within 90 minutes of London
The best country pubs near London
26 of Mr Wolfe’s 100 best pubs in Britain are within 90 minutes of central London by fast train or a clear road. The perfect Sunday lunch, without the long drive home.
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Slad, near Stroud, Gloucestershire2. The Woolpack InnAfter the Golden Lion, probably the best pub in Britain. Laurie Lee’s local, clinging to the side of the valley he made famous in Cider…H
Tillington, West Sussex6. The Horse Guards InnStealth wealth country: hard to reach, quietly rich. A three-hundred-year-old inn beside the church, a stone’s throw from Petworth Park…S
Fittleworth, West Sussex10. The Swan InnHot on the Horse Guards’ heels, and an equally gorgeous spot. An ancient inn on the edge of the South Downs, close by the River Rother…S
Dedham, Essex16. The Sun InnA fifteenth-century inn in the heart of Constable country, with an Italian-leaning menu and a wine list of real interest.R
Whatcote, Warwickshire38. The Royal OakOne of England’s oldest inns, and now one of its best. Small plates, big talent, a star on the door.A
Frithsden, Hertfordshire56. The Alford ArmsA Victorian pub hidden in the Chilterns, beside the Ashridge woods. The perfect Sunday lunch within an hour of London.B
Climping, West Sussex57. The Black HorseSeventeenth century, seven bedrooms, a vaulted oak dining room and a short walk to the sea. An ideal summer weekend.B
Bridge, Kent58. The Bridge ArmsThe Fordwich team’s second act, cooking over fire in a village outside Canterbury. Unpretentious room, starry plates.B
Charlbury, Oxfordshire59. The BullA handsome Cotswold-stone coaching inn cooking over wood. Hipster heaven: rooms upstairs, a fire downstairs.C
West Hoathly, West Sussex60. The Cat InnA sixteenth-century inn beside the church, with inglenooks, beams and a superb local following.C
Hastings, East Sussex61. The CrownOld Town Hastings at its best: a friendly, independent pub with a kitchen that champions the Sussex coast.D
Clanfield, Oxfordshire62. The Double Red DukeCountry pub, smart rooms and a grill that takes beef very seriously. Polished but never prissy.F
Fordwich, Kent63. The Fordwich ArmsA 1930s pub on the Stour in Britain’s smallest town. Open fire, oak panelling, river terrace, and cooking of real finesse.G
Burpham, West Sussex64. The GeorgeA flint village pub tucked into the South Downs, with walks from the door and very good cooking at the end of them.H
Marlow, Buckinghamshire65. The Hand and FlowersTom Kerridge’s monument, and the most decorated pub in the land. Book months ahead and order the glazed omelette.H
Bray, Berkshire66. The Hinds HeadA Tudor inn opposite the church, where Heston Blumenthal cooks the English canon with a scientist’s precision. Scotch egg, oxtail and…K
Wootton, Oxfordshire67. The Killingworth CastleA seventeenth-century coaching inn with its own brewery and kitchen to match. Very good rooms.M
Hambledon, Surrey68. The Merry HarriersA Surrey Hills inn with rooms, a garden and, improbably, llamas. The cooking is serious; the mood is not.N
Murcott, Oxfordshire69. The Nut Tree InnA fifteenth-century thatched inn run by Mike and Imogen North for two decades. Pigs in the garden, a star on the door, and no airs…R
Folkestone, Kent70. The Radnor ArmsA neighbourhood pub cooking at a level that would embarrass many restaurants. The reason to take the train to Folkestone.R
St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex71. The RoyalA corner pub turned seaside dining room, with an ambitious kitchen and fair prices.S
Seasalter, Kent72. The SportsmanA weatherboarded shack on a bleak stretch of marsh, and one of the great meals in England. Stephen Harris churns his own butter and makes…T
Tichborne, Hampshire73. The Tichborne ArmsA thatched village pub in the Itchen Valley. Exactly what an English country pub ought to be.W
Fyfield, Oxfordshire74. The White HartA fifteenth-century chantry house with a soaring great hall and minstrels’ gallery. Dinner in a medieval room, for the price of a pub…H
Limpley Stoke, Somerset82. The Hop PoleA stone village pub in the Limpley Stoke valley, just far enough from Bath to feel like an escape.H
Bourton-on-the-Hill, Gloucestershire83. The Horse and GroomA Georgian inn at the top of the hill. Glorious views and a menu that changes daily.
Slad, near Stroud, Gloucestershire2. The Woolpack InnAfter the Golden Lion, probably the best pub in Britain. Laurie Lee’s local, clinging to the side of the valley he made famous in Cider…H
Tillington, West Sussex6. The Horse Guards InnStealth wealth country: hard to reach, quietly rich. A three-hundred-year-old inn beside the church, a stone’s throw from Petworth Park…S
Fittleworth, West Sussex10. The Swan InnHot on the Horse Guards’ heels, and an equally gorgeous spot. An ancient inn on the edge of the South Downs, close by the River Rother…S
Dedham, Essex16. The Sun InnA fifteenth-century inn in the heart of Constable country, with an Italian-leaning menu and a wine list of real interest.R
Whatcote, Warwickshire38. The Royal OakOne of England’s oldest inns, and now one of its best. Small plates, big talent, a star on the door.A
Frithsden, Hertfordshire56. The Alford ArmsA Victorian pub hidden in the Chilterns, beside the Ashridge woods. The perfect Sunday lunch within an hour of London.B
Climping, West Sussex57. The Black HorseSeventeenth century, seven bedrooms, a vaulted oak dining room and a short walk to the sea. An ideal summer weekend.B
Bridge, Kent58. The Bridge ArmsThe Fordwich team’s second act, cooking over fire in a village outside Canterbury. Unpretentious room, starry plates.B
Charlbury, Oxfordshire59. The BullA handsome Cotswold-stone coaching inn cooking over wood. Hipster heaven: rooms upstairs, a fire downstairs.C
West Hoathly, West Sussex60. The Cat InnA sixteenth-century inn beside the church, with inglenooks, beams and a superb local following.C
Hastings, East Sussex61. The CrownOld Town Hastings at its best: a friendly, independent pub with a kitchen that champions the Sussex coast.D
Clanfield, Oxfordshire62. The Double Red DukeCountry pub, smart rooms and a grill that takes beef very seriously. Polished but never prissy.F
Fordwich, Kent63. The Fordwich ArmsA 1930s pub on the Stour in Britain’s smallest town. Open fire, oak panelling, river terrace, and cooking of real finesse.G
Burpham, West Sussex64. The GeorgeA flint village pub tucked into the South Downs, with walks from the door and very good cooking at the end of them.H
Marlow, Buckinghamshire65. The Hand and FlowersTom Kerridge’s monument, and the most decorated pub in the land. Book months ahead and order the glazed omelette.H
Bray, Berkshire66. The Hinds HeadA Tudor inn opposite the church, where Heston Blumenthal cooks the English canon with a scientist’s precision. Scotch egg, oxtail and…K
Wootton, Oxfordshire67. The Killingworth CastleA seventeenth-century coaching inn with its own brewery and kitchen to match. Very good rooms.M
Hambledon, Surrey68. The Merry HarriersA Surrey Hills inn with rooms, a garden and, improbably, llamas. The cooking is serious; the mood is not.N
Murcott, Oxfordshire69. The Nut Tree InnA fifteenth-century thatched inn run by Mike and Imogen North for two decades. Pigs in the garden, a star on the door, and no airs…R
Folkestone, Kent70. The Radnor ArmsA neighbourhood pub cooking at a level that would embarrass many restaurants. The reason to take the train to Folkestone.R
St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex71. The RoyalA corner pub turned seaside dining room, with an ambitious kitchen and fair prices.S
Seasalter, Kent72. The SportsmanA weatherboarded shack on a bleak stretch of marsh, and one of the great meals in England. Stephen Harris churns his own butter and makes…T
Tichborne, Hampshire73. The Tichborne ArmsA thatched village pub in the Itchen Valley. Exactly what an English country pub ought to be.W
Fyfield, Oxfordshire74. The White HartA fifteenth-century chantry house with a soaring great hall and minstrels’ gallery. Dinner in a medieval room, for the price of a pub…H
Limpley Stoke, Somerset82. The Hop PoleA stone village pub in the Limpley Stoke valley, just far enough from Bath to feel like an escape.H
Bourton-on-the-Hill, Gloucestershire83. The Horse and GroomA Georgian inn at the top of the hill. Glorious views and a menu that changes daily.