The best country pubs near Manchester and Liverpool

The Assheton Arms is a classic country pub – perfect for a stop off after a walk in the Ribble Valley. Given that its wine selection is so good, perhaps you should take advantage of the accommodation – many of the bedrooms have views of Pendle Hill – and turn lunch into a weekend getaway.

There’s a story behind the American and British flags that fly over the entrance to The Bells of Peover, a country dining pub in a village south of Knutsford.

Located in a Grade II Listed building from 1626, The Bridge is full of charm, whether you’re going for a weekend away or Sunday lunch. This hotel and restaurant sits on the banks of the River Bollin in the picturesque Cheshire village of Prestbury, and has been newly refurbished.

This historic coaching house serves adventurous British pub food in poetic configurations. Cooking is by mushroom forager and head chef, Chris Bury, whose CV includes the Fat Duck and Claridges, while award-winning suppliers include local wine merchants, D Byrne and Gornall’s dairy, near Preston. The interior, some of which dates back to the 1800s, is packed with wood panels and idiosyncratic artworks while the wider complex takes in glass-clad extensions, an al fresco terrace, and cool, eco-style cabins, integrated into the landscape. A place to get away from it all for a day, or a night – and enjoy some of the best food in the region at the same time.

The Cholmondeley Arms, or ‘The Chum’ as it’s known, is a country estate pub that’s as welcoming for four-legged furry folks as it is for us mere two-legged types. Both Sawday’s and the Sunday Telegraph have recognised the pub as a top place to stay with your pup

The Church Inn is a gorgeous country pub with a big reputation. The food and drink lives up to its quaint chocolate box charm and draws in punters from all over Cheshire and Greater Manchester.

The Dysart Arms has roaring fires, antique prints, higgledy-piggledy bookshelves kind of look while being quite light and airy at the same time. There’s also a lovely beer garden overlooking the churchyard. It’s a good place to finish off a country walk – in fact, you can download a circular route from the pub’s website.

The Eagle & Child is famous for offering excellent Sunday lunches and award-winning pub grub in the hills above Manchester.

The Fishpool Inn is just on the edge of Delamere Forest. Walk up an appetite and then tuck in to hearty pub food. After all, it tastes better when you’ve earned it.

The Fox & Barrel is a traditional Cheshire country pub with seasonal food, a good wine list and some very good gin too. For the most part, it offers exactly what you’d expect and a bit more – cracking Sunday roasts, an open fire with snug seating, handpumps on the bar and tables on the terrace.

Cooking goes from strength to strength at the Freemasons at Wiswell in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley. Roaring fires, cast-iron fireplaces and pictures of fantastically proportioned livestock lend a cosy vibe to the renovated cottages which make up what’s been described as the original gastropub.

Full of character and history, The Golden Pheasant is a cosy village inn with real fires, dog-friendly sections inside, and large gardens with a children’s play area and views of the Cheshire countryside. There’s also award-winning JW Lees cask ales and seasonal home cooked food.

The Parker’s Arms is a homely pub, serving and baking extraordinary, modern European food.

The Pheasant Inn is a cut above when it comes to country pubs. Enjoy a drink in the sunshine looking out at the rolling Peckforton Hills or take in the atmosphere of the pub itself which has been standing since the 17th century. It’s full of cosy nooks, exposed beams and country inn character.

The Red Lion’s location in Whitworth, Rochdale is semi rather than fully rural but in terms of character and style, you can’t get much more ‘country pub’ than this. It’s got the cobblestone square outside, the roaring fire inside, the sleepy dogs by the bar, the sturdy British cooking. It has the history too, dating from the 17th century.

Multi-award-winning pub in the Cheshire countryside. Winner of countless ‘best pub’ awards, and established in 1708, the latest incarnation of The Roebuck Inn is owned by Cheshire Cat Pubs. The Grade II Listed building is now a bonafide ‘rustic country inn’ with six bedrooms, a bar, a bistro and a tiered beer garden.

The Swettenham Arms is in an idyllic location, right next to the Lovell Quinta Aboretum. The pub even has its own lavender field, wafting soothing floral notes over outdoor drinkers. The Swettenham Arms itself is pretty idyllic too, dating from the 1500s. With all that history, it’s no surprise that it claims to be haunted.

The White Hart at Lydgate is a rustic dining pub with an excellent reputation and wine list. Located 700 feet above sea level, where Saddleworth Moor starts, the restaurant is in an impressive former coaching house, and it’s a place for all: there’s a restaurant and brasserie with two AA rosettes, a pub, function areas and a boutique hotel.

Some folk in the village still refer to The White Swan at Fence as The Mucky Duck and you can still order a pint of Timothy Taylor’s at its very pubby bar. But over recent years The Swan has established itself as a destination fine-dining spot thanks to young chef Tom Parker from up the road in Burnley.