In the heart of the Forest of Bowland, the Inn at Whitewell has a proper middle-of-nowhere feel, though actually it\u2019s right in the middle of the country (the nearest village, Dunsop Bridge, has a phone box which officially marks the geographic centre of the UK). As well as 15 bedrooms the inn has a self-catering cottage, the Piggeries, with three double bedrooms (one en suite), a large kitchen-diner and a spacious sitting room with views over the river \u2013 plus a large garden. With plenty of walks from the door and wholesome, hearty meals to come back to, this is a perfect, dog-friendly retreat any time of the year. This old pub on the banks of Ormesby Little Broad was transformed a few years ago and as well as being a pub\/restaurant with rooms and a wedding venue it has lodges in the garden. Waking up by the water is a treat: the three lodges have two or three bedrooms with verandas to enjoy the views. This is a good base for exploring the rest of the Broads national park and the nearby coast, which has some of Norfolk\u2019s best beaches at Winterton, Waxham and Horsey, home to one of the country\u2019s largest grey seal colonies. Within walking distance of the world\u2019s oldest single arch railway bridge, Causey Arch, and the Beamish Museum, this spacious country inn on the Red Row country estate is a popular dining spot, with produce sourced from local farms (steaks and masterful sticky toffee pudding are menu highlights). The pub has a dozen rooms as well as four self-catering suites and rooms in a separate building, the Red Row Retreat (which can be rented together). A short walk away, there\u2019s also two-bedroom Huckleberry Cottage, with kitchen, living room with wood-fired stove, conservatory dining room and terrace. On the banks of the River Wye, a stone\u2019s skim from England, the Boat Inn in Penallt is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The interior is small and cosy, with a timber-framed bar and a wood-burning stove, but the appeal is the tranquil river-facing terraced garden, which leads up to a waterfall. There\u2019s a two-room apartment above the pub: a fully equipped kitchen gives guests plenty of self-sufficiency, and, although it doesn\u2019t do breakfast, the pub serves decent food and locally brewed ales and cider. The Crown\u2019s seven-bedroom holiday let is connected to its pub by a secret door. Refurbished in a contemporary style, it has a games room, huge kitchen\/diner, five bathrooms and private garden. The pub itself is a proper, down-to-earth local that honours its West Country location by stocking stocks 26 ciders and perries, including the inn\u2019s own King\u2019s cider. Food is unpretentious and delicious (with pizzas from a wood-fired oven). On the border between Cumbria and the Lake District and Yorkshire and its Dales, this pub is in a fabulous rural location, close enough to both national parks and yet very easy to reach (10 minutes off the M6). Along with 16 rooms it has three self-catering yurts in its riverside garden. With logburners, king-size beds, towels, robes and slippers, it\u2019s only the compost loos and open-air woodland showers that make staying in a yurt feel wilder than the comforts of the pub. In Ringstead, a mile from Hunstanton and the north Norfolk coast, this ancient village inn is well positioned for visiting the nature reserves at Snettisham and Titchwell, Holkham beach and superb country walks. There are 13 comfortable bedrooms as well as a couple of two-bedroom cottages in the grounds, with plenty of living space, contemporary fitted kitchens and Smart TVs. The pub serves excellent food (whole seabass or crispy lamb ribs may feature on the menu), breakfast is included in room and cottage rates \u2013 and dogs are welcome. There\u2019s a new outdoor seating space and children\u2019s area, too. When owners Sean and Sarah Mason took over and renovated this pub in Fownhope, seven miles south-east of Hereford, they made sure locals had a designated \u201cdrinkers\u2019 table\u201d, with no food allowed. Beer aficionados started coming from miles around to sup Greenman bitter, specially brewed by Wye Valley Ales. But it\u2019s a shame to come here and not try the tempting food, too; and when done, there are 17 boutique-style rooms spread over the property to retire to, including five rooms in the Old Cottage across the forecourt that can accommodate self-caterers. One is a double room with a kitchen attached; the others are two doubles which share a kitchen and sitting room (so good for a family or friends). In the sleepy Shropshire village of Upton Magna, the Haughmond is a modern coaching inn, owned and run by husband-and-wife team Mel and Martin Board. Dog- and cycle-friendly, it\u2019s a splendid place for food (the restaurant has a three-AA-rosette) and the garden has views over the surrounding countryside. It has seven contemporary en suite rooms and a self-catering barn conversion too, with a beamed open-plan kitchen-diner and living room, two double rooms and a family bathroom. In the peaceful Shropshire village of Lydbury North, this old Georgian coaching inn not only has a handful of upstairs rooms, it opens a summer campsite, with spaces for caravans, campervans, and tents. It is also part of the Walcot Hall Estate, immediately behind the pub, which has lots of self-catering and glamping options too, from shepherds huts and Gypsy caravans to cottages and apartments. The location is perfect for exploring the Shropshire Hills. On East Dean\u2019s picture-perfect village green, lined by flint-walled cottages, the Tiger Inn\u2019s setting is as idyllic it gets. At just half a mile from Birling Gap and the Seven Sisters cliffs it\u2019s a popular stop for walkers tramping the South Downs Way. It has five bedrooms upstairs, and eight self-catering cottages in 18th-century listed farm buildings. Each sleeps between two and six, and they are set around a delightful walled garden. The inn and the cottages are run by Beachy Head Estate. This lovely pub is part of the Waveney River Centre, which has a low-key camping and glamping site, as well as lodges and penthouse apartments in a less-visited corner of the Norfolk Broads. It\u2019s a great family option with all sorts of outdoor activities: there are bikes, canoes and day boats for hire, and the footpaths through the marshes on the far side of the river lead eventually to the expanse of Oulton Broad. Rates include use of the centre\u2019s indoor pool and the foot ferry across the river. There are lots of Royal Oaks around the UK \u2013 it\u2019s officially the country\u2019s most popular pub name \u2013 but this is one of the best, a Georgian country inn with five en suite rooms, a family room in a converted barn and a couple of very comfortable, dog-friendly, two-bedroom self-catering cottages across the road \u2013 each with a kitchen, cosy sitting room and private terrace. To the north are the rolling downs; to the south, the estuaries and inlets of Chichester harbour and West Wittering\u2019s fabulous beach. The inn is a great option for food too, with a focus on Sussex ingredients \u2013 local venison, fish and seafood, Southdown lamb, local ice-cream and cheese \u2013 and its own beer. Following a famous massacre in 1692, you\u2019re not welcome at the Clachaig Inn if your name is Campbell. If it\u2019s not then you\u2019re in luck, because this historic inn is a very comfortable base for exploring the surrounding Glencoe mountains, with 23 guest bedrooms (some dog-friendly). There are also a dozen self-catering chalets, cottages and lodges (also dog-friendly) at the inn itself and in and around the village. The pub can get riotous, especially in the Boots Bar, where there is live music and over 400 whiskies to sample \u2013 the inn has its own whisky and gin, and runs its own tasting events from time to time. As for food, like all good walkers\u2019 pubs they serve all day \u2013 everything from fish and chips to haggis, neeps and tatties.
\nThe Piggeries sleeps six, in high season it costs \u00a31,740 for three nights or \u00a32,080-\u00a32,740 for seven nights<\/em><\/p>\nThe Boathouse, Norfolk<\/h3>\n
\nThe Boathouse<\/em> lodges sleep<\/em> four to eight from \u00a3135-\u00a3150 a night, breakfast from \u00a311.95pp<\/em><\/p>\nThe Black Horse Beamish, County Durham<\/h3>\n
\nHuckleberry Cottage sleeps five, from \u00a385-\u00a3130 a night (two-night minimum); Black Horse doubles from \u00a389-\u00a3200 a night B&B<\/em><\/p>\nThe Boat Inn, Monmouthshire<\/h3>\n
\nThe Boat Inn\u2019s <\/em>apartment sleep<\/em>s four, from \u00a3100-\u00a3120 <\/em><\/p>\nThe Crown Inn Woolhope, Herefordshire<\/h3>\n
\nThe Crown Inn Woolhope\u2019s holiday let sleeps 14,<\/em> from \u00a340pp a night, breakfast is available at extra cost<\/em><\/p>\nThe Black Swan, Cumbria<\/h3>\n
\nThe Black Swan has two<\/em> yurts sleeping two from \u00a3135-\u00a3145 a night<\/em> and one sleeping four from \u00a3145-\u00a3155 (year-round prices) <\/em><\/p>\nThe Gin Trap Inn, Norfolk<\/h3>\n
\nThe Gin Trap Inn<\/em> has<\/em> two-bedroom cottages sleeping four from \u00a3240-\u00a3390 a night B&B<\/em><\/p>\nThe Greenman, Herefordshire<\/h3>\n
\nThe Greeman has doubles (with shared kitchen) from \u00a380-\u00a3100 a night B&B<\/em><\/p>\nThe Haughmond, Shropshire<\/h3>\n
\nThe Barn is \u00a3360-\u00a31,100 a week<\/em> and sleeps <\/em>six; doubles from \u00a395-\u00a3130 a night B&B<\/em><\/p>\nThe Powis Arms, Shropshire<\/h3>\n
\nPowis Arms glamping pitches from <\/em>\u00a37.50-\u00a314<\/em> for two adults. Double rooms <\/em>from \u00a380 a night B&B<\/em><\/p>\nThe Tiger Inn, East Sussex<\/h3>\n
\nBeachy Head Estate cottage sleeps six in three bedrooms, from <\/em>\u00a3750-\u00a32,000 a week. One bedroom cottages sleeps two, from \u00a3575-\u00a3900<\/em><\/p>\nThe Waveney Inn, Norfolk<\/h3>\n
\nWaveney Inn <\/em>apartments for four from \u00a3465-\u00a3800 a week; also doubles from \u00a385-\u00a3115 a night B&B<\/em><\/p>\nThe Royal Oak, West Sussex<\/h3>\n
\nRoyal Oak cottages for four from \u00a3200 a night, and doubles from \u00a3125-\u00a3190 B&B<\/em><\/p>\nThe Clachaig Inn<\/h3>\n
\nClachaig Inn lodges sleep four, from \u00a3425-\u00a3915, or \u00a3450-\u00a3950 sleeping five<\/em><\/p>\n