Sure, you could tick off the gazillion boutique stores and eat a degrading amount of cream teas. But a Cotswolds pub is a special thing.

All that wood, local brews, and riverside beer gardens... 🍺

Here’s how to pub crawl your way round The Cotswolds.

The Stump is the master of the undersell. A transformed old 17th century coaching inn, it has all the best things in life - a cosy bar with three open fires, a pool table, sunny garden and a wood fired pizza oven.

The childhood friends who run the open kitchen say they are 'obsessive about pizza and pasta' (our kinda place) but there's also a burger night on a Tuesday and they serve up rotisserie chicken on Sundays. There's cocktails (try the aged negroni) and craft beer to wash it all down and a great selection of local gin.

Another day another pub. The Lamb Inn is one of Burford’s best boozers. It’s a handsome 15th century inn with a traditional English bar and raved about restaurant (don't leave without sampling the afternoon tea).

The leafy hidden garden is a highlight - try and grab a spot on the benches. Dogs are also welcome.

Entering this honey-coloured building in the centre of Bourton-on-the-Water (aka the Little Venice of the Cotswolds), feels like entering a relaxing family home. Chester House Hotel understands you.

Grab a spot on one of the cushiony leather sofas and work your way through the menu of local craft lagers, ales, ciders and spirits - most are from the nearby Cotswold Distillery. Save the Cornish rum for dinner at their Italian restaurant, L'Anatra. The ingredients are locally sourced and the menu seasonal.

The Fish Hotel is sitting pretty on a 400-acre estate (posh). The wraparound dining room makes the best of the beaut views while the bar centres around a cosy fireplace.

The restaurant here is a pro in everything fish - the crab fritters with guacamole sliders go perfectly with a Cotswolds-brewed beer.