Our insider guide: The best places to eat and stay near Marlow

by Home Barn

Welcome to our Our insider guide: The best places to eat and stay near Marlow.

At this time of year, when the leaves have fallen and the air feels crisp, there are few things more comforting than a weekend in the country enjoying long pub lunches, roaring fires and winter walks.

Here, we are surrounded by some of the best country pubs and hotels in Buckinghamshire and beyond, so we’ve chosen our favourite local places to eat and stay to make a weekend of your trip to Home Barn. We hope you enjoy our blog post Our insider guide: The best places to eat and stay near Marlow.

The cosy local pub

For great coffee, comforting home-cooked food and crackling log fires, you don’t need to venture far from Home Barn. Just a short stroll across the road, tucked away in the pretty village of Little Marlow is The Queens Head; a cosy 16th century country pub. Enjoy a stroll around the village with the dog before settling in by the fire for a hearty lunch and a warming drink.

Pound Lane, Little Marlow SL7 3SR; marlowslittlesecret.co.uk

Image credit: marlowslittlesecret.co.uk

Tom Kerridge’s foodie triangle

Marlow is chef Tom Kerridge’s heartland with his three excellent, unpretentious foodie pubs in the town. Be sure to book in advance to dine at The Hand and Flowers, the UK’s only two Michelin-starred pub. They also have 11 rooms if you don’t fancy the journey home from Marlow on a full stomach. Alternatively, escape the cold at Tom’s cosy Michelin-starred pub The Coach , or his pub come butcher’s shop, The Butcher’s Tap.

126 West Street, Marlow SL7 2BP; thehandandflowers.co.uk

The luxury country house

With its rich history featuring tales of dukes, princes, celebrities and political scandal, the five-star Cliveden House hotel and spa is just a ten-minute drive from Home Barn. If your budget doesn’t stretch to a room, you can enjoy lunch or dinner in one of their two restaurants, book for afternoon tea, or charter one of their vintage boats. Alternatively, kids can let off steam on a wander through the pretty National Trust-owned grounds.

Cliveden Road, Taplow SL6 0JF; clivedenhouse.co.uk

Image credit:cliveenhouse.co.uk

The rural Chiltern inn

With unfussy fine dining, The Bottle and Glass Inn in Binfield Heath – half an hour’s drive from Home Barn – is a great rural base from which to explore the pretty South Oxfordshire countryside around Henley-on-Thames. With glowing log burners and fantastic walks on the doorstep (they have maps at the bar), muddy boots, dogs and children are most welcome here.

Bones Lane, Binfield Heath RG9 4JT; bottleandglassinn.com

Image credits: bottle and glass.com

The romantic spa hotel

For a special occasion, combine a trip to Home Barn with a stay at nearby Danesfield House Hotel and Spa where you can enjoy fine dining, afternoon tea or a relaxing afternoon in the spa. Breathe in the beautiful views of the Thames and rolling Chiltern hills on a stroll around the grounds followed by a steaming cup of tea, or something stronger, in front of the fire in the grand wood-panelled drawing room.

Henley Road, Marlow SL7 2EY; danesfieldhouse.co.uk

image credits: danesfieldhouse.co.uk

The picturesque walkers’ pub

With an inglenook fireplace, low beams, great real ales and pub food, the Bull and Butcher in the pretty village of Turville (a regular TV and film location) is the perfect place from which to explore Buckinghamshire’s Hambleden Valley on foot. Blow away the cobwebs with a winter pub walk starting at the Bull and Butcher, heading to The Chequers Inn in Fingest, on to The Frog at Skirmett, and stopping off at The Stag and Huntsman in Hambleden – all of which boast great food and roaring log fires.

Holloway Lane, Henley-on-Thames RG9 6QU; thebullandbutcher.com

image credits: tripadvisor.com

The charming village inn

Just a ten-minute drive from Home Barn is the pretty riverside village of Cookham, made famous by painter Stanley Spencer. Our favourite place to eat in Cookham is Bel and The Dragon, one of the oldest coaching inns in England, across the road from the Stanley Spencer Gallery. After a brisk walk along the Thames, hunker down next to the wood fire and expect fantastic food at this dog-friendly pub. They also have a handful of rooms, complete with complimentary sloe gin and scotch whisky.

High Street, Cookham SL6 9SQ; belandthedragon-cookham.co.uk

Image credits: myfavouritepubwalks.co.uk

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