The Weekenders - Search for weekend getaways around the UK.

The Griffin Inn - Fletching

5|4|3|2|1

Luxurious country pub-with-rooms

&The lovely Griffin Inn is something of a miracle - an ancient country pub, with top quality food and luxurious accommodation, that’s still an ancient country pub. Forget the Farrow Ball makeover, the sanded floors and the newly-built annexe in the car park for the bedrooms - this is the real deal, with dark beams, brickwork, mismatched bar furniture and and wonky floors. It’s more than four hundred years old, and yet The Griffin is one of the comfiest rural escapes you’re likely to find.

Sitting in the middle of the historic and pretty village of Fletching - just 40 miles from London and yet in the midst of tranquil, rolling countryside - The Griffin Inn is a bit of an axis for the local community. The enormous garden, with far-reaching views across the Sussex Downs, is buzzing with families in the summer, while the local hunt and shooting parties gather there for re-fuelling and the Griffin’s own cricket club meet for post-match analysis. But it’s also perfect for visitors wanting to relax, with thirteen beautiful en-suite bedrooms on offer. You can choose to stay above the pub itself - in four slightly sloping, but very luxurious rooms with original beams, four-poster beds and great bathrooms. Otherwise, there are five light and airy rooms in the adjoining Victorian Griffin House, with lovely, New England-esque wall pannelling, chic pastel colour schemes and lovingly-chosen vintage furniture, and four, rustic rooms in the inn’s converted coach house - all with four poster beds. There are luxury bed linen, fluffy towels, wonderful views and roll-top baths - just what you need for hiding away from the world for a while.

There are two eating areas in the inn - pick either and you’re guaranteed a fantastic meal. The cosy, firelit bar has a chalkboard menu that changes daily, but includes the kind of mouthwatering dishes you’d expect to find in a top London bistro. And that’s just the bar. Venture into the pretty restaurant and you’re presented with a fresh and vibrant, British-led fine dining menu, that has won deserved praise from all corners of the national press. In fact, The Griffin Inn has just been named Sussex Dining Pub of the Year. There’s a huge emphasis on the freshest, most local ingredients, with veg and salads from Fletching itself, fish brought up from the Rye fisherman who caught it that day, venison, game and beef from two local farmers and amazing home-made bread. Just looking at the menu online will get your stomach rumbling.

Where is it?

The sleepy village of Fletching, with its wattle-and-daub houses and stunning Norman church, on the edge of the High Weald - an Area of Outstanding Beauty. It’s great for aimless pottering, but a perfect base for some lovely, blow-the-cobwebs-away countryside walking. A nice 5-miler across open country takes you to the pretty neighbouring village of Piltdown - home to the famous hoax, the Piltdown Man - and back.

For fantastic walking that’s a little further afield, visit the vast Ashdown Forest (www.ashdownforest.co.uk) - aka A HUNDRED ACRE WOOD!! - which is less than 5 miles from Fletching. The inspiration for Winnie the Pooh’s home, it’s a bit of a mecca for Pooh fans where you can still play Poohsticks at the original Pooh Bridge and see the hole where a honey-filled Pooh got stuck. If you want the full experience, visit pretty Hartfield - the home of AA Milne and The Pooh Corner Shop (www.pooh-country.co.uk Tel: 01892 770456), where a young Christopher Robin used to buy his sweets. Apart from the Pooh excitement, the forest has miles of trails and paths - great for walking and cycling or horse riding. East View Riding Centre (www.ridinginsussex.co.uk Tel: 01825 740 240), 6 miles from Fletching, organises treks through the forest.

If your fresh air quotas still haven’t been achieved, the amazing Sheffield Park Garden (www.nationaltrust.org.uk Tel: 01825 790231) is just over a mile from The Griffin Inn. Capability Brown originally designed the acres of informal, lush, landscaped gardens, with their four lakes, dramatic woodlands, vibrant and colourful flora and limitless opportunities to find a secluded spot away from it all. For real romance, walk to the Sheffield Park stop for the famous Bluebell Steam Railway (www.bluebell-railway.co.uk Tel: 01825 720825) and take in some lovely views from your own Brief Encounter-style carriage.

If it’s culture that rocks your boat, the musical mecca that is Glyndebourne (www.glyndebourne.com Tel: 01273 815000 is less than 10 miles from Fletching. The world-famous Glyndebourne Opera Festival runs throughout the summer, where music-lovers dress up in their best togs to listen to some of the best opera in the world and picnic in the operat theatre’s stunning grounds during the interval. It’s all very English, but a must-do-in-your-lifetime event.

Where can I eat?

Hmmm, let’s think about that one... The Griffin Inn really is a no-brainer of an eating option. Not only is the food fantastic and some of the best in the county, but the thought of having your bed so close by will only make your meal (and multiple bottles of great wine) even more enjoyable.

If you are after alternatives, however, there are some great places to eat in the area. In neighbouring Newick - 2 miles from Fletching, 272 (www.272restaurant.co.uk Tel: 01825 721272) is a smart, contemporary bistro owned by chef Simon Maltby, a former protege of Nico Ladenis. A colourful and exciting menu of modern European cuisine makes for a delicious, but relaxed evening meal, with jaw-dropping puddings and an amazing cheese board.

For a proper posh place to eat, the restaurant at the magnificent Buxted Park Hotel (www.handpicked.co.uk Tel: 0845 072 7412), 5 miles from Fletching, is great. The Georgian Palladian Mansion has a chic and contemporary dining room, with lots of period features, high-backed leather seating ‘booths’ and beautiful chandeliers. It’s intimate and classy, and compliments the stunning, British/Modern European menus perfectly. A mouthwatering, eight-course tasting menu is perfect for those who just can’t choose, while the ‘Pudding Society Luncheons’ on Sundays are the stuff of fantasy - a traditional, three-course Sunday Roast followed by all you can eat from the amazing pudding buffet. Fan-bloody-tastic.

Top of page

The lovely Griffin Inn is something of a miracle - an ancient country pub, with top quality food and luxurious accommodation, that’s still an ancient country pub.