The viral claim vs the facts
A headline saying there’s a beautiful commuter village with the “UK’s best pub” you can reach by a London bus sounds great. We went looking for it. No exact match turned up. The search results pointed to popular commuter spots like Putney, Barnes and East Sheen in southwest London, plus places outside the capital such as Billericay, Beaconsfield, Bray, Worthing and St Neots. None of those directly matched a village with a nationally crowned “best pub” on a TfL bus route.
Two issues muddle the claim. First, the title “UK’s best pub” changes hands. Different lists pick different winners each year—think CAMRA’s National Pub of the Year or the Top 50 Gastropubs. Recent top spots have gone to places like the Tamworth Tap (Staffordshire) and The Unruly Pig (Suffolk)—great pubs, but not on a London bus route.
Second, “London bus” can mean two different things: a TfL red bus or any coach/bus starting in London. TfL buses do cross the boundary into neighbouring counties—Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent, Surrey and Berkshire—but not as far as many famous foodie villages. Trains and non-TfL coaches reach commuter towns like Beaconsfield or Bray; the red buses do not.
So, is there a single village that ticks every box—commuter-friendly, reachable by TfL bus, and home to the reigning “best pub in Britain”? We couldn’t verify one. But there are plenty of charming villages you can ride to on a red bus, and several have standout pubs, handsome greens and proper Sunday roast energy.
Six village-style day trips you can actually reach by bus
These picks keep it simple: you can get there on regular TfL buses, they feel like a break from the city, and you’ll find pubs worth the journey. Travel times vary with traffic; check timetables before you go.
Downe, Bromley (Route 146)
A true village with a flint church, lanes and big skies—plus Down House, Charles Darwin’s home, on the edge of the village. The 146 from Bromley drops you near the green. Expect low-beamed pubs with fires in winter and garden benches in summer.Tatsfield, North Downs (Route 464)
Ride the 464 from New Addington up to a hilltop village straddling the Surrey-Kent ridge. Views, bridleways and a proper local on the green. It’s the kind of place where a pint after a walk just makes sense.Keston, Bromley (Routes 146/246)
A compact village feel, ponds and commons, and a sturdy pub by the green. The 146 and 246 both run through Keston, making it one of the easiest countryside-leaning escapes for southeast Londoners.Abridge, Essex (Route 375)
The 375 runs out from Romford through open fields to Abridge on the River Roding. Timbered fronts, a classic coaching-road feel and pubs that lean hearty rather than fussy. It feels far from the city, yet you rode there on Oyster.Banstead, Surrey (Route 166)
A village high street with independent shops, bakeries and a choice of pubs. The 166 from Croydon threads through green edges of Surrey. In late summer, lavender fields nearby turn the hills purple—a bonus for day-trippers.Ewell Village, Surrey (Routes 293/406)
Quiet ponds, Bourne Hall’s sci‑fi‑meets-1960s dome, and several old inns scattered around the centre. The 293 (Morden–Epsom) and 406 (Kingston–Epsom) make this an easy hop for southwest London.
What about the commuter places that often pop up in property guides—Putney, Barnes and East Sheen? They’re very much London, but each has a village core and strong pub game, tied together by dense bus networks. As for Beaconsfield, Bray, Billericay, Worthing and St Neots, they’re plausible commuter bases—but you’ll be using trains or non-TfL buses to get there. Not red buses.
One last point on superlatives. “Best pub in the UK” headlines travel fast, but they rarely mean one eternal winner. Lists rotate. Judges and criteria differ. If your goal is a day out with a great roast, a pint poured right and a walk that clears the head, the villages above deliver that—and you can tap in and go.
