People fly for restaurants, but rarely cross town for a bar. Pubs occupy a middle ground: they are places that reward most at the end of a long walk. Not in the city, true; but country pubs are meant to be sauntered to on winding roads flanked by hedgerows, to the sound of dogs and gunshot in the distance.
One pub that must be walked to is the Bell Inn, which sits in a hamlet so tiny it is the only noteworthy thing there. Once a manor house built in the 1400s, it has been a pub run by the same family for some 255 years, and twice named CAMRA’s pub of the year.
Inside it is nothing but nooks and crannies and a quarry-tiled floor, with local beers on the taps and only soup and filled rolls offered to eat. Labradors skulk; they might belong to anyone here. It is not just worth the walk, it is perfect.
Bell Lane, Aldworth, RG8 9SE, 01635 578272
