The Pheasant Inn, Falstone

Deep in Northumberland National Park, pubs and inns are few and far between, so when you happen upon places like The Pheasant you dive in gratefully – and then are doubly grateful that you did. Set in a clearing en route to Kielder Water, the old inn looks right out of central casting, with an ivy-covered façade and an interior that rolls back the centuries. Sepia-toned photos, stone walls, old beams, timeworn tables and polished brass – all present and correct. People return again and again for a slice of real old English country charm, eating in one of two bars or the restaurant from a menu strong on local meat and game and fish from the coast. The garden is particularly lovely, a grassy haven with tables by a small brook; in winter, the inn is the sort of place where you can hunker down in front of an open fire and ride out the squalls. Converted rooms in what was formerly the barn and hayloft provide a quiet night in what is already a tranquil part of the world – the night skies are magical hereabouts, in one of the darkest places in the UK, and there’s an observatory and night-sky events up at Kielder Forest.