Yes, summer is but a distant memory and the weather has turned grim, but look on the bright side, autumn signals the return of all things cosy.

For that matter, you'll want a quiet quaint inn with a blinding menu and one in Wiltshire has now been specially highlighted.

Walks are synonymous with autumn, which makes these types of inns the place to be after a cold gruelling ramble.

The Queen’s Head, Wiltshire

Mains from £17, doubles from £88 B&B, queensheadbroadchalke.co.uk.

Joanne O'Connor of The Guardian said: "What do Toyah Willcox, Anthony Eden, Cecil Beaton and Terry Pratchett have in common? At first glance, not a lot, but at various times each has been able to call the Queen’s Head in Broad Chalke their local. Surrounded by Wiltshire’s rolling Chalke Valley, the inn has been at the heart of village life since the 19th century.

"Last year it was taken on by the Chickpea Group, a young and expanding hospitality business which runs a handful of pubs with rooms in Wiltshire and a couple of pizza places. It launched its first pub just before the pandemic hit in 2020, but despite the unfortunate timing, the Bell & Crown in Zeals was soon winning accolades.

"No wheels were being reinvented here. Instead, the emphasis was on getting the basics right: a welcoming bar with a good selection of local ales, unfussy pub food done well, and reasonably priced comfortable bedrooms.

"The Queen’s Head stays true to this formula. In the bar, the beamed ceilings, fireplace and flagstone floors are offset by colourful rugs, lamps and modern artwork. On sunny afternoons you can sip a pint of local Cow Down pale ale in the meadow garden across the road, watched by cows in the neighbouring field.

"However, it’s when the nights draw in and the candles and wood burner are lit that this place comes into its own.

"The menu ranges from “pub bangers” (scotch egg and beer-battered fish and chips) to more adventurous options: courgette and chickpea fritters with lentil dal, perhaps, or gnocchi with merguez sausage. We shared starters of oozy rarebit croquettes and zingy gin-and beetroot-cured trout gravlax with horseradish and pickles, followed by mains of Brixham hake with braised fennel and a hearty beef and stout pie with buttery mash.

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"Thankfully, it’s just a short walk from the bar to an annexe of four bedrooms that overlook the courtyard garden. Our family room had comfortable beds, soft white cotton bed linen, heavenly scented toiletries and homemade shortbread.

"A faultless full English breakfast the next morning was the perfect set-up for a walk across the chalk downs of Cranborne Chase, with its rolling hills, thatched cottages and chalk streams. The cathedral city of Salisbury is a 15-minute drive away and Stonehenge about 30 minutes."

Chickpea Group will open its first pub with rooms in Somerset, the Manor House in Ditcheat, later this year.