Best UK Pubs 2026 — CAMRA Good Beer Guide Picks

If you want the places CAMRA members are recommending in 2026, here’s a short round-up of ten pubs. I've chosen ten Good Beer Guide favourites across

If you want the places CAMRA members are recommending in 2026, here’s a short round-up of ten pubs. I've chosen ten Good Beer Guide favourites across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland — most are praised for their cask ales and character. It includes quick facts, typical pint prices in sterling, booking advice and where to see the official Good Beer Guide and festival dates.

Quick-reference summary

Top 10 CAMRA Good Beer Guide picks for 2026, with region and typical pint price:

1. Tamworth Tap (Staffordshire) — pints £4.50–£5.20
2. The Harp, Covent Garden (London) — pints £4.80–£6.00
3. The Olde Trip to Jerusalem (Nottingham) — pints £4.50–£6.00
4. The Eagle (Cambridge) — pints £4.40–£5.50
5. Crown Liquor Saloon (Belfast) — pints £4.50–£5.50
6. Royal Oak, Paley Street (Berkshire) — pints £5.50–£7.00
7. Bell Inn, Stilton (Cambridgeshire) — pints £4.20–£5.50
8. King’s Arms, Oxford — pints £3.80–£5.00
9. Blue Anchor, Helston (Cornwall) — pints £4.50–£5.50
10. The Swan, Totnes (Devon) — pints £4.00–£6.00

Key dates and official links

CAMRA publishes updated Good Beer Guide editions regularly — this piece refers to the 2026 edition where relevant. CAMRA runs the Great British Beer Festival most summers; check CAMRA's site for any current dates and ticket info. For listings and local pub search, use CAMRA’s pub search at https://www.camra.org.uk/pub-search and see the Good Beer Guide pages at https://www.camra.org.uk/goodbeerguide for booking links and branch contacts. If a pub runs a beer festival or reserve-only events, details are on the pub’s own website or the CAMRA branch page.

Ranked list — CAMRA Good Beer Guide top picks (1–10)

1. Tamworth Tap — Tamworth, Staffordshire

Key features: a small, friendly free house that focuses on cask ale, rotating local and national microbrews, with wood panelling and a covered beer garden.

Pros: The beer's consistently strong; it also won CAMRA's National Pub of the Year in 2025 — the first pub to win the title three times.
Cons: It gets busy at weekends, so expect queues and limited indoor seating.
Who it's best for: Ale lovers who want the best cask beer and a proper local vibe.
Typical pint prices here are around £4.50–£5.20. Booking: it's generally a walk-in place — check the pub's website or your local CAMRA branch if there's a festival on.

2. The Harp — Covent Garden, London

Key features: Classic London free house with an impressive draught list of cask ales and real cider; atmospheric tiled frontage and comfortable bar standing.

Pros: Easy central location; often has rare one-off guest ales; excellent for a quick pint between theatres.
Cons: Small footprint — busy in evenings; limited seating for large groups.
Who it's best for: City visitors and commuters who want classic London ale in a proper pub setting.
Pricing: Typical pint £4.80–£6.00. Booking: no formal reservations — arrive early for groups; check own site for special events.

3. The Olde Trip to Jerusalem — Nottingham

Key features: One of Britain’s most famous historic pubs (caves and medieval fabric); solid range of local and regional cask ales; full tourist appeal plus proper pint service.

Pros: History and character; good value for a visitor hotspot; central location close to Nottingham Castle.
Cons: Tourist footfall can make it busy; some areas are uneven underfoot (character, but watch your step).
Who it's best for: Visitors who want history with their ale — great for first-time Nottingham trips.
Pricing: Typical pint £4.50–£6.00. Booking: high season can be busy; call ahead for larger parties.

4. The Eagle — Cambridge

Key features: Famous for its RAF and scientific connections; wood-beamed rooms and a good selection of local ales; food offering that doesn’t overshadow the beer.

Pros: Central; good beer list with reliable casks; mix of tourists, locals and academics.
Cons: Can be noisy at peak times; meals compete for space with drinkers at dinner.
Who it's best for: Those combining a city walk with a well-kept pint in a pub with pedigree.
Pricing: Typical pint £4.40–£5.50. Booking: advisable for dining; short-stay drinking is usually walk-in.

5. Crown Liquor Saloon — Belfast

Basically, key features: Lavish Victorian interiors, snug booths and historic tiles; a jewel of Ulster pub architecture with a solid choice of Northern Irish and UK ales.

Pros: The interior is ornate enough to be a tourist draw, and it's centrally located and easy to find.
Cons: Can feel like a tourist shrine rather than a local boozer in peak season.
Who it's best for: Travellers after a showpiece pub with real ale options and memorable atmosphere.
Pricing: Typical pint £4.50–£5.50. Booking: walk-in generally; check the National Trust or the pub’s site for private hire.

6. Royal Oak — Paley Street, Berkshire

Key features: Small, high-quality free house that champions local ales; tidy garden and well-regarded kitchen that pairs with beer.

Pros: Upmarket village pub feel; friendly, knowledgeable staff and strong beer rotation.
Cons: Prices sit at the top end — reflection of location and food offering.
Who it's best for: Food-and-ale aficionados who don’t mind paying a premium for provenance.
Pricing: Typical pint £5.50–£7.00. Booking: recommended for weekends and dining; contact the pub directly.

7. Bell Inn — Stilton, Cambridgeshire

Key features: Traditional village pub with historic bar, regarded for good cask ales and hearty pub food; named in many Good Beer Guide editions.

Pros: Good value; warm welcome and a real sense of a local hub.
Cons: Limited public transport; best reached by car or taxi from nearby towns.
Who it's best for: Country walkers and drivers who want reliable ale and a proper pub roast.
Pricing: Typical pint £4.20–£5.50. Booking: advised for Sunday lunch and larger groups.

8. King’s Arms — Oxford

Key features: Historic student-city alehouse with a strong commitment to cask beer and an old-school atmosphere; often cited by CAMRA branches.

Pros: Excellent central spot; very competitive prices for city centre.
Cons: Can be lively and crowded at term times and match days.
Who it's best for: Students, academics and visitors wanting characterful drinking without premium fares.
Pricing: Typical pint £3.80–£5.00. Booking: usually walk-in; ring ahead for big groups.

9. Blue Anchor — Helston, Cornwall

Key features: Claims of long lineage and a strong Cornish brewery presence; cosy interior and coastal friendliness.

Pros: Near the coast — perfect for combining a sea walk with a cask ale; local brewers well represented.
Cons: Seasonal opening hours in some smaller Cornish pubs — check before you travel.
Who it's best for: Holidaymakers and coastal walkers wanting a proper Cornish pint.
Pricing: Typical pint £4.50–£5.50. Booking: check opening times in high season; phone ahead for bank holidays.

10. The Swan — Totnes, Devon

Key features: Independent town pub with a good range of regional ales, a sizeable garden and strong ties to local producers.

Pros: Good value; relaxed vibe and strong local beer list.
Cons: Can be busy on market days; some menus are seasonal.
Who it's best for: Families and local-food fans who like beer from nearby microbreweries.
Pricing: Typical pint £4.00–£6.00. Booking: useful for weekend evenings and garden tables.

Prices and budgeting

Pint prices vary by region and style. Across our picks typical cask-ale pints in 2026 sit roughly between £3.80 in university towns and £7.00 in higher-end country pubs. Plan on paying around £4.50–£5.50 for a solid cask pint in most locations. If you're pub-crawling, set a daily beer budget — five pints at £5 each is £25 plus food, travel and tips.

Practical tips and insider recommendations

Check opening hours before you travel. Many smaller Good Beer Guide pubs close mid-afternoon or are closed Monday/Tuesday.
Book ahead for dinner or weekend evenings. Even pubs that favour walk-ins often hold a handful of tables for reservations.
Use CAMRA branch pages for local festivals and tap takeovers — branches nominate pubs for the Good Beer Guide and list special events.
Try a half-pint. Many CAMRA pubs will sell halves or tasters so you can try more ales without overdoing it.
Respect cellar hygiene and turnover — cask quality matters. If a pint tastes off, staff will normally replace it.
If you want quieter times: midweek late afternoons are often best for avoiding crowds while still getting fresh cask pours.

Budget options

University towns and community-run pubs tend to offer the best value. King’s Arms in Oxford and village inns like the Bell Inn in Stilton are good bets for lower pint prices. For strict budgets, target lunchtime or early-evening swaps where pubs often have meal-and-drink deals — a pie and a pint can often be had for around £12–£18 outside London.

How we chose

These picks are drawn from CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide tradition — the entries chosen by branch volunteers and beer-scorers — plus recent national outcomes such as Tamworth Tap’s 2025 National Pub of the Year. We weighted beer quality most highly, then consistency of service, atmosphere, accessibility and value. Local branch reputation and repeat inclusion in the Good Beer Guide were factored in, as were location variety so the list covers north, south, urban and rural choices.

The CAMRA Good Beer Guide still points the way to pubs that prize cask quality, friendly service and character. Tamworth Tap’s 2025 national title underlines that a small, fiercely local boozer can set the standard. For the most up-to-date listings, visit CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide pages and your local CAMRA branch — they’re the people who nominate and score the pubs that go into each year’s edition. Plan ahead for peak times, budget for varying pint prices across regions, and don’t be shy about asking for a taster before committing to a full pint.

This article was created with AI assistance.