Restaurants with a view across the UK

This stone-built, dog-friendly inn is only a mile from Bath city centre, but nevertheless the Hare & Hounds is surrounded by beautiful countryside and extensive gardens. From the terrace there are sweeping 10-mile views across the city towards Solsbury Hill, an Iron Age hill fort immortalised in song by Peter Gabriel. The garden comes into its own in the summer, with its large lawn, picnic benches and children’s play area. It all makes for a lovely spot to enjoy a pint of Somerset-brewed Butcombe ale and simple dishes such as beer-battered fish and chips, or mash and beef braised in red wine. hareandhoundsbath.com

Check out more places to eat and drink in Bath here

20 Stories, Manchester

In the heart of Spinningfields, the restaurant at 20 Stories lays claim to the highest rooftop terrace in Manchester and provides magnificent 360° views of the city’s vast skyline. It’s a dramatic setting to enjoy modern British dishes in, including sweet-cured bacon chop, sauerkraut and lentils, and rhubarb panna cotta and crème fraîche sorbet. 20stories.co.uk

Riddle & Finns, Brighton

Riddle & Finns, tucked under a Victorian arch beneath the promenade at Brighton beach, is both a seafood restaurant and champagne and oyster bar. It has one of the town’s most sought-after views – the window area overlooks the skeletal remains of the iconic West Pier. Sit on the alfresco terrace in the summer or dine upstairs and glance over the pebble beach, gazing out to sea as you feast on grilled langoustines with chilli and salsa verde, followed by fish pie or pan-roast fillet of turbot with confit potato, burnt apple, Asian pear and shiso leaf butter. riddleandfinns.co.uk

Here are more places to eat in Brighton

The Griffin Inn, East Sussex

As Britain begins to warm-up, the two-acre garden at this rural dining-pub shines. Nicknamed ‘the Serengeti’, it enjoys sweeping views of the South Downs and, on summer weekends, includes its own BBQ kitchen and an outdoor bar where, as the sun sets, you can sip at a ‘Sussex Serengeti’ cocktail of homemade elderflower cordial, prosecco, mint and raspberries.

You can also eat on the neat outdoor terrace. Expect dishes such as South Brockwell Farm asparagus, buffalo mozzarella and baby basil as well as Portland crab linguine with chilli, garlic and white wine. thegriffininn.co.uk

Nancarrow Farm, Cornwall

Each month this organic farm throws open its swanky barn for feast nights, cooked in the outdoor kitchen. Open fires and elemental hardwood cooking are a focus, and super-seasonal dishes – all served communally – might include oak-grilled lamb with wild garlic pesto, braised lentils, sweetheart cabbage and asparagus or a novel beef carpaccio (‘cooked dirty, on the embers’) with rosemary salt, horseradish and radishes.

All the meats are reared at Nancarrow, which also has a fecund kitchen garden. nancarrowfarm.co.uk

Ruin Beach Café, Isles of Scilly

This happily situated café, overlooking Raven’s Porth beach, is on the privately-owned island of Tresco in the Isles of Scilly, less than 30 miles from the Cornish coast. It uses the best island produce available for its Mediterranean-inspired dishes, and the view towards St Martin’s from the sun terrace of this former smuggler’s cottage offers an equally Mediterranean-style view. A wood-fired oven produces excellent pizzas and is also used to roast top-quality Tresco beef and island-caught fish. tresco.co.uk

Gara Rock, Devon

The sweeping views from this clifftop restaurant at East Portlemouth are simply stunning. Local fish and meat from nearby farms – often cooked in fire pits outside during summertime – can be enjoyed against a backdrop of rugged Devon coastline. The bar is known locally as the place to relax over a Salcombe Sundowner, and the restaurant is hosting a number of foodie events this summer (including monthly barbecues). gararock.com

Read our full review of Gara Rock here

The Inn at Whitewell, Lancashire

Lancashire gem The Inn at Whitewell is a 16th-century pub perched high on the banks of the River Hodder, with spectacular views down the valley to the grouse moors beyond. The kitchen sources game from the surrounding woods and moors (the inn sits within the Forest of Bowland, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and neighbouring Burholme Farm produces delicious Lonk rare-breed lamb. innatwhitewell.com

Hix Oyster and Fish House, Dorset

Now in its 11th year, Hix Oyster and Fish House is set within Lyme Regis’s Langmoor and Lister Gardens and overlooks the Cobb (yes, it’s still hard not to think of Meryl Streep in The French Lieutenant’s Woman) and across the bay to the Jurassic Coast. Watch the day boats returning to the harbour from floor-to-ceiling windows – including chef/owner Mark Hix’s own vessel – and order from a seasonal menu that’s essentially all about seafood, much of it from the water in front of the restaurant. hixrestaurants.co.uk

Llansantffraed Court, Monmouthshire

Surrounded by 20 acres of lawns and meadows carpeted in snowdrops each spring, this Grade-II mansion house (part of an ancient country seat, rebuilt in 1912), is a picture-postcard scene. Food nuts will be fascinated by the gorgeous, walled kitchen garden and glasshouse which is used mainly to grow neglected varieties of fruit and veg.

Guests can inspect, sniff and taste these ingredients before sitting down in the elegant Court restaurant, where freshly-harvested veggies are paired with superb regional rare-breed meats. The big dishes here include fillet of salmon with fondant potato and celeriac as well as tenderloin and slow-cooked belly of pork with cannelloni beans and wild mushrooms. llch.co.uk

The Godolphin Arms, Cornwall

A short walk along the beach from Penzance, The Godolphin Arms restaurant-with-rooms overlooks the iconic St Michael’s Mount with farreaching views of the Lizard Peninsula. In the summer, the suntrap terrace is the place to sip a Cornish gin and eat excellent local fish and chips. godolphinarms.co.uk

The Ethicurean, Somerset

The Ethicurean in Wrington, near Bristol, is part of a working Victorian walled garden, and occupies an old glass house overlooking the beautiful Mendip Hills. It’s been refurbished recently, but the kitchen still serves ethical, sustainable and locally sourced produce, with most of the vegetables and herbs coming straight from the walled garden in front of you. theethicurean.com

The Old Coastguard, Cornwall

The Old Coastguard, sister hotel to nearby Gurnard’s Head, is set in the idyllic Cornish fishing village of Mousehole (pronounced ‘Mouzzal’), close to Newlyn fish market. The views from the hotel’s tropical garden, positioned as it is on rocks looking across to St Michael’s Mount, are breathtaking and, if you watch closely, you’re sure to see dolphins and seals gliding through the water as you enjoy a meal in the restaurant or on the terrace. oldcoastguardhotel.co.uk

Riley’s Fish Shack, Tyne and Wear

This no-bookings seafood restaurant is well worth queuing for. It’s a rusty shipping container on the rocks above the beach at Tynemouth, with a tarpaulin-covered terrace. Watch the waves over a daily-changing menu of the day’s catch cooked in the wood-fired pizza oven, and served in brown cardboard boxes with wooden cutlery. Seafood at its simplest and with one of the best views in the North East. rileysfishshack.com

Panoramic 34, Liverpool

With panoramic views of the city and beyond, including the iconic River Mersey and landmarks such as Royal Albert Dock and the Three Graces, Panoramic 34 (on the 34th floor of West Tower, 300ft above sea level) certainly lives up to its name. The food is as highly rated as the restaurant’s lofty location. Try the 48-hour, slow-cooked beef short rib with puffed wild rice, aubergine ketchup and chervil powder. panoramic34.com

The Leaping Hare, Suffolk

As well as its 12,000 vines, the Wyken Vineyard estate is home to wild flower meadows and a beautiful formal garden, which includes a dedicated rose garden patrolled by strutting peacocks (entrance £5). Guests can explore all of this before dinner in the Leaping Hare, a converted 14th-century barn which makes exemplary use of local ingredients, a significant number of which are grown or foraged on-site.

As well as producing wines such as dry, white bacchus (all available by-the-glass), Wyken grows its own asparagus. It will be served with roast rump of Suffolk lamb and spring onion hash. Follow that with toasted pine nut and honey tart with basil sorbet. wykenvineyards.co.uk

Old Downton Lodge, Herefordshire

Not only are they found down narrow lanes deep in jaw-dropping countryside, but the buildings of Old Downton sit around a courtyard garden of herbs, tulips and daffodils – in riot in spring. These farm buildings may be steeped in history – for instance, the dining room’s peculiar triangular windows were air vents in what was a Norman grain store – but chef Karl Martin uses the natural bounty on his doorstep in a coolly contemporary way. olddowntonlodge.com

The Lookout by Gardener’s Cottage, Edinburgh

When it opened in November 2018, The Lookout by Gardener’s Cottage was one of Edinburgh’s most anticipated restaurant openings for a long time. It’s the first ever restaurant on Calton Hill, and one that provides diners breathtaking views across the Firth of Forth and the city skyline. It’s built on a cantilever (The Lookout is partially suspended over Calton Hill’s north-west slope) and the restaurant is the third Edinburgh venture from chef director Dale Mailley, who also has The Gardener’s Cottage and Leith bakery Quay Commons. The menu features inventive seasonal dishes including cured sea trout with scurvy grass, and malted rabbit and hare yakitori. thelookoutedinburgh.co

Click here for more places to eat and drink in Edinburgh

Angelica, Leeds

On the sixth floor of the Trinity Leeds shopping centre, Angelica has a wraparound planted terrace and panoramic city views. Seats on the terrace are highly prized when the weather allows – it’s the ideal place to relax with a cocktail and a sharing board or plate of fruits de mer. angelica-restaurant.com

The Hidden Hut, Cornwall

The Hidden Hut, sat on a coastal path above beautiful Porthcurnick Beach on the Roseland Peninsula of west Cornwall, is owned by the National Trust but run by chef Simon Stallard and Jemma Glass. The outdoor kitchen resembles an army field kitchen and the menu changes daily, with freshly baked pasties and good coffee and cake available before the lunch menu is chalked on the board. On a typical midsummer day, up to 2,000 customers are fed, many of them taking their food to the beach for those sea views. hiddenhut.co.uk

Coast, Pembrokeshire

Coast is perched on the shoreline at Saundersfoot, just metres away from the sands of Coppet Hall beach. The sea views are matched by head chef Tom Hine’s innovative seafood dishes, including the likes of cod, caramelised cauliflower and shellfish bisque. coastsaundersfoot.co.uk

River Exe Café, Devon

A custom-built floating restaurant surrounded by water, and only accessible by water taxi, the River Exe Café sits in the middle of the Exe Estuary in east Devon. Watch the colourful Devon sunset over food prepared by head chef Chris Dayer, and eat fresh fish from the estuary itself as you hear the water lapping around you. riverexecafe.com

Crab House Café, Dorset

On the water’s edge where Weymouth meets Portland Bill, the Crab House Café is essentially a weather-beaten shack attached to an oyster farm. The oysters and local crabs take star billing on the menu, which can change twice a day depending on what’s landed by day boats working out of Poole, Weymouth or Brixham. The view from the restaurant and tables on the shingle outside looks across Chesil Beach to some of the fishing boats supplying the kitchen. crabhousecafe.co.uk

The Cherwell Boathouse, Oxford

There can’t be many restaurants with their own punt station... but the clue here is in the name: The Cherwell Boathouse occupies half of a working Victorian boathouse, right on the River Cherwell. There are 80 punts available during the season, weather permitting, but if you just want to relax, then grab a table on the terrace and watch the punts and wildlife while making the most of an award-winning wine list. cherwellboathouse.co.uk

The Wellington Arms, Hampshire

If you have ever dreamed of moving to the country, raising chickens and living a life of bucolic simplicity, the Wellington Arms will leave you green-fingered with envy. This smart pub’s pretty gardens are a model of self-sufficiency. Its polytunnel, raised beds and rhubarb patch yield numerous ingredients from jerusalem artichokes to plums, and, naturally, the Welly keeps its own chickens and lambs.

The kitchen makes sharp, modish use of this produce. Try roast fillet of Brixham cod with a preserved lemon and olive crust followed by jelly of their elderflower cordial with rhubarb ripple ice cream. Weather permitting, eat outside on the top lawn. thewellingtonarms.com

Beach House, Gower Peninsula

Whether your table is inside or on the terrace, the coastal views at this beachside gaff, towards the famous Welsh landmark Three Cliffs Bay, are breathtaking. Native Welshman head chef Hywel Griffith is passionate about local produce from the Gower coast, and that’s reflected in his menu, which often includes lobster caught from the sea directly in front of the restaurant. beachhouseoxwich.co.uk

1539 Restaurant & Bar, Chester

1539 Restaurant & Bar (named after the year racing first began in Chester) provides an unbeatable view of the world’s oldest racecourse. On race days, the glass-fronted restaurant offers a spectacular vantage point of the final furlong. restaurant1539.co.uk

The Beach Hut / Watchful Mary, Cornwall

The Beach Hut, part of Watergate Bay hotel, is still one of the most popular beach hangouts on Cornwall’s north coast. Walk right off the beach and grab a table on deck or inside next to the large sea-facing windows, and enjoy global seafood dishes, steaks and burgers as you watch the waves or catch those golden sunsets Cornwall is famed for. Next to The Beach Hut, on a sea wall, you will also find the recently opened Watchful Mary bar with its unbroken views out to the horizon. The name is inspired by the sunset’s rare ‘green flash’ – a ray of green light that, if conditions are right, can apparently be glimpsed as the sun dips below the horizon. The bar serves small plates, craft beers and classic cocktails with a twist. watergatebay.co.uk; watchful.co.uk

The Sportsman, Kent

Okay, so you can’t actually see the sea, which lies behind a seawall, but the view over the sheep-dotted marshes towards the beach huts makes a meal eaten in the conservatory a memorable occasion at The Sportsman. Located on the Thames estuary, the back of this award-winning foodie pub looks over the kitchen garden and towards The Sportsman’s new purpose-built log cabin accommodation. thesportsmanseasalter.co.uk

Parker’s Tavern, Cambridge

Part of University Arms hotel in Cambridge, Parker’s Tavern is the latest venture by chef Tristan Welch, who has created a seasonal menu underpinned by Cambridge and East Anglian producers. From the restaurant (or from one of the chic rooms, if you’ve made the right decision to stay over), marvel at the view of Parker’s Piece – one of the university city’s loveliest open spaces. parkerstavern.com

Here are more places to eat and drink in Cambridge

Lord Crewe Arms, Northumberland

Set in the picture-postcard village of Blanchland, on the Northumberland and Durham borders, the 18th-century Lord Crewe Arms occupies an idyllic and timeless spot next to an ancient church and opposite the village square. Close to Hadrian’s Wall, parts of the building can be traced back to the 12th century and in summer you can enjoy lunch on the lawn of the walled garden that produces 95% of the menu’s produce. Dishes include local duck breast with summer vegetable salad and ‘rough cut’ pasta with a ‘low and slow’ ragu of Durham rare-breed pork. lordcrewearmsblanchland.co.uk

Träkol, Gateshead

Träkol is basically a series of interconnecting shipping containers on the quayside under the iconic Tyne Bridge, and as such has one of the most unique views of Newcastle across the river. An open kitchen with an open fire makes dinner here all the more special, with nose-totail dishes including grilled pork jowl and XO slaw, followed by a sharing dish of ash crust salt-baked sea bass, grilled Jersey Royals and asparagus. bytheriverbrew.co/trakol

The Black Swan, North Yorkshire

The restaurant at The Black Swan at Oldstead overlooks a two-acre garden that supplies much of the raw materials used in the kitchen. Tommy Banks and his family have farmed the land of Oldstead for decades and they took on the village pub in 2016 with the main intention of using their land to grow produce for the menu. The pub is also close to Sutton Bank, which has one of the finest views in England across to the Kilburn White Horse. blackswanoldstead.co.uk

Words by Mark Taylor and Tony Naylor

Photographs by Matt Austin, Mike Searle, Paul Massey, Nigel John, Ed Schofield, Owen Howells, Girl Behind The Lens, Luke Hayes