The Buddle Inn in Niton has been named in the top 23 Cosy Pubs for autumn by The Times newspaper.
Jane Knight selects what she thinks are the best pub stays across the UK, highlighting “great food and drink, a crackling fire — and chic rooms upstairs”.
Ranking at No.8 in the list, the blurb for The Buddle Inn reads:
Recently reopened after a refurbishment and now with four chic bedrooms, this 18th-century smugglers’ haunt hasn’t lost any of its charm, with flagged floors, an inglenook fireplace and oak-beamed ceilings.
On the Isle of Wight’s southernmost tip, it makes a great base from which to follow the Niton Smugglers’ Trail, or to take the short stroll to St Catherine’s Lighthouse, which is still operational.
No one bats an eyelid when you return with muddy boots and paws for a slap-up seafood meal, washed down perhaps by Isle of Wight Distillery’s HMS Victory Navy Strength Rum.
You can find out who the other 22 pubs on the list are by visiting The Times website.
Refurbishment completed
The Buddle Inn, which is part of Character Inns, closed in October 2023 to carry out refurbishment plans to provide boutique B&B rooms.
Four of the bedrooms above the main pub floor were said to be underutilised, so with a refurbishment en-suite bathrooms could be added and the rooms decorated to provide high-quality accommodation.
The pub reopened in the spring of this year (on Mothering Sunday) and has had a busy season welcoming locals and visitors.
