I’ve visited more than 3,000 pubs. Here are Britain’s best pub-hopping breaks

I have visited more than 3,000 pubs across Britain during my 25 years writing about them as a journalist and author. In that time, I’ve watched the nation’s menus improve and evolve. Now you can find plenty of simple but delicious pub classics using locally sourced ingredients, as well as more creative options. With good-quality venues dotted across the country, it’s easy to enjoy a few over a long weekend. I’ve picked some of the best areas for gastropub-hopping – some where the pubs are quite close (skip the beer or take a designated driver), and others that will require more of a drive after a night’s rest, but will reward punters with a warm welcome, a good selection of pints, tempting menus and magnificent landscapes in between. The Black Isle Bar and Rooms serves beers on tap from Cromarty and Orkney (Photo: Black Isle Bar and Rooms) Highlands Mountain scenery, purple gorse and ruined castles await in the northern Highlands. Start in well-connected Inverness at Black Isle Bar and Rooms, part of Black Isle Brewery. Enjoy organic beers, such as the creamy Hibernator oatmeal stout, and wood-fired pizzas (mains from £15). Shorts It’s around 20 minutes’ drive north-east to the town of Fortrose, where The Anderson serves beers on tap from Cromarty and Orkney breweries and hearty meals such as Philly cheesesteak sandwiches and barbecued meat from the pub’s smokehouse (mains from £16). Head back to Inverness for a stay at Glenmoriston Townhouse Hotel, a four-star property on the banks of the River Ness. B&B doubles from around £200. Accessible room available. The city offers plenty of diversions, including its 19th-century red sandstone castle overlooking the river, boat tours of the nearby Moray Firth and Loch Ness, and hikes such as the 1.4-mile River Ness and Caledonian Canal Circuit. For a lengthier Highlands drive, head west for around an hour and 40 minutes to visit the coastal Wester Ross village of Gairloch and The Old Inn, which is directly on Scotland’s North Coast 500 scenic driving route. The menu at this cosy, one-time drovers’ inn features locally landed fresh seafood and fish (mains from £17.50). The kitchen is also expert in using Highland game, best enjoyed with a beer from Loch Ewe Brewing Company. It also has a whisky bar with a wide selection of Scottish malts. The Kirkstile Inn is great for a stop-off while walking the Lake District The Lake District On a grand tour of the Lake District, its dozens of gastro pubs offer rest breaks with Cumbrian ales and hearty dishes. Begin in Ambleside at The Drunken Duck Inn. Set among the lowland fells, with bucolic views from its outdoor benches, it’s hard to miss the cream-coloured building with a veranda wrapped in creepers. The interior has a lived-in feel, including beamed ceilings and walls crowded with framed maps, letters and photographs of the area. Local game features in dishes such as venison Wellington (mains from £25), while beers from Fell Brewery in the Cumbrian village of Flookburgh are on tap. Its desserts are also tempting, with treats such as sticky toffee pudding or blackberry and apple crumble. There are 11 bedrooms on site for those who fancy staying the night, some with roll-top baths and views of Black Crag. B&B doubles from £160. Ambleside is an easy 10-minute drive from Windermere, for lake cruises on heritage ships, Beatrix Potter-themed tours and visits to the neo-Gothic Wray Castle. Book in for a night or two at the Old Dungeon Ghyll in Great Langdale, around 20 minutes’ drive from Ambleside and with views of the surrounding Langdale Fells. Doubles from £150. From there, it is around an hour and 15 minutes by car to Loweswater. A gentle walk around the lake takes about 2.5 hours with a chance of spotting red squirrels. Break for a pint of Loweswater Gold at the Kirkstile Inn, or the “Kirky” as it’s known by regulars. There’s a warm welcome with a backdrop of low-slung beams and stone walls, while dishes – produced under Cumbrian-born head chef Paul Williamson – include generous portions of steak and ale pie (mains from £17). It’s 45 minutes’ drive north-east to The Old Crown in Hesket Newmarket. Stops en route might include Bassenthwaite Lake National Nature Reserve, which attracts osprey and spawning salmon. Continue to the northern edge of the Lake District for The Old Crown, which dates to the 18th century and came under community ownership in 2003 when locals raised £100,000 to save it. Hearty dishes such as slow-cooked lamb share space on the menu with a curry of the day (mains from £14.50). It mostly stocks ales brewed over the road at Hesket Newmarket Brewery. The Bear hotel in Crickhowell. Try the slow-braised Welsh beef short rib Bannau Brycheiniog National Park (Brecon Beacons) and the South Wales Valleys Stretching across 520 square miles, with moorlands, red sandstone peaks and protected dark skies, Bannau Brycheiniog (formerly known as the Brecon Beacons) is a place for adventure, while its pubs offer respite, good food and beer. For a long weekend, it pairs well with the neighbouring South Wales Valleys. Pantygelli is a quiet but scenic starting point, close to the 1,955ft-high Sugar Loaf hill. The village’s only pub is The Crown, a former coaching inn that has exposed wooden beams and a strong reputation for food. The menu includes an unctuous bubble and squeak with honey roast ham (mains from £16), ideal with a pint of Wye Valley Brewery’s HPA. It’s a scenic 20-minute drive through the lower valleys (look out for sweeping views as the A40 passes near the River Usk) to Grade II-listed inn The Bear, in the market town of Crickhowell, which has a high street filled with independent shops. Ales to sample include Wye Valley Brewery’s Butty Bach, while the kitchen serves robust favourites such as slow-braised Welsh beef short rib (mains from £16.50). Head back east (around 15 minutes’ drive) for a night at The Angel Hotel in Abergavenny, a four-star property where B&B doubles start from £275. From Abergavenny, it’s around 40 minutes’ drive to The Bunch of Grapes in the South Wales Valleys market town of Pontypridd. The unassuming pub in Tom Jones’s hometown is featured in the Camra Good Beer Guide 2026, praised for its beers and food. Dishes celebrate Welsh specialities, including cockles on toast with laverbread and brisket pie with stout jus (mains from £17.50). There’s also an on-site brewery, Cwrw Otley, whose beers include O2 Croeso, a refreshing blonde ale. The Ram in Firle is a 500-year-old village inn (Photo: Peter Flude/The Ram Inn) The South Downs Pub-hopping in the South Downs National Park has the added benefit of scenic drives. Begin in the market town of Lewes, with its Norman castle and views across the Downs. Punters at the John Harvey Tavern are cocooned in dark wood while enjoying beers from Harvey’s brewery across the road: bitters to try include the Sussex Best. The menu celebrates pub classics such as fish and chips in real ale batter (mains from £17). It’s a 10-minute drive to The Ram in Firle, a 500-year-old village inn. The menu makes use of county-grown produce and is seasonally planned, with dishes such as venison ragù linguine and chicken Milanese adding a Mediterranean slant. Wash it down with the delicious pale ale Arise from acclaimed Firle-based Burning Sky Brewery. The Ram offers stylish B&B doubles from £190, and you can walk to the Bloomsbury Set’s Charleston House and Gardens in about 40 minutes. Alternatively, theEast Sussex National Hotel – 20 minutes’ drive from Firle – has B&B doubles from around £125. Accessible rooms available. It’s another half-an-hour’s drive south-west for the seaside and lunch at Victorian-era Brighton pub The Pond. Situated among the independent shops and colourful homes of North Laine, it serves Taiwanese steamed bao buns and dishes such as panko prawns, confit duck with hoisin and kimchi-loaded Kim-cheese chips (small plates from £7.50). There are craft beers on tap from Lewes’s Beak Brewery. The Hour Glass Inn in Exeter serves local and seasonal produce Exeter city break Exeter is small enough to tour on foot, with attractions including the cathedral dating to the 12th century, the Victorian-era Royal Albert Memorial Museum and art gallery – which is housed in a grand Gothic Revival building – and the ancient city walls. Begin at The Fat Pig, a corner pub on John Street in the city centre. It’s a happy marriage of neighbourhood local and dinner (or Sunday lunch) destination with a menu of small plates such as sweet potato and hake croquettes and more substantial options like slow-cooked pulled pork (mains from £19). Ales come from Devon breweries, including Crossed Anchors and Hanlons. It’s 12-minute walk south-east through the city to The Hour Glass in Melbourne Street, a 19th-century building in the village-like St Leonards area. This backstreet boozer first opened in the 1840s and, aside from a brief closure during the pandemic, has welcomed punters since. For a day of pub grub, follow lunch at The Fat Pig with dinner here. Local and seasonal is the direction of the kitchen, with Cornish fish and Devon beef and pork (mains from £21). It also serves acclaimed Sunday roasts. Exeter Brewery ales, including the smooth and lightly roasty Darkness, are on the bar. Spend the night at City Gate, a pub with 20 eclectic bedrooms in the city centre. Doubles start from £100 a night, room only. It’s also less than five minutes’ walk from Exeter St Davids railway station. Alternatively, Hotel Indigo, which was converted from an 18th-century department store, has a spa and double rooms from less than £100 a night. Accessible rooms available. It’s a short walk the next day for lunch at Arcadia. More of a Scandi-style bar than a traditional pub, it’s owned by Devon brewery Utopian, whose excellent beers – such as Vienna Lager and Bohemian British Lager – are joined by popular Sunday roasts with small plates the rest of the week, such as Dartmoor belly pork or pan-seared herb-crusted sea bass (small plates from £7.50, mains from £19.50). Adrian Tierney-Jones’s latest book, A Pub For All Seasons is published by Headline, £12.99