Beautiful Pubs in the Cotswolds: The Mount Inn

September 17, 2020

The Mount Inn is a traditional pub in the Cotswold situated on a hill which overlooks the beautiful village of Stanton. Great food, drinks and views - what more could you ask for?

We checked out of Woodchester Valley Vineyard with a heavy heart, I definitely wish we stayed here for more than a night. As we all know, good things are bound to end so I bid farewell to the vineyard but not before asking the husband to stop the car for one last photo. I’ve been looking for one particular view that I’ve seen on their instagram account and finally found it just as we were driving out.

We then started our 1-hr drive to Stanton. The husband was just way too happy to know that it’s a one hour drive and not just 15 minutes as we’ve been doing the past few days between places, he clearly didn’t want to go walking around anymore. Lol.

Stanton was not in our original itinerary but after seeing a photo of The Mount Inn on instagram, I immediately had to squeeze that in. It’s safe to say that this holiday was heavily influenced by instagram. Lol.

We arrived at 11am in Stanton and immediately saw The Mount Inn from afar, we parked our car on a side street and saw some horseback riders heading our way so I immediately pulled my phone out and started taking photos. One of the horseback riders said something to me, I thought he was telling me off for taking photos of them but then I realized that he was actually encouraging us to do horseback riding during our stay in Stanton and even told us where to do it.

I was both surprised and elated by this kindness, clearly we’re no longer in London and people actually talk to you and greet you with pleasantries. We saw more locals on our way to the pub and every single person greeted us “good morning!”. I’m not used to this kindness so I was always startled and couldn’t reply back right away. They must have thought we’re one of the rude Londoners when I’m just really lost for words. Lol.

We started our uphill walk towards the pub only to find that the pub actually has a parking area for patrons and that they open at 12nn and not 11am as what was mentioned on google. I then decided to have walk around the cute village to kill time while the husband sat inside the car as he just couldn’t be bothered walking anymore. Lol.

Stanton was surprisingly empty that day, it’s maybe too early for tourists or it’s not yet in the instagramer’s radar. The quiet and empty streets made the village more idyllic and charming. The village settlement is 300 years old with ancient houses that are built in typical Cotswold style.

Their “high street” doesn’t have shops but instead, it’s lined up with 16th and 17th century houses. It’s a place untouched by commercialism and I immediately fell in love with it.

The village is so small that you could literally just amble around for an hour and you’d be able to cover its entirety. I avoided going to small roads though because it felt like I’m intruding someone’s personal space and with the kindness the locals have shown me since we arrived, that’s something I definitely don’t want to do.

I went back to our car and the husband told me that he’s made a reservation for us at The Mount Inn for 12nn. We decided to drive around for a few minutes more before driving straight to The Mount Inn for our brunch.

The view from the pub is breathtaking! It overlooks the village and the mountains beyond. Thankfully, we were given a table outside to enjoy this breathtaking view.

The Mount Inn takes their covid-19 protocols seriously, we had to order everything online and the staff delivered our food and drinks to our table with no contact. Food was also served in takeaway boxes with recyclable cutleries.

I had sausage and creamy mash while the husband had a burger because he got jealous of my burger at the Black Horse Inn from the previous night. :p The serving portion was huge, I wasn’t able to finish all of it. We enjoyed our food with the best view anyone could ever ask for.

A lot more diners arrived later on and it seemed to me like they’re all walkers. After reading more about Stanton I realized that it’s part of Cotswold Way National Trail – a 5-hour circular walk from Broadway. The Mount Inn is a popular stop for those who are doing this trail. After that much walking, I guess they deserve that reward.

Meanwhile for the not too active tourists like we are, we bid farewell to Stanton onboard the comforts of our rental car. We enjoyed our brief stay, most definitely.