It’s beer garden season, baby! In this heat nothing goes down better than a perfectly chilled IPA or a satisfyingly smooth stout. But the best beer gardens require more than just decent booze. Vibes and views are both essential ingredients, not to mention good grub and the optimal balance of sunshine versus shade.
Now, Big7 Travel has trawled the length of England to reveal 25 of the very best beer gardens the country has to offer. The researchers took into account factors including consistency, critic reviews, value for money, atmosphere and service. So let’s get right into it.
In first place was The Watering Hole in Cornwall, which is less of a beer garden and more of a beer beach. Smack bang on the sands of Perranporth, it boasts year-round live music from both up-and-comers and big names (Jools Holland and Sam Ryder have recently made an appearance).
The Rising Sun in Pensford, Somerset, came second for its ‘idyllic country location’ (despite being just 15 minutes from central Bristol), its views of the Pensford Viaduct over the River Chew and its generous portions of beer-battered fish and chips.
Completing the top three is the only London boozer on the list. The People’s Park Tavern in Hackney overlooks Victoria Park and has one of the largest beer gardens in the capital. It has a BBQ kitchen, a pop-up cocktail bar and a tap wall featuring beers from its very own micro-brewery.
The Jolly Fisher in Craster, Northumberland came fourth thanks to its ‘historic charm’ and ‘stunning sea views’. If the sea air makes you peckish, this place specialises in seafood and offers an array of fresh local fish on its menu. Next up was Cumbria’s The Drunken Duck Inn. With only eight outside tables – and glorious countryside views stretching for miles – you may find yourself fighting to nab a spot.
Has all this beer talk made you thirsty? Here are the 25 best pub gardens in England, according to Big 7 Travel:
- The Watering Hole, Perranporth, Cornwall
- The Rising Sun, Pensford, Somerset
- The People’s Park Tavern, London
- The Jolly Fisherman, Craster, Northumberland
- The Drunken Duck Inn, Ambleside, Cumbria
- The Gardeners Rest, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
- The Wheatsheaf, Combe Hay, Bath, Somerset
- The Ship Inn, Mundesley, Norfolk
- The Canal House, Birmingham, West Midlands
- The Ferry Inn, Salcombe, Devon
- Prince Leopold Inn, Warminster, Wiltshire
- Water Lane Boathouse, Leeds, West Yorkshire
- The Perch Inn, Binsey, Oxford
- The Jolly Sportsman, Lewes, East Sussex
- Seven Stones Inn, St Martin’s, Scilly Isles
- The Boathouse Inn, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
- Escape to Freight Island, Manchester
- Kazimier Garden, Liverpool, Merseyside
- The Pipe and Glass Inn, South Dalton, Yorkshire
- Canalhouse, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
- Topsham Brewery & Taproom, Exeter, Devon
- Cholmondeley Arms, Malpas, Cheshire
- The George, Alstonefield, Staffordshire
- The Old Neptune, Whitstable, Kent
- Twice Brewed Inn, Hexham, Northumberland
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