The UK is full of canalside walks, but not all of them take you via one of the UK’s best pubs – and one that’s located in a building that a Queen of England spent some of her childhood in. However, walking along the Staffordshire and Worcester Canal from Kinver to Whittington will see you doing just this.
The Manor House at Whittington has recently been named one of Britain’s best pubs, taking the top spot for Marston’s Pub of the Year at the Great British Pub Awards. This Grade-I listed establishment is located in the former manor house that was built by Sir William de Whittington in 1310, the grandfather of the famous Dick Whittington, who became Lord Mayor of London. The manor house was later inherited by the Grey family, and it’s believed that Lady Jane Grey, who became Queen of England for just a few days in 1553, even spent some of her childhood within its walls.
Located in Kinver, along the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal, the manor-house-turned-pub makes for a perfect pitstop when walking along the canal from Kinver to Whittington.
The walk, which AA has shared online, starts at the Vine pub beside Kinver Lock. You can start by following the canal, or if you want to leave the canal path to the end of the walk, you can head towards Gibbet Wood.
Depending on which route you take, you will either arrive at the Manor House at the beginning or end of this one-hour and 15-minute walk.
Visitors to the Manor House have left rave reviews on TripAdvisor, proving just why it’s considered of the country’s best pubs.
One wrote: “Had an amazing meal. Food was lovely and didn’t have to wait long at all. The lovely lady called Lucy was very polite and efficient. Excellent service. Will be returning in the future.”
While another added: “My husband and I had a very relaxed and enjoyable meal at The Manor House. We had sausage and mash, and fish and chips – both of which were delicious and very well cooked.
“We can highly recommend the apple and cherry crumble too. Our waitress for the evening was Catherine, who we found very friendly and for whom nothing was too much trouble. We had a thoroughly enjoyable evening and will be back again soon. Thank you.”
And a third commented: “Had a fabulous lunch. Food absolutely fantastic and one of the best Sunday roasts I have had in a long while. However the lunch was made by an amazing waitress Katie who lit up the room with her fab smile and great service!
“What a great advert for young people she is and a total credit to the pub. I hope management recognise her efforts she was absolutely superb!”
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
