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General Tarleton Inn, Yorkshire Dales

Chef Tommy Banks, one of Yorkshire’s favourite foodie sons, is most famous for his award-winning restaurant the Black Swan at Oldstead, and he also has deep pub roots. Actually, the Black Swan originally operated as a pub, with Banks serving drinks at his family’s establishment before moving into the kitchen. Recently, he launched Abbey Inn in Byland, and he has just started a hospitality arm dedicated to restoring 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 refined versions of traditional pub dishes made with regional ingredients – ideal sustenance for walks along the river and into the Nidd Gorge, a scenic local area.

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, best known for its clergy college. It was opened at the start of the year by the proprietors of the Lamb Inn in nearby Little Milton, and the culinary team 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 – there’s even a dart board – and menu items elevate classic pub food and dial them up with carefully sourced local ingredients. 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, Lake District

This independently run inn, which reopened 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. There’s plenty of history in the oak beams and stone floors at the King’s Arms too, which originates in the 1600s. Behind the dark-wood panelled 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. Just the thing to be tucking into after a stomp 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. St Austell Brewery recently splashed millions renovating it, and it shows in the cosy dining rooms, intimate corners and stained glass panelling. The pick of the bedrooms are the turret suites with freestanding baths, but every room come with local art on the walls and OS maps and a South West Coast Path national trail book for walks. The trail passes nearby: heading west to Tintagel Castle, birthplace of King Arthur according to legend, or east towards Pentargon waterfall. After a coastal 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 Countryside

Recently renovated by renowned designer Nina Campbell, this rural inn is the social hub in the tiny hamlet of Totford in the tranquil Candover valley. Set amid fields and forests, so chef Luke Stradling has plenty of local produce 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 shelters. Upstairs, eight bedrooms are named after game birds, but fly fishing is the local star draw – casting for trout in the famous chalk stream of the River Itchen.

The Fleur de Lys, Dorset Countryside

Hospitality group Chickpea has mastered the contemporary inns with accommodation formula – great food, friendly bar and competitive rates for overnighters. The latest addition to the fold is 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 glow on tables and, upstairs, nine rooms are decorated in muted colours. Trails loop around Cranborne Estate, with dishes such as Brixham sea bass, venison barnsley chop and 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 departure from your traditional boozer. With its earthen walls and palette of earthy browns, the style is minimalist than traditional pub fixtures. Between Ilkley and Otley in the Yorkshire Dales, the new inn is part of the Denton Reserve, a 2,500-acre estate undergoing a sustainably led transformation, focusing on carbon capture 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 serene decor particularly suits the five rooms (the best room comes with a freestanding bath), with deep beds to sink into after hikes on Ilkley Moor, right outside the front door.

The Ship, Norfolk

Recently, The Peyton sisters rebooted this historic coastal 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 highlight in autumn. For Sunday lunch, expect roasted venison served with foraged mushrooms instead of the usual chicken or beef, while in the bar settle in by the fire and tuck into a pork roll or monkfish with a pint of local ale. Outside, Norfolk’s big skies look especially arresting at this time of year – watch for flocks of pink-footed geese – and trails cut through dunes and salt marshes.

The Leicester Arms, Kent

Across the road from the entrance to medieval Penshurst Place and Gardens, this historic pub is more attractive 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 nearby Larkins, and cut-above cooking in the dining room. The menu focuses on local produce, with lamb scotch egg and oysters from Whitstable, while 11 nature-themed rooms are decorated in an attractive heritage style. Four of them come with rolltop baths for soaking after walks after a stroll around the Penshurst Estate past the River Medway, lakes and giant oak trees.

The Swan, West Sussex

The lengthy renovation of this Grade II-listed coaching inn in Fittleworth on the edge of the South Downs was well worth it. Period details 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. Dining 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. The old visitor books 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.

The Nevill Arms, Leicestershire

With its picturesque villages, pretty market towns and rolling countryside, Welland Valley is in a region sometimes referred to as the Notswolds (similar to the Cotswolds but without the price tag). 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 soon they’ll add a three-bedroom stone cottage next door too. On the food front, meats are reared on the owner’s farm, while in the blue bar there’s a changing selection of Langton Brewery beers on tap – the favorite of which is an amber bitter, Inclined Plane, named after the lift at nearby Foxton Locks.

New Inn, 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 produces elevated comfort dishes (shepherd's pie with mashed potatoes and cheese or beef and ale suet pudding) to be eaten in the rustic dining area beside the log burner. The bar attracts locals sipping on