A Country Inn Reinvented
Bel and the Dragon sits on Jumps Road in Churt, on the Surrey - Hampshire border between Farnham and the Devil’s Punch Bowl. Part of a small collection of boutique inns operated by Fuller’s, it has been sympathetically restored to balance period character with contemporary comfort: think exposed brick, open fires, and carefully chosen furnishings rather than corporate uniformity.
The name itself, Bel and the Dragon, is drawn from the apocryphal Book of Daniel, and each inn in the collection takes its identity from the local area while sharing a consistent standard of hospitality. The Churt location is the most rural of the group, and arguably the most appealing for anyone drawn to the Surrey Hills countryside.
Dining
The kitchen serves seasonal British food built around local ingredients, with menus that shift through the year. Breakfast runs from 7:30am for overnight guests, lunch and dinner cover a range from pub classics to more considered dishes, and the bar stocks ales, wines, and cocktails. Sunday lunch is a fixture, and private dining can be arranged for groups. The garden, a large and well-kept pub garden, comes into its own through summer.
The Rooms
The en-suite bedrooms are arranged in three categories: Comfy Doubles, Indulgence Doubles, and Family rooms that sleep two adults and a child. Each is individually styled with quality linens, elegant furnishings, and a complimentary nightcap in the Indulgence rooms. A full breakfast is served every morning. The inn is dog-friendly and welcomes families, and a free children’s entertainment programme runs on Sunday afternoons.
Churt and the Devil’s Punch Bowl
Churt is a scattered, leafy village straddling the A287 south of Farnham. It sits at the foot of Hindhead Common, where the National Trust’s Devil’s Punch Bowl offers some of the most dramatic walking in the county: a vast natural amphitheatre of heathland and woodland, with panoramic views from the rim. The Hindhead Tunnel, opened in 2011, removed through-traffic from the old A3 route and returned the area to something approaching its original tranquillity.
The village itself is quiet and well-to-do. David Lloyd George retired here in the 1920s, and the surrounding countryside retains a genuine sense of remoteness despite being barely an hour from central London. Farnham, with its castle, independent shops, and thriving food scene, is ten minutes to the north. The area is popular with families, walkers, and anyone seeking deep countryside with a practical commute via the A3 corridor to Guildford and London.
