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The General Tarleton, Yorkshire Dales

Tommy Banks, one of Yorkshire’s favourite foodie sons, is most famous for the Michelin-starred restaurant the Black Swan at Oldstead, and he also has deep pub roots. In fact, 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 opened 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 General Tarleton with eight rooms in Ferrensby village, near Harrogate. The cuisine is exceptional, with refined versions of traditional pub dishes 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 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 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. This pub is the more relaxed option – it even features a dartboard – and dishes take typical pub fare and enhance them with premium local produce. The five bedrooms have walls painted in deep fall colors to match the surrounding countryside, which is nestled 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, just a short walk from Beatrix Potter Gallery and the Hawkshead Grammar School museum, where a young William Wordsworth etched 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 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. The perfect meal to be enjoying after a hike up nearby Latterbarrow fell.

The Wellington at Boscastle, Cornish Coast

Affectionately called The Welly, this historic coaching house overlooks Boscastle Harbor on Cornwall’s dramatic north 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 standalone tubs, but every room come with artwork by local artists and ordnance survey maps and a South West Coast Path national trail book for walks. The trail passes nearby: west to Tintagel Castle, birthplace of King Arthur as per myth, or round past Pentargon waterfall. After a coastal hike, there’s pints of local ale by the fire and plates of fish and chips to look forward to, made with fresh local fish in ale batter.

Woolpack Inn, Hampshire Countryside

Fresh from a makeover by renowned designer Nina Campbell, this rural inn is the social hub in the small village of Totford in peaceful Candover Valley. It is surrounded by fields and woodlands, so chef Luke Stradling has abundant regional ingredients to draw on – supplemented 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, the team also donates 20% of the harvest to local 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

Hospitality group Chickpea has nailed the modern country pubs with rooms formula – excellent cuisine, welcoming bar and competitive rates 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 regular guest here and references it in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. The revamp reflects its historical character: hops drape over the large open fireplace, candles flicker on tables and, upstairs, the nine bedrooms are decorated in muted colours. Walking routes loop around Cranborne Estate, with dishes such as Brixham bass, venison barnsley chop and toffee pudding to look forward to back at the pub afterwards.

The Penny Bun, North Yorkshire

Named after a mushroom found in local woods, Penny Bun is a departure from your traditional boozer. With its clay-plastered 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 1,012-hectare estate undergoing an eco-friendly overhaul, focusing on carbon capture and sustainable agriculture. It provides many of the ingredients found on the menu at the Penny Bun, such as Tamworth pork croquette salad or beetroot gnocchi. The serene decor particularly suits the five rooms (the plum one comes with a freestanding bath), with plush beds to sink into after walks across Ilkley Moor, just steps away.

Ship Inn, Norfolk Coast

This summer, Sisters Siobhan and Caitriona Peyton revitalized this historic coastal inn with nine rustic rooms in the village of Brancaster. The cooking here has a light Mediterranean touch, and while menus have a focus on seafood (less than a mile’s walk away), local game is the highlight in autumn. On Sundays, expect roasted venison served with local wild mushrooms instead of the usual chicken or beef, while in the front bar relax by the fireplace and tuck into a pork roll or monkfish with a pint of Moon Gazer Ale. Outside, the vast 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.

The Leicester Arms, Kent Countryside

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. 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 oysters from Whitstable, while 11 nature-themed rooms are decorated in an attractive heritage style. Four rooms come with rolltop baths for soaking after walks after a stroll around the Penshurst Estate past the River Medway, lakes and ancient oaks.

Swan Inn, West Sussex

The lengthy renovation of this Grade II-listed coaching inn in Fittleworth on the edge of the South Downs was worth the wait. Original features from its 14th-century roots mix with stylish comfort in the bar, restaurant and 12 beautifully designed rooms – though it remains traditional, says the owner. Meals served in the wood-paneled, art-adorned dining room utilize seasonal local produce (wild mushrooms and fresh plum pudding on our visit) and generous breakfasts are served in the 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 browsing antiques in local villages to downland walks, Petworth House and Arundel Castle.

The Nevill Arms, Leicestershire Countryside

With its honeyed hamlets, pretty market towns and rolling countryside, Welland Valley is in a part of the country sometimes referred to as the Notswolds (similar to the Cotswolds but without the price tag). The Nevill Arms in the village of Medbourne was revamped in 2023, with 10 rooms (some with four-poster beds) spread between the inn and former stables – and soon 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 rotating line up of Langton ales on tap – the most popular of which is an amber bitter, Inclined Plane, named after the canal lift at nearby Foxton Locks.

New Inn Yealand, Lancashire Countryside

Young couple Ben and Lauren Sandiford took on the running of this seven-bedroom village 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 log burner. The bar is filled with locals sipping on