Surrey

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THE LOWDOWN
I&#8217;ve long been a fan of The Stag on the River, a gastropub which sits on the banks of the River Wey in the quaint village of Lower Eashing, near Godalming. It&#8217;s just a stones throw from the A3, over a picture postcard bridge that was constructed in the 14th century by monks Waverley Abbey. There&#8217;s not much else in Lower Eashing &#8211; the bottom half of the Eashings &#8211; apart from a collection of pretty period houses and a business park on the site of a former mill. It feels pleasantly tucked away from the rest of the world &#8211; and a lovely spot for a getaway.
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THE VIBE
The Stag is a relaxed and friendly country pub. I arrived late afternoon on a Thursday to find a small contingent of locals cosied up in armchairs around a crackling open fire with a pint of the local Hog&#8217;s Back Brewery&#8217;s ale in hand. I&#8217;m greeted by Rob, one of the managers, who shows me upstairs to my room. Mr Muddy is arriving a little later on the train from London to Milford station, less than two miles away.
Outside, there&#8217;s both a terrace and garden overlooking the Wey, for those days when the sun is shining with a little more vigour. Today, though, was a day for snuggling up indoors, so I curled up on the big soft sofa in my room with my copy of Roz Morris&#8217;s new book &#8216;Not Quite Lost&#8217; to soak up the peace and tranquility, and sip on the complimentary bottle of Hog&#8217;s Back Brewery Ale. There are certainly worse ways to while away an hour or two.
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PILLOW TALK
There are seven rooms at The Stag &#8211; three are in the original part of the 18th-Century inn, and the other four are in a newer addition. We stayed in Shackleford, the largest room in old bit, and it&#8217;s brimming with character. Handily, there&#8217;s also an almost secret door connecting this room with one of the others, creating a brilliant family suite.
You&#8217;d be forgiven for thinking you&#8217;d had an ale too many on the walk up the stairs in the older part of the pub, as the walls slope one way, the floors another, and the oak-beamed ceilings yet other still. It all adds to the delightful eccentricity of the place.
The rooms a beautifully appointed, and a cut above bog-standard pub B&amp;B rooms, to say the least. The beds are The Business – enormous sleep-inducing slabs, dressed with crisp white linen, piles of huge fluffy pillow and gorgeous throws. The devil&#8217;s in the detail, and I loved all the little touches – proper, chilled milk for your cuppa, Hampshire-roasted Mozzo coffee, fluffy towels and dressing gowns, and luxury ESPA toiletries. Oh, and excellent wi-fi.
SCOFF &amp; QUAFF
A pint of ale in the bar before dinner, and I was ready for a good feed. The emphasis here is on quality locally sourced food. And it&#8217;s as hearty as it is good.
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I started with wild mushrooms and Blackstick blue bruschetta with rocket from Secretts farm (just down the road) and Mr Muddy – who loves a tart!! – went for the sweet pepper and basil tart. Both went down a treat.
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Moving on to mains, I went for the panfried fillet of hake in a caper sauce and the mister went for the smoked haddock, salmon and crayfish fishcake which was topped with a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. Mine was divine. His looked divine. Neither of us shared! Puds were gorgeous too &#8211; the white chocolate and honeycomb cheesecake for me, and for him the pecan pie.
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The next morning we wandered downstairs to a lovely continental breaky.
KID-FRIENDLY?
Absolutely. Another of the rooms had been set up to accommodate a family with a toddler. And again the devil was in the detail: a box of toys for the children, including squidgy toys to stick to the shower walls. There&#8217;s also a Little Stags menu for kids that includes things like BBQ chicken wraps, tomato and herb pasta, and sausage and mash.
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OUT &amp; ABOUT
You’re pretty well situated here for plenty of nearby attractions. The gorgeous gardens of the National Trust’s Winkworth Arboretum are not far, or for a spot of culture head to the Watts Gallery and Artists’ Village a little further up the A3 in the pretty village of Compton. Godalming is only a few miles away, and it’s a lovely town for a wander around. But you’ll have to tear yourself away for this lovely riverside setting first.
THE MUDDY VERDICT
Good for: Anyone who wants to escape to the country for a re lovely lunch spot with friends/family, whatever the weather. Ideal for a beer and snack over summer, and the perfect place to cosy up during the winter months.
Not for: Those craving bright lights/ big city thrills may find Brill a tad serene. But to be honest, that’s the whole point – you come here for utterly luxe R&amp;R.
The damage: B&amp;B packages start from just £80 per room, per night; dinner, B&amp;B packages start from just £110 per person, per night – very reasonable given the quality of the rooms, food and service. In the restaurant, starters are from £5.75 up to £16.95 for a sharing antipasti board for two. Mains are from £12.95 for classic fish and chips up to £24 for an 8oz sirloin steak. All the bits on the side are £3.25. Pudding is around £7.
The Stag on the River, Lower Eashing Lane, Eashing, GU7 2QG <a href="http://www.stagontherivereashing.co.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stagontherivereashing.co.uk</a>

Stay at the Stag

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