Ye Olde Salutation Inn

You'll find this place tucked down Hounds Gate, and the moment you duck through that low doorway, you're properly transported. The dark wood beams aren't just for show - they've been holding this place up since the 1240s, making it one of England's oldest surviving pubs. The rooms wind around each other in that wonderfully illogical medieval way, with nooks and crannies that feel like they're hiding secrets. What sets the Sal apart from other 'historic' pubs is how lived-in it feels. The locals who prop up the bar aren't tourists - they're here for the decent ales and the fact that their grandfathers probably drank in these same rooms. The staff know their regulars, the beer's well-kept, and nobody's trying to turn it into a gastro-anything. It's just a proper old pub that happens to be genuinely, verifiably ancient.