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General Tarleton Inn, North Yorkshire

Tommy Banks, one of Yorkshire’s favourite foodie sons, is renowned 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 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. First up is General Tarleton with eight rooms in Ferrensby village, near Harrogate. The cuisine is exceptional, with polished takes on pub classics made with regional ingredients – ideal sustenance for riverside strolls and into the Nidd Gorge, a scenic local area.

The Bat and Ball, Oxfordshire Countryside

It’s dogs by the fire and dog collars 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 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. 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 surrounding countryside, which is sandwiched between the Cotswolds and Chilterns.

Kings Arms Inn, 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 the Hawkshead Grammar School museum, where a young William Wordsworth etched his name into his desk. It’s rich in history in 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 enjoying after a hike up nearby Latterbarrow fell.

The Wellington at Boscastle, Cornish Coast

Affectionately called The Welly, this centuries-old coaching inn overlooks Boscastle Harbor on Cornwall’s dramatic north coast. St Austell Brewery recently splashed millions doing it up, and the results are evident in the snug dining areas, snugs and stained glass panelling. The best rooms are the turret suites with freestanding baths, 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 path runs right outside: west to Tintagel Castle, birthplace of King Arthur as per myth, or round past Pentargon waterfall. After a coastal hike, there’s pints of Proper Job by the fire and servings of fish and chips to look forward to, made with local catch in ale batter.

The Woolpack Inn, Hampshire

Fresh from a makeover by influential interior designer Nina Campbell, this country pub is the centre of life in the tiny hamlet 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 – 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, 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 star draw – angling for trout in the world renowned chalk stream of the River Itchen.

The Fleur de Lys, Dorset

Pub and restaurant firm Chickpea has mastered the contemporary inns with accommodation formula – great food, friendly 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 period charm: hops drape over the large open fireplace, candles flicker 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 chop and sticky toffee pudding to look forward to back at the pub afterwards.

Penny Bun Inn, 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 look is more wabi-sabi minimalism than traditional pub fixtures. 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 regenerative farming. It provides many of the ingredients found on the menu at the Penny Bun, such as Tamworth 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.

Ship Inn, Norfolk

This summer, The Peyton sisters revitalized this historic coastal inn with nine beamed bedrooms in the village of Brancaster. The cooking here has Mediterranean influences, and while menus have a focus on seafood (a short walk from the coast), local game is the star turn in autumn. For Sunday lunch, expect roasted venison served with foraged mushrooms instead of the usual chicken or beef, while in the front bar relax by the fireplace and enjoy a mangalitza pork sausage roll or monkfish 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 walks cut through dunes and salt marshes.

Leicester Arms Inn, Kent Countryside

Opposite from the entrance to Penshurst Place, this historic pub is looking prettier than ever after a major renovation last year. It’s easy to see why it scooped Kent’s county prize at the national awards: there are deep leather armchairs by the fire in the bar, authentic Kent ales from nearby Larkins, and superior cuisine in the dining room. The menu focuses on local produce, with lamb scotch egg and Whitstable oysters, while 11 nature-themed rooms are decorated in a classic 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.

Swan Inn, Sussex Countryside

The lengthy renovation 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 “proudly old fashioned”, says the owner. Meals served in the wood-paneled, art-adorned dining room utilize local seasonal ingredients (wild mushrooms and fresh plum pudding on our visit) and generous breakfasts are served in the barn in the pretty gardens. Historic guestbooks are fascinating: famous visitors include JMW Turner, John Constable and Rudyard Kipling. Nearby activities abound, from browsing antiques in local villages to downland walks, Petworth House and Arundel Castle.

Nevill Arms Inn, Leicestershire

With its honeyed hamlets, charming towns and rolling countryside, the Welland valley is in a region sometimes referred to as the Notswolds (like the Cotswolds but without the price tag). The Nevill Arms in the village of Medbourne was revamped in 2023, with 10 bedrooms (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, meats 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 lift at nearby Foxton Locks.

New Inn, Lancashire Countryside

Young couple Ben and Lauren Sandiford assumed the running of this seven-bedroom village 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 pudding) to be eaten in the rustic dining area beside the log burner. The bar attracts locals sipping on