Entering the grounds of this Georgian mansion, it’s easy to forget you’re only a 20-minute drive from Bath. Surrounded by hills, pretty little villages and a 30-acre deer park, the younger sibling to The Pig in the New Forest is a true rural escape. First to greet you are 2 fierce-looking pigs (of the sculpture variety), and these chaps are your introduction to the quirky yet stylish concept of the hotel. Mismatched furniture, carved animal heads and botanical prints decorate the 29 rooms, which are spread across the main building, adjacent Coach House and a couple of renovated stone sheds. Wellies wait by the door and, on chilly days, fires crackle in the lounges.
It’s very hard to find fault: the interiors are simple yet attractive, the grounds are perfectly kept, and the old potting sheds have been converted into treatment rooms to help you relax. But best of all is the food. Located in a stunning Victorian greenhouse, the restaurant offers a tantalising array of daily changing dishes concocted by head chef Kamil Oseka, along with his forager and kitchen gardener. There’s a real emphasis on locally produced organic food: most of the greens are grown on site, a chicken and quail coop provides the eggs and there are (of course) a couple of real-life resident piggies in the grounds.
Highs
- Spacious rooms, some with roll-top tubs and all with drenching monsoon showers; we particularly liked the 2 romantic min-cottages, with their wood-burning stoves
- Fresh and flavoursome food, all grown on site, foraged nearby or sourced within a 25-mile radius - expect the likes of home-smoked salmon with Somerset cider, or home-grown rhubarb with vanilla sorbet
- Very tranquil, with lovely walks in the deer park and Mendips, yet you can easily zip into Bath or Bristol
- Attentive, friendly and extremely knowledgeable staff
- We loved the chunky solid-wood floors throughout, and the eclectic mix of gardening tools, antiques and reclaimed items furnishing the interiors
Lows
- Super popular so you'll need to book well in advance (2-3 months for weekends) and there's a 2-night min stay over a Fri and Sat
- The 2 Snug Rooms are exactly that, but they’re fine for a night or two
- Breakfast isn’t included in the rates, but it’s well worth the money
- Rooms can get a little hot in summer, but fans are available on request
- Mobile-phone reception is ropey and the WiFi doesn’t yet reach all the rooms, but that’s a blessing in disguise if you want to unwind
Best time to go
This is a year-round destination. We visited in May, when the gardens were bursting with greenery. Summer is also idyllic. During the colder months there are plenty of log-burning fires to keep you warm and cosy, and Bath hosts plenty of festivities in the run-up to Christmas (including a fantastic market). Nearby Bristol also has a calendar of interesting events - the Harbour Festival in late July, the world-famous International Balloon Fiesta in August, and food festivals on the waterfront throughout the year.
Our top tips
Make sure you sample the cocktails in the bar. They're concocted using the same local-sourcing policy as the food, so expect treats like the Pig's Tail (Chase Vodka, ginger syrup and cloudy apple juice) and the fruit-filled Lady Marmalade.
- Boutique Hotel
- 29 rooms
- Restaurant and bar (open daily)
- All ages welcome
- Open all year
- Pool
- Spa Treatments
- Beach Nearby
- Pet Friendly
- Disabled Access
- Car recommended
- Parking
- Restaurants Nearby
- WiFi
- Air Conditioning
- Guest Lounge
- Terrace
- Garden
- Gym
- Tennis Court
- Croquet lawn and billiards
- Wellies and maps to borrow
- Electric car charger
Rooms
The 29 rooms are split between the main building and the Coach House (you might hear some restaurant noise in the former, but other than that there's little difference), plus 2 secluded hideaways. All feature the same eclectic mix - antique desks, wooden floors made from reclaimed French railway carriages, botanical prints on the walls, and comfy beds topped with luxurious linens. Bathrooms have monsoon showers and Bramley products, and you also get Nespresso machines, retro Roberts radios and 'larders' packed with goodies.
Even the smallest Snug Rooms are just about big enough to swing a pig, but if you’re staying for more than a night or 2 it’s worth upgrading to a slightly larger Comfy Room (the only rooms which can be set up as twins; some also interconnect). If you want a bath, you’ll have to splash out on one of the Comfy Luxe Rooms, which have freestanding roll-top tubs. We stayed in one of these and loved the four-poster bed, the sink-into sofa and the tastefully tiled ensuite. Big Comfy Luxe Rooms are similar but have even more space.
For maximum privacy, The Apple Store and The Hide are separate stone buildings in the kitchen garden. Spread over 2 floors, they have a cosy bedroom (with woodburner) on the ground floor, and a bathroom with a shower and roll-top tub above. They also have terraces with views of either the garden or the deer park.
Features include:
- Bathrobes
- Hairdryer
- Minibar
- WiFi
Eating
The restaurant is in a renovated Victorian greenhouse, or you can dine out on the terrace when the weather allows. We loved the décor - mismatched tables adorned with pots of fresh herbs and flowers, bone-handled cutlery, wooden crates and old garden paraphernalia dotting the walls and floor - but it’s the food that really steals the show. The menu changes daily and is dictated by whatever the kitchen gardener and forager unearth each morning. Anything that can’t be grown on site is sourced from producers within a 25-mile radius.
Predictably, pork features strongly, but by no means overwhelmingly. We had a selection of ‘Piggy Bits’ to accompany our pre-dinner cocktails, before moving on to delicate home-smoked salmon in a Somerset cider dressing and grilled courgettes with basil and almond pesto. For mains we devoured a huge chargrilled 35-day-aged sirloin of ruby red beef with hand-cut chips and béarnaise sauce, pan-fried fillet of turbot with spring cabbage, sour onions and crab sauce. With little space left for dessert, we opted for a light selection of 3 sorbets, all washed down with a silky smooth Rioja recommended to us by the sommelier from the extensive wine list.
For lunches and lighter snacks you can order pizza or flatbread fresh from the wood-fired oven, and the bar is open throughout the day for drinks. Breakfast isn’t included in the rates but is well worth the additional cost. Choose from an expansive buffet with all sorts of pastries, cereals and juices or a full list of à la carte cooked dishes.
Features include:
- Bar
- Kids' meals
- Organic produce
- Restaurant
Activities
- Head into Bath to visit the Roman Baths, shop in the many boutiques, and soak up the Georgian splendour of the Royal Crescent, the Circus and Pulteney Bridge. The city is also home to excellent museums, including the Museum of Costume (beneath the Assembly Rooms) and the Holborne Art Museum
- After you’ve finished sightseeing, spend a few hours floating around the naturally heated rooftop pool at the Thermae Bath Spa
- Drive to nearby Bristol to stroll along the revamped Harbourside, exercise your credit card in the independent shops of Park Street and Clifton Village, marvel at Brunel’s iconic Suspension Bridge and SS Great Britain
- Spectacular Cheddar Gorge is within striking distance, as are historic Glastonbury, Wells and the animals of Longleat Safari Park
- Back at The Pig, wander around the grounds, explore the kitchen garden, and watch fallow deer graze in the park
- Public footpaths meander out from the property into the Mendip Hills: borrow a pair of Hunter wellies and a map from reception
- Pamper yourself with a massage or treatment in one of the 2 converted potting sheds, have a game of billiards, croquet or tennis (all available on site), or find a comfy armchair by the fire and try one of their fab cocktails
Activities on site or nearby include:
- Birdwatching
- Hiking
- Historical sites
- Museums / galleries
- Nightlife
- Shopping / markets
- Well being
- Wildlife
Kids
Children of all ages are warmly welcome, and they’ll love romping around the grounds and meeting the resident pigs, deer and chickens. There’s plenty to amuse kids nearby too, including child-friendly museums in Bath and Bristol. All the staff were truly wonderful when we last visited with two small children in tow, doing everything they could to make sure our stay was enjoyable and we felt relaxed. Lots of smiles and special treats - even offering to watch our baby monitor for us whilst we had dinner.
Best for:
All ages
Family friendly accommodation:
Most Comfy Luxe and Big Comfy Luxe Rooms can accommodate an extra bed or baby cot, and some Comfy Rooms interconnect.
Cots Available, Extra Beds Available
Babysitting:
Staff can provide details of a local babysitting agency.
Baby equipment:
- Baby cots
- Highchairs
Remember baby and child equipment may be limited or need pre-booking
Children's meals:
The 'Piglet' kids' menu features the likes of sausage and mash, free-range chicken and chips and apple jelly and ice cream, all made from the same locally sourced goodies as the main menu.
Kids Activities on site:
- Billiards
- Tennis
- Croquet
- Pigs, chickens and deer to meet
Kids Activities nearby:
- Bath’s Roman Baths (20-minute drive)
- Brunel’s SS Great Britain and boat trips along Bristol’s Harbourside (25-minute drive)
- Bristol Zoo (25-minute drive)
- Caves at Wookey Hole and Cheddar Gorge (30-minute drive)
- Longleat Safari Park (50-minute drive)
Distances:
- Airport: 25-minute drive (Bristol)
- Hospital: 20-minute drive (Bath)
- Shop: 5-minute drive
For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection
Location
The Pig near Bath is set just outside the Somerset village of Pensford, a 20-minute drive from Bath and a 25-minute drive from Bristol.
By Air:
Bristol Airport (18km away) is less than half an hour’s drive and is served by plenty of flights from elsewhere in the UK and Europe. If you’re coming from further afield you’ll probably arrive via London Heathrow (170km away), which is 2 hours’ drive. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.
From the Airport
You could easily get a taxi from Bristol Airport, but you’ll probably want to hire a car for exploring (see below).
By Train:
Bath Spa station is a 20-minute taxi ride from the hotel and is served by regular intercity services from London Paddington and elsewhere in the UK. If you’re landing at London Heathrow, you could take the Heathrow Express to London Paddington and catch a train from there.
By Car:
It’s best to have a car here (you’ll be relying on taxis otherwise) - see our car rental recommendations. The hotel is easily accessible from the M4 and M5 motorways and there is plenty of parking on site.
Detailed directions will be provided automatically once you confirm a booking through i-escape.com. 
More on getting to the UK and getting around
Airports:
- Bristol 18.0 km BRS
- London Heathrow 170.0 km LHR
Other:
- Beach 35.0 km
- Shops 7.0 km
- Restaurant 7.0 km
Our guests' ratings...
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