Tess of the d’Urbervilles skirted this stone-built 16th-century inn, named the Sow and Acorn in Thomas Hardy’s novel, but locals and visitors today know better. ‘It’s a lovely spot in a charming village,’ says a regular Guide correspondent in 2017. (The ‘warm welcome’ from ‘attentive staff’ extends to dogs, who are offered biscuits, a water bowl and towel.) Quiz nights, a skittle alley, a beech-shaded garden and a fine roster of local ales give the place a faithful village-pub feel. The restaurant strikes a smart note, with modern takes on country cooking. A typical dish: pan-seared duck breast, sweet potato fondant, confit duck leg, savoy cabbage. Colourful, elegant bedrooms are each given a name with Hardy resonance, and supplied with bottled water, home-made shortbread and top-end toiletries. Rooms vary in size and style; one of the best, lavish in toile de Jouy, has an antique carved-oak four-poster bed. ‘My room had a large bed and a sofa; a snug bathroom with tons of hot water.’ There’s ‘great choice’ at breakfast, plus bread fresh from the village bakery a minute’s walk down the street. ‘The full English was the best I’ve had in a long while.’ (Ian Dewey)