Royal Oak, Poynings, Brighton

Swaddled in ersatz rusticity, sheltered from the southwesterly winds by the South Downs escarpment, immune to the pains of the banking crisis thanks to its proximity to the wealthy enclaves … Continue reading

Inn on the Quay / Spotted Cow, Poole

Spitting banks of cloud, concrete barges, mid-70s shopping centres and megaburgers. Continue reading

The Connaught, Hove

The price of a beer brings me out in hives, in Hove. Or something. Continue reading

The Pilot Inn, Dungeness

It’s got a vibe. An arthouse vibe. A birdhouse arthouse vibe. A birdhouse arthouse holocaust vibe. Man. Continue reading

Tunnel House Inn, nr Coates, Gloucestershire

Out of Bristol we go. 20 minutes in the car, we’re scooting along high-hedged country roads, slicking the paintwork with mud. A further 15 minutes later, we’re through a series … Continue reading

The George Inn, Norton St. Philip

Some landscapes make the built environment placed upon them seem ephemeral. With minimal imagination, you can picture the scene in front of you in a time before town or village … Continue reading

The Plough, Fen Ditton, Cambridge

Cambridge creeps me out. I suppose it was bound to feel like this, it being a mid-sized town attached to an institution with as fearsome a heritage as its University. … Continue reading

The Crown, Pishill, Oxfordshire

A soothing stop-off to gladden the heart, in amongst the many millionaires’ rows around and about. Continue reading

Warren House Inn, Dartmoor

The insane grip of Dartmoor, which kept the prisoners in their horrific cages, is itself kept at bay inside this pub. Continue reading

Pear Tree Inn, Whitley

It’s always good to get out of your comfort zone. Especially when you’re two. After a few months spent wobbling around the playroom of the family pile, you’re bursting to … Continue reading