The Kingfisher Hoteland Restuarant

A riverside pub with rooms on the River Great Ouse at Cardington Road, Bedford, its postal address still reading Barns Hotel. The bar pours cask ales alongside daily specials, afternoon tea and a kids' menu; the kitchen says its meat travels under 15 miles from farm to plate and its fruit comes from a mile away. Rooms run from doubles and kings to suites. The Jetty hosts summer live music, and the 800-year-old Tithe Barn takes weddings.