• 
• Back to Index 

Country Pubs

Gloucestershire

ANCHOR
Church Rd, Oldbury-on-Severn BS35 1QA. Tel: 01454 413331
• This 200-year-old pub is the perfect focal point for a day walking in the beautiful countryside of the Severn Estuary. Relax and recharge with a delicious meal from the restaurant’s huge range, or a well-earned pint of real ale, including Bass, Wickwar Bob, and the rather potent Old Peculiar. Traditional English homecooked food plus some continental-influenced dishes using local produce served in both dining room and bar. Under-18s not allowed in the bar, but welcome in the lovely garden. Smoking area.
Floodlit petanque pistes for the energetic, with an annual grand prix to boot.

BATHURST ARMS
North Cerney, nr Cirencester GL7 7BZ. Tel: 01285 831281, web www.bathurstarms.com
• Set in the picturesque village of North Cerney, right on the edge of the River Churn, the Bathurst Arms offers the intimacy of a traditional inn, combined with high standards of food, wine and accommodation. The restaurant, all stone fireplaces and antique settles, offers an ever-changing menu with fresh fish and much use of local and organic produce, there’s a full selection of real ales, lagers and beers, and at least 10 wines available by the glass. For warm summer days and evenings there’s a pretty flower-filled garden running down to the river. Smoking area.
Charity quiz night first Wed of
the month.

THE BELL AT SAPPERTON
Sapperton, nr Cirencester GL7 6LE. Tel: 01285 760298, web: www.foodatthebell.co.uk
• Multi-award-winning dining destination pub, with an excellent array of real ales from local breweries such as Bath Ales, Uley and Stroud Breweries, even lager from the Cotswold Brewing Company. The Bell’s fearsome reputation for food (great game, fabulous fish) has seen it gain praise from Taste of the West, the Observer and Cotswold Life magazine. Excellent, comprehensive wine list with over 60 bottles to choose from. Smoking area.
Smart but not stuffy, with beautifully kept gardens, a stylish courtyard and even a place to tie up the horse.

BLACK HORSE
Cranham GL4 8HP. Tel: 01452 812217
• Cranham village is just off the main road between Painswick and Cheltenham, a couple of miles from Gloucester city centre; if you reach Prinknash Abbey, you’ve gone too far. This cosy, well-worn 17th-century pub has gorgeous log fires in both of the tiny bars, and high-backed wall settles, not to mention stunning views over the valley below. Good range of real ales, and wonderful, great value, unpretentious food, including omelettes made with their own free-range eggs. Smoking area.
Very steep hill up to the car park, so make sure your hand brake’s working.

BOAT INN
Ashleworth Quay, Ashleworth GL19 4HZ. Tel: 01452 700272, web: www.boat-inn.co.uk
• A real gem of a pub. A peaceful, unspoilt red brick cottage on the west bank of the River Severn. A fabulous well-stocked bar serves you drinks to enjoy while lazing on the grassy banks, or in the cosy front parlour. Make sure you pick up a polo shirt or a postcard while you’re there. Closed all day Mon except bank holidays and Wed morning. Smoking area.
Annual beer festival in June.

BULL INN AT HINTON
Hinton, nr Dyrham SN14 8HG. Tel: 0117 937 2332
• Boasting around 500 years of history, this is your archetypal pub in a converted dairy. Two huge fires welcome customers drawn by the setting, the great selection of drinks and the regularly changing menu. Beers include 6X and IPA, plus seasonally changing guests, while ciders include Blackthorn and Stowford Press. Wide range of wines, available by the bottle or the glass. Children welcome in garden, which has a designated play area, and there’s a large front terrace too. Mains from the new menu (served 12noon-2pm, excl Mon) come in at around £9, and there’s a cracking Sunday roast served from 12noon-4pm. Tue-Thur any two meals from the Old Favourites menu for £13.50. Smoking area.
Two-and-a-half acres of lawn with resident ducks and outdoor seating.

BUTCHERS ARMS
Sheepscombe GL6 7RH. Tel: 01452 812113, web: www.blenheim-inns.com/butchers-arms.htm
• A traditional Cotswolds village pub, which features in just about every good beer guide going. Unwind in the garden, taking in the pastoral surrounds of the valleys, or enjoy a real log fire while sipping local ciders and beers. A good selection of traditional and modern dishes available in the restaurant, famous for its fresh, locally sourced homemade food - try the handmade sausages - and there’s also a bar menu. In summer, barbeques are often held outside. Child-friendly and wheelchair accessible. Smoking area.
Dates from about 1670, and comes complete with log fires, thick stone walls and mullioned windows.

CHEQUERS
Ferry Rd, Hanham Mills BS15 3NU. Tel: 0117 967 4242
• Large riverside pub with a unique, curved frontage which had a change of ownership earlier this year. Greene King ales, big on traditional pub food. Popular stop-off point for Bristol Ferryboat Company outings. Has its own restaurant, Riverside Rendezvous, offering glorious views of the river Avon. Smoking area.
Live entertainment every Sat night.

DANEWAY INN
Sapperton GL7 6LN. Tel: 01285 760297, web: www.thedanewayinn.com
• Flagstone-floored local in charming, wooded countryside, with terrace tables and lovely sloping lawn. Well-kept Wadworths IPA, 6X and JCB, Weston’s cider, and reasonably priced food. Small family room, traditional games in inglenook public bar. Good walks by canal, with tunnel to Coates. Alongside the large garden lies the Camping Sauvage site, a small campsite at really reasonable rates. Smoking area.
Amazing floor-to-ceiling carved oak Dutch fireplace.

DOG INN
Badminton Rd, Old Sodbury BS37 6LZ. Tel: 01454 312006, web: www.cotswold-way.co.uk/doginn
• This pub’s claim to fame is the enormous size of the menu - large selection of fresh fish and veggie selection, all at great value, with mains starting from around a fiver. The atmosphere’s cosy and dark inside, with a small courtyard and garden to enjoy the sunshine. The range of real ales includes 6X, Wickwar BOB and Doom Bar. Open all day, with food available lunch and dinner seven days a week. 16 letting rooms available. Smoking area.
Children have their own extensive menu.

EDGEMORE INN AND RESTAURANT
Edge, nr Stroud GL6 6ND. Tel: 01452 813576, web: www.edgemoor-inn.com
• This Cotswold free house offers great views and great home-cooked food to match. Extensive range of daily blackboard specials, with plenty of veggie options: the Edgemoor prides itself on using local produce, including a large amount of fresh fish and meat that is supplied from a butcher in nearby Painswick. Selection of ales includes favourites from Uley and Wickwar Breweries. Smoking area.
Big terraced patio with comfy seats overlooks the Painswick panoramas and surrounding countryside.

FARMER’S ARMS
Ledbury Rd, Lower Apperley GL19 4DR. Tel: 01452 780307, web: www.farmersarmslowerapperley.co.uk
• Delightful village pub, with all the usual Wadworth suspects on draught: they used to brew their own beer here until Wadworth took the place over and moved the equipment to Devizes where it’s still used for their Pint Size Brewery operation. Excellent reputation for food too. Over 400 wines on the list.
You might not be able to afford the local variety, but landlord Maurice serves up imported elvers by the half pint.

FOX AND HOUNDS
Acton Turville GL9 1HW. Tel: 01454 218224, www.foxandhounds.org.uk
• On the outskirts of Chipping Sodbury, this is quite the foodie gem, with a secluded beer garden. Offers creative catering to stimulate everyone’s taste buds, with delicious traditional and innovative food. Extensive selection of yummy daily specials complements the huge house menu. Two real ales, regularly changing, but including Old Speckled Hen, Abbots and Spitfire. Smoking area.
The place for real food, and real value for money.

KINGS ARMS
The Street, Didmarton, nr Badminton GL9 1DT. Tel: 01454 238245, web: www.kingsarmsdidmarton.co.uk
• Built in 1652, this lovingly restored, Grade I-listed 17th-century coaching inn is just at the edge of the sprawling Badminton Estate and only two miles from Westonbirt Arboretum. The award-winning restaurant is renowned for many unique signature dishes. Fresh game is a speciality and the seasonal menu, complemented by fresh daily blackboard specials along with a creative selection of lighter snacks and hearty meals, uses the freshest ingredients and the best local produce. Smoking area.
Each year, usually in June, the pub hosts a Rook Pie night.

THE MASONS ARMS
94 Gloucester Rd, Rudgeway, Bristol BS35 3QJ. Tel: 01454 412370
• Another pub that’s been given a makeover, the Masons is a pub for all occasions, whether you’re out celebrating with friends, you’re having lunch with the family or you simply want to unwind and recharge your batteries. There’s a good choice of ice-cooled beers and wines behind the bar while the menu ranges from snacks and quick bites through to full meals and chef’s specials.
Alfresco dining and drinking areas.

OLD LOCK AND WEIR
Ferry Rd, Hanham Mills BS15 3NU. Tel: 0117 967 3793
• Splendid waterside pub with plenty of real ale - 6X, Bass, Spa and at least two others - and absolutely shedloads of space to sit and bask in the sun outside. It does a roaring trade during the warmer months - no surprise at all in this location - and with parts of the alfresco patio heated, it still packs ’em in through the autumn and winter. Plenty of good, wholesome food on offer, with lots of vegetarian options, and everyone from nippers to the oldies catered for. Smoking area.
Beer and cider festival every August bank holiday.

PICKWICK INN
Lower Wick, nr Dursley GL11 6DD. Tel: 01453 810259
• This pub has a fantastic, well-equipped garden - a winner with kids and adults alike. Good food abounds, and the Sun roast is particularly prized. During the day there’s reasonably priced bar food, including doorstep sandwiches and soup, all-day breakfasts, homemade chilli and rice, and fish & chips. Waggledance on tap, lovely open fires in the winter. A full a la carte menu is available during the evenings. Puddings are devilishly good. Smoking area.
Occasional live music and theme nights.

PLOUGH
Pilning St, Pilning BS35 4JJ. Tel: 01454 632556
• Proper country pub surrounded by greenery, serving up a fine pint of 6X among the real ales on offer. The lunchtime menu consists of jackets, baguettes, salads, ploughmans and kids’ meals in abundance. Evenings are given over to the option of bar meals or more substantial restaurant fare: duck, salmon, venison sausages, sirloin steak. Sunday roasts, plus barbecues and live music during the summer months. Kids welcome; great little play area. Smoking area.
Great beer garden and kids’ play area.

PORTCULLIS INN
Tormarton GL9 1HZ. Tel: 01454 218263
• Set in the pretty Cotswold-stone village of Tormarton, this lovely 300-year-old ivy-clad boozer is an absolute gem. Friendly landlord Roy Godden serves up around six real ales, and ciders from Thatcher’s and Stowford Press. The pub’s dining area, also known as the Major’s Retreat, is known for its terrific menu, and there’s a lovely, sunny garden. Letting rooms available. Smoking area.
The popular Tuesday night quiz has been running for over a decade.

RAM INN
South Woodchester GL5 5EL. Tel: 01453 873329
• Very friendly, listed country pub, with six real ales, including two from the Three Choirs’ Whittington microbrewery, Uley, Archers and Otter. Food’s good, too - an Egon Ronay-listed menu that’s had a fearsome reputation for decades - with an ever-changing choice, all mains Mon-Thur just a fiver, plus loads of chef’s specials and light bites. Patio area offers wonderfully scenic views. Limited wheelchair access. Regular venue for Stroud’s Morris men. Smoking area.
Overlooks picturesque valley.

THREE CHOIRS VINEYARD
Newent GL18 1LS. Tel: 01531 890223, web: www.three-choirs-vineyards.co.uk
• OK, so it’s not exactly a pub, but The Three Choirs Vineyard is one of the jewels in Gloucestershire’s crown. Visitors can tour the winery or Whittington’s brewery, which produces Cat’s Whiskers and Nine Lives ale, or stock up on cases of wine or sumptuous local food produce from the vineyard’s shop. The estate also boasts one of the finest restaurants in Gloucestershire, the proud bearer of two AA rosettes. Open seven days a week, hotel accommodation is also available, with far-reaching views across the spectacular vineyards and towards the glorious Malvern Hills.
Diners can enjoy lunch or dinner prepared by Café Royal and Nico-trained chef Darren Leonard.

TIPPUTS INN
Bath Rd, Horsley, Nailsworth GL6 0QE. Tel: 01453 832466
• In a renovated 300-year-old building, pub meets restaurant with eclectic furnishing, exquisite wines and champagnes personally chosen and imported from small vineyards worldwide, and some great beers. Relaxed service with fantastic food available between 11am-10pm every day of the week, everything from simple appetisers through to huge mains. Smoking area.
Very smart: they’ve clearly spent a lot of money on this place in recent years.

TROUBLE HOUSE
Cirencester Rd, Tetbury GL8 8SG. Tel: 01666 502206, web: www.troublehouse.co.uk
• Polished wooden floors, ancient black beams, hops over one of the four fireplaces, subtle lighting and so much more. The Trouble House offers the perfect setting for a family outing, business meeting or intimate evening. Consistently rated in the UK’s top 50 dining pubs, in 2003 it was selected as Les Routiers’ Dining Pub of the Year. Wadworth’s 6X and IPA on tap, and around 40 different, carefully selected wines. Closed all day Mon, including bank holidays.
The 1754 building is haunted by the ghost of a Lady in Blue.

WEIGHBRIDGE
Minchinhampton, nr Nailsworth GL6 9AL. Tel: 01453 832520, web: www.2in1pub.co.uk
• This beautifully situated 17th-century pub in the middle of the Cotswolds is home to the magnificent two-in-one pie. This unique speciality consists of a large bowl, half of which contains the filling of your choice, the other half brimming with homemade cauliflower cheese topped with homemade melt-in-the-mouth pastry. Absolutely delicious. The rest of the menu is great too, and there’s a good range of ales and enormously friendly service. Smoking area.
Well-behaved children and dogs always welcome.

THE WHEATSHEAF
Winterbourne BS36 1JG. Tel: 01454 777931.
• Old coaching inn, now also a hotel with 12 letting rooms, all non-smoking, all ensuite. The hotel’s popular restaurant provides an intimate dining experience serving fantastic freshly prepared food using only the finest ingredients, and can accommodate any specific dietary requirements. Cosy panelled bar with real ales on tap.
Pet-friendly.

WHITE HART
Littleton-on-Severn BS35 1NR. Tel: 01454 412275
• Ancient white-washed country pub in the tiny picturesque village of Littleton on the Severn Estuary. This former CAMRA and Bristol Evening Post pub of the year has four or five real ales on tap and an extensive wine selection. Enormous menu, with traditional pub fare mingling with more innovative fodder: steaks, sea bass, lamb shank, potato and spinach curry. The whole place is extremely kid-friendly, with family room, highchairs and neat garden out front. Smoking area
Garden due for an extensive refurbishment as this guide went to press.

WILD DUCK INN
Ewen. Tel: 01285 770310, web: www.thewildduckinn.co.uk
• Award-winning 16th-century inn in the heart of the Cotswolds, with 12 rooms for accommodation. Great selection of around five real ales and excellent-value menus, rated very highly by the top food guides, including Egon Ronay. Ales change weekly, but usually include their own Duck Pond Bitter. Children welcome. Award-winning garden, too. Help available for wheelchair users. Food served 12noon-2pm & 7-10pm, all day at weekends. Smoking area.
Surrounded by the Cotswold Water Park, with 80 lakes providing fishing, swimming, sailing, water and jet skiing.

THE WOODMAN
Park End GL15 4JF. Tel: 01594 563273, web: www.woodman-parkend.co.uk
• Forest of Dean pub with very good menu. Serves country dishes like game casserole and duck, among other traditional treats. Good beers, including Old Speckled Hen and London Pride. Courtyard and beer garden. B&B available, with double ensuites from £55pn. Smoking area.
The Forest of Dean Male Voice Choir are regular visitors and have been known to ‘perform’ ad hoc.

WOOLPACK INN
Slad Rd, Slad, nr Stroud. Tel: 01452 813429, web: www.woolpackslad.com
• A free house popular with ramblers and scrumpy drinkers, this historic old inn has been the centre of village life for centuries. A real gem of a pub in gorgeous countryside, a good choice of real ales and good food too. Friendly bar staff make this a pub not to be missed if you venture into this part of Gloucestershire.
Made famous by Laurie Lee, author of ‘Cider with Rosie’, who was a regular here.

Somerset

ANCHOR
Ham Green, nr Pill, North Somerset BS20 0HP. Tel: 01275 372253
• Picturesquely situated, overlooking the village cricket ground from the front, with panoramic views across the valley out back. A vast range of reliable, hearty, traditional pub fare at honest prices, served all day. Good veggie options and selection of baguettes, and Courage Best and Bass on tap. Garden seats 54, just the right number for a coach party. Smoking area.
While the kids enjoy the play area in the garden, you get to play pool, skittles or darts.

ANGEL INN
72 Long Ashton Rd, Long Ashton BS41 9LT. Tel: 01275 392244
• Traditional country hostelry with cobbled courtyard, only a mile or so from Bristol city centre. This old-fashioned pub boasts four real ales - Bass, Butcombe, Courage Best and a guest - three premium lagers, three ciders including a guest, often organic, and an extensive wine list. Restaurant seats 24, with lots of outside seating in the sunny courtyard. Smoking area.
The Angel has been an inn since at least 1597.

APPLE TREE
Shoscombe BA2 8LS. Tel: 01761 432263
• Set in the centre of a beautiful rural hamlet, a friendly place serving the best of traditional English fare and three real ales on tap. This historic 250-year-old pub is better than ever, having been extensively refurbed in recent years, and now features good wheelchair access to all facilities and a pretty family garden. Smoking area.
Menu boasts extensive fresh fish selection direct from Cornwall. Booking essential.

BAR ONE NINE
19 High St, Keynsham BS31 1DP. Tel: 0117 986 1974, web: www.baronenine.com
• Now, we realise that Keynsham hardly qualifies as ‘country’, but where else were we to include it? Awarded top pub for customer service in the South West in 2005, we’d be remiss if we didn’t include the place. Reassuringly rowdy-free, the bar and restaurant holds appeal if you’re just dropping in for a coffee, a beer or a three-course meal. Choose from an impressive wine list, real ales including a great pint of Bass and a fair selection of lagers. The food is terrific and very affordable, with evening dinner mains starting at around £9, and booking is highly recommended.
Free live jazz every Sunday.

BEAR AND SWAN
South Parade, Chew Magna BS40 8SL. Tel: 01275 331100, web: www.bearandswan.co.uk
• A gorgeous Victorian pub in the middle of Chew Magna, six miles from Bristol. A roomy, airy bar with reclaimed floorboards, big bay windows, log fire and candles, all adding to the atmospheric feel of the place. On the beer front, there’s several real ales and a good selection of keg favourites. With a top-notch restaurant and a menu to match, it’s definitely worth a visit.
Two ensuite letting rooms, kitchen, breakfast bar and lounge room.

BIRD IN HAND
17 Weston Rd, Long Ashton BS41 9LA. Tel: 01275 395266
• Situated on the main road through Long Ashton, this two-bar locals’ pub boasts a pleasant, stylishly decorated lounge bar and a more traditionally furnished public bar. Children are welcome if eating, and there’s a pool table and TV for satellite sport. Smoking area.
Sunday roasts are a bargain, and there’s an extra discount for OAPs.

BLACK HORSE
Clevedon Lane, Clapton in Gordano BS20 7RH. Tel: 01275 842105
• A fabulously old-fashioned pub complete with snug, flagstones, settles, shuttered windows and an immense hearth - all the components of a true country pub. Real ale is big in these parts, with around six available from jacketed casks, including Bass, Butcombe and Spitfire, plus a small wine selection. Great garden, strewn with multi-coloured hanging baskets in the summer months. Food available Mon-Sat lunchtime. Smoking area.
The 14th-century building was formerly a jail.

BLUE BOWL
West Harptree, nr Bristol BS40 6HJ. Tel: 01761 221269, web: www.thebluebowl.co.uk
• Beautiful 18th-century Cask Marque Trust-rated pub just half a mile from Chew Valley Lake. Large beer garden, big children’s playground, and massive menus that include Chew Lake trout (seasonal). Licensees Mark and Tracy go out of their way to cater for those with special dietary requirements. Extensive range of excellent pub grub, from pies to veggie options, regular blackboard specials and an excellent kids’ menu. A choice of roasts on Sun, all excellent. Superb real ales (Bass, Bombardier and guests) and an extensive wine list complete the supping scenario. Food served 12noon-9pm daily. Six well-appointed letting rooms. Smoking area.
Kids welcome till 9pm. Good disabled access and facilities.

BLUE FLAME
West End, Nailsea BS48 4DE. Tel: 01275 856910
• Extraordinary boozer run by the redoubtable Mick Davidson, one room in an old stone-built house with real ale (usually four available, including Bass, London Pride and Butcombe) and local cider (including Thatchers Mendip Magic) served straight out of the wood. Mick is more than happy to let you burn your own burgers on his barbecue equipment and make use of his covered garden area free of charge. Make sure you book in advance though, as the garden and barbecue are very popular with the local cricket team as well as those who have already discovered this hidden gem of a pub. Mick will also rent the equipment out, but says he’s happy to let his customers use it provided that they’re buying his beer. It may not be easy to find, but by God is it worth it. Smoking area.
Weekly music nights.

BOARS HEAD
Main Rd, Aust BS35 4AX. Tel: 01454 632278
• Olde worlde traditional 16th-century building. Its convenient location to Bristol and Bath and the huge beer garden make it a popular spot for afternoons when it’s too nice to stay in the office. Brimming with beams, fireplaces and an extensive, impressive menu. Beers include Pedigree, Bath Ales’ Gem and Courage Best, and there’s a terrific wine list too. For lunchtime snacks, one of the many daily specials or indulging in the a la carte menu - the homemade steak and ale pie is excellent - food is available both lunch and dinner times. Separate kids’ options. Open seven days a week, 12noon-3pm & 6-11pm. Smoking area.
Quiz on the last Sunday of the month.

BOAT HOUSE
Newbridge, nr Bath BA1 3NB. Tel: 01225 482584.
• This vast pub and restaurant concentrates on good fresh food, featuring traditional favourites and a salad bar. A family-orientated atmosphere, providing entertainment for kids while the grown-ups enjoy apple-themed cocktails and a selection of real ales from owners Brains. Smoking area.
Garden runs alongside the river, offering a beautiful location with seating for up to 400.

BOWL INN
Church Rd, Lower Almondsbury, nr Bristol BS32 4DT. Tel: 01454 612757, web: www.thebowlinn.co.uk
• Popular, well-established 16th-century inn in a quintessential English village, only minutes from the Almondsbury interchange. An excellent selection of food, from freshly baked baguettes to salads, and more hearty main meals to enjoy in the traditional bar area, with a full a la carte selection available in the Lillies restaurant. Children’s meals available too. Six or seven cask ales always available, and a good range of wines. Smoking area.
Parts of the inn were originally three cottages erected in 1146 to house monks building the adjacent church.

BRASS MILL
Avon Mill Lane, Keynsham BS31 2UG. Tel: 0117 986 7280
• Sizeable pub with a really inviting, warm feel. Although renovations and redecoration have aimed the place at adults, families are still catered for outside the bar, with play areas, TV and garden. Beers include 6X, Butcombe bitter and Flowers, plus all the usual suspects. Large, eclectic daytime menu served 11.30am-10pm, with ‘special bites’ menu allowing you to enjoy a bargain starter and main course and dessert, Mon-Sat till 6pm. Smoking area.
Kids will enjoy the inside and outside play areas, complete with
ball pit.

BULL TERRIER
Croscombe, Somerset BA5 3QJ. Tel: 01749 343658, web: www.bullterrierpub.co.uk
• Historic, three-bar, 15th-century inn with great beers, Bull Terrier Bitter and Butcombe always on tap, plus a couple of guest ales. Homecooked meals are served daily, ranging from homemade pasta and meaty pies to tasty veggie options. Children are welcome in the family room and garden. Smoking area.
Overnight accommodation available. Wheelchair access.

THE BUNGALOW
Redhill, nr Bristol Airport BS40 5TP. Tel: 01275 472386
• This country pub has a large children’s play area, boules pitches, 10 dartboards, skittle alley, and even has its own football, rugby and internationally acclaimed tug-of-war teams. Four real ales, including Butcombe and 6X, and guest beers. Smoking area.
Huge outdoor BBQ and camping facilities for those who want to have a few beers and stay over.

CAREW ARMS
Crowcombe, nr Taunton TA4 4AD. Tel: 01984 618631, web: www.thecarewarms.co.uk
• Multi-award-winning inn set in a quiet village, with fantastic Sunday roasts, impeccable speciality classics (confit-style belly pork with mustard mash and red wine gravy, local pheasant and a selection of meats from the grill sit alongside a solid range of other homemade goodies), all created from locally sourced produce. Good ranges of real ale, spirits and ciders, and the kind of unspoilt interior you look for in a 250-year-old inn - massive fireplace, beautiful south-facing gardens filled with well-established shrubs, fruit and herbs. The stunning views beyond the large perimeter are an open invitation to walkers. Accommodation available all year round in the main building. Regular live jazz evenings, recently introduced ‘bottle shop’ for takeaway wines and spirits. Smoking area.
New non-smoking garden room leads to the smokers’ terrace.

CARPENTERS ARMS
Stanton Wick, nr Pensford BS39 4BX. Tel: 01761 490202, web: www.the-carpenters-arms.co.uk
• Created from a terrace of ivy-clad stone-fronted miners’ cottages in the heart of Chew Valley, this charming pub boasts big fireplaces, plush leather furniture and solid wooden tables inside. The menu changes regularly to ensure that only the best produce in season is used: fish directly from Cornwall, West Country beef and, when in season, local game. Both restaurants serve lunch and dinner daily (starters from under a fiver, mains from around £12), with an extensive wine list, dedicated children’s menu, terrace garden and a range of real ales (Butcombe, 6X and at least one guest on tap), all within easy reach of Bristol. 12 letting bedrooms, all recently refurbished and all ensuite. Smoking area.
Lovely, traditional bar with great wine list.

CASTLE OF COMFORT
East Harptree BS18 6DD. Tel: 01761 221321, web: www.castle-of-comfort.co.uk Directions: On B3134 between Burrington Combe & Wells
• A 17th-century pub with an incredible history. They specialise in steaks, but also offer great fish dishes, veggie alternatives and kids’ meals. Admirable booze options, with four real ales, lagers including Carling’s new low-alcohol C2, wines and single malts. Large, well-managed beer garden with decked area, and an even larger car park. Six themed letting rooms. Smoking area.
They used to serve the last pint to condemned men on their way from Wells nick to meet their maker at Gibbets Brow.

CEDRIC’S AT THE WHITE SWAN
Misterton, nr Crewkerne TA18 8NR. Tel: 01460 72592
• Genial free house with big garden and two traditional hand-drawn guest ales every week. Extensive range of dishes, from jacket potatoes to steaks, taking in fresh fish john dory, Cornish trio of monkfish, lemon sole and plaice, duck and chicken en route. Sensibly priced food and a cracking two-course Sunday roast. Smoking area.
The proprietors have been here since 1978, so must know what their customers want by now.

CHURCHILL INN
Bristol Rd, Churchill BS25 5NL. Tel: 01934 852251
• Two real ales (Greene King Abbot and Butcombe bitter), both served straight from the cask. The Churchill has two distinct areas, the main bar and separate restaurant - although you can eat or drink in either. The food is exceptional; their French chef does a full à la carte menu, as well as simpler and cheaper options. The beef and Guinness pie is delicious.
Open from 7am for breakfast, 8am
at weekends.

COACH HOUSE
Manor Gardens, Locking Village, Weston-super-Mare BS24 8DG. Tel: 01934 822506
• Classic rural pub serving hearty homecooked fare - steaks, fish dishes, salads, veggie cuisine. Wide range of wines and real ales, including Greene King IPA and Old Speckled Hen. Wayside inn with rustic dining area and further eating outside, with darts, pool and skittle alley in separate games bar. Live sports events shown.
Families welcome, entertainment fortnightly Sat.

THE CROWN
500 Bath Rd, Saltford BS31 3HJ. Tel: 01225 872117
• This 17th-century pub has a lovely beer garden and offers a range of good food served daily, 12noon-9.30pm. Two real ales: Courage Best plus a guest. Skittle alley, free to hire at weekends, and child-friendly. The weekly quiz on Wed pulls a huge crowd, and there’s monthly entertainment, with comedians and karaoke the order of the day.
Smoking area.
Bouncy castle in garden for kids.

CROWN INN
The Batch, Skinners Lane, Churchill BS25 5PP. Tel: 01934 852995
• Exceptionally well kept beer served from barrels behind the bar, CAMRA awards left, right and centre and great quality, substantial pub food with no frills. Throw in its secluded but accessible location, gloriously rustic interior with beams, flagstones and settles, the Provence-style patio and you have a destination worthy of its reputation. The casseroles change regularly while the pies, ploughmans and cauliflower cheese make a humble lunchtime seem like the noblest dinner. If you’ve worked up a hunger cycling, walking or skiing (Avon Lodge is nearby), the fare tastes even better. Smoking area.
Around a dozen real ales on tap, including RCH Brewery’s PG Steam, Bath Ales’ Spa, Palmer’s IPA and GSB, and two or three local ciders too.

CROWN INN
Tolldown SN14 8HZ. Tel: 01225 891166. Directions: on A46 at Burton/Hinton crossroads
• Classic Cotswold boozer, close to major local National Trust attraction Dyrham Park. Top-notch dining and good Wadworth beers, including IPA, 6X and a guest. Small patio beer garden out the back. Serves food daily 12noon-2.30pm & 6-9pm, Sun all day. Smoking area.
Set in great walking country, Cotswold Way runs nearby.

THE DOVECOTE
Ashton Rd, Long Ashton BS41 9LX. Tel: 01275 392245
• Traditional country inn with an increasingly excellent reputation for pub food with a modern twist, and there’s a great selection of steaks. The wine list is extensive and international, and they have Bass on draught. Emphasis is on a country restaurant with a great pub attached, rather than the other way round. Two inviting gardens tempt diners and drinkers into the fresh air. Food served Mon-Sat 12noon-10pm, Sun 12noon-9.30pm. Smoking area.
Relax in front of the open log fire while gazing out over Ashton Manor and its beautiful garden and grounds.

DRUIDS ARMS
Bromley Rd, Stanton Drew BS39 4EJ. Tel: 01275 332230
• Hosts boules and occasional barbecues and serves enormous portions of faggots with chips or a spicy chilli from their vast menu. Good vegetarian selection available. Serves Butcombe, Courage Best and Doom Bar and locally brewed guest ales on weekly rotation. Located near a prehistoric stone circle, this spooky pub boasts some standing stones of its own in the beer garden. Children welcome, though not in the main bar area. This busy pub features visits from local Druids and morris men at the summer solstice. Smoking area.
Regular quiz nights and charity
mouse racing events, raising money for the local school.

DRUM AND MONKEY
Kenn Rd, Kenn BS21 6TJ. Tel: 01275 873433
• A small, old-fashioned pub popular with locals and families. Serves Best, Bass and traditional West Country cider alongside the usual lagers. Full a la carte starts at around £6, served daily 12noon-9pm. Midweek special menus cost £6.65 for two courses, Mon-Thur lunch and eves & Fri lunchtimes. Lovely Sunday roasts 12noon-8.30pm, and lovely garden, too. Five minutes from the M5 in the centre of Kenn. Monthly tribute band, quiz night Wed. Smoking area.
All-you-can-eat buffets on Mon night: could be Chinese, Indian or even African.

DUNDRY INN
Church Rd, Dundry BS41 8LH. Tel: 0117 964 1722, web: www.dundryinn.co.uk
• This lovely little pub affords views over Bristol from atop a hill next to the landmark St Michael’s Church and, while it’s close enough to the city, has all the relaxed charm of a village pub. Good selection of real ales, including Courage Best and two guests. Lunch served 12noon-2pm, dinner 6-9.30pm, with an old-fashioned carvery every Sun. Smoking area.
Starting point for the annual Dundry Thunder Run, organised by multi-terrain runners, the Town & Country Harriers.

FAILAND INN
Clevedon Rd, Failand BS8 3TU. Tel: 01275 392220
• This Victorian coaching inn oozes out-of-town charm, yet it’s just 15 mins from Bristol city centre. Enticing menu boasts plenty of wholesome homecooked food - curries, chillies, lasagnes. Daily changing specials board. In 1871 a former police constable hanged himself in the barn in a state of temporary insanity. Smoking area.
Newly revamped kitchen and
garden area.

FOX & BADGER
Wellow, nr Bath BA2 8QG. Tel: 01225 832293, web: www.foxandbadger.co.uk
• This intimate, 16th-century pub is a popular destination for country ramblers, with footpaths running through the hills and valleys around. The dining room hosts a full and varied menu, with steaks, lamb, game, fish and plenty of veggie fare on offer. Great puds include British classics, like a very satisfying spotted dick, and the Sunday lunches are excellent. The pub specialises in ploughman’s lunches, with a fine choice of cheeses selected by landlord Eric Hobbs, himself a master cheesemaker. Smoking area.
Child- and dog-friendly.

FOX AND GOOSE
Bridgwater Rd, Barrow Gurney BS48 3SL. Tel: 01275 472202, web: www.thefoxandgoose.com.
• Pretty, family-friendly pub with a big restaurant that serves substantial portions of traditional pub grub favourites at easygoing prices. Light bites and a specials board. Real ales: two on at any one time, with Bath Ales, Wickwar and Butcombe varieties alternating. Nine rooms available from £55 for a double, with transfer to and from the nearby airport included in the price. Could this be the perfect way to ensure that you start and finish your holiday on a good note? Smoking area.
Beer garden with a great view over the reservoir.

FOX AND HOUNDS
Farleigh Wick BA15 2PU. Tel: 01225 863122.
• This Bath-stone structure is a traditional roadside inn, providing two or three alternating real ales - currently Gem and Old Hooky - and a full selection at the bar, including a fine range of new world wines. Licensees Brendan and Michelle Watkins took over last year and have been busy refurbishing the grade II-listed building, as well as seriously upping the ante food-wise. The place is usually packed with happy diners.
Great stop-off point for walkers.

THE FULL QUART
Hewish, nr Weston-super-Mare BS24 6RT. Tel: (01934) 833077
• Traditional real ale country inn serving a wide selection of ales, including London Pride and 6X. Homemade snacks, main meals and carvery dishes, plus homemade soups, paté and puds. Bar open daily midday-11pm, food served all day every day, with Sun lunch from noon. Large outdoor kids’ play area with grandstand view of the Great Western Railway. Smoking area.
Awarded Best Bar Team for the South West by the Morning Advertiser for 2006.

GARDENERS ARMS
35 Silver St, Cheddar BS27 3LE. Tel: 01934 742235, web: www.gardeners-arms.net
• With fantastic views of Cheddar Gorge, the Gardeners Arms was originally built at some time around 1560 as four farm workers’ cottages for the local estate, converted into one building to become a licensed premises in 1926. Excellent menu, offering food cooked to perfection, and Courage Best, Butcombe and Doom Bar, plus John Smith’s, Guinness, Carling and Stella. Look out for the Cask Marque Plaque. This guarantees beer quality and the opportunity to try before you buy. Smoking area.
Newly renovated rear garden with kids’ play equipment and decking.

THE GEORGE
High St, Norton St. Philip BA2 7LH. Tel: 01373 834224, web: www.thegeorgeinn-nsp.co.uk
• Reputed to be one of the oldest continuously licensed houses in England, this grade 1-listed building has offered its hospitality for nearly 700 years, with a long, complex history combining inn-keeping with the wool trade and a rebellion against the crown. There are two bars, two well-appointed dining rooms, a guest lounge and eight luxurious guest rooms which all have ensuite bathrooms. Food is hearty, well-sourced fare, including individual beef Wellingtons, venison steaks, game casseroles as well as favourites such as ham, egg and chips. Smoking area.
The bench in the main bar is made from a 700-year-old writing table for a monk.

GEORGE
Manor Rd, Abbots Leigh, nr Bristol BS8 3XX. Tel: 01275 372467, web: www.thegeorgeinn.uk.com
• An 18th-century pub that’s particularly popular on Sundays, due to the excellent roasts. The menu changes frequently - and there are plenty of daily specials to choose from - but the quality and value doesn’t. The George serves up traditional English food with a twist, all sourced from local, seasonal ingredients. With a good range of wines, beers and spirits at the bar, and four different real ales. Smoking area.
Lovely garden at the back, children welcome.

THE GEORGE AT NUNNEY HOTEL
Church St, Nunney BA11 4LW. Tel: 01373 836458, web: www.georgenunneyhotel.co.uk
• Splendid 17th-century coaching inn in beautiful and historic village setting. Beers include Bass and regularly changing guest ales, plus an absolutely massive selection of malt whiskies. Family room open to children until 8pm. Accommodation available, with doubles starting at £72 a night. Good base from which to view the castle afterwards, or you’ve the option of arming yourself with an OS map and wandering the surrounding countryside.
Very serious about fish - they even have their own boat!

GEORGE AND DRAGON
52 Stanshalls Lane, Felton BS40 9UL. Tel: 01275 472801, web: www.georgeanddragon-bristolairport.com
• This 400-year-old village pub has a very pretty courtyard and a restaurant that, unusually, offers a full menu from 12noon-9pm every day. Free house, serving Courage Best and Butcombe, plus a selection of cask beers and Ashton Press cider. Just two minutes from Bristol International Airport, with letting rooms available. Smoking area.
Breakfast served from 7am.

GEORGE & DRAGON
High St, Pensford BS39 4BH. Tel: 01761 490516
• Handsome, historic (over 400 years old) former coaching inn with ties to the infamous Judge Jeffries, roaring open fires, exposed brickwork and original beams a-plenty. Beer garden, pool and bar billiards tables, its own skittle alley and function room. Food, served lunch and evening (except Sun eve) is traditional pub fare, but done with flair and from a menu containing the odd surprise: sausage and mash, ploughman’s, curries, steaks, lasagna, lamb’s liver and so on. Smoking area.
Family- and dog-friendly.

THE GLOBE INN
Newton St Lowe, nr Bath BA2 9BB. Tel: 01225 875951.
• Big, warm, traditional inn with open log fires serving above-average pub food all day from 12noon. The menu includes all the pub grub faves plus some more substantial dishes, and children are welcome. Small but lovely garden out back. Beers include Bass and Worthington. Smoking area.
The pub used to host talent contests in the 70s - Swindon’s finest export, XTC, came last at one of them.

HUNTER’S LODGE
Priddy BA5 3AR. Tel: 01749 672275
• A sweet rural pub with a garden popular with cavers, walkers, cyclists and locals. Food served, too. Beers are Butcombe Bitter and Blindman Mine with one guest, Wedmore cider plus Kronenbourg on tap. Wholesome, hearty food includes homemade soups, faggots and peas and cauliflower cheese. Open 11.30am-2.30pm and 6.30-11pm daily. Smoking area.
Landlord Roger Dors celebrated 60 years on site last year, having arrived at the Hunter’s as a wee six-year-old.

HUNTER’S REST
Clutton BS39 5QL. Tel: 01761 452303, web: www.huntersrest.co.uk
• Family-friendly, privately owned free house featuring a beer garden with a miniature train that chugs around the grounds. The imaginative menu in the restaurant includes lots of eclectic and exotic delights as well as standard favourites. A room complete with toy chest means that families can relax in comfort. Beers are Bass, Otter, Bobwall from local microbrewery Matthew’s in Timsbury, and a weekly-changing guest. Smoking area.
Accommodation available for those who can’t bring themselves to leave.

JOLLY SAILOR
Mead Lane, Saltford BS31 3ER. Tel: 01225 873002
• You can get here by the winding narrow road but why not take the bike along the Bristol-Bath Cycleway, or even arrive by boat at this peaceful setting with its own river island and lock? There’s an enormous selection of quality bar snacks and more substantial meals which you can enjoy on the lovely heated patio or in the recently refurbished conservatory. Food is served at both lunch and dinner sittings, and all weekend during the summer. The menu changes seasonally, and they are now offering breakfasts on bank holidays and at weekends. Four real ales and a decent wine list. Barbecues on Sat and Sun afternoons from mid-March, weather permitting. Smoking area.
Plans to introduce an outside pizza oven in time for summer 2007.

KINGS ARMS
Litton BA3 4PW. Tel: 01761 241301, web: www.the-kings-arms.co.uk
• Quintessential 15th-century country pub with fireplaces, old beams and flagstone floors, listed in this year’s Good Pub Guide. Four real ales and a huge menu offering everything from baguettes and lunchtime snack staples through to homemade faggots, Barnsley chops (a personal favourite) and Cornish mussels in Weston’s cider with lovely crusty bread. Those of a sweet-toothed disposition should check out the whisky espresso panacotta, honey and ginger ice cream with caramel syrup. The majority of the food is locally sourced, too. Food served 12noon-2.30pm and 6.30-9.30pm Mon-Sat, Sun 12noon-3pm and 6-8pm. Boules court. Smoking area.
Regular folk and acoustic nights.

KINGS ARMS
Monkton Farleigh, nr Bath BA15 2QH. Tel: 01225 858705, web: www.kingsarms-bath.co.uk
• There have been few changes since Vince Hanley and Simon Blagdon took over the King’s Arms last year, and the place still makes the most of its history. What the boys did do was introduce a delicious, brasserie-style menu full of unpretentious food: dishes that you want to eat, like salmon fish cakes, crispy Old Spot pork belly with Savoy cabbage and dauphinoise potatoes or venison casserole with sage and thyme dumplings. Wines come from a carefully sourced list of around 40 different bottles, and there’s a good selection of well-kept ales.
Food served daily, lunch and dinner.

KINGS HEAD
High St, Wells BA5 2SG. Tel: 01749 672141
• Fine old medieval fortified house dating from 1308 with Tudor extensions in the heart of the bustling market town of Wells. Great portions of home-cooked fare served 12noon-3pm and legendary Sunday roasts, which landlord Nigel describes as “the best in the world”. There’s a wonderful walled courtyard to relax in, and up to seven real ales, including Abbot, Otter, 6X and the marvellous Old Peculier. Smoking area.
Open till 1am at weekends, with live music every Thur.

LANGFORD INN & RESTAURANT
Lower Langford, Langford, nr Churchill BS40 5BL. Tel: 01934 863059
• An excellent reputation for quality food and drink attracts families and foodies alike. Bar snacks are available daily until 6pm (including prawns by the half pint), or choose from an extensive a la carte menu, with especially good fish and steak dishes, and regularly changing specials. Excellent traditional roast on Sundays, and a great range of Cask Marque-rated beers and guest ales. Smoking area.
Delightful courtyard at the back, play area in the garden.

LIVE AND LET LIVE
Blagdon BS40 7RW. Tel: 01761 462403
• Boasts a conservatory restaurant and beer garden with excellent views, and pool, darts and table skittles if you’d rather be indoors. Extensive a la carte menu and loads of daily specials including the ‘Hungry Man’s Mixed Grill’, an enormous meatfeast, and fresh Blagdon trout, plus four types of steak, homemade pies, curries and veggie options. Do B&B special rates for fishermen from £30 sharing. Beer drawn straight from the barrel. Smoking area.
Children’s adventure playground with loads of stuff to climb on and slide off.

LIVE AND LET LIVE
Clyde Rd, Frampton Cotterell BS36 2EF. Tel: 01454 772254
• A typical 19th-century country pub in the middle of an attractive village which has just been taken over by those marvellous folk at Bath Ales. The pub has been completely refurbished and now has the look and feel of a typical Bath Ales pub, with the full range of those fabulous beers and a new, hearty menu. There’s a suntrap garden too and ample parking space.
Smoking area.
Great Sunday roast for just £6.95.

LOCK KEEPER
Bitton Rd, Keynsham, nr Bristol BS31 2DD. Tel: 0117 986 2383
• Fantastic location, five minutes from both the cycle path and train station, so whether you’re arriving by barge, bike or more conventional forms of transport, this pub will warmly welcome you. An excellent get-away-from-it-all spot within easy reach of both Bristol and Bath. Fresh fish features prominently on a specials board, which changes daily, with vegetarian options and a good selection of real ales, including Bombardier and Waggle Dance. Smoking area.
Fabulous location on its own island between the river and canal at Keynsham Locks.

LORD NELSON
Cleeve BS49 4NR. Tel: 01934 832170
• Hungry Horse pub selling a full range of beers, including the usual chain range of Foster’s, Carling, etc, Greene King IPA and Abbot, plus many more. The large, colourful garden is good for families. Pool and skittles teams, too. Restaurant, with non-smoking area, serves Hungry Horse big plate meals starting at around a fiver. Smoking area.
Big, well-equipped outdoor children’s play area with climbing frames.

MILL AT RODE
Rode BA11 6AG. Tel: 01373 831100, web: www.themillatrode.co.uk
• In the historic village of Rode on the river Frome, The Mill’s surrounded by landscaped gardens. Once a prosperous grist mill, it retains much of the character of its past, including the original waterwheel. Relaxed bar and dining area with seasonally-changing menus. Food served all day - the 7 till 7 menu offers two courses for £7.77 from 12noon-7pm, and the two-course set dinner will set you back just £14.95. The wine list offers lots of taste tips to guide the inexperienced, and the nippers are well catered for with a selection of organic kids’ meals. Smoking area.
If you’ve got kids, the play den is an absolute godsend.

MINER’S REST
Providence Lane, Long Ashton BS41 9DJ. Tel: 01275 393449
• Charming and unpretentious 18th-century inn high above Long Ashton - a genuine country pub just a few mins’ drive from the city. Good basic food choices at sensible prices. This is a great little haven, a real reminder of what a good pub should be. The beer is always in superb condition - fabulous pints drawn straight from the wood - as is the Thatcher’s cider, and there are great outside areas perfect for chilling out on a warm day.
• Large garden, suntrap patio and lovely views across to Dundry.

MOOREND SPOUT
Union St, Nailsea BS48 4BB. Tel: 01275 855336
• Lovely old pub with just about everything you could ever want. A decent range of excellent beers and ales - Bass, Butcombe, Courage plus regular guests - and genuine homemade kitchen treats: the cottage pie has a legendary reputation locally. This well-appointed bar is complemented by several lounge rooms, a dedicated function suite and a large sunny garden. Hailed as ‘Nailsea’s undiscovered secret’ by the CAMRA folks.
A supposedly haunted former jailhouse, Judge Jeffries hung ‘em high here, apparently.

NEW INN
Blagdon BS40 7SB. Tel: 01761 462475, web: www.blagdon.org
• After a bracing walk along the banks of Blagdon Lake, this gem of an establishment will give you a warm welcome and fabulous much-needed refreshment. Fantastic views over Blagdon Lake and towards the hills of Dundry, and a wholesome range of pub food to boot. The speciality homemade pies are particularly tasty, and the Sun roasts are great. There’s a healthy wine list and four real ales to savour. Despite it being some way off the beaten track, those who find the place often turn into regular visitors. No kids under 10. Smoking area.
Closed Mon except bank hols.

NEW INN
Dowlish Wake TA19 0NZ. Tel: 01460 52413, web: www.newinn-somerset.co.uk
• Just south-east of Ilminster, this quaint 17th-century inn is very near Perry’s Cider Mill Museum, and set in some classic rolling countryside that’s offset by quaint little villages full of beauteous stone cottages. Local cider on tap, and beers include Butcombe, Otter and one guest. Extensive bar and a la carte menu, with weekday specials from around a fiver. Particularly good fish dishes. Wheelchair access.
Smoking area. Loads of gluten-free options on the menu.

NEW INN
86 West Town Rd, Backwell, nr Bristol BS48 3BE. Tel: 01275 462694, web: www.newinnbackwell.co.uk
• Never has a name been more misleading. With 450 years under its belt, The New Inn is still going strong. The new management team has upped the ante food-wise, and now as well as more casual dining you can also enjoy the full a la carte experience. Food served lunch and dinner, and the traditional Sunday roasts are especially good. Three real ales (London Pride, Webster’s Green Label and one guest), decent wine list and nice garden area which is just about to get a serious makeover.
Plans include the addition of three letting rooms.

OLD BARN
Bristol Rd, Wraxall BS48 1BU. Tel: 01275 819011
• Quite a transformation has taken place here over recent years, with a newly designed bar, reclaimed timber in abundance, all manner of miscellany on the walls, and a welcoming, friendly ambience to boot. This busy little pub - literally housed in a barn - has no kitchen but a great barbecue set up in the excellent garden, and landlord Tony is more than happy for people to bring their own meat along. Superb selection of drinks, with four real ales, served straight from the casks, and at least three ciders. Smoking area.
Possibly the best-appointed pub within 15 mins of Bristol city centre.

OLD CROWN INN
Kelston, nr Bath BA1 9AQ. Tel: 01225 423032
• Lovely, quiet, olde worlde Butcombe pub with a large, mature garden, open fires and flagstone floors, plus plenty of outside seating and a sunny beer garden to boot. So old that no-one knows when it was built, with three old bars, one called the mortuary as coffins used to be kept there awaiting burial. There are five real ales, including Butcombe Bitter, and an excellent range of pub food. An adjacent barn has been converted into four ensuite bedrooms. Lunch, dinner and an extensive range of bar snacks are available. Smoking area.
Recently taken over by Carl Say and Garry Attwood, manager and head chef respectively of The Lock Keeper at Keynsham.

OLD INN
18 Paul’s Causeway, Congresbury BS49 9DH. Tel: 01934 832270
• The open log fires give the pub a warm and inviting atmosphere, and conversation is always lively in this real locals’ pub in the heart of the village. Once three different buildings: one end was a butcher’s and the meat hooks are still in evidence. Very attractive garden at the rear. Plenty of real ale on tap, and a small but perfectly formed wine list. Smoking area.
Look for the leather straps hanging from the ceiling, bus-style, to steady you when it’s standing room only.

OLD STATION INN
Hallatrow, nr Bath BS39 6EN. Tel: 01761 452228
• An established jewel in the pub-scene crown. With an a la carte restaurant in an old railway carriage, this is one dining experience you won’t forget. Food is served seven days a week, with baguettes, salads, jacket potatoes and old faves like scampi making it a lunchtime hotspot as well as a dinnertime treat. Ever-changing specials board, huge beer garden, real ales and five letting bedrooms, plus a weekly quiz on Sunday. Smoking area.
Now available for private hire and wedding receptions.

PACKHORSE INN
Southstoke, Bath BA2 7DU. Tel: 01225 832060, web: www.packhorseinn.com
• On winter nights warm yourself by the roaring log fire in this wonderfully historic inn: the Bath stone inglenook fireplace is said to conceal an even larger hearth of medieval origin. From a door within the inglenook there is the entrance to an old tunnel that once linked the hostelry with the church, and like all the best pubs, it is rumoured that the ghost of a monk stalks at night. The Pack Horse Inn has a reputation for good food - very reasonably priced too, and a notch above your standard pub fare - real ales, and traditional cider, with a warm and friendly greeting to regulars and visitors alike. The garden offers magnificent views over the rolling Somerset countryside. Smoking area.
Dog- and kid-friendly.

PLOUGH
High St, Wrington BS40 5QA. Tel: 01934 862871
• Highly recommended rural retreat, with well-kept real ales and food served lunch and dinner, which last August was taken over by Matt and Gabi, formerly of the Bird in Hand in Long Ashton. Excellent food, locally sourced where possible (they’ll even tell you what field the cow that provided the steaks grazed in), with mains starting at under £9. Kids are very welcome, Sun lunches are excellent, and the real jewel in the crown is their garden, seating 200, with a massive covered gazebo with patio heaters seating up to 70. This pub gets the thumbs-up all year round. Heated smoking area.
Boules court, visits from local morris men and a charity quiz on alternate Sundays.

PLUME OF FEATHERS
Rickford, nr Blagdon BS40 7AH Tel: 01761 462682
• A lovely stream-side location plays host to a 300-year-old brewhouse. Small beer garden out back. Good quality homecooked food, with a menu that changes daily, all prepared from local produce, with bargain lunch and evening meals available. Serves a selection of real ales, including Butcombe and Bass, and there’s Thatcher’s Traditional for the cider drinkers. Children and dogs welcome, monthly quiz nights. Smoking area.
Fantastic location, surrounded by amazing scenery.

PONY & TRAP
Newtown, nr Chew Magna BS40 8TQ. Tel: 01275 332627
• This 300-year-old low-beamed beauty may be tricky to find but we promise it’s well worth the effort. Once inside, the olde worlde pub gives way to a fabulous, revamped contemporary restaurant. Choose to dine casually at the bar, where the food is all traditional pub food but with an emphasis on quality and seasonality (home cured hams and so on), or a la carte in the restaurant. Great Sunday roasts and a large range of desserts that are sure to tempt. No one-armed bandits, pool tables or TVs, but there are fabulous views across the Chew Valley from the equally fabulous garden. Real ales (Butcombe, Courage Best), food served lunch and dinner. Smoking area.
Kids well catered for, with own menu and highchairs for the younger ones.

PRINCE OF WATERLOO
Winford BS40 8AR. Tel: 01275 474930
• This 400-year-old pub is the only one in Winford, so you have no excuse for not finding it. Courage Best, Butcombe, Doom Bar are among the six real ales always available. Two bars, restaurant and two beer gardens, with a very warm welcome for kids - warmer still in winter with the blazing fires. Food is robust, with great steaks and fish & chips, and is served daily from 12noon. Disabled facilities. Excellent sports bar upstairs with massive screen.
A barber wields his scissors on the first Monday of the month.

PRINCE’S MOTTO
Barrow Gurney BS48 3RY. Tel: 01275 472282
• Three little bars make this a fairly cosy, very friendly little pub. Four real ales (Bass, Butcombe, IPA and 6X), cider and Guinness. Relax in the table-festooned garden. Good selection of traditional pub fare available at lunchtimes Mon-Fri 12noon-2.30pm, and fresh rolls and sandwiches to fill the gaps at other times. Smoking area.
Regular charity quizzes.

QUEEN ADELAIDE
High St, Blagdon BS40 7RA. Tel: 01761 462573
• Marvellous pub with Butcombe and at least one guest ale available, bottles of Thatchers cider, and more. Extensive wine list, and a good range of homecooked food, from baguettes to lamb fillets and steak au poivre. Open Mon-Sat 12noon-2.30pm and 7-11pm, with food served until 9.30pm. Open Sun from 12noon, with food served until 9pm. Smoking area.
Pleasant beer patio means you can gaze over Blagdon Lake while you sup.

QUEEN’S ARMS
Celtic Way, Bleadon, nr Weston-super-Mare BS24 0NF. Tel: 01934 812080, web: www.butcombe.com/queen.htm
• The original section of this traditional inn is a Mendip cottage dating from the 16th century, but inside is the real treat, with three terracotta rooms, and much chat and laughter permeating throughout. Butcombe-owned, a traditional atmosphere pervades the three individual bars, aided by all of the brewery’s favourites and several guest ales. Tasty, home-cooked food, with good veggie options, available lunchtimes and evenings - they’re particularly proud of their steaks and fish dishes. Quiz nights most Sundays during the winter. Smoking area.
The skittle alley has gone, making way for a sunny patio and garden.

THE RETREAT ONE WORLD BISTRO AND BAR
18 Providence Lane, Long Ashton BS41 9DJ. Tel: 01275 791000, web: www.retreatoneworld.co.uk
• This chilled-out funky hideaway is perched high on a hill in Long Ashton, boasting wonderful views across to Dundry and food that makes a trip out of town well worth the effort. The well-stocked bar is a joy for spirit lovers and continental bottled beer enthusiasts, and there are board games for weekend jollities, not to mention an extensive menu. Closed Mondays. Smoking area.
Live jazz on a Sunday.

RING O’BELLS
Compton Martin, nr Bristol BS40 6JE. Tel: 01761 221284, web: www.ringobellscompton-butcombe.com
• Just 10 miles from both Bristol and Bath, this Butcombe old-timer at the foot of the Mendips has just had a really nice facelift. Boasts a gorgeous beer garden, play area for the kids, special room for parents and toddlers, massive car park and lots of clubs - classic cars, fishing, arts, etc. It’s a CAMRA fave, serving up to five cask beers on tap, and loads of different wines by the glass. Smoking area.
The food is always fantastic.

RING O’ ROSES
Stratton Rd, Holcombe BA3 5EB. Tel: 01761 232478, web: www.ringoroses.co.uk
• This pub originally cropped up in the Domesday Book as the Holcombe Inn. The Black Death wiped the village out, hence the pub’s name. Menu changes seasonally, and has a European/English flavour, with as many of the ingredients as possible sourced locally. Fish is a speciality (try the roast cod with chorizo, Mediterranean veg and herb mash), while other mains might include crispy duck leg and venison sausage with cannellini bean cassoulet. A double-sided wood-burning stove ensures a warm welcome, and there’s a beautiful view of Downside Abbey from the garden. Their hotel rooms are rather splendid, too. Smoking area.
Lots of game on the menu - venison, pigeon, hare, rabbit, pheasant - when in season.

RIVERSIDE INN
The Shallows, Saltford, nr Bristol BS31 3EZ. Tel: 01225 873862
• A relaxing ambience awaits you here, and a menu that showcases wholesome, traditional home-cooked food, and reports from the front indicate that the quality has gone up a fair old bit recently too. Old favourites abound - traditional pub food is very much the order of the day - and there’s a sumptuous Sun carvery. Have we mentioned the picturesque riverside location and gorgeous views out over the lock? This is the ideal place to recharge those batteries and idle the day away. Smoking area.
Occasional live jazz evenings.

ROSE AND CROWN
44 High St, Wick BS30 5QH. Tel: 0117 937 2198
• Go through Warmley towards Kingswood and past Bridge Yate, carry on straight over roundabout by the Griffin, over hill, past the Carpenter’s Arms, and look on the right for the Rose and Crown, set back off the road. Big on the eating front, this beautiful old pub boasts fresh fish on the menu every day, and the choice is extensive. Courage Best, Old Speckled Hen and 6X on tap, with a weekly guest ale. Food served all day, every day, from 12noon-9.45pm, with specials, mains and a cracking roast available on Sundays too. Smoking area.
Pleasant gardens and big car parks.

RUDGLEIGH INN
Easton in Gordano BS20 0QD. Tel: 01275 372363
• Relaxing retreat, with a big garden overlooking a cricket pitch. Cosy pub that’s full of character, with food available all day, all year round. Daily specials and children’s menu. Minimum of three real ales, changing every three months, with Pedigree, Bass and Best currently doing the business. Has a comprehensive wine list and big-screen TV showing all major sporting events. Smoking area.
Children’s play area, and bouncy castle in summer.

THE SEYMOUR ARMS
Bath Rd, Blagdon BS40 7TH. Tel: 01761 462279 Web: www.seymourarmsblagdon.co.uk
• Just off the A38, close to Blagdon Lake and 30 mins from Bristol city centre, this welcoming free house has recently been given a revamp but still boasts its warm, friendly atmosphere and great beer garden. Real ales include Bath Ales, Butcombe and Gem, there’s a large and eclectic wine list and if you’re looking for something to eat, you can choose from a menu which stretches from pub classics to contemporary cuisine. No wonder one customer told Venue it’s “the best pub in the whole of Somerset”.
Bed & breakfast is available if you can’t bring yourself to leave.

SHIP AND CASTLE
Congresbury BS49 5JA. Tel: 01934 832794
• Very child-friendly pub. Situated on the busy A370 to the side of the River Yeo, the Ship and Castle will never win awards for its location, but step inside and you’ll discover a cool, large-but-cosy interior a million miles away from the traffic outside, with a bar running the length of the pub. Good range of beers, including Abbot Ale and IPA. Standard pub grub, and large, safe garden with lots of play equipment out the back.
Live entertainment occasionally at weekends.

STOKE INN
Bristol Rd, Chew Stoke BS40 8XE. Tel: 01275 332120
• Picturesque country pub close to Chew Valley Lake. Usually features something a bit special on a large and varied food menu. Children welcome. Garden and lots of games - pool, darts, skittles, shove ha’penny. Guest ales are Butcombe, Smiles or Courage. Monthly theme nights from all four corners of the globe. Airport car parking available.
Good Sunday roasts, and barbecues during the summer.

THE SWAN
Bath Rd, Swineford BS30 6LN. Tel: 0117 932 3101
• This lovely, mid-19th-century Bath Ales pub, converted from three cottages, had a sympathetic refurbishment last year which has made the interior even more pleasant, without losing its country pub vibe. The main bar has a log fire and serves up all of the Bath Ales favourites, and there’s a separate restaurant area serving up good, homecooked, freshly prepared food - try the wild hare cooked in Barnstormer if it’s on the specials board. Plenty of outside seating. Smoking area.
Oozing atmosphere from every corner.

THE SWAN
Rowberrow BS25 1QL. Tel: 01934 852371
• One for the historical societies. Over 450 years old and made from three knocked-through miners’ cottages, this charming, traditional pub overlooks the heather-strewn beauty of the Beacon Batch. Most food is homemade and reasonably priced, and the choice is wide. The huge beef & ale pie with over a pound of meat in every one is very popular, while curries, steaks, lamb casserole and so on satisfy any appetite. Vegetarian options. Choose from Butcombe, Bass, Butcombe Gold, chilled Butcombe Blonde for the summer, with regular guest ales. Do a very cheap pint of Thatchers as well. Food served lunch and dinner all week.
Pub has been around since the late 1700s, and started life as a cider house.

THE SWAN AT NIBLEY
Badminton Rd, Nibley, nr Yate BS37 5JF. Tel: 01454 312290
• Traditional pub grub, from steaks and grills to some pretty good homemade specials. Beers include Old Speckled Hen, Courage Best and Wickwar Bob, plus Coddrington Codger from the local microbrewery. The beer garden will keep the nippers quiet, and the real fires will keep you snug come winter. Smoking area.
One-level arrangement is convenient for wheelchairs.

TALBOT INN
Mells, nr Frome BA11 3PN. Tel: 01373 812254, web: www.talbotinn.com
• With recommendations from Egon Ronay, the Good Beer Guide, the AA and Les Routiers, you can’t go wrong. This beautiful oak-beamed inn offers contemporary and traditional English and French cuisine courtesy of head chef Mark Jones, who previously worked at the internationally renowned Gidleigh Park Hotel. Lunches mean homemade soups, individual cottage pies and Devon mussels and the evening a la carte features traditional steak, Guinness and mushroom pies, pan fried calves’ liver with garlic mash and an excellent fish and seafood selection, all delivered daily from Brixham.
Smoking area.
You have to visit the stunning Tythe Barn bar, with beer served straight out of the wood, and a fantastic mural painted by local artists.

THREE HORSESHOES
Langley Marsh TA4 2UL. Tel: 01984 623763
• Excellent ale choice includes Palmers, Otter, Tribute and Young’s, as well as Stowford Press cider, Guinness and lager. Beer garden, but unfortunately under-8s not allowed inside. Excellent homecooked menu, but chips are a no-no. Great range of dishes include veggie options. Smoking area.
Two holiday cottages within the pub’s grounds. Booking advisable.

TUCKERS GRAVE
Faukland BA3 5XF. Tel: 01373 834230
• An absolute one-off, well worth seeking out. Nicknamed ‘The Pub That Time Forgot’, this enchanting inn doesn’t even have a bar. Beers such as Butcombe, Bass and Cheddar Valley cider are served straight from barrels piled up in the window. The pub, rooted to tradition, doesn’t serve hot food, though they seem quite happy to rustle you up a sandwich if you ask nicely. Otherwise, it’s shelves of chocolate, crisps and nuts next to the barrels. Skittles and shove ha’penny round off the truly traditional feel. Smoking area.
Large garden at the back and a very friendly atmosphere.

WALDEGRAVE ARMS
Church Lane, East Harptree. Tel: 01761 221429, web: www.waldegravearmseastharptree.co.uk
• Fantastically kid-friendly pub, they’ve a dedicated play area with climbing frames, a bouncy castle, a kids’ menu and even a pets’ corner. Real ales and guest beers, plus inviting open fires and an excellent garden. The cuisine easily repays the journey, with food served lunch and dinner from bar snacks through to a la carte options such as rack of lamb or beef wellington. Smoking area.
Quiz nights and/or Irish music every Sunday.

WHEATSHEAF
Combe Hay, nr Bath BA2 7EG. Tel: 01225 833504
• Nestled in the heart of some of the most gorgeous countryside near Bath, this beautifully preserved inn - now a contemporary gastropub - started life as a private house in 1576. Real ales, hard-to-find Japanese lager on tap, outstanding wine list and a huge, frequently changing menu that ranges from a small but great-value bar food selection (including their famous ploughman’s) to a delicious a la carte menu specialising in game (in season) and fresh fish. The attention given to the mains carries through to the imaginative dessert and cheese menus (two, in fact, one concentrating on English cheeses and the other wholly French). It’s the perfect place for a Sunday roast and, if you can’t bear to tear yourself away, there’s accommodation too. Large summer beer garden with 50 tables. Open lunch and dinner (occasionally extending to all day during the summer), with lovely locally-brewed ales and ciders. Smoking area.
Gorgeous terraced garden with panoramic views.

WHEELWRIGHTS ARMS
Church Lane, Monkton Combe BA2 7HB. Tel: 01225 722287, web: www.wheelwrightsarms.co.uk
• The Wheelwrights Arms Country Inn, surrounded by picturesque hills and valleys, serves up restaurant-quality food at sensible prices: dishes like the trio of Bath sausages on smooth mash with rich red wine and onion gravy, or the beer-battered cod fillet with hand-cut chunky chips, mushy peas and tartare sauce are the order of the day. There’s Bath Ales’ Wild Hare among the draughts on offer and a comprehensive wine list that throws up a few surprises - a glass of Moldovian, anyone? Smoking area.
Food served daily, from 9am.

WHITE HART
Wrington Rd, Congresbury BS49 5AR. Tel: 01934 833303
• Cosy warmth, low beams and a décor that can only be described as eclectic. Three real ales on tap, but what makes the White Hart truly worth a visit is the food. It’s all good, but landlady Rebecca and her team go out of their way to cater for specialist dietary needs, so anyone on a gluten-free diet, for example, is more than well looked after. Loads of board games to choose from, decent wine list and ever-friendly staff. Smoking area.
Food served lunch and dinner.

WHITE HART
Cross BS26 2EE. Tel: 01934 732260
• Warm, friendly pub just off A38 along from Crook’s Peak. The food’s seriously tasty and reasonably priced for the quality, putting many an expensive restaurant to shame. Extensive bar with five real ales (Bass, Butcombe, Abbot, Brakspear, Courage Best and a weekly-changing guest). New licensing hours mean that it’s now open until 1am at weekends, otherwise it’s 12noon-3.30pm and 6pm-12midnight.
Reputed to have a resident ghost, a victim of Judge Jeffreys’s 17th-century bloody assizes.

WHITE HART
The Folly, Cold Ashton SN14 8JR. Tel: 01225 891233
• On the main A420 Chippenham Road, this former 16th-century coaching inn is a real Cotswold charmer, and boasts live music on Sundays, a popular quiz on Friday nights and Sunday roasts - with a choice of five meats - so good that they offer them up midweek too! Real ale, great atmosphere and food to die for: the duck and bacon pie is outstanding and food is served both lunch and dinner time. Children’s play area. Smoking area.
Plenty of olde worlde charm: oak beams, dark wood and real fires.

WHITE HORSE
North St, Haselbury Plucknett. Tel: 01460 78873
• Formerly known as the Haselbury Inn, this lovely pub has three or four constantly changing cask-conditioned ales. A super place for real ale enthusiasts. Highly-rated traditional home-cooked food, with two menus featuring a range of fish and meat dishes, and an a la carte menu. Three-course bargain lunches from a tenner, with early bird evening dining from £12. Children welcome. Smoking area.
Full of character and old world charm.

WINFORD ARMS
Bridgwater Rd, Dundry BS41 8JP. Tel: 01275 392178, web: www.winfordarms.co.uk
• Great mock-Tudor country pub, built in the 1800s. Well-deserved reputation for good-quality, reasonably priced food, served from 12noon-10pm daily, 8pm Sun. The extensive menu features something for everyone. Massive beer garden with safe area for kids, and a selection of real ales including Courage Best and Bass. Smoking area.
Voted Pub of the Year 2004 by Bristol Evening Post readers.

WOOKEY HOLE INN
Wookey Hole, Wells BA5 1BP. Tel: 01749 676677, web: www.wookeyholeinn.com
• A fab, funky interior hides behind the traditional frontage of this historic inn in the beautiful Mendips. Boasts the widest selection of Belgian beer on draught in England, four guest ales, extensive wine list and delicious dishes. Menu changes daily, always including a great vegetarian choice, and all food’s locally sourced and free-range. The walled sculpture garden seats over 100, with a sunken area and boat deck for truly decadent afternoons. Smoking area.
Excellent live jazz on Sun - phone ahead for details.

WOOLPACK INN
Beckington, nr Bath/Frome BA11 6SP. Tel: 01373 831244, web: www.woolpackhotel.com
• Traditional 16th-century coaching inn, steeped in history. Serving traditional Greene King real ales, the main area on the ground floor is divided into the bar, with its stone floor, open log fire and fine traditional ale, and a separate dining area which, together with the Oak Room and Garden Room, makes it an ideal place for a quick snack or that special meal. The dinner menu features everything from homemade pizzas and soups through to dishes using game from the local shoot and fresh fish delivered daily from Brixham. Smoking area.
Beckington achieved prosperity in the middle ages as a result of the wool trade, hence the name.

South Wales

THE BLACK BEAR
Bettws Newydd, Usk NP15 1JN. Tel: 01873 880701
• Characterful 16th-century inn specializing in great food using local, seasonal produce - Welsh lamb, Usk river salmon and so forth - from a menu teeming with fish and game. Two basic but comfortable letting rooms available in the converted stables.
The dark pink walls of the dining room are a shrine to British horse racing.

THE BOAT
Lone Lane, Penallt, Monmouth NP25 4AJ. Tel: 01600 712615
• The Boat Inn is one of those places you can’t forget, reached by crossing an iron bridge which takes the traveller from England into Wales across the River Wye. Nice, old-fashioned pub with few frills but bags of charm. Tiered beer garden with lots of seating, live jazz, good pub grub-style food which has improved vastly in recent years. Up to six real ales available in summer, a couple of local ciders and the obligatory real fire for the colder days. Recently changed hands, so check first if you’re making the journey for the jazz. Smoking area.
Unusually, built against a solid rock face.

CHERRY TREE INN
Forge Rd, Tintern, Monmouthshire NP16 6TH. Tel: 01291 689292, web: www.thecherry.co.uk
• Located on the edge of this famous village, The Cherry Tree is thought to date back some 400 years. Many of its original features, such as the beamed ceilings, exposed stone and open fires, are still in place. Always different real ales on tap, and lovers of good food are also well provided for. Children are welcome; all major credit cards are accepted. The Cherry Tree also offers accommodation with a choice of four rooms, all ensuite.
Still has an ancient bar billiards table.

CLYTHA ARMS
Clytha, nr Abergavenny, Monmouthshire NP7 9BW. Tel: 01873 840206, web: www.clytha-arms.com
• Multi-award-winning pub, three miles from Raglan with its famous 15th-century castle, and six miles from the market town of Abergavenny. The place successfully functions as an informal pub with six real ales, including Bass and Hook Norton, and snacks in the public bar, but most interest now centres on the food in the restaurant, where Welsh specialities mix with a truly pan-global selection. Smoking area.
Hungry? The leek and laverbread rissoles, served with beetroot chutney, are rather good.

FOUNTAIN INN
Aberkenfig, nr Bridgend CF32 0EW. Tel: 01656 721392
• The Fountain is a well-kept secret. The restaurant, just off the main bar, serves above-average pub food with a little bit of flair, and the Sunday lunches are always fully booked. Good family atmosphere and a quiet bar to retreat to afterwards.
Very popular with both locals and day trippers.

GWAELOD Y GARTH INN
Main Rd, Cardiff, South Glamorgan CF4 8HH. Tel: 0292 081 0408
• Highly rated by both locals and visitors for good food, great beer and friendly staff. A proper pub with real characters, where landlady Barbara Evans and her team have put a lot of effort into getting the mix just right.
Try the Welsh cider, Gwynt y Ddraig Gold Medal.

VINE TREE INN
Legar Rd, Llangattock, Crickhowell, Powys NP8 1HG. Tel: 01873 810514
• The Vine Tree has an old stone cottage feel and a pleasant, friendly atmosphere. Very much an old-school pub with an emphasis on good beer, good conversation and good food; the extensive menus include locally-caught trout.
Great place to stop after a hike around the Beacons.

Wiltshire

AT THE SIGN OF THE ANGEL
Church St, Lacock, nr Chippenham SN15 2LB. Tel: 01249 730230
• Elegant, traditional 16th-century inn with original oak panelling, antique furniture and low ceilings. The food is appropriately heavenly, with most of it made from scratch, including homemade soups and sorbets. Great choice of liquid refreshments.
Perfect place for a weekend break or romantic evening.

BATH ARMS
Crockerton, nr Warminster BA12 8AJ. Tel: 01985 212262
• This sleepy little village houses one of the finest gastropubs you’re likely to encounter. A beautifully restored country inn in a pretty Wiltshire village, with two fantastic suites, the Bath Arms offers romantic weekending or comfortable executive overnighting. The restaurant offers Great British food in a light and airy dining room: baked mushroom Welsh rarebit, loin of pork chop with black pudding and parsnip puree and Bath Arms fishcake with Cornish crab and broad are just a few of the delights that await you. Bar food and teas also available. Three real ales always on tap, including two from local brewer Hobdens Wessex. Children welcome in restaurant and beer garden. Smoking area.
A venue for regular events such as jazz lunches and beer festivals.

BECKFORD ARMS
Hindon Lane, Fonthill Gifford SP3 6PX. Tel: 01747 870385, web: www.thebeckfordarms.co.uk
• Delightful 18th-century country inn with CAMRA-rated real ale, log fires and a lovely garden. Excellent restaurant features local produce, and the whole place is set in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Dog-friendly, too. Smoking area.
Described by one regular as “a really nice country pub with wicked food”.

THE BEEHIVE
Trowbridge Rd, Widbrook, Bradford on Avon BA15 1UA. Tel: 01225 863620, web: www.beehivepub.com
• Great country pub next to the Kennet and Avon Canal, with a good range of real ales (usually six straight from the barrel, often including the wonderfully named What the Foxes Hat). Food is very good, with huge portions. Seating inside is limited and there’s often a short queue for a table, so booking is advised. Smoking area.
A long-standing rumour has it that the building used to be a brothel.

THE BELL INN
High St, Wylye, Warminster BA12 0QP. Tel: 01985 248338, web: www.thebellatwylye.com
• Owned by The Hidden Brewery, this quintessential country pub is situated five minutes away from the brewery in the Wiltshire countryside, and is easily accessible from A303 and A36. The Bell serves delicious, locally sourced food, a wide range of beers, including The Hidden Brewery’s award-winning real ale, and a selection of wines, some of which are from the Wylye Valley. The pub has guest accommodation and is open every day. Smoking area.
Perfect for a pie and a pint, a full evening meal or a weekend in the country.

BUNCH OF GRAPES
14 Silver St, Bradford on Avon BA15 1JY. Tel: 01225 863877
• Centrally located in picturesque Bradford on Avon, this is one of the town’s most prized hostelries. Complete with beams, fireplaces, candles and a fabulously warm, cosy ambience, this is a truly great pub. Excellent menu, monthly changing guest ales and good wine selection. The Sunday carvery is fantastic: two meats to choose from, alternating between beef or chicken and lamb or pork, at just £7.95. The puds are pretty wonderful too. Smoking area.
No pool or darts, just great beer and good conversation.

CASTLE INN
Castle Combe, Chippenham SN14 7HN. Tel: 01249 783030, web: www.castle-inn.info
• This 12th-century inn in the beautiful village of Castle Combe has just undergone a major refurbishment. Originally five cottages, all knocked together, it provides AA rosette-winning food for an appreciative and growing clientele. Menu changes frequently to reflect the freshest, seasonal, handpicked ingredients. Expect delicious food, a relaxed and stylish restaurant and welcoming bar. Regularly changing guest ales, with two on at any one time, plus a large selection of French and new world wines.
With 11 ensuite rooms, there’s no reason to leave.

CROSS GUNS
Avoncliff BA15 2HB. Tel: 01225 862335/867613, web: www.crossguns.net
• The views from this lovely, 16th-century inn are as beautiful as anything you’ll see in this world or the next, and the food is worthy of the setting. Available lunch and dinner, with lighter snacks served all day, the Cross Guns mushrooms, cooked with lashings of creamy garlic and brandy sauce, or the combo (combining portions of breaded brie, chicken satay with prawns, and accompanied with a wide selection of sauce dips) are good places to start, but leave room for the awesome steaks. The bar’s equally impressive, with real ales and a great wine list, and over 100 malt whiskies. Reservations for the busy, popular restaurant are essential at weekends. Smoking area.
Try a pint of the Millworker’s Token Ale - one former landlord also owned one of the mills and wages were partially paid in his own tokens, which had to be spent in the pub.

GEORGE & DRAGON
High St, Rowde SN10 2PN. Tel: 01380 723053
• Award-winning gastropub that deserves every accolade it receives, and has just been awarded a star in Egon Ronay’s Gastro Pub 2006/20007 Guide. Proprietors Phillip and Michelle Hale and Christopher Day have forged a formidable reputation that’s largely down to what they do with fish - the starter of scallops with black pudding, for example, is a firm favourite, as is the whole cracked Cornish crab. The fish comes straight from Cornwall and the vegetables are locally grown. Regulars tend to regard this as a restaurant that also serves beer, rather than the other way around, and food is served lunch and dinner Tue-Sat, plus the traditional Sunday roasts. They also have a great summer garden to enjoy your fabulous food in and three letting rooms, two ensuite and one with a private bathroom.
Excellent value for money, with
a three-course dinner around £60
for two.

HOP POLE
Limpley Stoke, nr Bath BA2 7FS. Tel: 01225 723134
• It may have been the pub’s 400-year-plus history, log fires, great garden or impressive menu that persuaded the makers of ‘The Remains of the Day’ to take advantage of this gorgeous old watering hole and shoot the film’s pub scene here. More likely, it was all four. Excellent menu includes home baked pies, fresh local trout and homemade specials. Giant filled baps and other light bites, and three regular and one or two guest ales always on tap. Smoking area.
Large, attractive garden holds up
to 120.

HOPE & ANCHOR
Midford Rd, Bath BA2 7DD. Tel: 01225 832296, web: www.hopeandanchormidford.co.uk
• Set in the lovely Cam Valley and listed by both the AA and Which? Pub guides, the Hope and Anchor is as renowned for its food as it is for its excellent beer - with Bass and Butcombe on tap - and its friendly staff. Choose from the more formal, 17th-century oak-beamed restaurant or dine in the bar, where the dishes are robust rather than fussy. Plenty of fish on the menu, plus homemade pies and rather good paella. Smoking area
Great in winter, with its roaring fire, and the tiered garden is a godsend for soaking up the sun in summer.

HUNGERFORD ARMS
Farleigh Hungerford BA2 7RX. Tel: 01225 752411
• Beautifully situated, with views out over the river and valley, including the semi-ruined Farleigh Castle. This old, pretty inn is renowned for its excellent range of ales, which always includes Wadsworth 6X, Butcombe and Otter Bitter from Devon, as well as a guest appearance from at least one other. A solid pub grub menu includes steaks, fish and veggie choices. Hosts Hamish and Emma make everyone feel at home. Smoking area.
Close to Iford Manor, site of some wonderful outdoor classical concerts.

INN AT FRESHFORD
The Hill, Freshford BA2 7WG. Tel: 01225 722250, web: www.theinnatfreshford.co.uk
• This grade II-listed building dates from 1745, and was once a wealthy family’s summerhouse. Classy but cheerful, smart but relaxed, spend time here and the day-to-day is quickly forgotten. Box Steam Brewery beers, stylish yet substantial food (the sautéed sweet pepper is highly recommended) and efficient, attentive and smiley staff. The bistro-esque menu takes lunches away from typical pub offerings, the food in general experimenting with flavours to create cuisine best savoured slowly. Kid- and dog-friendly. Smoking area.
Easily accessible by train - a couple of mins’ walk from the Freshford request stop.

NORTHY
Bath Rd, Box, nr Corsham SN13 8AE. Tel: 01225 742333, web: ohh.org.uk
• Updated and upmarket describes the Northy’s image, a mix of old and new sitting comfortably together: a gracious, discreetly glamorous but cosy bar and restaurant. Sublime starters, like chicken liver and pistachio paté, and mains of fillet of beef with tarragon mash, or herb-crusted tuna steak with chargrilled vegetables, are helping to build a deserved reputation for their big, unfussy plates of food with a respect for good ingredients, and the desserts are a dream.
Well-deserved reputation for great food.

OLD HOUSE AT HOME
Burton, nr Castle Combe SN14 7LT. Tel: 01454 218227, web: ohh.org.uk
• A delightful, soft stone and timber free house with roaring log fire and no slot machines to detract from the ambience. And the food... Egon Ronay-listed and publicly endorsed by Antony Worrall Thompson. Extensive, frequently changing specials board, two real ales (6X and Bass) plus a decent keg selection including Amstel lager. Smoking area.
Large family-friendly garden for summer.

PEAR TREE
Top Lane, Whitley, nr Bath SN12 8QX. Tel: 01225 709131
• Award-winning pub that boasts a stunning menu, mixing a multitude of influences from around the world, and culminating in an overall style that could be called the very best of modern European. They’re passionate about food, as is evident from the seasonal, daily-changing menu, which is largely locally sourced and often includes local venison and game. Puddings are fantastic, and so is the selection of drinks on offer at the bar, with three real ales and a top-quality wine list. Eight ensuite bedrooms, so you may never want to leave.
Bread, ice-cream and even sausages made on the premises.

RATTLEBONE INN
Church St, Sherston, Wilts SN16 0LR. Tel: 01666 840871
• A warm atmosphere will greet you as you step into this rambling, traditional pub. Settle in for the afternoon in one of the numerous cosy nooks and crannies. The expansive and imaginative menu, with most ingredients sourced locally, can be best described as traditional, rustic fayre with a twist. Plenty of fresh fish - the sea bass is rather good - and specials such as game pie. Their fillet steaks are also highly recommended. Two real ales, currently Young’s Special and Bombardier. There’s a boules pitch out back. Children are very welcome - just keep them away from the dozen or so malt whiskies on offer. Smoking area.
Good disabled access.

RED LION
1 High St, Lacock SN15 2LQ. Tel: 01249 730456, web: redlionlacock.2day.ws
• The fact that the BBC chose this fantastic hostelry to shoot a scene for ‘Pride and Prejudice’ should give you an insight into what to expect. It’s an early 1700s beamed pub, with a stunning, imposing frontage, complete with large open fire, wooden floors, flagstones and even the odd tankard or two. Lovely sunny garden and great food. Wadsworth’s ales and magnificent letting rooms. Smoking area.
Won Lacock’s Best Floral Business Front award in 2005.

RED LION
Wolverton, nr Rode BA2 7QS. Tel: 01373 830350
• Great old feel to this place, a sprawling pub in an old building with church pew-type seats and very large tables. Beers include Wadworth’s 6X, IPA, JCB, a Wadworth’s seasonal and one guest beer. Solid homemade pub grub on offer, from chicken salad to roast lamb shoulder and beef & ale pie, all served in massive portions - restaurant food at pub prices. Food served weekdays 12noon-2pm and 6-9pm, and all day at weekends. Smoking area.
Extremely large garden with kids’ play area.

RISING SUN
Bowden Hill, Lacock SN15 2PP. Tel: 01249 730363
• Worth visiting for the views alone - apparently you can see up to 40 miles away on a clear day. Good-quality, imaginative bar fare available lunchtimes, and on Sun there’s a very popular roast, which goes on until the pub is eaten empty. Moles ales are beer of choice - choose from Holy Moley, Molecatcher or Millennium. Child-tolerant, and the garden is simply sublime. Recently added a new conservatory, so you can enjoy the stunning views all year round. Smoking area.
Quiz every Wed night.

RIVERSIDE INN
49 St Margaret’s St, Bradford on Avon BA15 1DE. Tel: 01225 863526, web: www.riversideboa.co.uk
• A truly unique find, this gorgeous listed pub on the riverbanks of Bradford on Avon offers a pleasing array of real ales with Bob, 6X and Butcombe all making a welcome appearance, and fabulous food that’s easy on the wallet (mains around the £7 mark) is served lunch and dinner times Mon-Sat. They specialise in rather fine Sunday roasts, with vegetarian options. Large beer garden for balmy summer evenings. Look out for offers and promotions on their website. Smoking area.
Has its own nightclub, the Black Cat, with live bands on Fri and jazz or blues Sun lunch.

ROYAL OAK
72 High St, Corsham SN13 0HF. Tel: 01249 713607
• Traditional two-bar Wadworth’s pub worth checking out for the quality and quantity of landlord Nick Taylor’s Saturday morning breakfasts and Thursday night folk club.
Closed Saturday evenings.

SPREAD EAGLE INN
Stourhead Estate, Stourton, nr Warminster BA12 6QE. Tel: 01747 840587, web: www.spreadeagleinn.com
• Historic heritage pub overlooking Stourhead’s magnificent gardens. English cooking using magnificent local food, five charming bedrooms, beers brewed locally - think Butcombe, Wadsworth, Bath Ales and/or Wessex. The menu is immense: slow-cooked dishes, roast rare-breed meats and fresh fish; simple food which allows the ingredients to do the talking, with a la carte and bar menus available. Double rooms £110 per night.
Beautiful location with stunning courtyard.

NEW
SWAN HOTEL
1 Church St, Bradford on Avon BA15 1LN. Tel: 01225 868686
• The Swan Hotel reopened this February after a major refurbishment by new owners Stourhead Hotels. Now with two new restaurant and bar areas, a private function room that can seat up to 40 people and 12 bedrooms, Stephen Ross, proprietor of Stourhead Hotels, says: “We are not pretending to be a posh hotel; we want local people to be able to have a pint of beer and some good food here.” Headed by Mark Heather, formerly of the Raincheck in Bath, and chef Tom Bridgeman, the restaurant specialises in serving rare-breed meat, has fresh fish from Cornwall daily and features everything from breakfast nibbles through to dinner specials such as Gloucestershire Old Spot pork with an apricot pudding.
Great Sun lunches; have a whole roast chicken and veg to share around your table. It’s like Sunday lunch at home without the hassle.

SWAN INN
Kingsdown, nr Corsham and Bathford SN13 8BP. Tel: 01225 742269
• The Swan Inn is a 300-year-old quarryman’s pub, chained to the quarry opposite to keep it attached to the hill, with amazing views over the Avon valley. Excellent, home-cooked food is on offer daily (both lunch and dinner) and the ales have been highlighted in the Good Beer Guide for several years now. Accommodation is all ensuite and offers modern facilities, with real log fires and live music on a fairly regular basis. A real country pub with real food and real beer. Smoking area.
Commanding views down the Bybrook valley to Bath.

TOLLGATE INN
Ham Green, Holt, nr Trowbridge BA14 6PX. Tel: 01225 782326, web: www.tollgateholt.co.uk
• This gorgeous gastropub run by Alex and Alison Venables is highly recommended by Venue’s food editor. Superb food is served in this comfy, terracotta and oak-beamed 17th-century establishment. The menu boasts some imaginative delights: try calves’ liver and bacon on beetroot and tarragon with an orange and dubonnet sauce from an ever-changing selection of fresh fish, poultry and steaks. Service is tremendous, and the setting beautiful. Lunchtime light bites range from £4-£9, two-course Sunday lunches come in at £9.95, and a la carte mains start at around a tenner. The homemade ice cream is pretty spectacular. It has won Publican magazine’s Catering Pub of the Year award three times so far this decade.
Guest ales come from microbreweries from around the UK.

WAGGON AND HORSES
Beckhampton SN8 1QJ. Tel: 01672 539418
• This 16th-century thatched pub was given a plug by Dickens in ‘The Pickwick Papers’, and we’re happy to do likewise. Children welcome in the family room, and climbing frames in the garden. Beers include hand-drawn Wadworth’s 6X, IPA and guest ales. Range of homecooked food with veggie options, with snack menu and separate restaurant. Smoking area.
Once the meeting place for Britain’s premier crop circle society.

WHITE HART
Ford SN14 8RP. Tel: 01249 782213, web: www.roomattheinn.info
• Old wooden-beamed pub with outdoor seating by a stream, with loads of nooks and crannies and a great alfresco dining area. The food is excellent, with full a la carte in the restaurant or substantial bar snacks available, separate kids’ menu and loads of daily specials. Advance booking recommended. Traditional beers are changed on a regular basis, and there’s an excellent wine selection. Has 11 ensuite rooms, from around £60 a night. Smoking area.
The restaurant is built over a brook.

WHITE HORSE INN
Compton Bassett, Calne SN11 8RJ. Tel: 01249 813118, web: www.comptonbassett.com/Whitehorse
• Award-winning accommodation and fantastic food abound in this charming 18th-century inn. The evening a la carte starters are all under a fiver, mains like braised shanks of lamb in red wine with a thyme mash come in at around £12, and there are plenty of desserts to choose from at under £4. Barbecues in the summer in the large garden, and roasts on Sun. Regular successful theme nights and seven ensuite bedrooms. Smoking area.
A great weekend getaway.

Drinking Out West Guide - Bristol and Bath's best pub guide. Only 2.50.To order a copy ring 0117 942 8491. Eating Out West Guide - Bristol and Bath's best restaurant guide. Only £4.95. To order a copy ring 0117 942 8491 .