What makes the perfect pub? For those looking to visit one that gets the balance just right from décor to pints, an “uplifting” inn in North Yorkshire has been named one of the best.

Birch Hall Inn located in Beck Hole, near Whitby within the North York Moors National Park, has been named among 12 of the best in the UK, according to National Geographic.

The travel, science and history experts said: “Whatever trends come and go, there should always be a place for proper pubs — those iconic institutions that have been the cornerstone of British culture for centuries.

“A purist’s pub is their safe place — a calming quarantine of quiet contemplation, a serene antidote to modern-day madness, a cosy asylum where one can clutch a pint to one’s chest.

“In such a pub, there should be no loud music, no spirit-sapping Sky Sports and ideally no fancy food that requires holding cutlery in a hand that could otherwise be wrapped around a drink.

“There certainly shouldn’t be any flashing fruit machines giving you the glittering glad-eye. Being served should involve orderly queuing and never, under any circumstances, a QR code.”

Why is the Birch Hall Inn among 12 of the UK’s best pubs?

Birch Hall Inn is nestled in the “spectacular” North York Moors National Park, explains National Geographic.

It adds: “This eccentric, uplifting idyll of an inn is the smallest pub in Yorkshire.

“Consisting of two taverns separated by an abundantly stocked, old-fashioned sweet shop, it’s where hikers and holidaymakers bump elbows as they enjoy a well-maintained range of ales served alongside pork pies and pickles, stotties and its well-known ‘beer cake’.

“There’s no wi-fi and it's cash only. It’s brilliant.”

On Tripadvisor, one review said: "We have been coming here for many years now we now live in Whitby so often go to Goathland and walk down to Beck Hole

"Lovely homemade scone and tea for me and pint of cider for hubby, dog friendly, lovely open fire very cosy on a miserable rainy day, they have a lovely area at the back for summer days and a few seats on the front which catch the sun."

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12 of the best UK pubs according to National Geographic

  • The Bell Inn, Aldworth
  • Southampton Arms, North London
  • The Dyffryn Arms, Cwm Gwaun
  • Ypres Inn, Rye
  • Pride of Spitalfields, east London
  • Basketmakers, Brighton
  • The Blisland Inn, Cornwall
  • The Magnet, Stockport
  • Birch Hall Inn, North Yorkshire
  • Queens Head, Cambridgeshire
  • Sunflower, Belfast

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When commenting on what makes the ideal boozer, National Geographic added: “There should be beer, wine and spirits, offered without the tyranny of too much choice.

“There should be nuts and crisps. There should, preferably, be some kind of dog and a piano.

“If the dog plays the piano, that’s even better. And, ultimately, there should be no compelling reason to leave.”