Britain’s Best Pubs for a winter walk
Published 17 November 2025

At the end of the nail-bitingly vertiginous Bealach Na Bà Pass, the Applecross Inn is legendary for its food, craic and ‘magnificently idyllic location’. Run by Judith Fish MBE since 1989, this whitewashed pub with rooms attracts a steady stream of bikers and campervan holidaymakers ready for a nerve-calming dram (there are over 50 malt whiskies on offer) or a pint from the Applecross Brewery. Outside, picnic tables huddle above a rocky beach with dreamy wide-angle views, while a converted silver Airstream caravan (the Inn-Side Out) offers fish and chips, ice cream and coffee to go. Inside, it’s properly old-school, shabby but not chic: red carpets, orange pine panelling, the bar strung with fairy lights. The menu naturally showcases daily supplies of local seafood: the freshest squat lobsters, langoustines, plump hand-dived scallops, dressed crab salad. Portions are huge and the line-up also takes in flambéed haggis, chicken Caesar salad, burgers, pasta and excellent battered haddock with chunky chips. Desserts are in the same vein, mighty portions of classics ranging from ‘the best homemade sticky toffee pudding’ to traditional raspberry cranachan. 

‘It's the kind of place you want round the corner, but it's in the middle of a very beautiful nowhere,’ comments one reporter who loves everything about this terrific hostelry. The barman pulls pints and entertains everyone, chef/co-owner Stosie Madi sends out glorious plates of food, and Kathy Smith out front is the epitome of peerless hospitality. Farmers, fishing folk and walkers with dogs congregate here, and the pub’s close-knit family team does them proud, serving all and sundry ‘without faff or fuss’. The main menu is shot through with seasonal Lancastrian produce, from confit Tarleton tomato tart to chargrilled 40-day aged Bowland beef – although the pub is renowned for its majestic pies, constructions of exemplary roast-fat hot-crust pastry, generously filled with good things. To finish, the kitchen procures everything from Yorkshire rhubarb to Kentish cherries, as well as garnering elderflowers from the garden. The Bowland Brewery's exceptional ales top the drinks list, wines are accessibly priced and the Negronis infused with foraged wild pickings are a must. All of this, plus ‘long views of the fells’.

Overlooking the Gothic remains of medieval Byland Abbey, this dream-ticket pub ‘hits that sweet spot between effortless village local and divine destination dining’. Inside, it’s pure, cosy magic, complete with flickering fires, ancient stonework and genuine Yorkshire hospitality. Pull up a stool for a pint of hand-pumped ale or graduate to one of the three dining rooms for seriously appealing food with a punchy regional accent, underpinned by produce from owner Tommy Banks’ family farm. Classics such as beer-battered haddock or Saddleback pork pie sit alongside upmarket ideas ranging from confit chicken and nasturtium velouté to BBQ fallow deer haunch and braised shoulder with sour cherries. And you can now enjoy the pub’s ‘absolutely incredible’ smash burgers indoors during the colder months. For afters, it’s hard to see past the luscious soft-serve ice creams – ‘nostalgic bliss in a bowl’. Brilliant Sunday roasts are a winning ticket too, with everything from Yorkshire hogget to rare-breed Berkshire pork reared at the Banks’ family farm. Aside from real ales and botanical cocktails, there’s a decent selection of wines with plenty by the glass.

‘A wonderful example of a British inn that stays true to its roots,’ noted one reporter after visiting the Bath Arms – a place that ‘seamlessly blends historic Georgian charm with contemporary boutique styling’. A traditional public bar caters for drinkers, while the candlelit restaurant serves ‘elevated British comfort food’ utilising game sourced directly from the Longleat Estate alongside produce from local farms. Expect a fulsome line-up of pub classics (ploughman’s, burgers, cider-battered haddock) overlaid with more creative contemporary ideas. Start with a mutton shoulder croquette or a crispy courgette flower with Westcombe ricotta and peach, then proceed to chalk stream trout with potato terrine and celeriac or venison haunch with carrot, wild blackberries, dark chocolate and port jus. Round off in style with a ginger parfait paired with baked plum and oat crumble. As for service, the team ‘consistently delivers an experience that is welcoming, memorable and rooted in quality,’ according to one satisfied customer. To drink, the decently priced, wide-ranging wine list offers plenty of interesting options by the glass and carafe – and there’s homemade ginger beer, too.

‘A proper countryside pub with real character, combining the history and warmth of a traditional drovers’ inn with seriously good, ingredient-led food,' commented one visitor. Set beneath the Black Mountains, ‘it has everything you want from a rural escape,’ thanks to sympathetic renovation by local regenerative food and farming company Wild by Nature. There’s a timeless charm about the place with its thick stone walls, wonky-beamed ceilings, slate floors and a large open fireplace. A deep respect for ingredients defines the seasonally changing menu; dining here is farm-to-table and nose-to-tail, involving ingredients grown or reared at the owners’ nearby farm. Almost everything is made in-house, from the pickles and ferments to pig’s cheek croquettes with sauce gribiche and desserts such as fennel-seed rice pudding accompanied by stewed plums and gingerbread. Dry-aged, home-reared Hereford steaks are a standout, likewise the braised LLeyn hogget shoulder with Pardina lentils. It’s easy to see the allure of the place, especially when you factor in Herefordshire beers and ciders, low-intervention wines, ‘wild cabins’ in the grounds and even a wood-fired sauna.

Located alongside the Galloway Forest Park, the family-run Clachan has everything you could wish for – a traditional, cosy vibe, slate floors, fireside chairs, a ‘fabulous choice of real ales’ and a ‘seriously terrific restaurant’, plus quiz nights and music sessions.  And everyone has a good word for the friendly, engaging staff and their caring attitude to young and old alike. Expect superbly cooked local ingredients and smartly presented dishes, whether you’re opting for a ‘light bites’ lunch or the full works in the evening. Meat and game are well represented with the likes of wood pigeon with potato gnocchi, sweetcorn and ‘nduja or Scotch ox cheek with potato terrine, while fish fans could home in on North Sea turbot with Galloway girolles, peas and baby gem. To conclude, you might find a choux bun with raspberry, white chocolate and lavender or a Scottish cheese plate with house oatcakes and chutney. Aside from the line-up of draught beers, drinkers can dip into a short, accessible wine list with seven by the glass.

‘So consistent, cosy and welcoming,’ commented one regular visitor to this fine old 16th-century inn a short detour from some of the National Park’s best trails. Since taking over in 2019, the Barker-Jones family have given the oak-beamed, slate-floored interior a satisfying makeover, with lots of attention to detail (note the lovely hand-painted photos on the walls). ‘You would feel welcome to just pop in for a drink,’ noted a reporter, but it would be a sin to miss the pub’s main attraction – its menu of carefully sourced local and seasonal food.

The kitchen delivers ‘deep full-on flavours’ across the board, from hunks of warm home-baked bread with Netherend butter and bowls of verdant pea soup topped with seasonal ramsons to panna cotta with rhubarb and shortbread or treacle tart given extra zing with confit orange, candied zest and crystallised ginger ice cream. In between, Jail Ale-battered haddock with triple-cooked chips is a winner, likewise the cider-braised West Country pork fillet and the stone bass and Teignmouth mussels with fennel, samphire and mussel velouté. It’s also worth working up an appetite for the effusively praised Sunday lunch with its offer of roast moorland sirloin and the like. 

Service from really professional, welcoming staff is all you could wish for, as is the wide-ranging drinks list, which covers everything from local Dartmoor Ale to classic cocktails and a small but varied list of mostly Old World wines.

Ambleside is well served by the Drunken Duck. It is not one of those pubs that has left its drinking side behind (not with that name); instead, it throws a welcoming arm around locals in an atmosphere of free-and-easy conviviality. That said, an appreciable attempt has been made to give the dining area its own identity with some framed art prints of flowers, a festooning of dried hops, and an open-to-view kitchen. Last booking for food is 8pm.

Staff are expertly clued-up, not least with knowledge of the Barngates beers brewed on site. The food is distinguished by nutritious heartiness, seen to impressive effect in a vegetarian main course of roasted cabbage and mushrooms topped with capers and horseradish, served with potato cakes, which might be preceded by a fricassée of Jerusalem artichokes with apple, black garlic and sunflower seeds.

Homely main dishes make great cold-weather sustenance, even when the cold weather comes round in late June: a bowl of fortifying marjoram-scented rabbit stew arrives with chunky veg, potent gravy and a cloud of lovely mash. Sides of perfectly textured chips and aïoli will help fill any holes.

In the context, the afters seem pleasantly light: yoghurt mousse and rhubarb sorbet team up for a refreshing finish, under a summery dusting of dried raspberries, or there may be a raspberry and fig version of Bakewell pudding. Gluggable wines by the glass head up a no-nonsense list.

‘Eat, Drink, Sleep’ is the mantra at this ever-popular pub with rooms from Charles and Edmund Inkin, who also run the Gurnard’s Head and the Old Coastguard in Cornwall. In many ways the Griffin is an archetypal dream of a country inn – all fireside sofas, knobbly brickwork, low beams and quarry-tiled floors, with craft ales at the bar and fresh, home-cooked food. But for all its heritage vibes, this is a slick, modern operation, with polished service and a kitchen headed by Tom Kerridge alumnus Gwenann Davies. Her repertoire includes traditional ideas such as crab risotto with crème fraîche alongside more contemporary dishes – perhaps brill with silverskin onion, pancetta, cavolo nero and bourguignon sauce. Each dish is carefully considered, right through to dessert – chocolate and coffee crémeux with Chantilly cream, for example. Sunday lunch is an ultra-traditional feast featuring beef and lamb from the lowland hills, greenery from the kitchen garden and plenty of homely touches. In addition to regional ales and Welsh spirits, drinkers can pick from a personally annotated wine list with plenty by the glass or carafe.

Single-track lanes wind among gale-blown moorlands, high hedgerows and ancient monoliths to reach the Gurnard’s cheery mustard-yellow facade. Stepping inside, it immediately feels like a place of sanctuary, with locals sipping Cornish ales and ciders beside venerable hearths, and others gravitating to the candlelit dining room, where cartography and artworks often depict the raging seas outside. Unsurprisingly, seafood looms large on the menu, though inspiration comes from near and far – perhaps red gurnard ceviche swimming in ginger, chilli and soy or a warming Thai broth of mussels, chilli, coconut and coriander. The kitchen is also deft when it comes to working with produce from the fields (a main of pork belly with smoked morcilla, BBQ apple and mash, say), as well as fashioning sea-and-land medleys such as 'ndjua-flecked cod balanced atop a tower of mussels, with a tang of cider appropriate to this West Country location. Finish off with a pub classic such as sticky toffee pudding doused in butterscotch sauce. House wines kick off with a dozen 'open' whites and reds by the glass or carafe.

Set in ravishing open moorland near the Cumbrian border, the Kirkstyle has been a watering hole since the 19th century but now attracts customers from far and wide. It manages to be ‘a proper village pub’ with a telling sense of community and a genuine commitment to the area and its produce – although reporters agree that the owners and staff are what make it special: ‘their warmth, personality and attention to detail run through everything the Kirkstyle does.’ In the kitchen, Connor Wilson is prepared to ‘push the boundaries’, letting local produce define his enterprising, contemporary approach to all things gastronomic. Dinner might open with a game terrine partnered by damson and hazelnut, while immaculately presented mains could run from cod with artichokes and bisque to seasonal grouse paired with hen of the woods mushrooms, chicory and pickled walnut. To finish, Darling Blue cheese panna cotta dressed with guelder rose is an offbeat winning ticket. There are crowd-pulling Sunday roasts, too, while the wine list is a marvel to behold, stuffed with French classics and goodly vintages from around the globe – at remarkably fair mark-ups.

Alistair Myres (owner of Rafters restaurant in Sheffield) added this seriously creeper-clad country inn to his portfolio early in 2025, and since then its stock has risen considerably. ‘Our “go to” pub,’ affirmed one regular. This is a traditional hostelry through and through, complete with a central horseshoe bar and a tap room that nods to the history of the place, where drinkers congregate by the open fire to chat, drink pints of well-kept local ale, and play dominoes or cards. For a menu of well-tried pub classics, head to the main dining areas. The Guinness-laced beef cheek suet pudding and fish pie are best sellers but also expect local game and capably handled seafood dishes such as roasted monkfish with saffron potatoes and sweetcorn chowder. For afters, homemade carrot cake vies with fruit crumbles and salted caramel tart. Children are well served and Sunday lunches feature a choice of two roasts. Expect attentive, engaged service and very reasonable prices. The short, affordable wine list matches the food admirably.

Tucked away in a remote valley in the southwest corner of the North York Moors National Park, Hawnby is an estate village of mellow sandstone, with a church, a pub and a village store. John Wesley visited here in 1757 calling it ‘one of the pleasantest parts of England’ – and we agree. Surrounded by forest and the heather-covered Hawnby Hill, it is a beautiful spot attracting walkers and shooting types who pay handsomely for a day on the estate’s grouse moor. The Owl (a former drover’s inn) sits at the top of the village and gives a commanding view over this stunning countryside.

Here Sam Varley, who previously ran Bantam in Helmsley, has created a welcoming retreat, a place to come for unfussy food and a comfortable bed for the night. Whether you eat in the stone-flagged bar in front of a warming stove, the dining room or the splendid terrace on sunny days, you'll find crowd-pleasing dishes such as chicken, leek and bacon pie or pork T-bone with roasted peach, green beans and pine-nut vinaigrette. Back in the day, cheap monkfish was often passed off as scampi; nowadays it’s a luxury fish and Varley’s monkfish scampi with curry mayo is fabulous.

Also expect devilled kidneys on toast, piles of hot, melting cheese gougères and cracking Sunday lunches – generously sliced aged sirloin of beef with horseradish cream, rolled shoulder of Yorkshire lamb or game birds in season (red-legged partridge or pot-roast grouse, perhaps). Puddings might be a refreshing grapefruit and Campari sorbet or a homely rhubarb sponge and custard. To drink, there are hand-pulled Yorkshire ales, while low-intervention wines figure prominently on a list that offers plenty by the glass.

‘We did a big walk around Kinder Reservoir, and to come here after for wine and some great food was bliss,’ noted one couple who sought refuge in the ever-welcoming Pack Horse (circa 1577). All-comers are greeted with a mix of friendly familiarity, genuine warmth and professionalism: ‘you can turn up in your tiara or your muddy walking boots’. In return, you’ll be treated to superb hospitality and cracking food based on sustainable supplies from local sources: meat butchered just four miles away, for example, might appear in a pie of beef shin, Guinness and mushrooms. Snack on a ‘Manchester egg’ (aka a black pudding Scotch egg) before tackling a smoked haddock fishcake with warm mussel tartare or a bacon chop with pease pudding, spring greens and cider. Sunday roasts ‘for two’ receive high praise for beef wing rib on the bone or pork shoulder chop – and if you still have room, gorge on one of the creamy desserts (gooseberry and sherry trifle, perhaps). Quality growers abound on the inspiring wine list, and the pub champions local breweries too.

For those in the know, the Queen’s Arms and its green and pleasant surrounds are more than just a handy pit stop near the A303 – they are a destination in their own right. In 2020, local resident and Ballymaloe alumnus Doune Mackenzie-Francis took on the pub with her family, transforming it into a model of contemporary country elegance. 

Along with charmingly renovated bedrooms and a cottage to rent, there’s a ‘pub hub’ offering coffee and provisions in lieu of a village shop. A rose-fringed garden and pleasant terrace allow visitors to drink in glorious views while inside, flagstone floors, open fires and the day’s papers on the bar make for an inviting space to lounge or dine after walking the Corton Denham Ridge.

In the kitchen, head chef Rich Townsend (who hails from the Newt, near Bruton) strikes an artful balance between pub classics and proper cooking. Refreshing tomato terrine with Westcombe ricotta and earthy lovage pesto wouldn’t feel out of place in a fancier establishment, but avoids being prissy. Chicken and mushroom pie comes stuffed with full-flavoured ceps, while the aged beef burger patty is paired with thick-cut smoked bacon from down the road and a potato bun made in-house. Pub classics are moored around the £20 mark and don’t require sides but it would be a shame to miss the crispy smashed pink fir potatoes adroitly seasoned with salt and vinegar.

Cocktails take up more real estate on the drinks menu than beers but a very good £10 ‘marg of the month’ – ours with a dash of spicy jalapeño syrup – is justification of sorts. Wines are a rung above the average pub line-up, with bottles starting at just under £30.

Off the beaten track, and not an easy place to find, this 16th-century half-timbered building stands on the banks of the river Lugg, positioned by an old stone bridge on the Mortimer Trail (a 30-mile walking route from Ludlow to Kington). Inside, a warren of heavily beamed rooms with wonky floors and open fires provides nooks for a quiet tête-a-tête and separate spaces for louder crowds or those with their four-legged friends; the terraced garden comes into its own on fine days. Service is friendly and welcoming. In the kitchen, Andy Link and his team take sustainability, ethical sourcing and food miles seriously, seeking out the very best that the region has to offer from local farms and artisan suppliers, backed up by their own kitchen garden (and their own hens). We noticed that lunchtime regulars tended to favour the perfectly cooked rare-breed Herefordshire steak sandwich with truffle chips, but we enjoyed a light meal of crispy garlicky Herefordshire snails with truffle mayo, followed by eye-catching river trout cured in beetroot and local Chase gin, plus a delightful poached pear accompanied by a scoop of assertive blue-cheese ice cream to finish. Many other items have been singled out for praise, from a generous piece of grilled and lightly caramelised cod served on a pile of peas and mangetout with a lovely lovage sauce to a dish of chicken with courgettes, garden chard and wild herb pesto that 'had some body’. For afters, readers have endorsed the nettle cake and the rhubarb purée with 'custard mousse'. A good chunk of the decently priced wine list is vegan or vegetarian – though given the impressive ethos of the place, there are surprisingly few English offerings.

Christine Forsyth and her daughter admit they were innkeeping novices when they took on the Ship in 1999, but since then they have transformed this ‘incredibly friendly’ whitewashed pub into a local treasure, a godsend for holidaymakers and a real community hub complete with folk music sessions, art exhibitions and quiz nights. The place even has its own microbrewery, producing beers with tantalising names such as Dolly Daydream or Sandcastles at Dawn. A day at the seaside on the Northumbrian coast can be a tad blustery, but the Ship offers sustenance as well as sanctuary in a quaintly traditional setting of rough-hewn stone walls, wooden floorboards and fairy lights. To eat, hand-picked local crab is the standout but there’s something for everyone, whether you fancy a filled stottie or a proper ploughman’s with local Doddington Dairy cheese for lunch, or an evening plateful of ribeye steak with crispy potatoes. The adjacent village green gets rammed with revellers on fine days. Saturday night is pie night, while monthly supper clubs marry the skills of the kitchen and the brewery.

It could be just another whitewashed roadside inn, briefly glimpsed along the A149 as you drive past, but the White Horse is something special. Set on the marshes, it provides one of the best views along the coast and manages an impressive balancing act between pub and restaurant. A rustic public bar caters for drinkers who can spill out onto the front courtyard when the sun shines, while the light-filled conservatory dining room and terrace maximise the views – big skies, tidal creeks, little boats.

Here, chef Fran Hartshorne presents a strong 'when in Norfolk' case for choosing the exceptional mussels, half a dozen oysters served classically or tempura, dressed Cromer crab or delicious smoked salmon from the tiny Staithe Smokehouse on the premises. Elsewhere, pan-seared sea trout with leeks, local cockles, clams and brown shrimps, smoked cream and potato is a straightforward pleasure, as is marsh-grazed sirloin with Café de Paris butter and skin-on fries – one of the few meat options. For afters, the signature lemon tart with blueberries, Dann's Farm yoghurt sorbet and poppyseed crumb beckons.

If you want something more casual, head down to Marshside, the pub’s seasonal, alfresco hangout for a cocktail, glass of wine or beer plus a few small sharing plates – a robata-grilled scallop, devilled mussel crumpet or Cheddar doughnuts, say. You might, however, like to keep large plates of grilled lobster and chips or crayfish poutine to yourself. In both dining areas, the well-targeted, international wine list offers plenty by the glass.