Old English Inns

Crackling log fires, beautifully restored rooms, comfy beds, old stone fireplaces, real ales served at the right temperature (well, for the Brits at least!), menus offering outstanding value for money and the chance to rub shoulders with the locals … what better Britain experience could there be if you’re the kind of traveler who is looking for the real England, both on and off the beaten track.

Welcome to the amazing world of authentic 16th- to 18th- century inns in the United Kingdom, the perfect base for a vacation which allows you to travel less and see more, using a kind of “hub and spoke” approach as an imaginative way of enjoying Britain. Old English Inns properties belong to Greene King, one of the country’s leading brewers, which since 1700 has been perfecting the art of brewing on the same site in the Suffolk cathedral city of Bury St. Edmunds.

In total, Old English Inns have 80 incredible properties scattered throughout Britain, including ancient Wiltshire, the Cotswolds, undiscovered Royal Northamptonshire and of course, the eastern part of England. Let me take you on a quick tour of some of them.

Heading down the M4 highway from either London Heathrow or London Gatwick airports, the historic market town of Marlborough is a great center for a variety of memorable visits. The Castle and Ball, right on the town’s long market square, occupies a site on which an inn has been located since the 15th century. On its doorstep you have Avebury Stone Circle, which actually predates Stonehenge. If you are interested in more recent history, you can unravel the myths and legends of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table at Glastonbury Abbey. For those fascinated by the Holy Grail, you won’t want to miss a jewel of a garden nestling around the Chalice Well, one of Britain’s oldest Holy Wells.

The 16th-century Hunters Hall, just 5 miles west of Tetbury is the perfect base for visits to some of the stunning gardens in this sleepy corner of the Cotswolds. Rodmarton Manor, in the same area, is a supreme example of the Cotswolds arts and crafts movement.

A tour of the nearby Hook Norton Brewery comes highly recommended and for a day of retail therapy, discovering Roman Britain and some sheer luxury in the new Thermae Spa, the city of Bath is not far away.

For theater lovers, Stratford upon Avon, where they’re staging the Complete Works of Shakespeare until April 23, 2007, is within striking distance. Due south, families will enjoy the Harry Potter and Alice in Wonderland tour of Christ Church, Oxford.

These “home away from home” coaching inns combine a very friendly and extremely relaxed atmosphere with warm and welcoming English hospitality at its best, in unique setting loaded with history.