1 Ship
St James Street, Dunwich, Suffolk (01728 648219)

When some pubs say they have a garden, what they really mean is a square-foot of concrete out by the toilet. But at the Ship in Dunwich when they say a garden, they mean an orchard. Around the back of this pub, by the sea on the edge of the RSPB’s Minsmere reserve, lies a huge expanse of grass, with ample benches, trees for the kids to dangle from and constant visits from exotic members of the feathered community. The beers, from Adnams just up the road, complete a combination that could keep you here until it’s time to fly south.

2 Anchor Inn
Seatown, Dorset (01297 489215)

Short of sitting in the water at Playa de las Américas necking a can of Special Brew, the Anchor on the Jurassic coast of Dorset is as good as seaside drinking gets. On the edge of Lyme Bay, this wonderful old pub boasts a generous beer garden perfectly placed to allow parents to keep an eye on their children down on the beach. There are views up the coast to Lyme Regis, scope for fossil-hunting in the cliffs next door, and an interior that ticks all the boxes for rustic authenticity, plus friendly staff and great beers from Palmer’s of Bridport.

3 White Swan
Riverside, Twickenham, Middlesex (020-8892 2166)

On a hot day in London, finding a place for a pleasant riverside drink can make you wonder if moving to the country is such a cop-out after all. One place to calm such thoughts is the White Swan, tucked down a pretty lane far enough from transport hubs and retail outlets to deter the raving. The beers are good, the clientele’s interesting and the spread of tables on the riverbank makes this one of the prime spots for enjoying the little water left in the non-tidal Thames.

4 King’s Head
Llangennith, Gower, Swansea (01792 386212)

Llangennith on the Gower Peninsula offers not only some of the most reliable surf in Britain, but also one of the nicest surfing pubs. With a big garden providing views of a fine old church, the swells coming in off the ocean, plus beers from the local Tomas Watkins brewery, the King’s Head is a prime spot in which to prop up your thruster and wait for the big one.

5 Volunteer
Sutton Abinger, Surrey (01306 730798)

Nestling in a lovely little valley on the North Downs, the Volunteer in Sutton Abinger has views over woods, fields and ancient half-timbered buildings, a brook babbling away beside it and lots of tables spread up the grassy slope behind to make the most of the whole experience.

6 New Inn
Appletreewick, North Yorkshire (01756 720252)

At the New Inn in the Upper Wharfedale village of Appletreewick the
two-wheeled, dirt-scattering classes are actively encouraged, with route maps, a workshop and the old stables at the back of this 300-year-old inn turned into a “cycle livery” where bikes can sleep safely. There’s airy outside seating with stunning views of the fells and a beer range that includes the excellent Daleside Bitter from Harrogate and impressive bottled continentals.

7 Stag & Huntsman
Hambleden, Oxfordshire (01491 571227)

The brick-and-flint buildings of the village of Hambleden on the edge of
the Chilterns are so quintessentially English they have appeared in a host of movies, from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to Sleepy Hollow. The Stag & Huntsman plays its part as the archetypal village pub, offering a pleasant garden with a view of the hills, good beers from the Rebellion brewery up the road in Marlow Bottom and excellent, regularly rotated guest ales.

8 Flask
77 Highgate West Hill, Highgate, London N6 (020-8348 7346)

Decent outdoor drinking options are surprisingly rare in this leafy part of London, but the Flask makes up for it with a good range of beers, particularly German ones, a great location just off the high street, and the ambience of a rural oasis. Within a rural oasis, that’s hard to pull off.

9 Queen’s Head
The Hythe, Maldon, Essex (01621 854112)

For the maritime flavour, it’s hard to go past the Queen’s Head on the quayside at the old Essex sailing town of Maldon. Sailors have been splicing their yardarms at this town on the Blackwater estuary at least since early Saxon times. Find a place outside on the waterfront and it’s just like being at sea, only with a beer from the town’s award-winning Mighty Oak brewery and without all that bouncing about and risk of drowning.

10 Chequers Inn
Watery Lane, Heaverham, Kent (01732 763968)

Just being outside the M25 can make some Londoners feel like they’re on holiday. So it’s nice for them to find spots just beyond that psychological fence where they can go for the day and feel refreshed, without any of that
passport and accommodation kerfuffle. The Chequers, with its Shepherd Neame beers and huge, leafy, tranquil garden, is just such a place. Only a couple of miles outside the loop, it’s an ideal spot to settle in the sunshine and remind yourself that the Caribbean will still be there next year.

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