Latest news with #pubs
Times
19 hours ago
- Times
The UK's most glorious riverside pubs where you can stay the night
You can't beat sitting riverside on a sunny day, soothed by the sound of the water and the occasional quack or splosh of a paddle from a passing kayaker, with a cool fizz or local ale in hand. These inns have delightful outdoor spaces and lovely rooms to make a weekend of visiting them, so there is more time to stroll riverside paths or perhaps even get on the water. I've spent a couple of years visiting as many inns such as these as I can to find the best for my new book, Paddle and Pub, covering more than 100 of the best hostelries that you can reach by kayak or paddleboard. Even if you want to stay on dry land they make for gorgeous escapes. This article contains affiliate links, which can earn us revenue Londoners and visitors to the capital looking for an outdoor space along the Thames to enjoy a Pimm's or three en plein air are spoilt for choice, with dozens of inns having existed to lubricate boaters on the river for centuries. One — dating from 1665 and with great, colourful rooms attached — is the Mitre, which once housed guests to Hampton Court Palace, its neighbour. Sit on the waterside Aix Terrace with a rosé, sip a cocktail in the Boathouse or dine on tomato gazpacho and chicken Milanese in the riverside 1665 Brasserie (mains from £20).Details B&B doubles from £200 ( On the banks of the mighty River Thames, the Compleat Angler is a longstanding riverside boozer, although it has morphed from the simple inn it once was into a luxurious hotel with fine dining. It was one of the earliest guesthouses in the country, yet was at risk of overtourism even in Dickens' day — the writer commented in his Dictionary of the Thames that it was often booked out by boating parties. These days there are Sindhu, Atul Kochhar's upmarket Indian restaurant (mains from £19), the Riverside Restaurant fordishes such as chargrilled monkfish (mains from £20) and rooms that are pretty if slightly chintzy — really you're here for the food and the history. Details B&B doubles from £150 ( Ten of the 25 rooms here offer views of an idyllic bend in the River Hodder as it curves around the grounds, with the fells of the Forest of Bowland beyond. Heavy wooden bedheads, unusual framed fabrics and antiques bring country house character to all, and the food — under the chef Jamie Cadman for two decades — has helped to put this quiet corner of Lancashire on the map. Try the fish pie or slow-cooked shoulder of pork with ham hock fritter alongside any one of the 400 wines sourced by the pub's vintners. The pub has four rods for trout and salmon fishing along seven miles of the Hodder, as well as yoga and spa treatments on offer. The Piggeries, its stylish self-catering cottage, has three double bedrooms and a garden leading to the water. Details B&B doubles from£160; three nights' self-catering for six from £1,940 ( • 15 of the most beautiful places in England In a prime spot on the River Tay, known for its salmon fishing, this boutique pub with rooms dating from 1820 has fishing rights and fly-fishing courses, so it's hugely popular with anglers. Even if you're not so inclined, though, it's well worth visiting for the watery views and the food, made with a touch of 'Gallic zest', they say, with ingredients supplied by gillies, farmers and gardeners, plus the in-house butcher. Try a tomato and Crowdie cheese mousse, then a Meikleour venison saddle (mains from £17). Its 11 bedrooms are decked out in floral fabrics and an array of colours, with Arran Aromatics toiletries and sherry decanters on the nightstands. There are also 18 holiday cottages nearby — some with river views in the walled garden of Meikleour House, less than a mile away, another in the local village. Part of the Meikleour Estate, the pub is within reach of Perth, Scone and B&B doubles from £120 ( • Revealed: 100 Best Places to Stay in the UK for 2025 This 18th-century inn on the Harbourne River, a tributary of the Dart three miles south of Totnes, was owned by the flamboyant TV chef Keith Floyd between 1989 and 1996. He spent millions of pounds doing it up, adding eccentrically decorated bedrooms and anchoring fake crocodiles in the water to scare tourists. Now somewhat less wacky, but still with a dining room named for its former owner, the pub is in a lovely spot where the riverbanks are lined with tall trees. The present chef, Anton Piotrowski, jointly won MasterChef: The Professionals in 2012. The six bedrooms, in an adjoining building, are simple, but the owners are planning a renovation. Hire kayaks from Paddle Devon in Totnes and go all the way to Dartmouth, Stoke Gabriel or the Dartington Estate, before finishing with a beer back on the sundeck of the inn (half-day guided kayak trip £47pp; B&B doubles from £80 ( • 19 of the best UK pubs with rooms The idyllic village of Grantchester, south of Cambridge, is on the River Cam, which used to tempt Byron in for a dip, leaving in his memory an adjacent spot named Byron's Pool, now part of a nature reserve. There are a gaggle of pubs here too, including the Blue Ball, a 250-year-old coaching inn with river views, local ales, home-cooked food and a two-bedroom holiday apartment in creamy colours overlooking Grantchester Meadows. Walk a couple of miles north along the river — perhaps joining the wild swimmers for a dip — and you'll reach St John's College and the intricate Bridge of Sighs, which has an arched base similar to its Venetian namesake, as well as the Backs university fields and Mathematical Bridge. Nearby, the Mill Pond is lined with pubs and you can hire a punt here — look out for the Pimm's Punt floating bar. Details One night's self-catering for four from £200 ( • 20 top pubs in the UK to visit by paddleboard, kayak or canoe There are excellent waterside pubs along the River Wye that are perfect stop-offs for boaters and paddlers. One of the smarter options is the Hope & Anchor, near the Welsh border, with a large, busy beer garden on the riverbank and the nearby town full of bookshops and quirky cafés. The pub hosts live music at its bandstand, while the Hut, in its garden, serves wood-fired pizzas and cakes alongside drinks. The food in the main restaurant runs from Wye Valley beer-battered cod and chips and Herefordshire steak burgers to not-so-typical poke bowls (mains from £16). Many of the 12 neat bedrooms have river B&B doubles from £81 ( Gemma Bowes is the author of Paddle and Pub: The Best British Pubs to Get to By Kayak, Canoe or Paddleboard (Bloomsbury, £19.99, pp240). To order a copy go to Free UK standard P&P on online orders over £25. Special discount available for Times+ members Have we missed your favourite? Share your recommendations in the comments
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Live in Nottingham
Nottingham is glorious in the sunshine and this city is one that claims to be the pub capital of the UK. It is said the West Bridgeford area, home to the City Ground on the River Trent, has nine pubs per square mile and it feels like everyone is out nice and early to soak in the atmosphere. Advertisement Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo has delivered the same message to fans in his programme notes as his press conference: "Enjoy the game and bring then noise." My train came in stupidly early today so I have been walking around. There there is a bit of a party atmosphere bubbling up even several hours before kick-off.
Irish Times
2 days ago
- Irish Times
Brews with a view: The best bars around Ireland for a sunny day pint
Sunny weather isn't just great for drying clothes – it's also prime beer garden weather. But not all outdoor spots are created equal. We've all followed signs to a 'terrace' that's really a bin store or a scruffy car park with pallet chairs. No thanks. These are the cream of old-school pubs around the country perched in stunning coastal spots with plenty of seating and great views. The Glyde Inn Annagassan, Co Louth; This gorgeous redbrick pub and restaurant has unbeatable beachside views over Dundalk Bay, the Cooley and Mourne Mountains. The Harbour Bar Downings Co Donegal; The Harbour Bar, Downings. Photograph: Ali Dunworth Inside, a cosy, memorabilia-filled traditional pub; outside, the views are the scene-stealer, with a terrace overlooking long stretches of beach. The Blue Light Barnacullia, Sandyford, Dublin 18; A buzzing beer garden in the foothills of the Dublin mountains with an unparalleled panorama of the city and sea. READ MORE Helen's Bar Kilmackillogue, Co Kerry; Sitting on a pier overlooking Kilmackillogue Harbour, this remote pub on the Beara Peninsula has bench seats stretching along the water. Murphy's Bar Brandon, Co Kerry, V92 T680; This well-loved Kerry institution, perched on Brandon pier and at the foot of Mount Brandon, offers mountain and sea views of the Dingle Peninsula. Tigh TP Baile na nGall, Murreagh, Co Kerry, V92 EE39; Tigh TP, Baile na nGall. Photograph: Ali Dunworth Located by a small sandy beach near the Ballydavid Cliff Walk, Tigh TP is a basic pub, but the views, out over the last edge of land to the Atlantic, rival anywhere in Ireland. The Tin Pub Ahakista, Co Cork; The Tin Pub, Ahakista. Photograph: Ali Dunworth Through this unassuming pub lies possibly the best beer garden in the country – a well-kept lawn slopes to a stone wall, then a beach, with beautiful views across Dunmanus Bay. The Jolly Roger Sherkin Island, Co Cork; Hop on a ferry from Baltimore to enjoy a pint at this cheery island pub, where the beer garden looks back over the craggy Cork coastline. O'Sullivans Bar The Pier, Crookhaven, Co Cork, P81 CF78; O'Sullivan's bar, Crookhaven. Photograph: Ellie O'Byrne Known as 'The Most Southerly Pint in Ireland,' the busy waterside outdoor seats here are sought after for pier views and a pint with a crab sandwich. Bushe's Bar Baltimore, Co Cork Prime seats in picturesque Baltimore village for watching sunsets over the harbour and soaking up maritime vibes. The Strand Inn Dunmore East, Co Waterford Dunmore East, Co Waterford. Photograph: Getty Hear waves lap the wall as you enjoy a drink on the terrace of this Dunmore East institution by the beach with views across to Hook Head. Tigh Uí Mhuirithe/Murrays Pub Helvick, Co Waterford; Tigh Uí Mhuirithe, Heilbhic Nestled in the coastal Gaeltacht of An Rinn, Tigh Uí Mhuirithe boasts a beloved beer garden with stunning views over Dungarvan Harbour that truly comes alive in the sunshine. Tigh Ned Inis Oírr, Co Galway; Tigh Ned, Inis Oírr. Photograph: Ali Dunworth Arguably one of the finest spots for a pint in Ireland, Tigh Ned is the local pub on Inis Oírr, with a beer garden stretching down to the sea and the stunning landscape of Galway Bay. Sweeney's Strand Bar and Shop Claddaghduff, Co Galway; Sweeney's is a pub, shop and post office offering fresh seafood and sweeping views of Omey Island – watch the tidal road appear while sipping a creamy pint.
Telegraph
2 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Jodie Kidd: ‘The secret to a good pub? Don't ignore the locals'
'It was a moment of madness when I decided to get a pub,' laughs Jodie Kidd. The locals in Kirdford, West Sussex, must certainly have thought so too when Kidd, a former model and socialite, swept in eight years ago. With no experience in the industry, never having worked in hospitality before, and the pub already facing closure, few could have anticipated the turnaround she made within the Half Moon. 'It was going to become houses,' she fumes. 'This beautiful 16th-century coaching inn could have been lost forever, and that would have stripped the heart out of this village. 'I have lived rurally for most of my life, and in these little villages the pub is the epicentre of village life,' says Kidd. 'They are community centres. Pubs are places where friendships are formed, relationships happen, families meet – they are such important places for the community.' Having become a champion for the pub industry during the turbulent days of Covid and the ensuing cost of living crisis, Kidd recently hit the road to meet other landlords for a new podcast, Three Landlords Walk into a Bar. Created with Heineken SmartDispense, she and Merlin Griffiths (the bartender from Channel 4's First Dates) interview the landlords of some of Britain's most popular boozers to find out what sets a great pub apart. 'I've learnt so much because out of everyone who appeared on the podcast, I was one of the newest publicans, with only a mere eight years in the industry,' she explains. 'And it's interesting because there's no sense of competitiveness, publicans are like one big family and we all have things to learn from each other about what works and what doesn't work.' The reason pub landlords are relying on each other for advice and support, Kidd thinks, is that the pub trade is, if not quite on its last legs, not far off. 'We got to a point where we were losing three pubs a day, which is terrifying,' she says. 'I hate the idea that in my son's lifetime the Great British pub will come to an end. It would be an absolute travesty.' But it's not all doom and gloom, Kidd adds. 'Doing the podcast has been lovely because landlords are succeeding in creating brilliant pubs, despite the conditions,' she beams. So what is the secret to creating a great pub and, crucially, keeping the doors open? 'One thing common to all great pubs is that they're a place of safety,' says Kidd. 'A pub should be a place where you feel relaxed, somewhere which is a safe place where people will listen, a place where you feel happy to go up and talk to other people. Essentially a great pub is a home away from home. That's an important thing to create.' The key to that is the personal approach, and Kidd is clear on one thing: locals must come first. 'You're very much part of their lives and it's a really, genuinely important thing,' she says. 'Mental health, especially after Covid when we were all locked away, is in the gutter. People really value conversation now. Knowing that you've got someone there who will take the time to talk to you, who will support you, that makes all the difference in the world. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Half Moon, Kirdford (@halfmoonkirdford) 'We have a lovely chap who is around 80 who lost his wife during Covid and hasn't got any family. Every day he comes in and he has his own seat in his own little corner, we all go and chat with him – that might be the only face-to-face communication that he gets in a day, so it's so important to prioritise connections like that.' The most important way to generate this atmosphere is to instil it in the pub staff, thinks Kidd. 'You need to have that energy and approachability, and we try to instil that into our team members, especially front of house,' she says. 'It's hard graft – it's long days on your feet, and you might be tired, you might have blisters, but you always have to go to work with a big smile on your face. You still have to take time to talk to people and make people feel important. It's a really good life lesson, especially because we try to train a lot of local young people from the village. Leading by example matters.' The simplest thing to do is to be attentive, says Kidd. 'I don't think this is a complicated thing,' she shrugs. 'You just have to make it seamless. When people come in, they need to be noticed, taken to a table, have their order taken in good time, glasses cleared and refilled when they need them to be. Some pubs say they can't afford enough staff to do that – I would say you can't afford to leave people waiting.' In an era where the price of a pint has swelled to a national average of £5.17 as of June 2025 (according to the The MA Pint Price Survey), landlords also need to be conscious that a trip to the pub is more of a treat than the everyday occurrence it might once have been. 'When someone comes in and they're spending upwards of £5 on a pint, they need to have a blinking good one,' Kidd argues. 'We have really invested in technology to make sure every pint we pour is perfect, and we do really see our customers appreciate that. Whatever you're serving, it's got to be perfect. Everything has got to be, because we totally realise that going out and spending money is tough. 'What's happening with the cost of living is not easy for anyone, but people need to be able to go out and spoil themselves as well. If people have worked hard, they need to have the places to go where they can have a nice meal and a nice pint and we need to make sure that when they do, we are able to offer them the very best quality to make sure what we're offering is worthy of our customers. That has absolutely put a lot of pressure on us to make sure that we constantly deliver a level of quality.' For village pubs like Kidd's Half Moon, where local footfall is rarely enough to sustain a pub, becoming a 'destination' with the help of a good menu is vital. 'One part of my ethos is supporting our local fisherman, farmers and producers,' Kidd explains. 'Pretty much everything we get is from a 25-mile radius, which supports much smaller producers. We're lucky because we have the coast – which means we can have some beautiful Selsey crab – and we have the South Downs, so we have beautiful heritage tomatoes and asparagus growers. It's really important for us to make sure we're not only supporting the customer but also the supply chain. 'If I go to a pub and see the menu is like ours: super seasonal, constantly changing based on what ingredients are available, I know I'm in for a good time.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Half Moon, Kirdford (@halfmoonkirdford) Ultimately, Kidd thinks, what makes a pub great and well-run is fairly obvious to landlords and customers alike; what has made things more difficult in recent years are the regulations. 'The beer tax is one of the highest in Europe,' she says. 'Sainsbury's can offset the price of beer to tomatoes or whatever they're going to do – we don't have that option. That puts pressure on the whole industry. We are constantly having to battle with business rates, alcohol duty, and attracting customers, and the Government can't even be bothered to have a hospitality minister to represent a sector which contributes billions to the economy? I don't understand it.' Though the challenges remain great – the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) reported 289 closures, with 4,500 job losses in the sector in 2024 – Kidd remains committed to the fight. 'Pubs are such an important place for the community, for mental health, for life satisfaction,' she says. 'A pub is so much more than a place you go to eat and drink, it's part of the fabric of our country, it's our heritage, it's our future, so we have to keep fighting for it.'
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Pubs in crisis after tax hikes and wage increases cost each boozer £14k EXTRA
PUBS are facing a crisis as tax hikes and increases to wages leave each one facing £14,000 in extra costs. A jump in National Insurance (NI), the minimum wage, business rates and packaging taxes are costing the equivalent of 12 days' sales, the British Beer and Pub Association says. 1 Boss Emma McClarkin called the situation 'indefensible' and urged immediate Government action. It comes after the BBPA warned that rising costs would push the average price of a pint above £5. The organisation reckons they would add 21p as boozers are forced to pass on some of the inflationary pressure to customers. Employer NI contributions rose from 13.8 to 15 per cent in April while the payment threshold dropped from £9,100 to just £500. The National Living Wage jumped from £11.44 to £12.21 per hour. These changes have seen insolvencies jump, with 67 pubs closing in April — the highest monthly figure since July 2024, according to accountancy firm Price Bailey. Meanwhile, 8,156 (21 per cent) of UK pubs are barely staying afloat. Matt Howard, head of insolvency at Price Bailey, said: 'The early signs are that the tax and minimum wage hikes which took effect in April are already tipping some struggling pubs over the edge.' A Government spokesman said: 'We are a pro-business government.' RATES 'FREEZE' What is the Bank of England base rate and how does it affect me? INTEREST rates are expected to stay at 4.25 per cent after inflation rose in April, economists predict. Most believe the Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will keep rates unchanged on Thursday. Since last August, the MPC has gradually reduced rates from a peak of 5.25 per cent. But inflation jumped to 3.5 per cent in April, later corrected to 3.4 due to data errors. METRO BOOST SHARES in Metro Bank have jumped by more than a tenth as investors welcome reports the high street lender had attracted a takeover approach from a possible buyer. The London-listed bank was approached by investment firm Pollen Street Capital about taking it private. The discussions are said to be in early stages. Metro had a £925million rescue deal in 2023 and returned to profitability last year. GREAT ESCAPES GO UNDER TRAVEL firm Great Little Escapes has collapsed, leaving customers with axed holidays and uncertainty over refunds. The Berkshire-based company, which also operated under the names Your Holidays and Tunisia First, ceased trading as an ATOL holder on Friday. The Civil Aviation Authority issued a statement which said: 'We are currently gathering information from the company and will provide updates as soon as possible.' Customers have been advised not to submit claims yet, as they will not be processed at this time.
