AutoRoute takes you along to the best gastropubs in the South of Britain

January is usually a cold, wet and windy month, where the weather gets its last chance to remind us what winter is all about. So as a way of keeping out the winter chill, the AutoRoute team has picked five of the best gastropubs across the south of the country, so you can enjoy a warming drink alongside fabulous food made from mouth-watering local ingredients.

In putting this route together we have tried to give a flavour of the different cuisines on offer, from Welsh lamb to the freshest Devon fish and seafood. Using AutoRoute to plan the route makes navigation a doddle, with turn-by-turn directions at the press of a button. If you plan to visit all of the gastropubs we have highlighted it adds up to a roundtrip of 400 miles, so it would be perfect for a long weekend. Of course if you have more time on your hands, AutoRoute contains details of thousands of local places of interest to keep you busy along the way!

The route we've mapped out takes you from Central London and heads out West, through picturesque Henley and onto the rugged and windswept beauty of Dartmoor. From there the route turns north, straying into Wales, before winding its way back to the hustle and bustle of London.

Our gastronomic trip begins in the heart of historic London at the Guinea Grill (www.theguinea.co.uk). Tucked away in the back streets of Mayfair, the Guinea Grill offers visitors a warm welcome and deliciously hearty food. The Guinea specialises in steaks made from Aberdeen Angus beef, dry aged for 28 days, and cooked to perfection. The kitchen is pretty good at pies too - so good, in fact, that they have been crowned National Steak and Pie champions three times.

Next on the route is the Black Boys Inn (www.blackboysinn.co.uk) in Berkshire, which is a short trip to the west of London, where the tall city buildings give way to rolling countryside. On the road to Henley, known around the world for sunshine, Pimms and the annual Henley Regatta, sits this converted 17th century pub. The building has been sympathetically renovated, and incorporates 8 bedrooms for weary travellers, or maybe just people who can't get enough of the food on offer in the bar downstairs. The cooking incorporates locally sourced game and fish with fresh and delicate flavours.

From the Black Boys Inn it's less than an hour's drive further west to The Hare (www.theharerestaurant.co.uk). Nestled just off the M4, The Hare restaurant is a place well worth making a detour for. This handsome pub is made up of three cosy rooms grouped around a central bar offering some seriously tasty food. The menu reflects the seasonal produce of the area, with hearty and warming flavours like beef and rabbit giving way in the summer months to the delicate aromas of crayfish and lamb. There's even a thoughtfully comprehensive wine list for those who would rather drink the grape than the grain.

Hopefully the food at The Hare will have built up your energy reserves, as next comes the longest leg of the journey so far - the 160 miles into Cornwall and the warmth of The Dartmoor Inn (www.dartmoorinn.com). The Dartmoor Inn can lay claim to being one of the first pubs to venture towards serious food, and ten years later, the same owners are still serving some of the best food in the area. Ingredients concentrate on the best the South West of England has to offer, with fresh fish from Devon and probably the star of the menu, Devon Ruby beef. Don't forget to leave enough room for a pint or two of the local Dartmoor best bitter to wash it all down with.

Leaving Devon, the last leg of our journey takes us north and into the rugged beauty of Wales. The gastropub we have selected on the route is in Brecon, made famous by the glorious Brecon Beacons national park (www.breconbeacons.org) where you can spend time walking across the hills, try your hand at one of the many outdoor activities, or just enjoy the fabulous views. And of course you'll want somewhere to rest afterwards, so our journey takes us to nearby pub The White Swan (www.the-white-swan.com). In its distant past The White Swan was a brewery before being turned into a shop, so it's good to see it returned to its spiritual roots. The pub offers food from the bar as well as a spacious dining room that can seat up to 40 people. The menu often features local wild boar and venison - a more exotic take on the lamb that Wales is famous for. Look out too for the distinctly Welsh cheeses on the pudding menu. So there we are - five brilliant gastropubs that offer a treat to even the most demanding gastronomic traveller.