Best pubs after a long walk

There’s a point on a long walk when you fall silent and the mind begins to wander off into unexpected corners. You arrive at your destination in a haze of thoughtfulness and it can sometimes take a while (and a drink) before you’re really present again. In those situations, it helps to know a pub that you could happily spend a few hours in, so here are few where we’d love to linger all day. Hike your way over the Brecon Beacons, the Munros of Scotland or the rolling hills of the Cotswolds, and settle at any of them to rest your legs, find your tongue and even spend the night in the warm glow of a great pub.

The Howard Arms
Ilmington, Warwickshire
From £140 p/n

Inn

8 rooms for 2
A great base for Stratford and beyond - expect a peaceful village, smart rooms, local ales, tasty food and a happy vibe throughout

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The Meikleour Arms
Meikleour, Perth & Kinross
From £100 p/n

Inn

25 rooms for 2 - 6
An hour from Edinburgh, this large estate wrapped in ancient woodland & steeped in history is a super outdoorsy retreat – dogs welcome too

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Sibton White Horse
Saxmundham, Suffolk
From £145 p/n

Inn

5 rooms for 2
Hike down secret paths and along the Suffolk coast before a superb lunch or supper at this friendly inn; sweet bedrooms too

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The Royal Oak at Keswick
Keswick, Cumbria
From £70 p/n

Inn

19 rooms for 2
Read the papers, bag the fire, tuck into a hearty pie. Then stay the night: bedrooms are comfortable and modern, and dogs are very welcome

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The Fleece at Cirencester
Gloucestershire
From £110 p/n

Inn

28 rooms for 2 - 4
A classic Cotswolds inn that’s open all day; super-smart and friendly with a plush bar, restaurant, and excellent bedrooms

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The Ebrington Arms
Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire
From £130 p/n

Inn

5 rooms for 2
Come for an exceptionally inviting 17th-century Inn, a chocolate-box Cotswold village, excellent local food and ales, very comfortable rooms

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George and Dragon
Penrith, Cumbria
From £110 p/n

Inn

10 rooms for 1 - 4
Food grown, foraged and prepared with care, a carefully curated wine list, roaring fires and very comfortable bedrooms to sink into

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The Crown Inn
Penrith, Cumbria
From £93 p/n

Inn

17 rooms for 2 - 4
Take an Ullswater steamer, a pint of Thwaites by the fire - eat heartily bistro-style with big views, sleep soundly in rustic chic comfort

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The Ship Inn
Elie, Fife
From £100 p/n

Inn

6 rooms for 2
A heavenly inn on Fife’s south coast - the terrace overlooks the beach, lovely food waits within, chic rooms are a steal

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The Inn at Loch Tummel
Strathtummel, Perth & Kinross
From £200 p/n

Inn

6 rooms for 2
Come for deep beds, real fires, Scottish breakfasts, a generous welcome, great walking, cycle tracks and grand lochside views

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The Bell at Skenfrith
Abergavenny, Monmouthshire
From £185 p/n

Inn

11 rooms for 2
A small, stylish hotel lost in the country with beautiful rooms, excellent food, fine walking and a river passing directly outside

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Stackpole Inn
Pembroke, Pembrokeshire
From £125 p/n

Inn

4 rooms for 2 - 4
A slice of rural heaven close to the Pembrokeshire coast - good rooms, hearty food, wonderful walks and beautiful beaches wait

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The Greyhound Inn
Wantage, Oxfordshire
From £95 p/n

Inn

8 rooms for 2 - 5
Proper village pub with much-praised food and cosy rooms; country walks lead from the door and Oxford is half an hour away

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The Bell
Ticehurst, Sussex
From £145 p/n

Inn

11 rooms for 2
In the heart of the East Sussex countryside, a fun community inn, with rustic-historic bedrooms, scrumptious food, and a great welcome for dogs

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The Pheasant Apartment
Bridgnorth, Shropshire
From £100 p/n

Self-catering

1 place for 4
Welcome to a cosy, country-rustic bolthole for four, in a friendly, community village inn, with some of the best food in Shropshire

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Crown & Anchor
Ham, Wiltshire
From £110 p/n

Inn

5 rooms for 2
In a chocolate-box village just an hour on the train, and a short hop in a taxi, from London is this foodie inn with pretty bedrooms

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The Gurnard's Head
St Ives, Cornwall
From £155 p/n

Inn

8 rooms for 2
This fine old inn stands in blissful peace, a field or two back from the coastal path, with cosy rooms, delicious food and a rustic style

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