The Cricketers’ Arms

On a summer’s day, a pint in the flower-filled garden of this flint-walled cottage pub takes some beating. Set deep in the Sussex countryside, the Cricketers’ chief glory is the lovely cottage garden out front, closely followed by the excellent beer – Harveys from nearby Lewes, served directly from the cask. Don’t expect any fancy gastro flourishes from the food, which is simple and home-made; alongside favourites like burgers, scampi and ham, egg and chips, you’ll find platters (seafood, Spanish, vegetarian, or local ham and cheese) and salads. The pub is set just off the busy A27 on a quiet dead-end country lane that ends at the bottom of the South Downs ridge; a five-minute wander up the lane brings you to Berwick church, with its extraordinary murals by Bloomsbury-ites Vanessa and Quentin Bell of nearby Charleston Farmhouse. Keep heading south, up the ridge, and you’ll eventually connect with the South Downs Way footpath.