Special Pubs for Valentine's Day

Pheasant, Bassenthwaite Lake, Cumbria

Charming, old-fashioned bar in smart hotel with enjoyable bar food and fine range of drinks; comfortable bedrooms

They've opened a new bistro in this civilised and well run hotel which will act as an alternative to the lunchtime bar food and more formal restaurant menu. It's the surprisingly pubby and old fashioned bar here that many of our readers enjoy dropping into for a quiet pint or informal lunch.There are mellow polished walls, cushioned oak settles, rush-seat chairs and library seats, hunting prints and photographs, and Bass, Coniston Bluebird and Cumberland Corby Ale on handpump served by friendly, knowledgeable staff; also, 12 good wines by the glass and over 60 malt whiskies. Several comfortable lounges have log fires, beautiful flower arrangements, fine parquet flooring, antiques and plants. Dogs are allowed in the residents' lounge at lunchtime and they do let them into the bar during the day too, unless people are eating. There are seats in the garden, attractive woodland surroundings and plenty of walks in all directions.

Museum, Farnham, Dorset

Stylish civilised inn with appealing rooms including a bustling bar, inventive not cheap food and super bedrooms

Distinctly upmarket, this thatched free house has an excellent choice of wines with several by the glass, Ringwood Best Bitter and Wadworths Henry's along with a guest such as Timothy Taylor Landlord on handpump and around 30 malt whiskies. The little flagstoned bar remains a real focus for locals of all ages and has a lively atmosphere, light beams, a big inglenook fireplace, good comfortably cushioned furnishings and fresh flowers on all the tables; board games. Cheery yellow walls and plentiful windows give the place a bright, fresh feel. To the right a dining room has a fine antique dresser, while off to the left a cosier room has a very jolly hunting model and a seemingly sleeping stuffed fox curled in a corner. Another room feels rather like a contemporary baronial hall, soars up to a high glass ceiling, with dozens of antlers and a stag's head looking down on a long refectory table and church-style pews. This leads to an outside terrace with more wooden tables. The bedrooms in the main building are very comfortable.

Kings Head, Bledington, Gloucestershire

Beams and atmospheric furnishings in civilised old inn, super wines by the glass, real ales and interesting food; bedrooms

This is a rather smart old place in a pretty setting just back from the village green. The main bar is full of ancient beams and other atmospheric furnishings (high-backed wooden settles, gateleg or pedestal tables) and there's a warming log fire in the stone inglenook where there are bellows and a big black kettle; sporting memorabilia of rugby, racing, cricket and hunting. To the left of the bar, a drinking area for locals has built-in wall benches, stools and dining chairs around wooden tables, rugs on bare boards and a woodburning stove. Hook Norton Best and guests from breweries such as Cottage, Purity, Stroud and Wye Valley on handpump, an excellent wine list with ten by the glass, 20 malt whiskies and interesting bottled ciders; board games, darts and TV. There are seats in front of the inn with more in the back courtyard garden. Some of the courtyard bedrooms have been redecorated this year.

Inn at Whitewell, Whitewell, Lancashire

Elegant manor house hotel with smartly pubby atmosphere, good bar food and luxury bedrooms

A stylish place to stay, dine or enjoy a drink, this ancient, upmarket inn is much enjoyed for its super setting deep among the hills and moors that rise to the high points of the Forest of Bowland. Handsome old wood furnishings including antique settles, oak gateleg tables and sonorous clocks stand out well against powder blue walls that are neatly hung with big attractive prints. The pubby main bar has roaring log fires in attractive stone fireplaces and heavy curtains on sturdy wooden rails; one area has a selection of newspapers and magazines, local maps and guide books, there's a piano for anyone who wants to play and even an art gallery; board games. Early evening sees a cheerful bustle which later settles to a more tranquil and relaxing atmosphere. Drinks include a good wine list of around 230 wines with 18 by the glass (there is a good wine shop in the reception area), organic ginger beer, lemonade and fruit juices and three real ales on handpump that might be from Bowland, Copper Dragon and Moorhouses. Staff are courteous and friendly. The building is nicely positioned with delightful views from the riverside bar and adjacent terrace. They own several miles of trout, salmon and sea trout fishing on the Hodder, and can arrange shooting and make up a picnic hamper.

Olive Branch, Clipsham, Leics & Rutland

A special place for an exceptional meal in comfortable surroundings, fine choice of drinks and luxury bedrooms

I've never known this place anything other than excellent in all respects' says one of our readers and adds that he was looking forward to his next visit. The staff are welcoming (and this welcome extends to your dog, too), the food is first class, the range of drinks exceptional and the bedrooms lovely. The various small but charmingly attractive rooms have a relaxed country cottage atmosphere, with dark joists and beams, rustic furniture, an interesting mix of pictures (some by local artists), candles on tables, and a cosy log fire in the stone inglenook fireplace. Many of the books were bought at antiques fairs by one of the partners, so it's worth asking if you see something you like, if it's for sale; piped music. A carefully chosen range of drinks includes Grainstore Olive Ale and a guest beer on handpump, an enticing wine list (with a dozen by the glass), a fine choice of malt whiskies, armagnacs and cognacs, and quite a few different british and continental bottled beers. Outside, there are tables, chairs and big plant pots on a pretty little terrace, with more on the neat lawn, sheltered in the L of its two low buildings. The bedrooms are in Beech House just opposite and the breakfasts are delicious.

George of Stamford Stamford, Lincolnshire

Handsome coaching inn, beautifully relaxed and civilised, with very good food and wines, and lovely courtyard, garden; bedrooms

Generating plenty of enthusiastic reader reports, this carefully preserved and rather grand old coaching inn is an exceptional place on all counts. Very civilised but not in the least stuffy, its various lovely areas are furnished with all manner of seats from leather, cane and antique wicker to soft settees and easy chairs - there's a room to suit all occasions. The central lounge is particularly striking with sturdy timbers, broad flagstones, heavy beams and massive stonework, and the York Bar is surprisingly pubby with a relaxed, local feel. There's an oak-panelled restaurant (jacket or tie required) and a less formal Garden Restaurant which has well spaced furniture on herringbone glazed bricks around a central tropical grove. The staff are professional and friendly, with waiter drinks service in the charming cobbled courtyard at the back: comfortable chairs and tables among attractive plant tubs and colourful hanging baskets on the ancient stone buildings. A fine range of drinks includes Adnams Broadside, Grainstore Triple B, and Greene King Ruddles County on handpump, an excellent choice of wines (many of which are Italian, with about 17 by the glass), freshly squeezed orange juice and malt whiskies. The immaculately kept walled garden is beautifully planted and there's a sunken lawn where croquet is often played.

Swan Swinbrook, Oxfordshire

Civilised 17th-c pub with handsome oak garden room, nice, smart bars, local beers and contemporary food; bedrooms

Owned by the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire (the last of the Mitford sisters who grew up in the village) this civilised 17th-c pub has lots of interesting old Mitford family photographs blown up on the walls. There's a little bar with simple antique furnishings, settles and benches, an open fire, and (in an alcove) a stuffed swan; locals do still drop in here for a pint and a chat. The small dining room to the right of the entrance opens into this room and there are two green oak garden rooms with high-backed beige and green dining chairs around pale wood tables and views over the garden and orchard. Hook Norton Hooky Bitter and a couple of guests from breweries like Vale and Wadworths on handpump, several wines by the glass, Weston's organic cider and local juices. This is a lovely spot by a bridge over the River Windrush and seats by the fuchsia hedge make the best of the view. The bedrooms are in a smartly converted stone barn beside the pub. More reports please.

Ravenwood Hall Rougham, Suffolk

Civilised all-day bar in comfortable country house hotel with lovely grounds, fine wines and imaginative food; peaceful A14 break

The all-day bar makes this thoughtfully run hotel useful to know about. Comprising two fairly compact rooms, the bar are has tall ceilings, gently patterned wallpaper and heavily draped curtains for big windows overlooking a sweeping lawn with a stately cedar. The part by the back serving counter is set for food, its nice furnishings including well upholstered settles and dining chairs, sporting prints and a log fire. Adnams Bitter and Broadside on handpump, Aspall's cider, 17 wines by the glass and 25 malts; neat unobtrusive staff give good service. The other end of the bar, the lounge area, has horse pictures, several sofas and armchairs with lots of plump cushions, one or two attractively moulded beams, and a good-sized fragment of early Tudor wall decoration above its big inglenook log fire; piped music. They have a more formal quite separate restaurant. Outside, teak tables and chairs (some under a summer house) stand around a swimming pool; big enclosures by the car park hold geese and pygmy goats; croquet.

Crab & Lobster Sidlesham, Sussex

Smart dining pub with stylish furnishings, real ales, a fine choice of wines by the glass, first-class food and seats overlooking the bird reserve; lovely bedrooms

This upmarket place is really a restaurant-with-rooms rather than a pub but it does still welcome walkers and bird-watchers (Pagham Harbour bird reserve is close by) who just want a drink and maybe a light meal. There's a flagstoned bar with comfortable bucket seats around a mix of wooden tables, some bar stools by the light wooden-topped bar counter, a log fire, Harveys Best and Sharps Doom Bar on handpump and 17 wines by the glass including prosecco and champagne. The stylish, upmarket restaurant has fabric dining chairs around tables set for eating and walls painted in pale pastel colours. Good lighting, piped music and friendly, helpful staff. The bedrooms are smart and comfortable and there's also a self-catering cottage. On the back terrace, seats and tables overlook the tranquil marshes.

White Swan Pickering, Yorkshire

Relaxed little bar in civilised coaching inn, several smart lounges, attractive restaurant, real ales, an excellent wine list and first-class food; luxurious bedrooms

Of course this is not a traditional pub - it's a smart old coaching inn with lovely bedrooms and excellent food and our readers enjoy their visits here very much. But at its heart is a small bar with a friendly welcome and a relaxed atmosphere, wood panelling, sofas and just four tables, a log fire and Black Sheep Best and Timothy Taylors Landlord on handpump,11 wines by the glass from an extensive list that includes fine old st emilions and pudding wines, and 20 malt whiskies. Opposite, a bare-boards room with a few more tables has another fire in a handsome art nouveau iron fireplace, a big bow window and pear prints on its plum-coloured walls. The restaurant has flagstones, yet another open fire, comfortable settles and gothic screens, and the residents' lounge is in a converted beamed barn. The old coach entry to the car park is very narrow.