Having been born in Surrey, a chance to stay in a wonderful coaching inn in his home county proved impossible to resist for KIM MAYO

AN OVERNIGHT stay at one of England’s finest coaching inns was an opportunity that my partner and I were absolutely delighted to accept and it certainly proved a knockout in more ways than one.

The Talbot Inn’s history dates back to 1453 and has hosted numerous illustrious guests in the intervening years.

Indeed, one of the most famous was Lord Nelson who it is believed began his love affair with Lady Hamilton there in 1798.

That is hardly a surprise as the Talbot is certainly the perfect setting for a romantic break.

After an extremely pleasant drive from Sussex to leafy Surrey, we arrived at the Talbot, which is situated in Ripley Hight Street, near Woking.

As we were checking in, the receptionist warned us about the low ceilings and wooden beams. “Of course,” I replied, words which come back to haunt me a short time later.

Moments later we were greeted by the Talbot’s general manager, the extremely efficient and affable Francesco Bartolomei, who deserves a gold star for service.

We had been booked into the Horatio Room on the first floor, which was lovely with a splendid view across the High Street and beyond from the windows.

Having unpacked, my partner and I decided to take a late afternoon stroll and then... bang... I managed to walk straight into one of the aforementioned beams in our room. Talk about seeing stars, but I cannot say I wasn’t warned.

Ripley is a quiet country village with several quirky shops and beautiful homes, none of which, sadly I will ever be able to afford unless I win the National Lottery.

After our stroll it was back to the Talbot for dinner and once again Francesco was at our side and escorted us to our table in the light and spacious dining/breakfast room which looks out over the impressively maintained grounds.

My partner opted for the Ribeye steak and assorted trimmings, while I went for the duck, a perennial favourite.

Both were cooked to absolute perfection and were washed down with a large gin and tonic and glass of dry rose respectively.

I am not a pudding person, in stark contrast to my partner, who still had room for assorted flavours of ice cream. I was content with a delicious Irish coffee instead of a dessert.

And so it was time for bed and one of the best night’s sleep I have ever had in the huge and ever so comfortable double bed. We awoke fully rested and it was time for a bath before breakfast.

However, I once again failed to heed the warning about the beam and moments later I was sporting bump number two on my forehead. Nobody’s fault but mine once again although I did manage to turn the air blue.

Breakfast itself proved to be an extremely tasty affair too, as I ordered Eggs Benedict and my partner chose soft boiled eggs with toasted “soldiers”.

Again, both were cooked to perfection and supplemented with a couple of cups of coffee.

If you are looking for a one or two-night stay or perhaps even longer, I cannot recommend the Talbot highly enough. The main inn is beautifully decorated as indeed are the rooms and the service is absolutely first class. I certainly hope to return one day because the surrounding areas have plenty to offer too.

However, we didn’t even get as far as nearby Woking for the simple reason that there was no need to venture beyond the Talbot. It really was that good. Finally, another mention for Francesco. He was the perfect host.