Hawkley Inn

About

Standing at the end of a sleepy lane just around the corner from the church and village green, this genuine Victorian free house dates back 150 years and is certainly worth the detour once you find it. Inside it retains all its Victorian character in a delightfully scruffy sort of way. Several rooms branch off from the central bar, displaying bare boards, scrubbed pine tables, the odd sunken sofa and a moose head suspended above the fire place. While the rear extension with its modern pictures by a local artist challenges the rustic mood felt elsewhere. The amazing variety of local ales is a big draw here, Ballard’s Best and Bowman’s Swift One to name a couple, as well as the talented acoustic musicians often found playing to the crowd.

Friendly locals, farmers and walkers gather at the bar finding it hard to resist the smell of wholesome country cooking wafting from the kitchen. Old-time classics appear on the menu and blackboard specials, which change from day to day depending on what’s fresh from local suppliers at that time. On Sundays a roast is served using 28-day hung Hampshire beef, which is as delicious as it sounds.

The new purpose-built bedrooms with their own private access are a fair size and more contemporary in style than the rest of the pub; painted in neutral shades with soft furnishing adding a splash of colour. Each room is furnished in dark wood and has a top of the range double bed (one with a four-poster) made up with pure cotton Italian linen, throws and cushions. The stylish bathrooms have showers to die for!