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General Tarleton Inn, Yorkshire Dales

Chef Tommy Banks, one of Yorkshire’s favourite foodie sons, is best known for the Michelin-starred restaurant Black Swan at Oldstead, and he also has deep pub roots. In fact, the Black Swan originally operated as a pub, with Banks working behind the bar at his family’s establishment before graduating to the kitchen. Recently, he launched Abbey Inn in Byland, and he has recently launched a hospitality arm dedicated to restoring other pubs across the UK. First up is the eight-bedroom General Tarleton in Ferrensby village, near Harrogate. Food, naturally, is top notch, with polished takes on pub classics made with regional ingredients – the perfect fuel for walks along the river and into the Nidd Gorge, a scenic local area.

Bat and Ball Inn, Oxfordshire

It’s dogs by the fire and clergy 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 owners of the Lamb Inn in nearby Little Milton, and the culinary team at both locations cut their teeth at two-Michelin-star Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons down the road. The Bat and Ball is the more casual of the pair – it even features a dartboard – and menu items elevate classic pub food and dial them up with carefully sourced local ingredients. The five bedrooms have walls painted in deep fall colors to match the surrounding countryside, which is sandwiched between the Cotswolds and Chilterns.

King’s Arms, Lake District

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 Beatrix Potter Gallery and the Hawkshead Grammar School museum, where the poet 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 food leans towards classic with Cumberland scotch eggs and beef wellington. Just the thing to be enjoying after a hike up nearby Latterbarrow fell.

The Wellington at Boscastle, Cornwall

Affectionately called The Welly, this historic coaching house overlooks Boscastle harbour on Cornwall’s dramatic north coast. St Austell Brewery recently invested heavily renovating it, and the results are evident in the cosy dining rooms, intimate corners and stained glass panelling. The best rooms are the two in the pub’s turret with standalone tubs, but every room come with artwork by local artists 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 round past Pentargon waterfall. Post-hike, there’s pints of Proper Job by the fire and plates of fish and chips to look forward to, made with local catch in ale batter.

The Woolpack Inn, Hampshire Countryside

Fresh from a makeover by influential interior designer Nina Campbell, this country pub is the social hub in the tiny hamlet of Totford in the tranquil Candover valley. It is surrounded by fields and woodlands, so head chef Luke Stradling has plenty of local produce to draw on – complemented 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, staff also contribute 20% of the harvest to local charities and homeless shelters. Upstairs, eight guest rooms are themed after game birds, but fly fishing is the local star draw – angling for trout in the famous chalk stream of the River Itchen.

Fleur de Lys Inn, Dorset

Hospitality group Chickpea has mastered the contemporary inns with accommodation formula – great food, 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 makes reference to it in Tess of the D’Urbervilles. The renovation reflects its period charm: hops drape over the large open fireplace, candles glow on tables and, upstairs, the nine bedrooms are decorated in muted colours. Trails 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, North Yorkshire

Inspired by a fungus found in local woods, the Penny Bun is a break from conventional pubs. With its earthen walls and palette of earthy browns, the look is more wabi-sabi minimalism than brass beer pumps. 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, shifting to carbon sequestering 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 calming aesthetic particularly suits the five rooms (the best room comes with a freestanding bath), with deep beds to sink into after walks across Ilkley Moor, just steps away.

The Ship, Norfolk

This summer, Sisters Siobhan and Caitriona Peyton revitalized this seaside 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 front bar settle in by the fire and enjoy a pork roll or monkfish scampi with a pint of local ale. Outside, the vast skies look especially arresting at this time of year – look out for flocks of pink-footed geese – and walks 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 looking prettier than ever after a major renovation last year. No wonder it scooped Kent’s county prize at the national awards: there are plush armchairs by the fire in the bar, authentic Kent ales from a local brewery, and cut-above cooking 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 an attractive heritage style. Four rooms come with rolltop baths for post-walk soaks after a ramble 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 South Downs was worth the wait. Original features from its medieval origins mix with modern 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 utilize seasonal local produce (foraged ceps and fresh plum pudding on our visit) and lavish 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

With its honeyed hamlets, pretty market towns and undulating landscape, Welland Valley is in a part of the country sometimes referred to as the Notswolds (like the Cotswolds but more affordable). The Nevill Arms in the village of Medbourne was revamped in 2023, with 10 bedrooms (including four-posters) spread between the pub and former stables – and next year they’ll add a 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

New owners 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 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 is filled with locals sipping on