DILHORNE is a tiny village in Staffordshire and it’s home to an award-winning pub called Charlie Bassetts.
Located just 20 minutes from Alton Towers, the Travellers‘ Choice Award winner has welcomed local celebrities like Coleen Nolan and darts player Phil Taylor.
Charlie Bassetts is an award-winning pub in Dilhorne, Staffordshire[/caption]
The pub has an onsite campsite[/caption]
Originally called The Colliers Arms, the pub was renamed Charlie Bassetts in 1947 when Ralph “Charlie” Bassett took over management.
Nowadays, the traditional country inn serves vegetarian and vegan grub, including burgers, tarts and pies.
Food is served from 5pm to 9pm, with the exception of Sundays when roasts are served from 12pm to 5pm.
Charlie Bassetts is open from midday until midnight seven days a week.
Other onsite features include a play area for children, with farm animals on the grounds.
Pub Manager, Alex Giblin, said: “Entertainment inside includes bingo on Mondays starting from March, on Tuesdays there’s a quiz, Wednesdays are game nights, relaxing nights on Thursdays, we do an acoustic night every Friday, and we’ve got live entertainment or karaoke on Saturdays.
“Coleen [Nolan] pops in every now and again, she only lives a little bit away.”
Set on a large plot of land, the boozer also has its very own campsite with space for campervans, motorhomes and tent pitches.
The campsite has been praised by visitors in online reviews, with one person writing: “We stayed here in our campervan. While we’re not the most experienced campers, we couldn’t fault it.
“The site was clean and tidy, with spotless toilets and showers.”
Another person added: “A small campsite with a big heart, we were pleased with the onsite facilities.”
Overnight stays start from £25 per pitch and can be booked using Pitch Up.
Alex added: “The caravan site is open all year round, people can come into the pub and staff will take you down to pitch.
“We’re getting a smoker for outside as well as the BBQ and pizza oven that are already there, and we’re building more toilets for the campsite and more outdoor bars too.
Other nearby attractions include Dilhorne Pools, which is ideal for fishing.
Alton Towers is just a 20-minute drive from Dilhorne, with the Staffordshire-based theme park launching its new ride Toxicator in March.
Elsewhere in the UK, professional pub drinker John Warland recently revealed the best London boozers for a bit of celeb spotting.
What about London’s best pubs?
THE Sun’s Head of Travel (Digital) Caroline McGuire rounds up some of the best pubs in the capital…
LONDON is chock full of fantastic pubs.
Whether you’re looking for an old man’s boozer, a gastro pub or a cosy pitstop with a roaring fire, there is the perfect pub for everyone in the capital.
My top tip? Try and avoid the ones in the tourist spots of Covent Garden, Leicester Square and so on, unless you’ve got a recommendation. As no self-respecting Londoner would be seen dead in those.
Here is a selection of our favourite London pubs, from some of the heaviest drinkers we know…
Central London:
- Guinea Grill, Mayfair – great steak and pies
- The Portman, Marble Arch
- Star & Garter, Soho – proper spit and sawdust pub
- The George, Mortimer Street – great all rounder
- Burlington Arm, off Saville Row – Great scotch egg
- The Red Lion, Crown Passage – dark, old and interesting history with Charles II and his mistress Nell Gwyn
- Ye Grapes, Shepherds Market
- The Chesterfield Arms, Hertford Street – super cute
- The Newman Arms, Fitzrovia
- The Lamb & Flag, Mayfair
- Sun and 13 Cantons, Soho
- Dog And Duck on Frith Street, Soho
- The French House, Soho
- Coach and Horses (Greek St). Soho
- Ship & Shovel on Craven Passage, off Embankment
- The Crown & Two Chairmen on Dean Street, Soho
- Nellie Dean on Dean Street, Soho
- The Toucan, Carlisle Street in Soho – so small that you have to stand outside but still an institution
- Bradleys Spanish Bar, Hanway Street near Oxford Street
- Blue Post, Berwick Street, Soho – you can take your own lunch in
- The Eagle in Farringdon, cool gastro pub
- Lore Of The Land to this, Fitzrovia – owned by Guy Ritchie
Outside of central London:
- The George, Borough SE1
- Royal Oak, Columbia Road, East London
- Cutty Sark Greenwich, South East London
- The Royal Oak, Tabard St, SE1
- The Prospect of Whitby, Wapping, East London
- The Lord Clyde, Borough, SE1
- Dog and Bell (Deptford), South East London
- Efra Tavern (Brixton), South West London
- Skehan’s in Telegraph Hill, South East London
- The Ivyhouse (London’s first community pub) in Nunhead, South East London
- The Culpeper in Aldgate, East London
- The City Barge, Chiswick, West London
- Windsor Castle in Notting Hill, West London
- The Sun in Splendour, Notting Hill
- The Albert, Princess road, Primrose Hill, West London
- The Cow, Notting Hill, West London
- The Spaniards Inn, Hampstead, North West London
- The Parakeet Pub in Kentish Town, North West London
- The Lord Clyde in Borough, SE1 – proper old man’s pub
- Golden Heart on Hanbury St, Spitalfields, East London
Earlier this year, John named another pub to visit in London – you can read about it here.
And the pub tour guide has named his must-visit boozer in the capital, which is perfect for punters who are pushed for time.
The pub has welcomed local celebrities like Coleen Nolan and darts player Phil Taylor[/caption]
