I've been to hundreds of pubs and asked locals for the unknown hidden gems in their areas. This is the definitive list of the 27 best beer gardens in Britain
By SIMON HEPTINSTALL
Published: | Updated:
There are few better places to be when the sun comes out than one of our great British unsung institutions – the traditional pub beer garden.
During a career as a UK-based travel and motoring writer, I’ve criss-crossed the country on road trips countless times. Often the places I remember most, however, are not the beauty spots or major attractions – they are the leafy pub terraces that combine the perfect pint with a perfect view.
From the Scillies to the Shetlands, I’ve been to hundreds of pub gardens in my time. My tip on finding the best wherever you are in the UK is ignore the adverts and social media hype, simply ask a local.
That’s what I’ve done all over the UK and now here is my pick of the best. It isn’t just a list, it’s a love letter to a great British institution chosen by someone who’s done the legwork for you.
There are ordinary beer gardens, then there’s the Gaggle of Geese, a fabulous five acres of grassland and wildflowers extending back from a classic country pub. There’s plenty of room for crazy golf, skittles, pygmy goats, shepherd huts, a small campsite, wood-fired barbecue – and even some garden tables too.
This is a world class view: the tables on a long wooden pontoon here offer views of yachts manoeuvring in this gorgeous sheltered wooded creek near Falmouth… and if that’s not enough, the ancient thatched whitewashed inn is surrounded by overhanging trees and pretty flower baskets. It’s impossible not to take photos of the scene.
You’ll have to find your way down high-hedged narrow winding lanes west of Exeter to reach the old whitewashed stone pub dating back to the Domesday Book. Today it’s famous for its homemade pies – and the best place to eat them is in the rambling traditional country garden with views across farmland.
In rolling hills east of Bath, this sweet village gastropub is surrounded by trees and shrubs cleverly creating secluded garden ‘rooms’. There’s a thriving kitchen garden to explore too, supplying plenty of the restaurant’s ingredients.
Named after the founder of the famous cricket ground, the old pub is full of sporting knick-knacks. You may not be allowed to play cricket outside but the glorious large leafy landscaped gardens will certainly bowl you over.
Inspectors Morse and Lewis (and me as a trainee journalist) were regulars at this thatched riverside pub that’s even as old as the university. The grassy gardens are huge with tables dotted around under weeping willow trees overlooking the River Isis.
Want a country-pub vibe in the busy heart of North London? Step out from the lively bars of this Irish pub into a surprising huge maze-like four-tier beer garden behind. Traditionally an Arsenal and rugby fan pub, its many screens make it a great place to watch the World Cup.
The massive garden at this rural inn on the edge of Kent’s Downs near Ashford includes its own veg allotments. A section of the garden once won a gold medal at Chelsea Flower Show.
Hidden at the back of this creeper-covered village pub is one of Britain’s best beer gardens. There are wide countryside views, water features, classic herbaceous borders – and it’s all big enough to seat 80.
The former tourist information centre has been turned into a pub and brewery that look like they’ve been there for centuries. Out the back door is an amazing atmospheric garden right under the towering Norman castle walls which are spectacularly floodlit after dark. For this year's world cup, it's showing all England games and even brewing its own World Cup Special pale ale for the tournament.
This loveably quirky flower-bedecked pub has the dramatic Malvern Hills rising steeply behind and charming seating areas among overflowing pots, baskets and flowerbeds around the outside.
Five cosy heated pods in the leafy gardens and courtyards make this pub’s garden appealing all year round. Each of the heated bookable pods can seat six.
Al fresco eating and drinking is especially popular at this ivy-covered inn next to the village green. There are two acres of herb gardens, climber-covered pergolas, mature borders, wildflower meadows and croquet lawns to enjoy.
The walled garden of this 16th-century wattle-and-daub inn overlooks the village church next door. It’s a quiet and sheltered spot to tuck into award-winning pub food among cascading flowers.
Picnic tables are dotted under the trees along the grassy Cam riverbank here. It’s a great location for a glass of Pimms watching regular college rowing races known locally as ‘The Bumps’. It has screens set up both inside and outside for this weekend's World Cup fixtures - but get there early to bag an outdoor seat.
The pretty beer garden behind the pub extend into fields that have become their own extensive kitchen garden, with raised veg beds, espalier fruit trees and flowers grown to decorate the pub, all irrigated by the pub’s own spring.
In the summer the inn is almost submerged under climbing plants and its sheltered sunny garden is a glorious place to enjoy food and drink – all with the scent of honeysuckle in the air.
There are just rickety tables under an old canopy and a bare stone wall to sit on – but that’s all you need when your pub stands right on the shore of a remote sandy bay on the Llyn Peninsular of North Wales. What it lacks in horticulture, Ty Coch compensates with a panorama of distant mountains, bobbing yachts and the sea.
The view is the key ingredient here: just eight simple tables stand on a small grassy bank on the other side of a lane from the pub. They look out over Lake Windermere and the mountains beyond. It’s spectacular enough to allow this humble spot to be repeatedly judged one of Britain’s best pub gardens.
There’s a simple charm to the two-storey garden at this estuary pub: the upper terrace has better views but the lower garden has more flowers. Bird spotters particularly love the uninterrupted views across miles of marshes.
Once a nunnery, this historic pub stands between the village church and an arboretum. Today its incredible unique feature is a vast field of swaying scented lavender leading from the pub’s garden tables.
The beautiful Michelin-starred gastropub has created a fabulous new garden – and claims that everything growing in it is edible. It means the kitchen staff raid the herbs, vegs, shrubs and even flowers for fresh ingredients, while customers can sit amid fragrant plants and giant garden sculptures.
This pub is part of a 300-year-old country estate – so its outside tables are surrounded by a ten-acre landscape of vegetable gardens, swathes of lavender and rolling orchards. The Black Horse will only be showing the World Cup games in their 'nook' by the bar - so you'll be able to avoid the chaos if you're looking for a quieter drink in the sun.
Under thick bushes and through an arched gateway at the side of this 18th-century Whitley Bay inn you’ll discover a completely enclosed one-acre area they call The Secret Garden. There’s an outside bar and stage for performances here but usually it’s a leafy suntrap to escape completely.
The pub’s riverbank is where the chef forages wild garlic and elderflowers and where diners sit gazing across the River Tay. In the summer there are seafood barbecues and an open-air cinema, while the most adventurous try wild swimming.
Sit among the flowers and shrubs on lawns and terraces overlooking the Union Canal – or eat on a restaurant barge moored alongside. This former farmhouse became a pub to serve canal builders 200 years ago – it’s been a popular boozer ever since.
The ultra-cool outside terraces of this boutique restaurant and bar in Edinburgh’s trendy Bruntsfield may not be the traditional grassy pub garden – but they’ve been judged one of Scotland’s best beer gardens. Expect bustling atmosphere and a stylish mix of plants, canopies and heaters overlooking the glorious park opposite.
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