I have travelled all over the world and stayed in some incredible places, but my heart belongs to a tiny commuter village in Kent. I’m not the only one who loves Shoreham, buried in the Darent Valley, speckled with medieval terraces and solitary oast houses and trimmed by the river of the same name, with the hills rising on either side coloured like rosy apples by foliage come autumn.
The Romans built baths here. The 19th-century painter Samuel Palmer fell so intensely in love with it that he created a series of fantastical landscape paintings (ridiculed in his lifetime, now highly coveted). I’m guessing, but it may be that 18th-century vicar Vincent Perronet saw its perfect pastoral setting to be so obviously the work of God that he found the locals’ swearing and drinking (for which he is said to have regularly scolded them) to be beyond countenance.
In 2011, Simon Greenwood also found himself spellbound during a weekend trip from Clapham. Soon he’d bought the village’s Mount Vineyard and began to produce wine. Then he and wife Sarah took over 15th-century inn The Samuel Palmer, turning it into the cosiest pub for miles.
It’s become the place for slap-up Sunday lunches, served with steaming gravy in the buzzy dining room. But it’s even better to stay in one of the brilliantly cosy bedrooms, topped off with fresh flowers, snooze-inducing beds and – if you book the Richmond Suite – a copper rolltop bath of dreams. Palmer himself would have loved it.
The walk
This is prime walking territory, but many visitors just take the straight, pretty path across the fields to Lullingstone Roman Villa and back. For something with added height, try the Shoreham and Meenfield Wood Circular, which trails through the village and along the Darent River, before climbing steeply upwards to meander along the hillside past the Shoreham Cross, designed by local man Samuel Cheeseman to commemorate his two sons and the other 48 villagers killed in World War I.
© In Pictures via Getty ImagesHow to book it: The Samuel Palmer has doubles from £250, B&B (thesamuelpalmer.com).
Four more pubs with autumn walks on their doorsteps
High Force Hotel, County Durham
There’s cosy and then there’s this place, lost along the empty lanes of Upper Teesdale, one of the UK’s most underrated areas. First built for 19th-century hikers or travellers arriving by horse-drawn carriage, this pub still feels far removed from the 21st-century. Inside, floors are scrubbed, wood burners roar and neat bedrooms come with toasty blankets, Temple Spa toiletries and floral curtains to draw once the area’s icily neon sunsets have done their thing. The excellent food is great fuel for walks too – expect Full English breakfasts, steaks and bangers and mash.
© TRACY KIDDThe walk
You will be awed by the stretch of Pennine Way that joins the dual waterfalls of Low Force and High Force, easily accessible from High Force Hotel’s front door. Cascading down 21 metres, High Force is the first surprise – especially beautiful when surrounded by autumn colour. Take it in, then follow the path at the side of the water, beneath vast skies and beside empty fields towards Grade II-listed Wynch Bridge, built to ease the circuitous walk of 18th-century lead miners. Cross it, before the quick yomp to Low Force Waterfall. Then head back to the inn with a gentle climb into the hills above the village of Bowlees, passing the odd farm and dancing birds as you go, and – probably – not another soul.
© Getty ImagesHow to book it: High Force Hotel has doubles from £145, B&B (raby.co.uk).
The Bryntirion Inn, Snowdonia
If you’re the sort who loves wrapping up to do battle with downpours and whipping wind before reheating in rustic comfort, this new opening in one of Wales’s wildest parts is a good place to be. Set on the edge of the Palé Hill estate, home to a Victorian mansion turned imposing five-star, as well as a section of the River Dee, the 300-year-old inn has been revamped with simple rooms in serene colour schemes that are perfect for post-hike slumbers, as well as a comforting dining room with hearty food to match – confit chicken and leek pie, grilled bacon chop and sticky toffee pudding.
The walk
Put on your most sensible walking boots, take a deep breath and tackle the road immediately to the left of the pub, which rises upwards on a fairly steep gradient. Gradually, the landscape opens up under gigantic skies, making this a lesser-visited, far less intrepid alternative to Snowdonia. Climb high enough and unmarked trails ribbon out from the road across the moorland: take a map, or you may find yourself in a Hansel and Gretel situation.
© Getty Images/Image SourceHow to book it: The Bryntirion Inn has doubles from £140, B&B (thebryntirion.co.uk).
The Farmer’s Arms, Woolsery, Devon
Just ten minutes’ drive from the north Devon coast at Bucks’ Mill Beach, the Farmer’s Arms is a village pub that’s been deliciously spruced as part of The Collective; a holistic offering by Michael and Xochi Birch including Woolsery’s rooms, cottages, fish and chip shop and pub. It means stays in this teeny conurbation have a distinctly chic feel (where else does the local chippie dish out venison burgers in artfully stamped brown boxes?). The pub, meanwhile, serves up dishes made with produce from Woolsery’s Birch Farm – pies, fish and chips and mixed grills done properly – in a vaulted dining room accessorised with cosy sheepskins. Then it’s a short stroll to surprisingly sumptuous accommodation scattered about the village.
The walk
From the village, deserted country lanes filled with country air and birdsong are a balm for leisurely walkers who don’t want anything too demanding (for that, head to the strenuous parts of the nearby South West Coast path). Head west out of Woolsery towards Alfriston Cross, then turn north towards Cranford on a loop that takes you gently back to your starting point.
How to book it: The Collective at Woolsery has doubles from £225, room only (woolsery.com).
The Penny Bun, Yorkshire
AA Inn of the Year for England, the Penny Bun is hidden away in Denton Reserve, a 2,500 rewilded estate grazed by Tamworth Pigs and White Park Cows. Twenty minutes’ drive from Harrogate along country lanes trimmed in hedgerows and surrounded by gentle hills, its grey stone exterior hides cosy comfort: expect welly racks by the door, board games on the shelves and pies on the menu. Bedrooms, meanwhile, are perfect for walkers – blissfully TV-free to encourage uninterrupted slumber and done up in restful taupes and earth tones to reflect the pub’s mushroomy moniker (it’s named for the rare variety that grows in Denton’s wood).
© Jake EasthamThe walk
An old-fashioned phone box marks the start of this yomp from Denton Village. With it on your left, climb single-track Smithy Lane, crossing two cattle grids that bisect the open countryside where deer scamper. From there, it’s time to trail along dry stone wall-edged track towards woodland, before eventually turning right down farm track towards The Penny Bun Inn and a well-deserved drink. Or, for something a little more strenuous, head towards Ilkley Moor sheep-dotted wilderness.
© Getty ImagesHow to book it: The Penny Bun has doubles from £250, B&B (pennybunilkley.co.uk).
