PROPER pubs have propped up British life for centuries – safe, soothing sanctuaries from the hustle and bustle of modern life.
Some call them ‘spit and sawdust’ boozers, others call them ‘Old Man’ pubs.
But you get the idea – no fuss. No frills.
They don’t complicate or change things. Just a quiet well-kept pint, a vacant stare into the middle distance, a nice chat and that comforting feeling that everything will probably be alright.
In a proper pub there’s no piped ‘muzak’, no Sky Sports swooshing at you, no cutlery or cloths on the tables, and absolutely no QR codes.
There might be a dog. There should be a piano. If there’s a dog playing a piano, that’s even better.
Read more on travel inspo
And once you’re in, there should be no real reason to ever leave.
I make up half of Thinking Drinkers, and we have searched high and low for the best boozers around, so here are my top 10 Proper Pubs that every passionate pub-goer should visit:
The Oxford Bar, Edinburgh
Edinburgh is packed with decent locals. But few do proper, no-nonsense pub quite like The Oxford, a favourite of crime writer Ian Rankin and his hard-boiled detective Inspector Rebus.
There’s none of the tartan tat or tourist rubbish here. Just a solid mix of locals, writers and drinkers, all rubbing along nicely.
Grab a stool, order a beer or a whisky, and settle in. It’s exactly what a pub should be.
A pint here is likely to set you back between £4.50 and £6, and there’s plenty of things to do nearby including the National Galleries of Scotland and Edinburgh Castle.
Southampton Arms, North London
A sign outside proudly declares “Ale. Cider. Meat” – and that’s exactly what you get at this cracking Kentish Town boozer.
The 16 taps pour only beer and cider from genuinely independent producers – but don’t panic, this is not a Gen Z hipster hangout or a pub for beer bores who won’t stop talking to you about hops.
Inside you’ll find tables, chairs, a piano and plates of meat (and cheese). There’s no Wi-Fi and no bookings.
A pint here costs from £4.97, which is definitely a welcome price in London – and nearby, make sure to visitHampsteadd Heath for a nice autumnal walk.
The Dyffryn Arms, Wales
Perched on the edge of the Preseli Hills, this place is absurdly old-fashioned and basic.
Known simply as ‘Bessie’s’, after its legendary landlady, it’s less a pub and more a tiny front room.
Ring the bell, the hatch opens, and you’re served one beer and one beer only — Bass.
Inside there are a few chairs, a couple of tables and a portrait of a youthful Queen Elizabeth.
Outside, just a bench. The locals chat in Welsh. There’s no toilet. Yet somehow, it’s perfect.
A pint here will set you back between £4 and £5.50, and in the surrounding are, a head off on a riverside walk or take a short drive to the coastal town of Fishguard.
Birch Hall Inn, North Yorkshire
Tiny but brilliant, this white-washed North York Moors pub is officially the smallest in Yorkshire — and yet huge in character.
The boozer is split into two very basic rooms with a proper old-school sweet shop between them.
Hikers and holidaymakers rub elbows here over a range of well-kept ales, pork pies, pickles, stotties and the pub’s famous “beer cake”.
A pint here will cost you between £4 and £5.50, and in the surrounding area, take a walk to Beck Hole – a pretty village with woodland walks to small ponds and waterfalls.
Wenlock Arms, East London
While all the streets around it were getting levelled by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, The Wenlock Arms wasn’t having any of it – the bombs didn’t dare touch it.
And, from the looks of things, neither has anyone else.
Built in 1836, this unwaveringly traditional East End institution has a reassuringly retro feel with some of the best beer the British isles has to offer.
A pint at this watering hole usually costs between £4.50 and £5.80, and if you are looking for something else to do in the area, head for a wander along the Regent’s Canal Towpath.
The Evening Star, Brighton
Just a one-minute walk from Brighton train station, this cosy city centre local is a theme pub…
The theme is sitting down and drinking really nice beer.
Dating back to 1854, there’s not much here beyond some chairs, some tables and a small bar serving a range of really good independent ales, ciders and lagers.
The cheapest pint here will cost you £4.80 (Burning Sky – Plateau), and nearby there’s the Brighton Toy and Model Museum or you can walk to the beach.
Peveril Of the Peak, Manchester
Peveril of the Peak was once used as a brothel by American soldiers during the Second World War.
It sits defiantly wedged amid modern office blocks and new-fangled flats, with a classic green-tiled exterior.
As for the inside, the historic triangular tavern is perhaps the most beautiful looking boozer in Manchester complete with darts, pool and a jukebox.
A pint at this watering hole will set you back between £5.50 and £6.80, and Manchester Art Gallery is nearby if you are looking for something else to do in the area.
The Bell Inn, Aldworth
Low- beamed with a massive oak fireplace and a flagstone floor worn by generations of thirsty walkers, this cracking 16t-centuryy country pub is a terrific time-warp of a place.
The beer garden bursts into a perfectly English oasis of calm in the summer, but in the winter, the boozer oozes with cosy charm.
The beers are served spot-on and the food is simple yet superb – warm crusty rolls stuffed with ham, ox tongue, cheddar, stilton or crab, with little pots of mustard and chutney on the side.
You can get a pint and a roll for less than £15.
Fat Cat, Sheffield
Once you’ve sat down here, you’ll struggle to leave this delightful, unpretentious ‘drinker’.
It is just one of several superb pubs to be discovered in the Steel City.
Cosy and carpeted, it’s like stepping into someone’s living room – albeit a living room that serves a great range of real ales from a handsome looking wooden bar.
A pint at the Fat Cat costs from around £4.20, and for somewhere to head after, just across the road is the Kelham Island Museu, m which showcases the steelmaking history of the city.
Free Trade Inn, Newcastle
Boasting beautiful views over Newcastle and across the River Tyne, perched halfway up a hill, this quirky yet canny, frills-free boozer oozes charisma.
It has friendly folk behind the bar, a free jukebox and quality ‘craft’ ales.
You can grab pizza at the boozer too for around a tenner.
A pint here will cost you from £4.50, and nearby, make sure to head on the Victoria Tunnels Tour – this underground 19th-century wagonway has had several lives as a route for coal wagons and then laterana air-raid shelter during World War II.