There is nothing that has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern,” wrote Samuel Johnson.

Inside, the bar is a scrubbed-up smuggler’s haunt with low ceilings, smart wooden textures and knick-knacks on the walls. There's over 400 years of history at this coaching inn, but your focus is likely to be on late Victorian – it’s the inspiration for The Sow and the Acorn in Tess of the d’Urbervilles. There’s no more scenic spot to sip cask-conditioned real ale and reminisce about a time before the internet existed – an age where a ‘minion’ was simply a derogatory term used to define a servile underling and not something you’d find plastered all over children’s clothing.

Park and Park Corporate Risk Advisors are trading names of Park Commercial Ltd who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Boutique New England-style bedrooms offer a comfortable bolthole by the sea at the heart of Beesands village, set right on the South West coast path. Inside, the former drinkers’ pub has a sassy, metropolitan feel with lots of parquet flooring, panelling, exposed brick walls, and velvet curtains and armchairs.

Traditional but not remotely seedy with friendly welcoming staff, a welcoming and inviting interior with good honest, quality pub grub. It’s often the very heart of a community, raising funds for its patrons, providing ad-lib counselling services, and offering a sociable antidote to the prevalent plague of loneliness.

The best camera deals, reviews, product advice, and unmissable photography news, direct to your inbox! Millions must have been spent on recreating the look and feel of what is one of the best Norfolk pubs with rooms, The Gunton Arms. If, however, you’re in the market for a glorious five-course tasting menu comprised of small, seasonal dishes which showcase the local Kentish produce then The Sportsman is exactly the pub you want to be visiting. Intriguingly, staff bonuses at the pub are 'dependent on their acing a regulars-themed questionnaire', with questions including: 'What does Corridor John drink?