the times Saturday April 30 202256 Travel
One of the bathroomslook of Arden (in the coach house), with
its views of Donnington Castle. A glass
decanter of sloe gin will help to send you
off to sleep if you’re troubled by noise
from the fairly busy Bath Road outside.What’s nearby?
Newbury for racing fans; the town’s
Sunday market and canalside walks for
moochers; the antiques shops of
Hungerford for shoppers; and the ruins
of Donnington Castle for dog walkers
and families. Look out for the river folly
on the way up and pause at the top for
sweeping views over the surrounding
fields and towards Newbury.
Jenny Coadmodest-sized buffet with add-ons,
including sausage baps and Scotch
pancakes. There’s a small, sheepskin
rug-swagged courtyard outside, which
will be more tempting in summer.
The 30 rooms are split between
the main coach house and three
outbuildings — the former stables
(where rooms are, as you might expect,
compact but cleverly done), the
paddocks and hunter’s lodge, where
we were billeted. With its low ceilings,
Richard Osman types might prefer
to avoid it, though our room was
comfortable-luxe with more horsey nods
in the curtains, antlers for bedside lamps,
and a vast copper tub. I also liked thea barn owl in the bar), animal-print
wallpaper (I liked the red horsey
variety in the restaurant/bar lavatories)
and quirky dog portraits. The
aforementioned bar is lit for date night
and cosy with tartan wallpaper, with
plenty of dark corners in which to
hunker and a fireplace that must be snug
in winter. Next door is the barn dining
room (under a vast antler chandelier),
offering everything from lamb chop
curry to a plant-based burger and fish
and chips. The crispy duck starter was
pleasingly textured and the chicken
caesar salad had a delicious smokiness,
having been cooked on a robata grill.
Breakfast is also served here, from aWhat’s the story?
This friendly former coaching inn
opened in January after a full refurb.
The Georgian looker comes under the
umbrella of Grosvenor Pubs, which
includes the Kings Arms in Egham,
Surrey, and the Crown at Ampney
Brook, in the Cotswolds. Like those, it
follows a mantra of appealing to locals
first, which makes for a buzzing bar.
Go on a big race weekend (Newbury
racecourse is a ten-minute drive away)
and there’s a buoyant atmosphere of
winnings being celebrated. Diners dress
up for Saturday night.
What do we like?
The theme is glitzy rural — so the odd
piece of taxidermy (I spotted a fox and
The Times
hotel guide
Hare &
Hounds
Newbury
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A Deluxe roomJenny Coad was
a guest of the Hare &
Hounds; B&B doubles
from £140; mains from
£14.95 (hareandhounds
newbury.co.uk)