikes on Ilkley Moor, right outside the front door.

Ship Inn, Norfolk

Recently, Sisters Siobhan and Caitriona Peyton rebooted this historic coastal inn with nine rustic rooms 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 star turn in autumn. For Sunday lunch, expect roasted venison served with foraged mushrooms instead of traditional meats, while in the front bar relax by the fireplace and enjoy a pork roll or monkfish with a pint of local ale. Outside, Norfolk’s big 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 Penshurst Place, this historic pub is more attractive than ever after a £1.2m revamp last year. It’s easy to see why it scooped 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 nearby Larkins, and superior cuisine in the dining room. The menu focuses on local produce, with Kent lamb scotch egg and oysters from Whitstable, while 11 nature-themed rooms 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. Period details from its 14th-century roots mix with stylish 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 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 interesting: 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

With its honeyed hamlets, charming 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 rooms (some with four-poster beds) spread between the pub and former stables – and next year they’ll add a three-bedroom stone cottage next door too. Culinarily, beef, pork and lamb are sourced from the owner’s farm, while in the blue 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 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 is filled with locals sipping on