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Great beers and a good night’s sleep rarely go hand in hand. Typically, from Devon to Dumfries, you have to choose between a pub with pleasant upstairs rooms but a tedious selection of cask ales, or an inn offering top-notch regional drinks but lacking decent accommodation.
The Campaign For Real Ale Good Beer Guide, celebrating its 50th anniversary, is the Michelin equivalent for real beer lovers. It’s also an essential book for finding wonderful places to drink and stay. Here is our selection of the best…
The Anchor Inn in Seatown, Dorset, hosts beers from nearby Palmers Brewery
Pints and pirates
If the Anchor Inn, a former smugglers’ haven in Seatown, Dorset, was closer to the sea, the locals in the main bar would have wet feet. The inn has a selection of beers from the nearby Palmers Brewery, which produces Dorset Gold beer. All three rooms offer sea views with some subtle nautical touches in the decor that never veer into Pugwash kitsch.
Stay: Double B&B from £150 per night (with a minimum stay of two nights), theanchorinnseatown.co.uk
The inglenook fireplaces and antique beams of the Cat Inn in West Hoathly are a great place to sip local ales.
Weld Top
Located high in the Sussex Weald in West Hoathly, the Cat Inn is perfectly located for a walk in Ashdown Forest.
The inglenook fireplaces and ancient, crooked beams create a wonderfully atavistic setting for sipping local ales, with a choice of five beers on tap. There are four bedrooms upstairs – the Grand Suite is our pick, with fabulously retro wingback chairs.
Stay: Double B&B from £170, catinn.es
The rooms at the Applecross Inn in Wester Ross are decorated in a soothing blue and offer views stretching to the Isles of Skye and Raasay.
A great Scotsman
Narrow mountain roads lead to the Applecross Inn on Wester Ross, the UK’s most remote peninsula. It’s worth the trip to experience one of the UK’s truly fantastic country pubs. The seven bedrooms are decorated in soft blue tones to match the views stretching across the Inner Sound to the islands of Skye and Raasay. The beers on tap are from Applecross Craft Brewery.
Stay: Double B&B from £170, applecrossinn.com
The King’s Head in Llangennith is a dog-friendly inn made up of a trio of stone cottages.
gower power
Just a few minutes’ walk from the dunes of Rhossilli Bay on the Gower Peninsula lies the King’s Head in Llangennith, a trio of stone cottages built long ago as a pub. There are four beers on tap, including drinks from Evan Evans Brewery in Llandeilo. The rooms are in a house next door and in a barn behind the pub. The latter has stone floors and large bathrooms.
Stay: B&B double from £135, kingsheadgower.co.uk
The Black Swan in Cumbria offers a variety of accommodation, including yurts.
Charming by the water
The Black Swan beer garden, Cumbria, is a cheeky charmer. It overlooks a stream in the Eden Valley village of Ravenstonedale, just a 20-minute drive from the Lake District proper but devoid of tourist crowds. There are 17 rooms and suites (including yurts). You’ll find beers from the Allendale Brewery range, including a gluten-free IPA called Hop On.
Stay: B&B double from £145, blackswanhotel.com
The George Inn in Norton St Philip, Somerset, could be the oldest pub in Britain, dating back to at least 1327.
Drink in history
The battle for the title of Britain’s oldest pub is always contentious, but none other than English Heritage believes the Grade I listed George Inn in Norton St Philip, Somerset, could be the champion, with records dating back to the less than 1327.
The inn is run by Butcombe Brewery, which makes a superb pale ale called Rare Breed. There are 13 rooms here, with Samuel Pepys being our first choice.
Stay: B&B double from £119, butcombe.com
The Boat Inn in Penallt, Monmouthshire, is the ideal place for walkers walking the Wye Valley to rest their legs. The terraced garden even has a natural waterfall.
Won’t you stay a while?
The Boat Inn in Penallt, Monmouthshire, offers the most welcoming respite for walkers walking the Wye Valley, while in summer it is a delight to sit on its terraced garden, which even has a natural waterfall. The upper floor is a lovely small two bedroom detached holiday rental with river views. Head downstairs to the bar for a pint of Tewdric’s Triple Ale, a honey-coloured ale named after an ancient king of Gwent.
Stay: Self-catering accommodation from £320 (with a minimum three-night stay), 01600 712615
The King’s Head, also known as The Low House, in the Suffolk village of Laxfield, is known for the local Earl Soham Albert beer, but also has many other offerings available.
Tale of two names
Walk through the churchyard in the timeless Suffolk village of Laxfield and you’ll see a 400-year-old thatched building with two names. Whether you call it The Low House or The King’s Head, the high-backed seats are perfect for sipping a pint of local Earl Soham Albert beer. The three beautiful but charming rooms are located in the old stables.
Stay: B&B double from £105, www.lowhouselaxfield.com
The Spyglass Inn in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight has a unique maritime charm, with views of the English Channel and nautical memorabilia.
Tides and jugs
Located at the end of the 19th century Ventnor esplanade on the Isle of Wight, the Spyglass Inn offers a true ‘end of the line’ feel, with views across the English Channel, plenty of seafaring memorabilia, superb seafood dishes and fine ales. Andwell and Goddards Breweries. The four rooms exude maritime character and have private terraces, two of which face the sea.
Stay: Double B&B from £120, the spyglass.com
The menu at this traditional Kent inn, the Horseshoe & Castle, is packed with seafood, including muscles and squid.
still the gentleman
Located near a ruined castle in Cooling once owned by Sir John Oldcastle, on whom Shakespeare based Falstaff, Horseshoe & Castle’s superb menu would suit the burly gentleman of yesteryear with dishes such as Kentish Ale-battered squid alongside with beers from the Shepherd Neame range.
There are rooms above the bar, but the best option is a separate cabin.
Stay: Double room only from £135, herraduraycastillo.com
- The 2024 edition of the Good Beer Guide is available now, priced at £16.99 (camra.org.uk).