The Pheasant Inn

Worth getting out of bed for

They haven’t designated the North Wessex Downs an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty for nothing: with their rolling chalk hills, thick woodland and picturesque pastures, and lasting literary clout as the backdrop for Thomas Hardy tomes, they’ll enchant you out of the cosiness of your room for brisk walks. And, the countryside is peppered with quaint villages and historic market towns. First, investigate Lambourn, long known for its equine excellence, has so many horse-training grounds in its orbit that the surrounding area is known as the Valley of the Racehorse. Then, go on the hunt for a treasured souvenir in gloriously Georgian Hungerford’s antique stores and markets – with more than 100 dealers, the Hungerford Arcade (26–27 High Street, Hungerford RG17 0NF) is a good place to start. Here, you can catch a narrowboat ride along the Kennet and Avon Canal; try Sally Narrowboats for day trips. On the banks of the Kennet you’ll also find Marlborough, a handsome town with architectural styles that range from half-timbers to grand redbricks. It’s at its most bustling on Wednesdays and Saturdays when market stalls are set up along the high street (the second widest in England, no less), as they have been for centuries. After pottering about, take diversions to Savernake Forest, which was given some structure by great gardener-of-old Capability Brown, and to see the mysterious Avebury Stones, 4,000 year-old Neolithic monuments that – unlike at sister site Stonehenge – you can wander around and see up close. Then, practice your ‘how d’you dos?’ for a visit to Highclere Castle, home to the Earl and Countess of Carnarvon and star location of Downton Abbey. It’s set in 1,000 acres of parkland (another Capability Brown legacy) and it’s open to the public for 60 to 70 days a year. Other regal hotspots in the area include Welford Park (open from 1 February to 5 March each year), famed for its Queen Anne manor and dainty dusting of snowdrops come spring, and Wickham House, a towering late-18th-century residence. There are meets year-round at Newbury Racecourse, and live music and events when the fillies aren’t flying round the track, so it’s worth seeing what’s on. And, for more tropical foliage, explore the Living Rainforest’s vast greenhouse just a 20-minute drive away. 

Local restaurants

You should aim to book the hotel restaurant for at least one night of your stay, but if it’s packed out then you have other options. Modern eatery the Woodspeen has picture windows filled with country sights for sore eyes and an open kitchen for dramatic flair. Seasonally shifting menus with sumptuous local produce might include hand-dived scallops with homemade black pudding and crispy chicken skin, cured monkfish tail with Wiltshire bacon and chorizo emulsion, or a miso-caramel fool with banana jam and rum and raisin ice-cream. Away from his native Padstow, Rick Stein’s Marlborough joint has an equally deft hand with fish and seafood. Mackerel with raita, Dover sole meunière and crab sandwiches are bursting with coastal flavour. And to get your teeth into Berkshire’s famed meat in style, head to the Vineyard, where chef Tom Scade (formerly of the Ritz) works tender local lamb and sika deer into artful dishes. We’re fond of his pig’s trotter cake with turnip and apricot too.

Local cafés

Cobbs Farm Shop and Kitchen in Hungerford is a delightful lunch spot with seasonal salads, daily pates and warming fish or shepherd’s pies for mains. Its afternoon tea eschews daintiness for decadence too, with doorstop sarnies, packed sausage rolls and oversized scones.

Local bars

The Five Bells in Wickham is prettily thatched and offers a warm welcome, plus there’s plenty of space in its beer garden and the food is simple, honest and filling.