The TempusDoxford, Northumberland Photograph: Zac+Zac<\/p>\n
From the chequerboard restaurant chairs to the disco ball-glittered bar and leopard print-cushioned bedrooms, this 41-bedroom hotel has more than a hint of Alice\u2019s Adventures in Wonderland about it. The 2026 winner of Visit England\u2019s gold award for best small hotel, the Tempus recently opened eight wooden cabins overlooking the estate\u2019s lake, and runs stargazing breaks<\/a> in partnership with nearby Kielder Observatory. This month sees the launch of wellness experiences, combining gentle yoga and sound baths, while foraging workshops celebrate the estate\u2019s wild bounty. Alnwick, Bamburgh and kipper-smoking Craster are close by. The Old Bridge InnAviemore, the Cairngorms Photograph: Rupert Shanks<\/p>\n You can walk, cycle, swim or kayak straight from the door of this pub and bunkhouse on the banks of the River Spey in outdoorsy Aviemore. This mellow gastropub serves smoked haddock chowder and Caribbean lamb curry pies along with Cairngorm Brewery\u2019s ales \u2013 and you\u2019re likely to catch some live folk music too. Fresh from a recent revamp, its seven vintage-inspired bedrooms are decorated in autumnal shades of gold, green, rust and teal. Ranging from simple dorms to en suite doubles and family rooms, they come with access to a shared kitchen and dining room for DIY dinners and breakfasts. The Black HorseAmberley, Sussex Photograph: Dave Watts<\/p>\n Food is the big draw at this new pub with rooms in the South Downs. Run by farm-to-fork restaurateurs the Gladwin brothers, the 12-bedroom inn is their first venture outside London, and their first with accommodation. One thing they are deeply familiar with is local producers \u2013 not least their own family. Beef comes from their farm, wines from their vineyard, Nutbourne, and some of the pub\u2019s artwork has been painted by family matriarch Bridget. Stay over and you can wake to breakfasts of homemade brioche with just-laid eggs, farmhouse sausages or trout gravadlax. Stroll around the village, with its castle hotel<\/a> and pottery<\/a>, or hike<\/a> over to Arundel then catch a train back to Amberley. The AbergwaunFishguard, Pembrokeshire<\/p>\n Pembrokeshire is home to spectacular beaches, but if an autumn storm blows in, it\u2019s great to have galleries, cafes, pubs and cinemas where you can take cover. That\u2019s where Fishguard comes in. This small harbour town has quietly blossomed over the last couple of years. The latest opening is the Abergwaun, a bistro with rooms launched in July by the folk behind the nearby Red Onion cafe<\/a>. Feast on locally line-caught seabass with kelp beurre blanc, then drift off to sleep in one of five smart, latte-coloured bedrooms. The next day, take in a pottery workshop at T\u0177 Clai<\/a>, hike along the Pembrokeshire coast path<\/a> for a Sunday roast at the Sailor\u2019s Safety,<\/a> or catch a gig at Ffwrn<\/a>. The Lister ArmsMalham, Yorkshire Dales Photograph: Jo Ritchie\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Malham is one of the Yorkshire Dales\u2019 great hiking hubs, with Malham Tarn<\/a>, the amphitheatrical cliffs of Malham Cove<\/a>, and Janet\u2019s Foss<\/a> and Gordale Scar<\/a> waterfalls within easy reach \u2013 and staying in the village became a little easier this summer with the opening of Lister Farmhouse. Its 13 bedrooms pair smart taupe, olive and blueberry fabrics with warm wood and leather. Part of the expanded Lister Arms, which includes rooms at the inn itself<\/a> and at a nearby barn conversion<\/a>, the new farmhouse bedrooms are two minutes\u2019 walk away, beside sister pub the Buck Inn<\/a>. For breakfast, stroll across a packhorse bridge to the pub. The Great DecoyHurstbourne Tarrant, Hampshire Photograph: Dave Watts<\/p>\n Formerly the George & Dragon, when this Test valley pub with rooms opened in June, its name was changed to the Great Decoy in a nod to the area\u2019s second world war history, when the surrounding countryside was used as part of a network of decoy sites to draw enemy bombers away from strategic targets. These days, a tempting mix of pub bangers (venison steak frites, wood-fired pizzas), plump-pillowed bedrooms and affordable rates is luring a more peaceful crowd. The pub is a low-beamed, candlelit haven and its eight bedrooms mix antiques with bright modern art and jauntily striped, scalloped headboards. The Riverside InnRoss-on-Wye, Herefordshire<\/p>\n It was in Ross-on-Wye in the late 18th century that the artist and writer Rev William Gilpin set the blueprint for British tourism. Popularising the picturesque, he encouraged travellers to explore the local landscape for pleasure, helping to establish the idea of the British scenic escape (albeit infamously suggesting that \u201ca mallet judiciously used\u201d might improve the ruined charm of Tintern Abbey). More than two centuries later, five elegant new bedrooms have just opened at the Riverside Inn, giving modern-day visitors a suitably comfortable base from which to explore the area\u2019s antiques and salvage shops, and stroll the leafy riverside pathways around Symonds Yat<\/a>. Named after Charlie Mackesy<\/a> characters, the rooms are decorated with finds from Baileys Home Store<\/a> and other local businesses. The William CecilStamford, Lincolnshire<\/p>\n On the edge of the Burghley estate, along one of Stamford\u2019s cute-as-a-bonnet Georgian streets, this treasured hotel underwent a major renovation two years ago. Named after Lord William Cecil, chief advisor to Elizabeth I, the 18th-century building is home to 26 bedrooms decorated in Bridgerton-meets-Babington chic, all chalky pink and sage green stripes, ginghams, velvets and chintz. The latest addition is Wild Floral, a botanical-inspired room launched this summer in collaboration with Lincolnshire designer Sophie Allport<\/a>. Head out to explore the copper-flecked parkland of Burghley House<\/a>, then return for pheasant kiev and blackberry tart at Milly\u2019s, the in-house bistro. Corsham HouseCorsham, Wiltshire Photograph: Dave Watts<\/p>\n It was no surprise that Corsham was chosen as a backdrop for the recent TV dramatisation of Jilly Cooper\u2019s Rivals \u2013 the market town is a primetime destination. Wild peacocks roam its Georgian streets, a \u201csecret\u201d garden unwinds behind stately Corsham Court<\/a> \u2013 home to one of Wiltshire\u2019s finest private art collections \u2013 and independent shops and cafes rule. In the centre of it all is Corsham House, a new brasserie and bottle shop with rooms that opened in July. Once a bank, it\u2019s now profiting from the town\u2019s \u201cBath in miniature\u201d credentials, serving its signature Corsham chips with chicken salt alongside fat rump cap steaks, and putting guests up in 11 small but daintily designed bedrooms painted in shades of rose, damson and beech. The Copley ArmsHessenford, Cornwall<\/p>\n Just off the A387, between Plymouth and Looe, this riverside pub with rooms is worth detouring off the beaten Cornish track for. Recently taken over by the couple behind Lydford\u2019s award-winning Castle Inn<\/a>, its 17th-century core has been elegantly refurbished. Fill up on fish tacos or the catch of the day, then head upstairs, or into the cottage just behind the inn, to slumber in one of eight earthily coloured, softly lit bedrooms (the cottage rooms are the quietest). The following morning, wake to a full Cornish before hiking a loop through the woods of the Seaton Valley<\/a> or strolling a section of the South West coast path<\/a> over to Looe. The Swallow Falls InnBetws-y-Coed, Eryri (Snowdonia) Photograph: Tinman Photography<\/p>\n Just across the road from its namesake waterfall, this former coaching inn reopened last year after a major overhaul, offering visitors a comfortable and affordable base for exploring Eryri national park<\/a>. Its 38 bedrooms are painted in warm, muted shades and bookended by floral wallpapers, tongue-and-groove panelling and bright, metro-tiled bathrooms. Family rooms come with sturdy wooden bunk beds and, downstairs, you can order lasagne or sausage and mash in a space framed by fringed lampshades, floral curtains and mossy green paintwork. From the inn, you can follow a riverside trail into the village of Betws-y-Coed or soak up the autumn colours on one of the waymarked paths in the nearby Gwydir forest park<\/a>. The CrownBildeston, Suffolk Photograph: Lucy Toms<\/p>\n Estate-to-plate dining is the cornerstone of this sunshine-hued Tudor inn between Bury St Edmunds and Ipswich. One of several Suffolk pubs and hotels owned by the Nedging Hall estate, who completed a sympathetic makeover this spring, it has 13 smartly understated new bedrooms. It\u2019s fully plugged into the estate\u2019s homegrown supply chain; the owners also operate a butchery, kitchen garden and East Anglia\u2019s oldest brewery, Mauldons (for which they grow malt barley). Head out on a gentle three-mile loop walk to neighbouring Chelsworth<\/a>, then take a seat by the dining room\u2019s open fire to feast on treacle-cured pork ribeye with garlic croquettes, and deliciously wibbly Basque cheesecake. The Customs HouseBowling, West Dunbartonshire Photograph: Iain Masterton\/Alamy<\/p>\n A hop, skip and jump (or 30-minute train ride) north-west of Glasgow, this stylish new hotel sits at the western end of the Forth and Clyde canal. Well-placed for towpath walks and cycles, it\u2019s a grand reimagining of what was built in 1790 as the customs house for Bowling harbour. There are seven tweed-hued bedrooms in the main building, each with a view of the water and each named after a different cargo, and a floating lodge suite was added this summer, along with a sauna and cold plunge. When the restaurant opens in a neighbouring building next year, it will operate as a full-service hotel but, for now, staff are only on site during the day; evening arrivals are self check-in and continental breakfasts self-serve. Le Strange ArmsOld Hunstanton, Norfolk Photograph: Matt Keal Photography<\/p>\n Close to the RSPB reserve at Snettisham<\/a> and the nature reserve at Holme Dunes<\/a>, this stretch of north Norfolk coastline is a prime destination for spotting waders and waterfowl as they stop to rest on their way south, and is similarly restorative for humans. Follow a day of beach walks and sky-gazing with dinner at newly renovated gastropub the Ancient Mariner<\/a> \u2013 menu highlights include Barsham\u2019s beer-battered fish and chips, and cheeseboards ripe with local favourites Norfolk Dapple and Binham Blue \u2013 before walking across to sister hotel Le Strange Arms to sleep. Its more affordable standard rooms have yet to be updated, but recently renovated self-catering lodges and apartments put a modish mustard and navy spin on seaside chic. Wild DuckEwen, the Cotswolds Photograph: Chris Terry<\/p>\n Open fires? A scene-stealing, carved wood bar? Plates of buttery chicken and chips? Double Diamond ale on tap? If you were Pinterest-boarding the fantasy Cotswolds pub after a yomp through the fields (or along the river \u2013 the Thames Path starts 10 minutes\u2019 drive away), it would be something like the Wild Duck. Just south of Cirencester, this 16th-century gardeners\u2019 cottage turned coaching inn has been stylishly overhauled by local hospitality luminaries Sam and Georgie Pearman. Reopened in March, it now has five bedrooms above the pub and 14 others in a new wing, each decorated with heritage wallpapers, Edward Bulmer paints, antique finds and custom-designed rugs. Prices are for October-November and were correct at time of publication<\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a3121 B&B, thetempus.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
Family rooms for up to five from \u00a380 room-only, oldbridgeinn.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a3125 B&B, blackhorse-pub.com<\/a><\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a3140 B&B, theabergwaun.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a3135 B&B, listerarms.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a390 B&B, thegreatdecoy.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a3180 B&B, riversideinn-wyestreet.com<\/a><\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a3155 B&B, thewilliamcecil.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a3111 room-only, corshamhouse.com<\/a><\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a3100 B&B (two nights for \u00a3160 from Sept-April), copleyarms.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a376 B&B, inncollectiongroup.com<\/a><\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a3195 B&B, thebildestoncrown.com<\/a><\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a3120 B&B, thecustomshousebowling.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a391 room-only, lestrangearms.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n
Doubles from \u00a3150 B&B, countrycreatures.com<\/a><\/p>\n