The Griffin Inn, East Sussex

Overview

Run with charm and dedication, the 16th-century Griffin Inn at Fletching is the real deal - a proper Sussex bolthole with a traditional interior, packed with wooden beams, oak panels and real log fires. Local ales feature on the pumps and local produce is championed on the menu in the bar; plus there's a classically stylish restaurant and 13 attractive bedrooms to boot. The accommodation has personality and country charm in abundance with four-poster beds and cast iron baths.

The garden is the jewel in The Griffin's crown. The grassy green space looks out over glorious Sussex countryside, and there are plenty of tables on which to nurse a pint or tuck into something tasty from the bar menu. Tucked away in a corner spot is The Sheffield - a rustic wooden bar - which opens up in fair weather and is available for private functions.

Rooms from

Doubles: £90

Good to know

All major credit cards accepted
Parking available
Alfresco dining

Quiet romance
Bag a table on the paved terrace and enjoy a candleilt dinner for two in the inn's gorgeous garden.

Dog-friendly
Dogs are very welcome at The Griffin and can be accommodated in the bedrooms if you bring a basket or rug.

Outdoor adventures
There's fabulous walking to explore in these parts - whether it's the Ouse Valey Viaduct or Ashdown Forest, the home of Winnie the Pooh.

Rooms

There are 13 bedrooms at The Griffin - four in the main part of the building, four in the coach house overlooking the garden and five in Griffin House next door. All rooms are a stone's throw from the inn's central bar and each has an individual style. Expect original pieces of furniture, quirky touches such as porthole mirrors and colourful fabrics. The en-suite bathrooms have showers or cast iron bathtubs.

Restaurant & bar

The kitchen team have a fabulous two-acre market garden just down the road at their disposal, providing salads, vegetables and soft fruits. Whether you opt for the bar or restaurant menu, there's a refinement to the culinary output whichever you choose. It's really down to whether you fancy hunkering down at a wooden table in one of the charmingly rustic bar areas or opt for a little more refinement in the restaurant, where white linen and table service set the tone.

Out in the garden, there's a wood-fired oven for relaxed summer dining. Guests staying over the weekend should take full advantage of the legendary Sunday summer barbecues: roll up and grab one of the copious tables in the garden and tuck into delicious beef and thyme burgers, Romney Marsh lamb chops and Newhaven mackerel.

Things to do

There's plenty going on at The Griffin itself with live music bringing a buzz to Friday evenings and Saturdays. There's a wine club with special dinners and trips to top European wine regions, and the pub is also home to The Griffin Cricket Club, as various photos and pieces of memorabilia around the place attest.

With fabulous views of the Ouse Valley, a walk to the Ouse Valley Viaduct - which carries the London-Brighton Railway Line over the River Ouse in Sussex - is well worth the hike. Close to Haywards Heath, the viaduct is known for its ornate and elegant design.

Literary lovers shouldn't miss Charlston Farmhouse in Firle, half an hour's drive away from The Griffin. The former rural haven of the literary set, Virginia Woolf spotted this remote settlement on the South Downs while out walking one day in 1916 and Charleston became the home and country meeting place for the writers and artists of the Bloomsbury group. The Bloomsbury artists painted furniture, ceramics, and murals, which can be seen at the house from March to November, along with a collection of paintings by Picasso, Derain, Sickert and Delacroix.

Getting here

Directions

Nearest train station: Uckfield
Taxi from station: 12min
Drive: 18min from Haywards Heath, 21min from Lewes, 40min from Brighton

Address

Fletching, East Sussex TN22 3SS

Gallery

Enquire to book

To make a booking, please use the form below or you can call our reservations team on 020 8161 0100. Our phone lines are open Monday – Friday, 9am – 5.30pm.

The Griffin Inn

From £85 per night