The best autumn walks within an hour of London (with an excellent pub at the end)

Botany Bay, in Kent

(Picture: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

There are some benefits to the seasons turning and the weather cooling down: waking up every day to a window-pane canvas of crimson treetops and dusting off your winter coat like an old friend.

But really, the best thing about autumn is a bracing walk followed by a goblet of red wine in a country pub. OK, forget the walks — the best thing about autumn is warming wine in the pub. But it tastes all the sweeter after some physical toil and a mild case of windburn.