A Warwickshire village home to eight country pubs within a 1.2-mile stretch is the perfect spot for a scenic pub crawl or a winter walk before a hearty Sunday lunch. Charming Long Itchington, just 15 minutes from Leamington Spa, was recently hailed as one of the UK's best places to live by lifestyle magazine Muddy Stilettos, with its vibrant social scene cited as a key attraction.
The Duck on the Pond boasts a suntrap beer garden overlooking the expansive village green and the county's largest duck pond, while the Two Boats, the Cuttle Inn and the Blue Lias Inn offer canalside views. The thatched gastropub The Stag at Offchurch is renowned for its roast dinners.
Walkers can cosy up by the fire at The Buck and Bell, a quintessential country pub popular with families due to its play area. The Harvester serves homemade pizzas alongside local brews, and the Green Man has a large, quiet camping field and hosts a fish and chip van every Friday.
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In spring, it held a beer and cider festival featuring 70 different drinks. But there's more to Long Itchington than its proficiency in serving a good pint - its location on the banks of the River Itchen and the Grand Union Canal offers tranquil countryside walks.
Despite the recent disruption caused by HS2 works, which includes digging two mile-long tunnels under Long Itchington Wood, the prospect of living near a 200mph rail line hasn't deterred homebuyers from flocking to the area. The village has seen its population increase by over a third in recent years due to new housing developments, reports Birmingham Live.
The village boasts a mix of charming timber Tudor homes and neat new builds, with impressive detached properties set behind expansive lawns and compact bungalows. The average property price stands at £362,125.
Its most notable building is the Grade II-listed Tudor House, where Queen Elizabeth I is believed to have stayed in the 1570s, while the Holy Trinity Church dates back over 1,000 years.
