The Drummond at Albury, Surrey

Overview

Peach Pubs have successfully reinvented and reinvigorated the former Drummond Arms in the heart of pretty Albury village deep in the Surrey Hills.

Injecting Peach's ethos and vision into this village local in 2021 has transformed its fortunes, with the icing on the cake being the addition of 11 comfortable rooms in July 2022. There's a cool, retro feel to the reworked bar and dining areas, with muted green, orange and mustard colours combining well with the wood floors, panelled walls and period brick fireplace in the cosy and relaxing bar. Arrive early to bag the leather armchairs beside the fire, or the plush orange wall bench in the bay window.

When the sun shines, head outside onto the fabulous terrace and riverside garden and, if you're lucky, enjoy lunch at a table beside the idly flowing River Tillingbourne. It's a super spot to while away a summer afternoon and you can seek refuge under the covered section of the terrace should it rain.

The Drummond at Albury enjoys a cracking location - on the doorstep are excellent walking and cycling routes through the Surrey Hills, Guildford is four miles away for essential retail therapy, and Polesden Lacy and Hatchlands Park (both NT), and RHS Wisley are close by.

Rooms from:

11 doubles: £105

Good to know

Major credit cards accepted

Disabled access (bar/dining room)

Alfresco & private dining

Parking available

Silent Pool Gin

Also located on the Albury Estate, just a short drive from the Drummond, beside the Silent Pool beauty spot, Silent Pool Gin offers an informative distillery tour and the opportunity to taste some of their excellent gins.

Albury Organic Vineyard

A small, family run biodynamic vineyard located in the Surrey Hills. They produce high quality organic English sparkling, and their vineyard tour is a great way to spend an afternoon.

Rooms

Refurbished in 2022, the 11 bedrooms are split between the pub (seven upstairs) and the character cottage (four) next door.

In keeping with the cool new look in the bar and dining areas, the comfortable, individually decorated bedrooms upstairs have a contemporary retro feel that will set the standard across Peach's pubs with rooms. There are antique furnishings from auctions, the odd mahogany wardrobe or bedside tables, plush or brightly patterned headboards, eye-catching upholstered chairs, fat retro-style radiators, quirky, floral-inspired wall coverings, and period fireplaces.

The biggest and best has a freestanding tub in the bay window - all have decent-sized shower rooms with green brick tiles, walk-in showers and quality soaps and lotions in eco-friendly aluminium bottles (no plastic here). Simpler cottage rooms feature creaky stairs, wall and ceiling beams, modern bathrooms, and two interconnecting rooms are ideal for a family stay.

Restaurant & bar

Seasonal menus showcase whatever is best and in abundance from farmers, fishermen and producers locally and further afield who share Peach Pubs sustainable, quality ethics.

Good modern pub food is served throughout the day, so you can pop in to peruse the papers over a cup of decent Union coffee, or accompany a delicious lunch with a pint of Surrey Hills Shere Drop. Dishes may include hand-picked Devon crab and poached salmon salad, Jimmy Butler's pork belly, champ mash, crackling, peas, courgettes and beans, and the best British beef, grass-fed, naturally slow-grown on carbon-capturing pasture, from top butchers Aubrey Allen - try the 12oz sirloin on the bone. Interesting specials change daily, the choice dependent on the quality ingredients delivered that day. Typically this translates to garlic and paprika king prawns and roasted tomatoes on sourdough, beef fillet Wellington with spinach and buttery mash, and wood pigeon, Jerusalem artichoke puree and red wine jus.

The choice of drinks is mind-boggling, from delicious cocktails and mocktails, to a raft of gins and wines (focus on organic wines and 16 by the glass), craft beers and ales from local Hogs Back Brewery.

Things to do

If you enjoy visiting country houses, Hatchands Park is just the place to go. This red-brick house, now owned by the National Trust, has superb interiors by Robert Adam and parkland open 363 days of the year. The house is home to the Cobbe Collection, consisting of 42 historic keyboard instruments, many of which are associated with famous composers.

On Albury's doorstep is a vast network of footpaths and bridleways taking you deep into the Surrey countryside. The Surrey Hills and the North Downs offer some of the best walks in the county. Try Newlands Corner, east of Guildford, which is a walker's paradise and a useful starting point for many scenic walks. Agatha Christie famously disappeared here in 1926, her car found abandoned in a remote spot on the downs. The landscape has changed little over the years.

Close to a network of well-used roads and motorways, RHS Wisley is a tranquil world of unusual plants and beautiful flowers. In the care of the Royal Horticultural Society, Wisley's mission is to share with its many visitors the best in gardening. Wisley may be a peaceful oasis but there's always plenty going on - from world-class flower shows to ground breaking, green-roof research.