Helen Browning’s Royal Oak

'Bags of character and a warm vibe' are on offer at this pub-with-rooms on an organic farm ‘in a lovely and really rural village’ on the Marlborough Downs. There is 'a sense of connection to the land'; Helen Browning OBE, is chief executive of the Soil Association, and a passionate advocate for animal welfare and wildlife conservation. Hearty pub fare gets a thumbs up from readers. One loved his 'succulent pork belly dish and the freshest cavalo nero ever tasted'. In a separate building, bedrooms are themed on different fields on the farm, with nods to rusticity. Some are dog-friendly, with a put-you-up bed for a child. Eastbrook Valley has a 'bath with reading rack and wine glass'; Cuckoo Pen a 'double aspect window, and huge bathroom'. ‘The outside spaces have an air of charming, almost festival-like, informality’ (pull up a hay bale!) and ‘gazebos strung with bunting and fairy lights’. A communal space, The Wallow, has books, tea and coffee, an honesty bar, fridge and record player. There is also a farm shop. Order a picnic of charcuterie, hams, artisan cheeses and home-baked bread, and head out to explore. (Tessa Stuart, Desmond and Jenny Barber, and others)