July saw record-breaking temperatures in the UK and the heatwaves look set to continue.
You might be looking for the perfect spot to enjoy a drink this summer – staying hydrated while safely in the shade. If so, you could do worse than hunkering beneath an umbrella in a beautiful Cotswold beer garden.
At HDA, our Cheltenham and Malvern offices are blessed with rolling countryside and beautiful scenery on their doorsteps. Not to mention some idyllic country pubs and their often stunning beer gardens.
If you’re searching for the perfect spot for an al fresco ale over the coming months, look no further than our rundown of five great pub gardens in and around Cheltenham, Malvern, and the Cotswolds.
1. The Mill Inn, Withington
A 50-minute drive from Malvern, but just 20 minutes southeast of Cheltenham, Withington is everything you’d expect from a Cotswold stone village. At the village’s heart sits The Mill Inn, its only pub.
The beautiful tree-lined approach hides ample parking to the rear. Inside, exposed wooden beams, original features, and photographs depicting “days gone by” give a real sense of history, as well as timelessness.
You’ll find classic pub food at reasonable prices and it’s also dog friendly.
Even with such a beautiful interior though, the riverside beer garden is the star of the show. A large expanse of lawn adjacent to the pub leads to a small bridge with additional seating beyond.
It’s perfect for a lazy summer afternoon, listening to the trickling water as you soak up the sun.
2. Anchor Inn, Wyre Piddle
Just half an hour east of Malvern, Wyre Piddle near Pershore is home to the Anchor Inn.
An unassuming pub from the approach, it sits squat at the roadside but drops away to the bank of the River Avon at its rear.
Inside, you’ll find modern décor, an adequate drinks selection, and a full restaurant menu.
The pub comes into its own, though, when you head outside. Stepped terraces offer ample seating with beautiful views that lead right down to the water’s edge. This beer garden is an incredible place for socialising in the sun as you watch the boats go by.
3. The Mount, Stanton
The village of Stanton is two miles southwest of Broadway but resides within the Borough of Tewkesbury. An early stop along the Cotswold Way walking trail (if walked from north to south), the 2011 census recorded a population of just 198.
Like many pubs in the area, the Mount Inn is tied to Donnington Brewery, to who it was sold for £604 in 1897. Built from the same instantly recognisable Cotswold stone as the rest of the village, the material was quarried from Shenberrow Hill, less than a mile away.
The pub serves Donnington brewery’s selection of traditional ales, as well as a food offering that ranges from reinvigorating snacks for weary walkers to a full three-course menu.
Stood on the mount at the head of the village, the 17th–century pub’s clean and refined interior accentuates the building’s history.
The modest but beautiful garden, meanwhile, showcases panoramic views across the Vale of Evesham and the Malvern Hills. On a clear day, you might even be able to see as far as the Black Mountains.
4. Plough Inn, Prestbury
This 17th–century Grade II–listed pub sits in the village of Prestbury in Cheltenham, overlooked by the tower of St Mary’s church.
As you’d expect from such an old building, the interior has some real character, alongside some modern additions and recent, sensitive renovations.
The one-acre garden boasts its own boules pitch, a child’s play area, and ample seating. With all that space and multiple smaller areas linked by a gravel path, you’re sure to find your own spot to relax.
Real ale, gin menus, and great food – based around a pie kitchen but with plenty of modern pub favourites besides – should round off the perfect trip.
5. The Inn, Fossebridge
Fossebridge is a quaint hamlet sitting at the point where the Fosse Way meets the River Coln valley, on the edge of the Cotswolds.
Its beautiful garden has previously featured in The Times’ “20 Great Pubs for Summer” list, in which it was judged to be “One of the largest and most attractive pub gardens in the Cotswolds.”
More recently, it featured in iNews’ list of “40 of the UK’s best summer pubs”.
Beginning life as a coaching inn on the Fosse Way, the pub has 300 years of history embedded in its bare stone walls, wide fireplaces, and flagstone floor. Two bars, separated by stone archways, serve local ales that saw the pub into the CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2021.
Open fires make for a cosy evening in the winter, but it’s the beautiful garden that you’ll want to enjoy over the coming months.
Around four acres of stunning riverside lawns are dotted with seating and occasional shade. The garden is the perfect spot to unwind on a summer’s evening.
And if you can’t bring yourself to leave, there are rooms too, so why not plan an overnight stay?
