The Coat & Bear

It's the sort of place worth visiting if your travels take you further afield from the stone villages you'll find deeper in the Cotswolds. You'll get a solid selection of drinks here, ranging from local ales to the usual spirits, alongside a straightforward menu of pub classics that work well for lunch or dinner. The atmosphere is friendly and traditionally styled, with genuine character that reflects Newbury itself rather than feeling designed for passing tourists.

Newbury has plenty to recommend it beyond the pub. The town is home to its well-known racecourse and the historic Kennet and Avon Canal, which offers pleasant walks if you want to stretch your legs. Nearby Thatcham and Hungerford are worth exploring too, each with their own distinct local flavour. Getting here means venturing further from the heart of the Cotswolds, but that distance actually works in its favour—you'll experience somewhere that feels authentically local. It's the kind of stop that makes sense if you're extending a Cotswolds trip into the surrounding countryside and simply need a genuine place to eat and rest without any fuss.