The Dundas Arms

Pub with rooms in Kintbury, Berkshire

From £90 per night

Curator's notes:

  • Historic inn beside river & canal
  • Beautiful waterside garden
  • River rooms have private terraces
  • Locally sourced British menu
Book a room

Speak to us on +44 (0)203 868 4999

Overview

Perched perfectly between the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal in the charming town of Kintbury, this 18th-century Grade II listed inn is an idyllic place to enjoy a pint or glass of wine by the river.

Inside you'll find distinctive nooks and crannies complete with an antique penny bar, large fireplaces and a handsomely decorated two-storey dining room. Many of the bedrooms come with their own private terrace overlooking the canal, where you can sit back and enjoy breakfast the next morning or a sundowner in the early evening.

Given its riverside location, The Dundas Arms makes for a perfect base for a fly fishing trip, but many people come for the simple joy of strolling along the tow path or taking a boat trip or horse-drawn canal boat ride along the river and canal, which flows past the doorstep. If you hanker for a shot of Victorian history and architecture Highclere Castle is also close by.

Rooms from

8 doubles: £90


Good to know

  • All major credit cards accepted
  • Private & alfresco dining
  • Disabled access
  • River rooms are dog-friendly
  • Parking available

Water and waves
Perched between the River Kennet and the Kennet and Avon Canal, it's perfectly place to enjoy a riverside escape.

No car needed
Simply hop off the train at Kintbury and The Dundas Arms is a minute's walk away, so it's perfectly accessible for those without cars or if you fancy leaving the car at home.

Dog-friendly
Each of the river rooms is dog-friendly and dog beds and bowls can be provided on request.

Rooms

Riverside regency meets countryside charm in eight handsome bedrooms, with every room boasting either canal or riverside views.

Mahogany sleigh beds are partnered with carefully chosen antiques, lavish curtains and bold Barneby Gates patterned wallpaper. Choose between the three spacious upstairs House Rooms (all named after gamebirds) or the five downstairs River Rooms (all named after freshwater fish species), which boast their own private patios right on the edge of the River Kennet - perfect for summer sundowners, secluded dining or simply watching the world float by.

Restaurant & bar

You couldn't have a restaurant that kisses a riverbank without some exceptional fish dishes on the menu. Everything from freshwater catches to oysters, scallops and sea bass is on offer, but there is also a focus on local game and farm-fresh vegetables, combining to create some truly tempting seasonal British dishes.

Order a chilled rosé or Sipsmith G&T from the outdoor bar and enjoy a light meal from the garden menu as you soak up the sunshine in the beautiful riverside garden, with its distinctive knobbly apple trees, rose bushes and flowers.

The bar offers real ales, many from local brewers, British ciders and more than 40 carefully chosen wines. If you fancy unwinding with an aged whisky or cognac, there is a cosy casual dining area with a roaring log fire.

Private dining

An elegant cream-and-gold private dining room seats 16, while the large riverside garden has space for up to 100 people. If the British weather looms, a dinner party of eight can take cover in the stone barn, but the crowning jewel is the Secret Garden where a table for 12 sits beneath the shade of a weeping willow that offers dining at the very tip of the canal and the river.

Things to do

Fall under the spell of the beautiful 87-mile long Kennet and Avon Canal, which threads its way through the heart of Berkshire's countryside and links London with the Bristol Channel. This picturesque waterway, with its endless reflections and stunning locks, goes right by the front door of The Dundas Arms.

To get a better view of the canal, take a walk along the towpath or do something truly unique and take a horse-drawn barge trip, a two-hour journey that begins and ends opposite the inn in the spring and summer.

A little further afield you will find Savernake, a privately owned forest open to the public, which is home to some of the oldest trees in Britain, including the "Big Belly Oak" thought to be between 1,000 to 1,100 years old, loads of walking trails and a four-mile long avenue of beech trees.

Getting here

Directions

Nearest train station: Kintbury
Walk from station: 1min
Drive: Hungerford 10min; Newbury 16min; London 1hr 20min

Address

53 Station Road, Kintbury, Hunferford, Berkshire RG17 9UT

Prices & availability