Helen Browning’s Royal Oak
There is ‘a sense of connection to the land’ at this pub-with-rooms on an organic farm 'in a lovely and really rural village' on the Marlborough Downs. More
Good Hotel Guide Review
There is ‘a sense of connection to the land’ at this pub-with-rooms on an organic farm ‘in a lovely and really rural village’ on the Marlborough Downs. Helen Browning OBE, chief executive of the Soil Association, is a passionate advocate for animal welfare and wildlife conservation. Hearty pub fare includes flame-grilled burger, pork and leek pie, fish and chips, steak frites, veggie super salad and vegan ice creams. In a separate building, bedrooms are themed on different fields on the farm, with nods to rusticity. Some are dog-friendly, with a put-you-up bed for a child. Kate’s Folly has an in-room bath, king-size bed and sofa bed. ‘The outside spaces have an air of charming, almost festival-like, informality’ (pull up a hay bale!) and ‘gazebos strung with bunting and fairy lights’. A communal space, The Wallow, has books, tea and coffee, an honesty bar, fridge and record player. There is also a farm shop. Order a picnic of charcuterie, hams, artisan cheeses and home-baked bread, and head out to explore. ‘Another great stay at this remarkable pub,’ reports a returning reader. (Simon Orlik, Paul and Jenny Cheshire)
Hotel details
Address
Cues Lane
Bishopstone
Swindon
Wiltshire
SN6 8PP
England
Telephone
01793 790481
Bedrooms
12. All in annexe, 100 yds from pub, 1 suitable for disabled.
Open
all year, lunch, dinner not served 25 Dec.
Facilities
lounge, pub (2 dining areas), restaurant meeting/function room, in-room TV (Freeview), ½-acre garden (rope swing, Wendy house, ‘flighty hens’), EV charging, restaurant wheelchair accessible, partially adapted toilet.
Background music
none.
Children
all ages welcomed, extra bed £20.
Dogs
allowed in 3 bedrooms (£20 per dog stay), in public rooms ‘at our discretion’.
Credit cards
MC, Visa.
Prices
B&B doubles from £99. À la carte £35.
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