The draw of the great outdoors and the great indoors

It is a truth universally acknowledged that after a days’ rambling, an adventurer in possession of walking boots, must be in want of a decent pub to bed down in. Tramping along coastal paths, traversing fields and winding rivers, or taking countryside tracks through bluebell-sprinkled woodland, Britain walks are spectacular. And nothing complements the great outdoors quite like an overnight pub stay. No matter the weather you’ve been walking in, for me, the first glimpse of that atmospheric, hanging pub signage swinging in the breeze, and the glow of a crackling fire is a joyful invitation to loosen muddy boots, to relax and hunker down. Evolved over thousands of years from ancient alehouses to smart pubs-with-rooms, Britain’s pubs have the art of hostelry down to a T. Whether an ivy-wrapped number with a brick facade, beamed ceilings and local brews on tap, or smartened-up Victorian boozers where antique mirrors glint behind the bar and grub has a gastro twist, pubs are Britain’s ‘great indoors.’ A home-away-from-home but better, there’s history in the walls, sink-into-me-furniture and camaraderie in abundance. Fuss and formality be gone, memories of the day’s scenery can be digested in a wood-panelled dining room, or propped up on a barstool accompanied by a bowl of triple-cooked chips, with lashings of ketchup and mayo and a lively soundtrack of patrons’ chatter. Genuine community hubs, with their own rhythm, regulars — human and canine — and quick-to-smile bartenders, there’s no better way to discover the soul of a neighbourhood. Add in an all-are-welcome ambience, and scope to pet a handsome golden retriever flopped by the fireside, and it’s hard to beat. The icing on the cake? Or perhaps, more appropriately, the expertly-poured head atop the ale? Once well-fed and well-watered, comfortable bedrooms — stylish enough to rival those in boutique hotels — are steps away. And, after stellar slumbering, come the next morning, I’m ready to pull on boots and explore the great outdoors once more, boosted with the unique joie de vivre of a classic pub stay.