‘It was always a joyous experience to turn up at The Old Bridge,’ write our inspectors. ‘It still is.’ So readers dismayed that, after 30 years, John and Julia Hoskins sold this riverside hotel can take heart. From a complimentary alfresco cream tea on arrival, to an efficient check-out, all went well. Now owned by the Chestnut group, The Old Bridge’s ‘lovely friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere and drinking and dining options make it a head-to place for all’. Among a wide choice of rooms, No. 6 had ‘a rather Napoleonic-style four-poster, florid wallpaper, a massive bathroom with oak floor, slipper bath, bidet’, a ‘titchy’ but powerful shower. Other rooms have ‘stunning large-print wallpaper matched with well-coordinating fabrics’. A lounge menu is available from noon to 9pm, or you can lunch or dine in the restaurant or on the patio, where chargrilled hispi cabbage with tahini and chive purée, kale pesto and toasted pine nuts was greatly enjoyed, along with duck breast with cherry purée. John Hoskins’ Bottle Shop is in expert hands; wine tastings continue. At breakfast, a full English and full vegetarian were good, too.