Anchor Inn, Lower Froyle, Hampshire

The five rooms at the Anchor Inn have exposed beams, eclectic selections of old paintings, smart bathrooms, flatscreen TVs and, intriguingly, are all named after First World War poets (Wilfred Owen is a deluxe double, Robert Graves is a superior double and Rupert Brooke is the principal suite). There is a snug bar with a low ceiling, more exposed beams, horse brasses, Spy cartoons and an open fire. The restaurant serves traditional fare such as steaks, sausages and mash, lemon sole and scampi and chips. The inn arranges partridge shoots (staff will provide cartridges) as well as fly-fishing trips.

While you’re there: Jane Austen’s House Museum (01420 83262, jane-austens-house-museum.org.uk), where the author lived for eight years while she wrote Mansfield Park, Emma and Persuasion, is five miles away.

Details: Anchor Inn (01420 23261, anchorinnatlower froyle.co.uk), Lower Froyle, Alton, Hampshire GU34 4NA. B&B doubles from £90.

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Griffin Inn, Fletching, East Sussex

This fine old inn dates from the 17th century and is renowned for its first-rate restaurant and selection of real ales and fine wines. Food in the restaurant is organic and locally sourced (three courses for £40), with dishes such as chicken liver with spiced pear chutney and potato and chive gnocchi as starters, and roast rump of lamb with butternut squash, confit of duck leg with flageolot beans, and pan-roast halibut for mains. The decor is a mixture of original walls and open fireplaces, with smart tablecloths and modern art. Children are “welcomed with open arms”. Rooms are neat, though a little cramped.

While you’re there: Sheffield Park Garden (nationaltrust.org.uk), with its Capability Brown landscape, is close by; this is where England first played Australia at cricket.

Details: Griffin Inn (01825 722890, thegriffininn.co.uk), Fletching, East Sussex TN22 3SS. B&B doubles from £95.

Star Inn, Harome, North Yorkshire

The novelist and broadcaster J. B. Priestley stayed at the Star Inn on one of his many English journeys, and the inn, parts of which date from the 14th century, is a past winner of the Egon Ronay Pub of the Year. It has changed a lot since Priestley’s time, having had a major refurbishment under the ownership of Andrew and Jacqui Pern in the mid-1990s. Exposed beams are much in evidence, but the rooms, some with stand-alone Victorian-style bathtubs, are stylish. Andrew runs the restaurant, where the food is described as being a mix of “poet and peasant”, with wood pigeon, venison, rabbit and snails on the menu. Three courses cost about £35.

While you’re there: Castle Howard (castlehoward.co.uk), one of Britain’s finest country houses, is a short drive away, and there are excellent walks on the North York Moors.

Details: Star Inn (01439 770397, thestaratharome.co.uk), Harome, North Yorkshire YO62 5JE. Doubles from £140.

Acorn Inn, Evershot, Dorset

Thomas Hardy’s Sow & Acorn in Tess of the d’Urbervilles was based on this 16th-century coaching inn, now called the Acorn. There is nothing fancy about the decor in the lounge and bar, which feature old brown leather banquettes, an open fireplace, exposed brick walls, gaudy sofas and framed pictures. The restaurant serves roast duck, sausages, steaks, chicken pies and smoked haddock chowders. Rooms are colourful and comfortable with patterned wallpaper; some have four-poster beds.

While you’re there: Explore the Jurassic Coast of Dorset or the seaside town of Lyme Regis, a short drive away.

Details: Acorn Inn (01935 83228, acorn-inn.co.uk), 28 Fore Street, Evershot, Dorset DT2 0JW. B&B doubles from £90.

The Bell at Skenfrith, Monmouthshire

All rooms at the Bell are named after brown trout fishing flies: “Little Marryat” is a standard double, “Coch-a-bon-ddu” is a super-king double, and “Whickham’s Fancy” is a suite with four-poster bed. The decor is simple and straightforward. The Bell is well known for its restaurant, which has two AA rosettes and serves locally sourced organic food. Most of the vegetables are from the garden. The menu is inspired by the cook Elizabeth David and her fait- simple approach; six mains, including fillet of sea trout and roast duck, are offered at dinner. Three courses come to £28.50. The Bell is surrounded by picturesque countryside.

While you’re there: The famous chain library and medieval Mappa Mundi at Hereford Cathedral (herefordcathedral.org) are a short drive away.

Details: The Bell at Skenfrith (01600 750235, skenfrith.co.uk), Monmouthshire NP7 8UH. B&B doubles from £110.

Horse & Groom, Bourton-on-the-Hill, Cotswolds

This honey-coloured Cotswolds hideaway is run by the brothers Will and Tom Greenstock, and is known for its well-reviewed restaurant that serves soups, seafood and burgers (three courses cost about £30). Most of the food is from local suppliers and the blackboard menu changes daily. The overall look is modern, but it blends in well with the Grade II-listed Georgian building. Rooms are tastefully furnished, comfortable and clean.

While you’re there: Batsford Arboretum (batsarb.co.uk), “the secret garden of the Cotswolds”, is a short walk away.

Details: Horse & Groom (01386 700413, horseandgroom.info), Bourton-on-the-Hill, Gloucestershire GL56 9AQ. B&B doubles from £105.

The Punch Bowl Inn, Lyth Valley, Lake District

Rooms at the Punch Bowl are rather splendid: modern with cream walls, tasteful bedspreads, flatscreen TVs, exposed beams and smart bathrooms. Each is individually designed (and has a separate page on the website), and the owners recently received a prestigous César award for high standards in the new Good Hotel Guide. The bar downstairs has an open fireplace and a slate floor, and sits next to a restaurant serving ham hock terrine and piccalilli, haddock and mash, and beef and horseradish sandwiches, among much else: about £20 for three courses. The inn is set in beautiful rolling Lake District country.

While you're there Take your hiking boots and head for the hills - this is a prime spot for walking and afternoon teas are included in the room rate when you get back.

Details Punch Bowl Inn (015395 68237, the-punchbowl.co.uk), Crosthwaite, Lyth Valley, Cumbria LA8 8HR. B&B doubles from £125.

The Peat Inn, Fife

There are more than 400 wines at this inn just outside St Andrews. An open fireplace is the highlight of the lounge, where there are sofas and coffee tables piled with magazines. The eight rooms are simple but plush with Italian marble bathrooms. But it is the restaurant that attracts people from far and wide, with wood pigeon salads, langoustine bisque, roast partridge, grouse, wild halibut, and venison on the menu: three courses come to about £40. The inn is run by husband and wife team Geoffrey and Katherine Smeddle (Geoffrey is a former head chef at a Conran restaurant).

While you're there Take a walk along the Fife Coastal Path, which runs from Culross to the Tay Bridge along some of the prettiest coastline in Britain.

Details Peat Inn (01334 840206, thepeatinn.co.uk), near St Andrews, Fife KY15 5LH. B&B doubles from £190.

The Hoste Arms, Burnham Market, Norfolk

This 17th-century coaching inn has been converted into a chic gastro pub with spacious rooms, lots of patterned wallpaper, French antique-style furniture, marble bathrooms, flatscreen TVs and mini-chandeliers. There's a bar with an open fire, leather armchairs, and nooks and crannies in which to hide away. The restaurant serves oysters, seabass, lobster and mussels (all local) as well as steaks, curries, pies, stir-fries and burgers. As an unusual extra, the Hoste Arms (rather surprisingly) sells a range of lingerie.

While you're there The Royal Estate at Sandringham (sandringhamestate.co.uk) is close by, as is the birthplace of Admiral Lord Nelson at Burnham Thorpe.

Details Hoste Arms (01328 738777, hostearms.co.uk), The Green, Burnham Market, King's Lynn, Norfolk PE31 8HD. B&B doubles from £104.

The Wykeham Arms, Winchester, Hampshire

Just round the corner from Winchester Cathedral, this comfortable 15th-century coaching inn is tucked away on a back street. The inn's name comes from William of Wykeham, the 14th-century bishop who founded the nearby college. The interior is eclectic with walls covered with old pictures and cartoons and many of the ink-blodged tables and chairs in the restaurant and bar once belonged to the college. There are choices of real ales and the restaurant serves solid fare at reasonable prices. Each room is different, with traditional furnishings, antiques and some four-poster beds.

While you're there Walk through the water meadows where Keats wandered when composing some of his most famous poems. The path leads to the Hospital of the Saint Cross (stcross.f2s.com), "England's oldest and most perfect almshouse", according to Simon Jenkins.

Details Wykeham Arms (01962 853834, fullershotels.com), 75 Kingsgate Street, Winchester, Hampshire SO23 9PE. B&B doubles from £115.

Inns and out

Great Inns of Britain (greatinns.co.uk) features 22 inns with rooms.

Britain’s Finest (britains finest.co.uk) includes contemporary small hotels and inns.

The Good Hotel Guide 2010 (goodhotelguide.com, £20) recommendations are all from readers, making them genuinely independent.

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