Drink in the scenery at a pub with rooms, says JILL STARLEY- GRAINGER

THE FELIN FACH GRIFFIN, BRECON, WALES

A pint of Wye Valley bitter and a sofa by an open wood-burning fire: what a way to round off a day walking in the Brecon Beacons.

The Felin Fach Griffin, an 18th-century farmhouse-turned- pub, sits on the edge of the Welsh national park.

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After dinner in the award-winning restaurant serving seasonal, modern Welshfare such as braised shin of Welsh beef with cep risotto, asparagus and wet garlic (£17.95), you’ll sink into a Vi-Spring bed (some are four-posters) in one of seven rooms with Roberts radios an  White Company toiletries.

Wake up to smoked salmon and scrambled eggs.

Children are very welcome (free for under - 5s, £15 for over - 5s) and it’s dog-friendly too.

● The Felin Fach Griffin, Brecon (01874 620111/www.eatdrinksleep.ltd.uk) offers doubles from £115 per night (two sharing), B&B.

HORSE AND GROOM, GLOUCESTERSHIRE

Pootle around thatched-roofed Cotswold villages, ramble along the Cotswold Way and admire the snowdrops at Batsford Arboretum before heading to the honey-coloured, Georgian Horse And Groom at Bourton on the Hill for a jug of Goffs Jouster bitter.

Choose dinner from the modern British menu chalked up on the blackboard (try the wild mushroom and thyme risotto cakes, £11.50).

As winner of The Good Hotel Guide 2012 Cesar Award for pubs with rooms, you can be sure of a great night’s sleep in the five en-suite rooms, with their fresh and light décor, comfy chairs and throws.

Book room No 5 to gain direct access to the pub’s pretty garden.

● Horse And Groom (01386700413/www.horseandgroom.info) offers doubles from £115 per night (two sharing), B&B.

ELVEDEN INN, SUFFOLK

For the finest stout this side of the Irish Sea pop into Suffolk’s Elveden Inn on the Guinness family estate.

Sip a pint of the black stuff from a tweed chair by the fire, then take a stroll through the estate.

For dinner, select dishes such as caramelised red onion and goat’s cheese tatin (£11.95) or braised steak and Elveden Ale pie with roasted Elveden Estate root vegetables and mash (£11.95).

The menu is created by Peter McBurnie, former head chef at Claridge’s.

The inn’s four en-suite roomshave a seductive boutique-hotel feel, with black-velvet cushions and mirrored black wardrobes.

● Elveden Inn (01842 890876/www.elvedeninn.com) offers doubles from £105 per night (two sharing), B&B.

THE SUN INN, EDINBURGH

A winter city break with a country-pub welcome is waiting at Edinburgh’s The Sun Inn.

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Spend your days shopping on the Royal Mile, decoding Da Vinci at Rosslyn Chapel or watching 150,000 gannets descend on Bass Rock in North Berwick.

Back at the 17th-century coaching inn, settle down by the fire with a pint of Caledonian Deuchars IPA and a lunch of beer-battered haddock, mushy peas and chips (£8.95) or book in for dinner.

All five of the hotel's en-suite rooms are gorgeous, with hand-made furnishings.

Splurge on the Signature Suite (£150) and you can look forward to a long, hot soak in the bespoke copper bathtub.

Splurge on the Signature Suite (£150) and you can look  forward to a long, hot soak in the bespoke copper bath tub. 

● The Sun Inn (01316632456/www.thesuninnedinburgh.co.uk) offers  doubles  from  £85  per  night (two sharing), B&B.


THE GRIFFIN INN, EAST SUSSEX

The Griffin Inn at Fletching draws a jovial bunch of regulars.

Enjoy pints of Harveys dark Old Ale and fine local fare such as Rye Bay plaice with lemon butter and Jersey Royals (£15).

Hearty comfort food from the pub menu includes chicken, mushroom and leek pie (£13.50).

Nearby, you can visit the Capability Brown landscaping of Sheffield Park and Garden or play Pooh sticks in Ashdown Forest.

The Griffin’s 13 elegantly styled rooms, each with a sleigh bed or four-poster, are split between the pub and two neighbouring historic buildings.

● The Griffin Inn (01825 722890/www.thegriffininn.co.uk) offers doubles from £85 per night (two sharing), B&B.