At the heart of the South Downs National Park, this village pub with rooms is the rural sister of the seaside Crab & Lobster, Sidlesham (see entry). It is country but no bumpkin.

There is star quality indeed at Olga and Alex Polizzi's updated version of a historic Tudor inn, in a charming medieval South Downs village.

Do you remember an inn, Miranda? Hilaire Belloc certainly remembered this Georgian coaching inn, from which he described setting out in The Four Men.

With the Goodwood Estate down the road and the South Downs on the doorstep, this rural, dog-friendly former coaching inn is popular with Barbour-wearing country-sports enthusiasts and hikers.

Like all Butcombe gastropubs with rooms, this whitewashed Georgian village local retains its personality while offering smart bedrooms and creative cooking along with pub classics.

Just a couple of minutes' drive from Petworth, with views over farmland to the South Downs, this gastropub has smart contemporary bedrooms and some exciting menu choices.

Between the South Downs and the Sussex coast, the Newbon family's revived village pub enfolds locals and visitors alike in its warmly welcoming atmosphere.

Across the road from Hove's shingle beach, Ben and Pamela McKellar's Edwardian mock-timbered gastropub is 'loved by locals for its foodie reputation'.

Dog friendly, child-friendly, cosy and characterful, this historic village inn near the South Downs Way has bedrooms that blend quirky rusticity with modern comforts, a menu of pub classics and more modern dishes.

An outdoor heated pool, extensive grounds, Downs views, individually styled bedrooms and refined dining are among the attractions at this dog-friendly hotel on the banks of the River Cuckmere.