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The Scotch Piper, Lydiate, Lancashire
I recently posted a quick top-of-the-head list of sixty of the best pubs in Britain. I made the point that I had omitted some well-known classic pubs which I had been to, simply because I hadn’t visited them for twenty-five years or more, such as:

  • Bell, Aldworth, Berkshire
  • Blue Ship, The Haven, Sussex
  • Olde Tavern, Kington, Herefordshire
  • Pandora, Restronguet Creek, Cornwall
  • Roscoe Head, Liverpool
  • Square & Compass, Worth Matravers, DorsetThree Kings, Hanley Castle, Worcestershire

People also mentioned a number of pubs that were in their personal top tens that I hadn’t ever visited myself. Now, I’m not a dedicated pub explorer in the mould of Simon Everitt or Martin Taylor, but when I travel around the country I do make an effort to visit any outstanding pubs in the area. These are a few that either others have suggested or I’m aware of myself.

  • Bag O’Nails, Bristol (no idea what the attraction is there)
  • Beacon Hotel, Sedgeley, Staffordshire
  • Berkeley, Scunthorpe, Lincolnshire
  • Coopers Tavern, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire
  • Holly Bush, Makeney, Derbyshire
  • Peter Kavanagh’s, Liverpool
  • Queen’s Arms, Cowden Pound, Kent
  • Scotch Piper, Lydiate, Lancashire
  • Tuckers Grave, Faulkland, SomersetVine (Bull & Bladder), Brierley Hill, Staffordshire

Any other ideas for must-visit pubs around the country that I may have missed? They don’t need to be untouched olde-worlde survivors, but pubs with some character over and above just the appeal of their beer range.


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