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General Tarleton Inn, North Yorkshire

Chef Tommy Banks, a celebrated Yorkshire chef, is most famous for his award-winning restaurant the Black Swan at Oldstead, but he’s no stranger to pubs. Actually, the Black Swan started out as one, with Banks working behind the bar at his family’s establishment before moving into the kitchen. Recently, he opened Abbey Inn in Byland, and he has just started a hospitality arm dedicated to restoring other pubs across the UK. First up is the eight-bedroom General Tarleton in Ferrensby village, near Harrogate. The cuisine is exceptional, with refined versions of traditional pub dishes made with local produce – the perfect fuel for riverside strolls and into 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 quaint inn in the village of Cuddesdon, famous for its theological college. It was opened 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 – 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, Lakeland

This independently run inn, which relaunched at the end of August, is at the heart of the Lakeland village of Hawkshead, just a short walk from the Beatrix Potter gallery and the Hawkshead Grammar School museum, where the poet Wordsworth etched his name into his desk. There’s plenty of history in the oak beams and stone floors at the King’s Arms too, which dates back to the 17th century. 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. The perfect meal to be tucking into after a hike up nearby Latterbarrow fell.

The Wellington at Boscastle, Cornish Coast

Known affectionately as The Welly, this centuries-old coaching inn overlooks Boscastle Harbor on the rugged north Cornwall coast. St Austell Brewery recently splashed millions doing it up, and it shows in the cosy dining rooms, intimate corners and stained glass panelling. The pick of the bedrooms are the two in the pub’s turret with freestanding baths, but all 14 come with artwork by local artists and OS maps and guidebooks for the coast path for walks. The path runs right outside: west to Tintagel Castle, legendary birthplace of King Arthur as per myth, or east towards 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 Gem Ale batter.

Woolpack Inn, Hampshire

Fresh from a makeover by influential interior designer Nina Campbell, this rural inn is the centre of life in the small village of Totford in peaceful Candover Valley. Set amid fields and forests, so head chef Luke Stradling has plenty of local produce to draw on – supplemented by the pub’s large kitchen garden, currently growing 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 homeless shelters. Upstairs, eight guest rooms are named after game birds, but fly fishing is the local star draw – casting for trout in the world renowned chalk stream of the River Itchen.

The Fleur de Lys, Dorset

Hospitality group Chickpea has mastered the contemporary inns with accommodation formula – excellent cuisine, welcoming bar and competitive rates for overnighters. The newest member to the fold is the Fleur de Lys, a 17th-century inn in the village of Cranbourne. Author Thomas Hardy was a frequent visitor here and makes reference to it in his novel Tess. The renovation reflects its historical character: hops hang 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 bass, venison chop and toffee pudding to look forward to back at the pub afterwards.

Penny Bun Inn, Yorkshire Dales

Inspired by a fungus found in local woods, Penny Bun is a break from conventional pubs. 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 new inn is part of 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 Tamworth pork croquette salad or beetroot gnocchi. The serene decor particularly suits the five bedrooms (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 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 one eye on the sea (a short walk from the coast), game from local estates is the star turn in autumn. On Sundays, expect roasted venison served with foraged mushrooms instead of the usual chicken or beef, while in the bar relax by the fireplace and tuck into a mangalitza pork sausage 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 migrating pink-footed geese – and trails 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. 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, real Kentish ales from nearby Larkins, and cut-above cooking in the dining room. The menu focuses on local produce, with Kent lamb scotch egg and oysters from Whitstable, while the 11 botanically named bedrooms are decorated in a classic style. Four rooms come with clawfoot tubs for post-walk soaks after a ramble around the Penshurst Estate past River Medway, lakes and giant oak trees.

Swan Inn, Sussex Countryside

The two-and-a-half year refurbishment of this historic inn in Fittleworth on the edge of the South Downs was well worth it. Period details from its medieval origins mix with stylish comfort in the bar, restaurant and 12 elegant rooms – though it remains traditional, says owner Angus Davies. Dining in the wood-paneled, art-adorned dining room draw on local seasonal ingredients (foraged ceps and fresh plum pudding on our visit) and lavish breakfasts are served in a barn in the gardens. Historic guestbooks are fascinating: notable guests include JMW Turner, John Constable and Rudyard Kipling. There’s plenty to do nearby, from browsing antiques in local villages to walks on the downs, 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 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 rooms (including four-posters) spread between the inn and its converted stables – and next year 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 ale, 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-room inn in April. Ben applied his culinary skills to the kitchen, which now produces 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