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Helen Browning's Royal Oak
Swindon, Wiltshire
'Bags of character and a warm vibe' are on offer at this pub-with-rooms on an organic farm 'in a lovely and really rural village' on the Marlborough Downs.
Good Hotel Guide Review
The hotel experts at the Good Hotel Guide
'Bags of character and a warm vibe' are on offer at this pub-with-rooms on an organic farm 'in a lovely and really rural village' on the Marlborough Downs. There is 'a sense of connection to the land'; Helen Browning OBE, is chief executive of the Soil Association, and a passionate advocate for animal welfare and wildlife conservation. Hearty pub fare gets a thumbs up from readers. One loved his 'succulent pork belly dish and the freshest cavalo nero ever tasted'. 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. Eastbrook Valley has a 'bath with reading rack and wine glass'; Cuckoo Pen a 'double aspect window, and huge bathroom'. '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. (Tessa Stuart, Desmond and Jenny Barber, and others)
Hotel Details
Address
Cues Lane, Bishopstone, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN6 8PP, England
Telephone
Bedroom
12. All in annexe, 100m from pub, 1 suitable for wheelchair user.
Openings
all year apart from end Jan (call to confirm), lunch, dinner not served 25 Dec.
Background Music
none.
Children
all ages welcomed, extra bed £30.
Dogs
allowed in 4 bedrooms (£20 per dog stay), in public rooms 'at our discretion'.
Credit Cards
Amex, MC, Visa.
Prices
B&B doubles from £135. À la carte £43.
Facilities
lounge, pub (2 dining areas), restaurant meeting/function room, civil wedding licence, in-room TV, ½-acre garden (rope swing, Wendy house, 'flighty hens'), courtyard, EV charging, restaurant wheelchair accessible, partially adapted toilet.
Location
IN THE MEDIA
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