When the UK gets a proper blast of summer, two instincts tend to kick in: find the nearest stretch of water, and find somewhere decent to sit with a cold drink. With a heatwave forecast for this weekend, the appeal of a coastal pub is suddenly very hard to beat.
Happily, a good pub by the sea is one of this country’s great pleasures, whether it’s a centuries-old inn tucked above a harbour, a smart seafood spot with sunset views, or a buzzy brewery a few steps from the beach. Here, pub expert Phil Mellows picks 20 of Britain’s best…
Pennan is row of fisherman’s cottages squeezed onto a strip of beach (Phtoto: The Pennan Inn/Monika Focht)
Pennan Inn, Pennan, Aberdeenshire
A visit to Pennan feels like an adventure. The village is a single row of fisherman’s cottages squeezed onto a narrow strip of beach between the cliff and the sea on the north-facing coast west of Fraserburgh. Leave the car at the end of the road and walk down to the only street and the Pennan Inn, where you can find a good meal, Orkney Brewery ales and a room for the night. You’ll probably also want to take a photo at the famous red telephone box, which featured in the 1983 film Local Hero.
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Up to 75 per cent of us in the UK are not drinking enough water.
The human body can survive for a time without food, but it cannot survive for long without water.
Here are the signs you need more fluids, according to a GP.
How much we should drink
Water is the most vital component for life.
6-8
NHS guidelines advise we should be drinking six to eight glasses of fluid per day.
This does vary depending on our activity levels, the weather, and if we are ill.
80%
An estimated 50-80 per cent of our bodies and brains being made up of water.
It allows us to deliver nutrients to cells in our blood, lubricates our joints, regulates our temperature and much more.
How to stay hydrated
What to drink
Not all fluids are the same – water takes top spot, as it hydrates without sugars or calories, but lower-fat milks, sugar-free drinks or moderate amounts of tea and coffee can all count towards fluid intake.
Caption: Asian girl grocery shopping in supermarket. She is choosing fresh fruit juice along the beverage aisle, reading the nutrition label and checking ingredients on the bottle. Making a healthier food choice and balanced diet. Healthy eating lifestyle
Photographer: d3sign
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
A reader bemoans that his children spend money on fancy coffees and holidays with friends, never having a penny left each month
(Photo: Getty/Gorica Poturak)
What to avoid
Limit smoothies and fruit juices to 150ml per day because the sugar causes dental decay.
Signs you’re not drinking enough
1. Our brains
The pain from migraines is sometimes described as feeling like you’ve had an axe blow to the head (Photo: Getty)
When dehydrated, we can display an exaggerated response to pain and experience headaches. Concentration, attention, reaction times and short-term memory can also all be negatively impacted.
LIFESTYLE
6 min read
Signs you’re not drinking enough
2. Our bodies
Another common sign of dehydration is constipation. Our skin can look duller, be less bouncy to the touch and be less elastic.
Tired Asian businesswoman working on a laptop computer in the office – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
(Photo: Ekaterina Demidova/Getty).
3. Our psychology
Research has shown that even mild dehydration can lead us to feel more moody, stressed and irritable. We can also feel more tired than usual, with less energy and motivation.
Quick and life-changing tricks for a calmer, tidier home
Easy habits to declutter your home
I need someone to tidy up my attitude towards tidying. Who does one hire for that?
(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The habits audit
Subconscious habits can cause clutter so take regular pauses to stop and notice what you are doing during the day.
The re-entry reset
Establish a routine you follow every time you come home so the entrance stays clear.
Two young children wearing school uniforms exit their front door – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Late toilet training has become more common, putting pressure on teachers and taking up learning time (Getty)
The exit mindset
Each time you leave the house, take a minute to think: ‘What can I take out with me?’ To the tip? To the charity shop? To recycle?
Easy habits to declutter your home
The drop zone
Doing a clear-out for charity doesn’t need to be a big task. Have a donate box in a practical location to drop any unwanted items as you come across them.
(Photo: Westend61/Getty).
(Photo: Getty).
Dedicated home
Create a logical home for everything so it’s easier to find and keeps everything in place.
Easy habits to declutter your home
The quick scan
Each time you open a drawer identify a few items you can bin, donate or return to their rightful home.
Woman carrying box while moving and cleaning up at home happily – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Follow these rules to declutter your own home (Photo: Nadzeya_Kizilava/Getty/E+)
One in, one out rule
To manage wardrobe clutter follow the rule that a new item can only go in if you give something else away.
The daily check-in
Give yourself a few minutes at the start or end of the day to acknowledge the progress you’ve made.
Woman Refreshing the Bed with Clean Bed Sheets in a Bright Room – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
It can be far easier to seek an internal promotion rather than a new job elsewhere
The statistics
A trend of ‘job hugging’
12%
In January, available vacancies were down 12 per cent compared to a year prior.
According to the ONS it marked 39 consecutive quarters of decline.
51%
of UK employees plan to stay in their current roles, as Employment Hero’s first Annual Jobs Report shows. Four in 10 say competition is too high to take the risk.
So how can you improve your current situation without leaving?
Learn to humble brag
Your wins don’t always speak for themselves. Share them. Jump into conversations beyond your usual remit. How people see you today shapes the opportunities that come your way tomorrow. Even small updates can have an outsized impact.
VICTORIA MCLEAN, CEO OF CITY CV AND AN EXPERT IN CV AND PROFILE WRITING
Drive Talent Investments with Strategic Workforce Planning. A female job-seeker answering questions during a job interview with a human resource manager in a business office. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Make your case – with data
Caption: Mid adult man with eyeglasses sitting on a comfortable sofa at home, thoughtfully writing notes in a small notebook while natural sunlight illuminates the room
Photographer: Milan Markovic
Provider: Getty Images
Source: E+
Keep a log
The chances of your boss remembering what you achieved in Q1 by December is low so keep a success log.
Treat it as a proposal
Show impact, link it to organisational goals,
and outline future
value, says McLean.
Male candidate handshake with the recruiter at job interview – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
(Photo: Shutterstock).
Don’t be shy
Ask your boss directly what you need to do to be promoted in the next six to 12 months.
Offer solutions to problems
Ask yourself: what keeps your organisation awake
at night?
Solve those problems and you shift from just doing your job to being a strategic asset.
Sharing your ideas and views with the people above you can really prove what you’re capable of.
Proactively initiate new projects
or processes.
It ‘s daunting but getting people to see you in a more elevated position before you get there is really effective.
Caption: Worried businessman biting his nail while waiting for a job interview with other candidates in a hallway of an office building.
Photographer: skynesher
Provider: Getty Images
Source: E+
Ask for training
It’s a fantastic signal to show how serious you are about your development.
As careers are no longer linear, a promotion may not be in your current role, but perhaps in the same company in a broader role.
Do some digging to find out what else might be available in other areas.
How to resolve the biggest rows that can end marriages
Private school, sex and housework can be some of the biggest causes of tension between warring couples.
Mike Talbot, a psychologist, and chief executive of UK Mediation [below], reveals how to fix them.
What couples row over
Parenting and schooling
Young couple having an argument. Woman is angry with man. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Psychologist Mike Talbot says parenting can expose ideological differences in a couple. He encourages people to listen to each other, and find a “third way”, something that they come up with between themselves, rather than sticking to one person’s opinion.
OPINION
3 min read
Money (or a lifestyle)
Caption: A mature couple sitting in bed and looking at each other angrily after a disagreement
Photographer: kupicoo
Provider: Getty Images
Source: iStockphoto
It’s common for couples to disagree on their property or finances.
Couples might have different ideas about what the best plan of action is for the future.
Dr Talbot says its important to find “common ground” on what both parties wish for, or worry about.
Agony Uncle
5 min read
Incompatibilities around sex
Dr Talbot has seen this when one person loses their sex drive. “It can happen when the couples get older, and she loses her sex drive during menopause, whereas the guy’s still as randy as he was when he was 20.”
Caption: Young couple having relationship difficulties at home. Both about 25 years old, Caucasian people.
Photographer: GoodLifeStudio
Provider: Getty Images
Source: E+
Copyright: DAMIR MIHAJLOVIC
Caption: Millennial black lady vacuuming floor while her husband watching TV, not helping her with household duties, cropped view. Unrecognizable young couple having problem with domestic chores
Photographer: Prostock-Studio
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Source: iStockphoto
Domestic workload
We get people disagreeing about how tidy the house should be, how neatly dressed the kids should be…
This goes back to the gender stereotypes.
The solution is to focus on value and to get the couple to think about the conflict in a different way.
Being a grandparent
is complicated
Celia Dodd, who looks after her grandchildren two days a week, says
there’s a fine line between being supportive and interfering.
Here she shares the things she’d never say or do with her own family.
What grandparents should never do
Ignore parents rules
It’s important to know what’s expected rather than second-guessing what the parents want, and possibly getting it wrong.
(Photo: Getty)
Caption: Parents and young child moving into a new house, unpacking belongings from cardboard boxes
Photographer: Vladimir Vladimirov
Provider: Getty Images
Source: E+
Send endless snaps
Friends understandably get irritated if you keep sending photos and long videos, especially if they’re longing for grandchildren of their own.
I’ve made it very clear to my own daughter that if she needs full time childcare, she’s going to have to sort that out herself (Photo: PeopleImages/ Getty)
What not to say
I wouldn’t do it like that…
The golden rule for grandparents – don’t offer advice unless it’s asked for, and never interfere – is almost impossible to get right.
You might feel like – how can you not interfere when you’re doing your best to support the family? It’s a fine line, and there are times when you’re bound to get it wrong.
What grandparents should never do
Grandchild, twilight parenting, grandparents, grandmother, baby, exhausted, tired – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Assume involvement
Although it’s a shock, it’s simply not on to drop in whenever you feel like it.
Beat yourself up
Being a grandparent is never 100 per cent bliss, despite what people say. Childcare can be boring as well as fulfilling.
(Photo: Paul Bradbury/Getty).
Naps before 1pm can lead to better cognitive performance in the following hours (Photo: Lord Henri Voton/Getty Images)
Admit tiredness
I don’t want them to stop asking me to babysit, and I certainly don’t want them suggesting I’m doing too much.
What grandparents should never do
Forget the years fly
Grandparents have to keep finding new ways to keep the connection close, by tapping into what your grandchild loves doing.
Conflict of family two generations old mother and adult daughter – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Grandparents and their young grandchildren relaxing at home – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Dismiss the parents
Even if you don’t agree with the way things are done – like using gentle parenting –
it’s a big help to understand why they are doing it rather than just dismiss them.
The price, size and variety of eggs differ
But which is the best value
for money and taste?
Food Editor Sophie Morris
tested 15 supermarket packs, scrambled and fried.
Her findings? The most expensive wasn’t the best.
Supermarket eggs taste test
M&S Golden Yolk Eggs
These shells win the beauty contest and the yolk colour is amazing when scrambled. 4/5
Taste the Difference
These Sainsbury’s eggs taste as good as they look with gorgeous orange middles and a rich flavour. 4/5
St Ewe Rich Yolk Eggs
These are “higher welfare” free-range eggs but the yolks taste no better than other high-end eggs, says Morris. 4/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
Aldi Golden Yolk Eggs
Winner! The Specially Selected eggs are a great price with a delicious yolk. 4/5
Savers Small Eggs
Morrisons Savers eggs are great for the price (£1.10) but not rich in flavour. 3/5
Burford Brown Eggs
They taste great, but not noticeably better than the other high-end eggs. The spend is more to do with branding. 4/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
7Tesco Finest Bluebell Aruacana
The pale blue shells won me over but the insides are just as rewarding with a rich flavour.
4/5
8Waitrose Duchy Organic Eggs
Their sunny yellow middle scrambles beautifully into light, fluffy folds.
4/5
9Lidl Deluxe Golden Yolk Eggs
They’re a great deal and the yolk is a lovely bright orange and the taste is rich and eggy.
3.5/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
M&S British Free Range Eggs
Large eggs with brown shells and a light orange yolk and they’re a great price for high-welfare large eggs. 4/5
Ocado Large Free Range Eggs
These are the best value large eggs that I try. The yolks are a dark yellow and the eggs turn out a lovely rich and fluffy scramble. 4/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
Packington British Free Range Eggs
Pretty white eggs with a yellow yolk that taste fine but, given the price, I expected a little more. 3.5/5
Supermarket eggs taste test
Waitrose No.1 Longstock Gold Eggs
They are delicious: meltingly rich, they scramble into fat folds. They have beautiful green shells, almost too pretty to eat. 4/5
Caption: Eggs are seen in a carton on Monday, April 13, 2026, in Portland, Ore. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)
Photographer: Jenny Kane
Provider: AP
Source: AP
Caption: A detail of cracked egg falling into the pan as woman holds egg shells in both hands.
Photographer: SimpleImages
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Asda Organic Mixed Size Eggs
The yolk is a pale yellow and when scrambled the result is an unappealing yellowish grey colour. These are the most bland-tasting of the lot. 2/5
Food inflation could reach as much as 10 per cent by the end of 2026
Why you should stockpile
The modern food system is incredibly efficient – but that efficiency depends on a constant flow and just-in-time delivery. Stockpiling, at its best, isn’t panic buying. It’s creating a small buffer between us and a system that was never designed to pause.
Séamus Higgins, author of Food and Us: The incredible story of how food shapes humanity
Supermarkets will find ways of holding down the price of the basics, and try to make their money on the fancy lines (Photo: Roy James Shakespeare/Getty)
What you should consider buying
Tap water is generally safe to drink in Europe (Photo: Klaus Vedfelt/Getty)
Bottled water
While we are accustomed to free-flowing water, in recent years, supply has failed for a number of days in many areas of the UK.
Canned essentials
Morris keeps tomatoes, beans, pulses, chickpeas, lentils and fish in her cupboard.
Chickpeas are a great source of protein (Photo: Christian Mouysset)
Many of us like to add milk to our tea, so you may be wondering whether that affects its benefits (Photo: Maca and Naca/Getty)
Tea and coffee
As prices vary, and are increasing, it’s good to bulk buy if you can.
What you should stockpile
Dried goods
A base of dry goods, like rice, pasta, oats and flour, are the backbone of a reliable pantry. Make sure bags are stored correctly and replace them when they go out of date.
Caption: Asian girl grocery shopping in supermarket. She is choosing fresh fruit juice along the beverage aisle, reading the nutrition label and checking ingredients on the bottle. Making a healthier food choice and balanced diet. Healthy eating lifestyle
Photographer: d3sign
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Moment RF
Caption: Close up of a woman preparing a wholesome breakfast by pouring oats into a bowl from a plastic free jar with fresh berries.
Photographer: Dougal Waters
Provider: Getty Images
Source: Digital Vision
Copyright: Dougal Waters Photography Ltd
UHT drinks
UHT dairy, squash and long life milks and juices are worth keeping for emergencies.
What you should stockpile
A well-stocked freezer is also important, but it doesn’t need to be a huge space.
Focus on versatility and rotation in fruit, veg, fish and bread, and buy what you’ll use.
Caption: Close-up of peanut butter on toasted bread on light gray plate. Food background.
Photographer: Yuliia Zaitseva
Provider: Getty Images/iStockphoto
Source: iStockphoto
Peanut butter, or a jarred treat like jam or Nutella, is also a good idea.
Nut butters are a great source of protein, fibre, has a long shelf life and can be used on savoury and sweet foods.
Want to slow down brain ageing? Try a hobby
The hobbies that slow brain ageing
Practise a musical instrument
A study of 108 amateur musicians in the journal Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences found those with more musical experience had better attention control.
Caucasian mid adult patient writing a diary while recovering in the hospital ward – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Caption: IVANO-FRANKIVSK, UKRAINE – NOVEMBER 13, 2022 – Musicians of the NAONI Orchestra (National Academic Orchestra of Folk Instruments of Ukraine) hold a concert at the Ivan Franko Academic Regional Ukrainian Music and Drama Theatre in Ivano-Frankivsk, western Ukraine. (Photo credit should read Yurii Rylchuk / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Photographer: Future Publishing
Provider: Future Publishing via Getty Imag
Source: Future Publishing
Journal in the evening before bed
Reflecting on your day supports your memory as you’re rehearsing the things you’ve done, especially if you do it with pen and paper, says Prof Catherine Loveday, author of The Secret World of the Brain.
The hobbies that slow brain ageing
The flowering gardens at Cawdor Castle (Photo: Dennis Barnes/Getty/Stockbyte Unreleased)
Garden for 20 minutes
Connecting with nature replenishes cognitive resources and boosts vitamin D levels, says Loveday.
Join a knitting group
Knitting improves coordination and working memory – your brain’s ability to store and use information according to the British Journal of Occupational Therapy.
Senior female friends spending leisure time knitting while sitting at table in retirement home – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
As society sees the largest ever intergenerational shift of assets, younger clients will need people they can relate to, instead of relying on AI and social media for financial advice (Photo: Getty)
Learn a language
Learning a second language helps improve our ability to retrieve words.
The hobbies that slow
brain ageing
Games, like Minecraft, helps improve spatial representation, speed and reaction times.
Reading fiction twice a week stimulates the language parts
of the brain, says Loveday.
One study also found that chess players had better cognitive reflection and greater focus.
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
Scotts Bar & Restaurant, Largs, Ayrshire
On a sunny day, Glaswegians flock to Largs, a smashing little seaside town on Scotland’s western coast that looks across to the Isle of Bute. On its southern edge, by the yacht haven, Scotts is an added attraction. Built by award-winning pub company Buzzworks, this swish bar-restaurant swirls around a sparkling island bar and spills out onto a broad terrace with a handy retractable roof (this is Scotland, after all). Fine for the family during the day and for a big night out, too.
Am Politician serves a good range of beers, whiskies and food
Am Politician, Eriskay, Outer Hebrides
Eriskay is a glittering gem of a Scottish isle, fringed to the west by shining beaches, that hangs off the southern tip of South Uist. Assuming you don’t have a boat, you get there via a narrow causeway, which conveniently delivers you to the local pub. Am Politician, which unsurprisingly translates into English as The Politician, is named after the ship that sank nearby in 1941, taking with it an estimated 264,000 bottles of Scotch whisky and inspiring the 1949 film Whisky Galore!. The pub not only celebrates that event but serves a good range of beers alongside the whiskies, and from the garden it is only a few paces down to this remote, magical shore.
The Harbour Inn, Garlieston, Dumfries & Galloway
Dating back to the 18th century, The Harbour Inn at the centre of this sleepy village makes a great base for coastal walks and is good, too, if you just want to look out across the bay and the Cree estuary beyond. An original open stone fireplace forms the welcoming focus of the public bar, which usually has a cask beer on the pumps and serves meals from breakfast at 8am all the way through to supper at 10pm.
The Grotto, South Shields, Tyneside
One of the country’s most unusual pubs, the Marsden Grotto, as it is typically known, is embedded in caves that were blown out of the cliff face by Jack “The Blaster” Bates back in 1782 to make a home on the beach. It was converted into an inn, popular with smugglers, in 1826 and is now a smart hotel with a beach bar and terrace specialising in seafood. Access is from the clifftop, where a lift has been installed (you no longer have to arrive by boat) but best check before you visit – the Grotto sometimes has to close at high tide.
Robin Hood’s Bay is hte perfect end point for a Yorkshire walk (Photo: Mike Kemp/Corbis/Getty)
The Bay, Hotel Robin Hood’s Bay, North Yorkshire
Finish point (or start point, for the contrary) on Wainwright’s Coast to Coast Walk, the country’s newest national trail, The Bay Hotel teeters on the clifftop a few miles south of Whitby. And after time spent on the lonely fells, you will be glad there is a good line-up of ales on the bar, including Wainwright Gold, naturally, and a nourishing meal. You don’t have to walk all the way there, though, and this pretty village is worth a visit for its own sake. You can stay at the pub, too.
The Taps, Lytham, Lancashire
A great destination pub for cask beer for more than three decades, The Taps stands behind the green that runs down to the beach, not too far from Lytham’s famous windmill museum on the seashore. Converted from a terrace of ostler’s cottages, it is now a Greene King house, but one of those generous with its guest ales, and the eight hand pumps offer a wide range of styles in top condition. Seemingly always busy, customers are not only here for the beer – there is food, live music, screen sports and quiz nights, too.
Tapps, Rhos-on-Sea, North Wales
Just off the coast road that runs alongside the broad sandy beaches of Rhos, you will find the small but perfectly formed Tapps, named Pub of the Year 2026 by the local branch of the Campaign for Real Ale. Opened only in 2023, it is one of a chain of micropubs in this corner of Wales. Its handpumps pour local ales from Conwy Brewery and elsewhere, while half a dozen craft lines include brews from the highly regarded Wild Horse Brewery in Llandudno. Besides the beer there is always plenty going on here, including Cheese Tuesdays.
Victoria Inn, Morfa Borth, Ceredigion
One of those back-to-front pubs. Not much to see on the high street side, but the rear opens straight onto the beach, and the beer garden extends over the shingle. There is a bar upstairs, too, with a decking terrace from where you can enjoy the view. There are up to five cask ales on the bar, mostly from Wales, food is served, and the pub welcomes families and trippers hopping off the train at Borth railway station, which is just across the road.
The Pilot of Mumbles, Swansea
The popular seaside resort of Mumbles hugs the western edge of Swansea Bay, and The Pilot is on the coast road towards the pier, a little walk from the bustling centre. It’s a proper pub, welcoming locals and holidaymakers alike and, above all, it has a great range of beers. In fact, it has its own brewery, and you will find its ales on the handpumps alongside others from the region plus craft on tap, including from Swansea’s own BeerRiff.
The Driftwood Spars, St Agnes, Cornwall
What more could you wish for than a characterful rambling inn a few strides from a secluded sandy bay on Cornwall’s north coast? How about the same, but with its own brewery? That’s The Driftwood Spars. Under the able stewardship of local entrepreneur Louise Treseder for a couple of decades now – there is a beer that celebrates her on the bar – the pub, named after the materials it was built from five centuries ago, has evolved into a stunning holiday and wedding destination while remaining very much a proper pub.
The Atlantic Inn – a view form the very edge of Britain (Photo: St Austell Brewery)
The Atlantic, Hugh Town, St Mary’s, Isles of Scilly
A short flight from Land’s End, St Mary’s is the biggest and busiest of the Scilly islands – which isn’t saying a lot. Indeed,people come here for the quiet, and there is a decent choice of pubs, including The Atlantic, which finds itself in prime position beside the picturesque harbour of Hugh Town. Food is a big part of the business here, and there are rooms to stay upstairs, but the pub is still very much a local, pouring a full range of St Austell beers to be enjoyed along with the view.
The Thatch, Croyde, Devon
Croyde Beach is reckoned to be one of the world’s top surfing destinations, and behind it stands The Thatch, a pretty, white-walled 16th-century pub in a village bristling with thatched roofs. Grade II listed and a farmhouse before becoming a pub in the 80s, this bustling freehouse welcomes a great mix of customers, usually serving a couple of cask beers brewed in the West Country and putting on live music at the weekends. Rooms are available, and seafood is a speciality.
The Victoria Inn looks out onto the Kingsbridge Estuary (Photo: St Austell Brewery)
Victoria Inn, Salcombe, Devon
In Fore Street, opposite the harbour, the award-winning Victoria Inn takes full advantage of its position at the heart of one of Devon’s premier holiday destinations. The downstairs bar is full of character with a blazing log fire, should you need it, and the upstairs restaurant has a lovely view of the boats bobbing along the Kingsbridge Estuary. There is also a fabulous beer garden with a play area. Part of St Austell Brewery’s West Country empire, this is the place to savour a pint of Proper Job IPA.
The Smuggler’s Inn, Osmington Mills, Dorset
Built in the 13th century, this thatched pub stands above the rugged beaches of Dorset’s Jurassic coast, with fine views of Portland Bill and the busy shipping traffic in the English Channel. As well as a base for fossil-hunting and coastal walks, the attractions of Weymouth aren’t far away, but perhaps it’s just nice to spend a while in this beautiful spot with a pint or two of local Badger ales and dine al fresco in the beer garden. There are eight rooms to stay in, too.
The Spyglass Inn, Ventnor, Isle of Wight
Everything you expect from a seaside pub is encompassed at the Spyglass, perched like a piratical parrot on the edge of Ventnor’s sun-soaked esplanade. Inside it is a maze of connecting rooms decked out in nautical memorabilia, and bars that serve well-kept cask ales to wash down the locally caught seafood while you tap your feet to live sea shanties and more, while outside there is plenty of seating, with glorious views across the ocean. And keep a weather eye open for the town’s pirate festival every summer.
The Goose, Worthing, West Sussex
Originally The Wandering Goose when it was opened in 2013 by the people at The Geese in Brighton, The Goose is an unusual sort of pub. It is split over two levels: the front bar is the business end of the operation, with a well-chosen range of craft beers on tap, while the back bar has more of a beer hall vibe. When the weather is kind, though, the best thing is the terrace that faces out over the sea, giving those who have bagged a seat on the benches uninterrupted sunshine from noon to dusk.
Xylo Brewing and Two Halves, Margate, Kent
Traditional cask or trendy craft? The modern dilemma of the beer tourist can be solved at a stroke with a visit to Margate’s Old Town, where Xylo’s brewery and taproom happen to be next door to the Two Halves micropub. Enjoy the best of both worlds as you gaze out over the harbour and beaches strewn with day trippers. At the brewery a dozen taps pour a variety of styles, while ales are dispensed straight from the cask at the Two Halves, the name of which partly derives from the owner’s striking resemblance to football legend Harry Redknapp.
Local ales wash down top-notch food at the Anchor (Photo: Anchor )
The Anchor, Walberswick, Suffolk
Take the foot ferry across the River Blyth from fashionable Southwold and you will reach the wilder shores of Walberswick, and behind the dunes on the edge of the village is The Anchor, a beautiful example of Arts and Crafts architecture – and a fine retreat from the hustle and bustle. Run by virtuoso cellarman Mark Dorber and his wife Sophie, this is one of the best places to sample ales from local brewery Adnams, plus a tremendous range of bottled beers from around the world and fine wines to wash down some top-notch food. You can also stay in one of the 16 rooms.
The Ship & Atlantic Bar, Skegness, Lincolnshire
On your next bracing trip to Skeggy, you might want to get out of the wind for a bit and pop into The Ship, tucked a couple of streets back from the seafront on Castleton Boulevard. It is a great example of Britain’s wonderful inventory of Art Deco pubs, built in 1934 for Nottingham’s Home Brewery. Sadly, you can’t get Home ales any more, but you can admire the elegant architecture with its sweeping curves and feel like you might be on board a luxury ocean-going liner a century ago.
Phil Mellows is co-author, with travel writer Kate Simon, of Beer Breaks in Britain