Driving The Pig Trail: exploring England
one kitchen garden at a time
There are many ways to explore England. You can ride the train from city to city, float down the Thames, or spend a week politely queueing for things in London. But there is another way to see the country — slower, more picturesque, and considerably more delicious.
Not literal pigs (although many of their friends, the sheep, appear in nearby fields), but The Pig — one of Britain’s most charming luxury boutique hotel groups. These country‑manor hotels operate on a philosophy so simple it borders on genius: they are, in their own words, “restaurants with rooms.”
The idea is the creation of British hotelier Robin Hutson, a pioneer of modern boutique hospitality who previously co‑founded the Hotel du Vin chain before launching The Pig concept in 2011. The brand’s defining motif is their famous “25‑mile menu,” meaning most ingredients served in the property’s restaurant come from within a 25‑mile radius — many grown directly in the hotel’s own kitchen garden (in which each Pig offers a daily garden tour for their guests).
Coloured glass adorn most of The Pig’s cocktail salons
Photo: AJT
For many Pig pilgrims, the hotel and restaurant are not the only draw but so is the surrounding countryside, city or villages.
So I decided to follow what I came to call the Pig Trail — a road trip linking several of the properties by car: Cornwall, Devon, Bath and the Cotswolds. (Note: There are also Pigs in Dorset, Hampshire, Kent and West Sussex, nine in total, but I focused on the ones in the country’s south-west region.)
For a Montrealer driving in the U.K., the first challenge is remembering the steering wheel is on the “wrong side “of the car.
Just getting out of the Heathrow airport gave me a fright! “Look right, stay left” became my mantra behind the wheel.
While the main motorways are quite efficient, the second challenge is navigating country lanes that appear to have been designed originally for horses and very thin ones at that!
But that is part of the joy, er, experience.
The Pig hotels are rarely easy to find. They hide in valleys, behind hedgerows, or down winding country roads that make you wonder if your GPS has begun hallucinating.
And then suddenly, you arrive — usually in front of a breath-taking, historic mansion surrounded by luscious gardens (The Pig in Devon, for example, was built around 1066 by the step-brother of William the Conqueror!)
At the Pig, the gardens are not decoration. They are the beating heart of the entire enterprise.
Rows of herbs, vegetables, edible flowers and fruit trees stretch across the grounds. Gardeners wander the beds with baskets and clippers harvesting ingredients that will appear on plates a few hours later. Chefs design menus based not simply on what they wish to cook, but what the garden — and nearby farms — have on offer.
The result is food that tastes unmistakably of the place you are in.
The aesthetic across the Pig hotels is best described as modern rustic with a wink of Victorian eccentricity. Antiques mix with reclaimed wood, colourful bar glassware glows in the light, and you might discover a taxidermy bird or a pig sculpture quietly observing the room.
View of The Pig in the Cotswolds as seen from the world-renowned gardens of Rosemary Very, a former resident of this property and the garden designer who worked on King Charles’ and Elton John’s gardens
Photo: AJ
Driving the Pig Trail – A.J. Twist’s Route Map
Cornwall – The Pig at Harlyn Bay: Beaches beneath the clifftops, Atlantic surf and spectacular coastal walks.
Devon – The Pig at Combe: Rolling farmland, ancient hedgerows and some of England’s most beautiful rural driving.
The Pig Near Bath: Roman history, honey‑coloured architecture and the perfect Pig base for exploring the city.
The Pig in the Cotswolds: Storybook England. Hilltop villages, stone cottages and winding country roads that reward getting pleasantly lost.
Car rental tips: 1) If you can afford to, try to book a car that is automatic. Most rental cars in Europe are manual. If you are not used to driving on the right side, shifting gears with your left hand can add another layer of complexity to your journey. 2) Get the full insurance coverage offered by the rental company. With these narrow roads you will inevitably be returning the car with a few new nicks or scratches. Your credit-card or own car insurance plans may end up disappointing you here. You can thank me later. 3) Get the in-car GPS option. Your own Google Maps app or Waze might be great at home but can send you delayed directions meaning that you can easily get lost or miss an exit off the endless roundabouts. 4) Watch the speed limit. There are speed cameras everywhere!