A ‘time capsule of ancient England’, Sue Burdge’s venerable former dwelling house has been the village pub and hub since 1837.

In an ‘absolutely beautiful position’ overlooking Start Bay, Rachel and Nigel Heath’s 19th-century village fisherman’s inn is ‘a relaxing place to stay’, writes a trusted reader this year.

A relaxed atmosphere wafts through this white-painted 17th-century inn overlooking Torridge, estuary where dogs and muddy boots are welcomed.

It was all go at this whitewashed, 14th-century former cider house in Britain’s longest village, when a trusted reader arrived at 1 pm.

Possibly the oldest inn in England, with a medieval wooden window pre-dating glass, this thatched village pub in the Teign valley is ‘a gem’.

Abuttting the Roman city walls, this style-savvy red-brick old coaching inn (Young’s Brewery) has a lively atmosphere.