Inn places to go back in time

Mary, Queen of Scots, walked down these on the way to her execution, said Sarah Clarke as we ascended a dark oak staircase towards a large, panelled room complete with four-poster bed.

'Look, you can see the marks made by her rings.'

She must have clenched her fist hard if ring stones made marks like that, I thought. And why wouldn't she, when she knew what awaited her below?

According to Sarah, manager of the Talbot Inn in Oundle, Northamptonshire, the stairs and some of the oak panelling came from nearby Fotheringay Castle, dismantled after Mary's death in 1587.

The early 17th Century Talbot is one of 130 properties belonging to Old English Inns & Hotels. Although they include a Victorian castle and a few modern hotels, the average inn is more than 250 years old. Accommodation varies from comfortable and unpretentious to designer decor and antiques.

There are four-posters galore, blackened beams, open fires, the occasional ghost and plenty of historic associations. Each establishment is graded by acorns instead of stars. The Close (five acorns) in Tetbury, Gloucestershire, a 400-year-old former wool merchant's home with an award-winning restaurant, has a country house style, while the ancient riverside Swan Hotel (two acorns) in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, in one of whose rooms the harsh Judge Jeffreys once held court, is more homely.

I sampled the following four (prices are per room, bed and breakfast, two sharing).

Golden Pheasant ****
High Street, Burford, Oxfordshire (01993 823223).
From £85.

When locals lunch at a pub the food is bound to be good. So it is here. Alan and Caroline Grindle, joint managers of this mellow old building with a flagged entrance and open fire, change dinner menus with the season - pheasant was just finishing when we called in February.

In the spacious and agreeable bar, daily papers for customers' use are a nice touch. Bedrooms, with a handful of four-posters, are decorated in soft pastel colours.

The Anchor Inn **
Beer, Devon (01297 20386).
From £65.

Fish figures heavily on the menu of the ship-shape white and blue Anchor Inn, perched at the top of the slipway in Beer's tiny fishing harbour. Sardines from the Bay of Biscay landed at Brixham, grilled sea bass, steamed monkfish and bream baked in garlic and herb crust are among the 'Today's Catch' on the blackboard. Not bad for a small, unassuming local pub. 'Building up the fish menu was part of our brief when we came last autumn,' said manager Martin Parker. 'Now regulars come from as far away as Taunton.'

Drawings of famous old sailing vessels line the walls of the modest dining room, more ships and pictures of historic Beer adorn the cosy bar. Some of the eight bedrooms face the sea.

The Woolpack ****
Beckington, near Bath, Somerset (01373 831244).
From £80.

The minute you walk into the stone-flagged bar with its high-backed settles, benches and neat pile of logs for the open fire stacked in the inglenook you know you've chosen well. Comfortable en-suite bedrooms, excellent food in the evenings, good morning coffee and imaginative lunches please both locals and visitors.

Outgoing Australian Kelly Fookes runs this 16th Century coaching inn with husband Robert. As well as two restaurants there is - big treat - the old stone-walled and sheltered terrace for summer dining.

The Old Manse ****
Bourton-on-the-Water, Gloucestershire (01451 820082).
From £90.

The Rev Benjamin Beddome, the hymn-writing baptist pastor, must be turning in his grave at what has happened to his fine house in one of the Cotswolds' most popular villages. The star bedroom has a four-poster bed and a double spa bath complete with space for an ice bucket and two champagne glasses. According to the manager, Robert Cook, the room is booked almost every weekend until Christmas.

Bedrooms in this mid-18th Century stone house with creaky old stairs and sloping floors are decorated in strong blues, reds, yellows or greens. The menu in the light and informal brasserie includes reliable favourites such as chicken or duck breast, sirloin steak or filet of salmon with unusual sauces.

There is a good choice of snack food in the snug red bar with its open fire or on the popular riverside terrace.

For more details on Old English Inns & Hotels call 0800 917 3085 or visit its website, www.oldenglish.co.uk. Guests booking two nights' half-board for two this month will get a free bottle of champagne. Those booking three nights in August will get a free three-course table d'hote dinner on the third night.