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Times
30 minutes ago
- Times
The quintessential village pub stay — in England's most underrated county
Tollard Royal is a tick list of country clichés. Embedded in the glorious greenery of the Cranborne Chase and old enough to have a Domesday Book mention, it's a collection of roses-round-the-door cottages with a village pond, a war memorial and a 13th-century church with bell-ringers. Adding to the feelgood factor is the King John, an ivy-clad Victorian coaching inn where the locals are tweed-wearing hunting, shooting, fishing types and the visitors are hoping for a glimpse of the area's most famous gamekeeper, the film director Guy Ritchie, who lives up the road. The pub was taken over and renovated by the southwest beer-maker Butcombe Brewery last year, which has brought a boutique spin to this bucolic spot. This article contains affiliate links that will earn us revenue Score 8/10In keeping with the locals' love of countryside pursuits, the eight rooms are named after makers of guns including Beretta, Purdey and Boss. Don't worry, the theme ends at the bedroom doors and interiors are cosy and peaceful. Walls are painted in mossy greens and cornflower blues or clad in creamy tongue and groove, with full-length arched metal mirrors, botanical prints and rural watercolours that are outshone by lovely views of the pub gardens and woodlands. A mix of antique and vintage furniture, bedheads covered in chintz or velvet and plenty of potted plants (though sadly plastic) brings a homely feel. There are thoughtful touches including pillow sprays and quirky bedside books. The ear plugs seem overcautious — the pub is roadside but there's barely any traffic late at night. In contrast, bathrooms feel functional rather than fancy and smaller rooms only have showers but all have full-sized, sweet-smelling toiletries by Bramley, made in nearby Semley. • Best UK pubs with rooms Score 7/10The welcome sign at the threshold refers to the 'wonderful' team. It's accurate if a little immodest because the staff are charming and ready to greet overnight guests with the offer of a complimentary pint of Butcombe beer or glass of wine or prosecco. The main salon is decorated in a stylish teal, with forest-green velvet banquettes and bistro chairs offset by a cheery red-tiled floor. The elegant sash windows ensure the room is light-filled. Dinner is a relaxed affair and, on balmy nights, happens on the terrace or in the tiered gardens, which rise up behind the car park. Starters of local asparagus and courgette, pea and watercress soup are summery and fresh, hearty mains of chalk-stream trout with tomato, olive and caper sauce and 28-day dry-aged steak with garlic butter, fat chips and roasted mushrooms leave little room for a dark chocolate brownie or lemon posset. Breakfast is equally meaty, with a loaded bacon butty, piled high with smoked streaky bacon, and a spicy shakshuka with a generous helping of flatbreads. There's a pétanque court and tables in the tiered Victorian kitchen garden that climbs up the hillside behind the pub. It's topped by a summertime pavilion bar which serves drinks, tapas and seafood platters. • More great hotels in Wiltshire Score 9/10Tollard Royal's Larmer Tree Gardens are 11 enchanting acres of grade II-listed Victorian pleasure grounds, with ancient trees, tranquil woodlands and blooming camellias, rhododendrons and hydrangeas (£4; larmer There is a beautiful walk from the pub into the Cranborne Chase, which is an area of outstanding natural beauty. The Saxon hilltop town of Shaftesbury is a short drive away with its cobbled Gold Hill, independent shops and antique emporiums. Price B&B doubles from £110Restaurant mains from £17Family-friendly YDog-friendly YAccessible Y Susan d'Arcy was a guest of Butcombe Boutique Inns (
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The Independent
43 minutes ago
- The Independent
Britain's top EV-friendly family days out revealed
The summer holidays are in full swing and for thousands of families setting off on a Great British day out in their electric cars, the latest research could prove to be a game-changer. The top eight family attractions in the UK for EV drivers have been revealed and sitting proudly at the top of the list is Legoland in Windsor. Vauxhall has compiled the list using data from Visit Britain and Zapmap, ranking attractions based on charging availability on-site and nearby, as well as how many of the UK's 15 most populated cities could be reached from within a single charge of the Vauxhall Grandland Electric SUV. It seems that Legoland, the land of bricks and mini-castles, is now also the land of cables and charge points. With a whopping 34 EV charging bays on site, Legoland Windsor is leading the charge when it comes to being EV-friendly. Factor in a further 19 fast chargers (7kW-22kW) within a one-mile radius and 45 rapid chargers (50kW+) within five miles, and it's no wonder the Windsor attraction beat off stiff competition to take top spot. Second on Vauxhall's list is Chester Zoo, a favourite for families and animal lovers alike. Not only does it have 26 on-site charge points, but it's also accessible on a single charge from all 15 of the most populous UK. There's also a generous helping of fast and rapid chargers within a five-mile radius. Chester Zoo's 128 acres of zoological gardens are home to 37,000 animals, from elephants to sloths. Parking is free, but the charging points are pay-as-you-go. In third place is Madame Tussauds in Central London, which rather makes up for its lack of on-site parking with a huge number of charging options in the vicinity. The attraction boasts 172 fast chargers within a one-mile radius and an impressive 304 rapid chargers within five miles – making it the most charger-dense location on Vauxhall's list. Other attractions in the top eight include the London Eye, Shrek's Adventure!, Royal Edinburgh, Cadbury World, and Dudley Zoo – all offering a decent mix of accessibility, charging infrastructure, and fun for all ages. Commenting on the report, Steve Catlin, Vauxhall's Managing Director, said, 'As the summer holidays commence, we know many families will be taking to the road for some fun days out. Our research provides an easy guide to family-friendly attractions across the country for EV drivers to choose from – all within range of the new Grandland Electric from the majority of the UK's biggest cities.'
BBC News
44 minutes ago
- BBC News
'Huddersfield Station closure disruption will hurt town'
Rail bosses have said a month-long closure of a busy commuter station is necessary to give passengers a facility "fit for the 21st century", but the move has caused frustration for businesses who fear they will be left counting the cost of the Saturday 30 August to Sunday 28 September, engineers will carry out work to improve Huddersfield Station and make it more accessible with better that time, no trains will run through the station, with diversionary routes and rail replacement buses in place. Taxi driver Suhail Rashid said the loss of footfall from the closure would have a "huge impact" and had caused "panic" among his colleagues. Mr Rashid, who is a trade representative for the Kirklees Hackney Carriage Association, said: "We rely on that trade from the train station all the time."I spend about five or six hours of my day here picking up fares and a lot of other drivers are here for up to 12 hours."It is the main part of our business so where are we going to get the footfall when it's shut."The closure will also mean that a newsagents and coffee shop on the concourse will have to shut, as will two pubs in converted parts of the Victorian station. Development has been ongoing at the station since 2023 as part of the multibillion-pound Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) funded by the Department of closure will allow for work to be carried out to reconstruct and extend platforms to accommodate longer trains as well as strengthening Huddersfield viaduct and upgrading tracks and Rashid said drivers had already been impacted by weekend station closures."Long-term, it's a good investment, but in the short-term it is hurting people like us," he said. "The station rank takes about 25 cars, so if we can't come here, where are we meant to go? There's not enough space to go to other ranks." Naurez Anjum, who works at private hire firm X Services Taxis opposite the station, said: "We have up to 40 customers a day from the station so we could lose hundreds of pounds."A month is a long time and it's likely going to impact us in a big way."Located either side of the station are two pubs, the King's Head and the Head of Steam. The former was once the waiting room while the latter was the ticket offices when the Grade I-listed station, known for its grand frontage, opened in O'Brien, general manager at the King's Head, said the pub, which is accessible via the station, would also be closed during the said there had already been a reduction in people coming into the pub on weekends, especially from those taking part in the Transpennine Real Ale Trail. "It's not ideal and we have seen fewer customers but it is good that the work is being done and that the station is being improved."Huddersfield is one of the stops on the Real Ale Trail and villages on the route such as Marsden and Slaithwaite could also see a drop in the number of drinkers visiting pubs. A nearby cafe owner, who did not want to be named, said her business had suffered during the ongoing disruption and she was worried about the 30-day closure. "We're just going to have to try and ride it out and hope things pick up after."While Huddersfield is shut, Network Rail, which is delivering the project, said Brighouse Station would operate as the main interchange for customers travelling to and from Huddersfield with a rail replacement bus operation between the two stations. However, Huddersfield resident John O'Neil said the reliability and time it took to travel on replacement services could deter people from coming into the town."Town centres are already struggling so this isn't going to help and the these buses take so long that I can't see people getting on them."Meanwhile, regular rail passenger Perrie Coates said the closure would be disruptive but "had to be done"."It's one of those things where at least they are improving the rail service and it will be beneficial when it's finished." Samantha Sharp, manager of Huddersfield BID, said there would be some disruption but that the rail upgrades were vital to "the continuing growth of the town".She added: "Huddersfield is going through a phase of major development, which although will cause some inconvenience to businesses and visitors, the benefits of the developments will ensure that Huddersfield is a town fit for the future."Rail users will have a wealth of information given to them throughout the month and rail replacement buses will be available, to limit any inconvenience to travel."Gareth Hope, sponsor for Transpennine Route Upgrade, said by concentrating the work into a 30-day period, "we can avoid years of disruptive weekend and midweek closures, reducing long-term disruption for customers, businesses and the wider community."He added: "We understand there is no ideal time to complete work of this scale and we've been engaging with local businesses over the past year to ensure that the impact is reduced where possible."The closure has also spelled the end of the tradition of Huddersfield Station using cats as pest controllers, which began with the arrival of Felix, who became a global celebrity when she joined the staff in 2011. Transpennine confirmed that Felix's replacement, Bolt, was retiring from pest control duties because of the "confusion" the pet could experience during the engineering work, and would not return to the platforms. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
