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 Yorkshire Country Hotels
The largest county in England and one of the most rural and unspoilt, Yorkshire contains two National Parks, the Dales in the west and the Moors in the East, both areas of outstanding natural beauty. The heather-smothered Moors are wild and awe-inspiring, whilst the Dales, where you'll find most of our hotels - some in the depths of the countryside, others in hamlets or rural villages - are gentler, their lush valleys interspersed with bare brown fells. The countryside here is never dull: there are rivers, burbling streams, tarns and waterfalls, fields of grazing sheep, divided by dry-stone walls, and a scattering of ruined medieval castles. With its stunning scenery as backdrop and network of paths and tracks, there are few places in England with more challenging or rewarding walks. The hotels are listed by price category, and their order bears no reflection on our preference.
 Reviews by Fiona Duncan |
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| Luxury: Former coaching inn on the Duke of Devonshire's Bolton Abbey estate, now a fine hotel |
| Location: BOLTON ABBEY; on the Bolton Abbey Estate beside the River Wharfe in the Yorkshire Dales |
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| Rambling and full of character, this fine country house hotel enjoys a ravishing setting in natural parkland with a delightful Italian box garden and long views over unspoilt countryside. For dinner, choose between two restaurants (the Michelin-starred Burlington or the bustling, contemporary brasserie) before heading for one of the imaginatively decorated bedrooms. For romantics, there’s a room with a polished steel bath for two; for relaxation, make for the spa. And there's parking for your helicopter too. |
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| Luxury: Impressive castle with a relaxed atmosphere and award-winning cuisine |
| Location: MASHAM; in its own 200-acre grounds just outside the town |
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| You’ve always wanted to stay in a real castle? Then look no further than Swinton Park, ancestral home of the Cunliffe-Lister family. Set in a 200-acre park, complete with lakes and walled garden, the house is richly furnished but with an unpretentious air. The award-winning food is mostly sourced from the Swinton estate, and there's a cookery school, run by celebrity chef Rosemary Shrager, in restored Georgian stables. A determinedly eco-friendly hotel. |
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| Mid Price: Cosy inn with a romantic setting opposite abbey ruins |
| Location: BYLAND; opposite Byland Abbey |
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| It’s hard to imagine a more romantic location than the one enjoyed by this little inn, with just three charming bedrooms, facing as it does the elegaic, starkly beautiful ruins of Byland Abbey. Both are owned by English Heritage who have recently returned the ground floor restaurant and bar to its Victorian roots, cosy and full of nooks, with open fire and candlelight and furnished with specially commissioned 'Mousey' Thompson dining tables and chairs from nearby Kilburn. A delight. |
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| Mid Price: Michelin-starred food at this superb traditional village inn |
| Location: RAMSGILL; on the village green in the Nidderdale Valley, near Harrogate |
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| Flagged floors, beams, wood-panelled rooms and open fires welcome you home to the Yorke Arms after a long walk in the glorious rolling Dales. There’s a reassuring feeling of order: what should have been polished has been polished, and what should have been swept has been. The candlelit restaurant serves as a showcase for Frances Atkin’s Michelin-starred, daily changing menu. The 12 bedrooms, all refurbished with new bathrooms, are contemporary yet cosy. It’s hard to fault it. |
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| Mid Price: Welcoming village inn filled with antiques and paintings |
| Location: RIPLEY; in centre, 3 miles north of Harrogate |
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| Seascapes and ancestors share the walls in the warm public rooms of Sir Thomas and Lady Ingilby's Ripley inn, a thriving establishment with an attentive staff. Bedrooms are split between the inn, around the cobbled courtyard (where they are lighter and more modern) and peaceful Birchwood House, across the road. All have fresh flowers, immaculate bathrooms and careful decoration. For meals, choose between the restaurant and bistro, where many of the ingredients are sourced from the estate. |
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| Mid Price: Welcoming village hotel with a superb outlook |
| Location: REETH; overlooking the village green in Swaledale, 10 miles W of Richmond |
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| The Burgoyne stretches its late-Georgian length along the top of Reeth’s sloping green, enjoying an uninterrupted view of the exceptionally pretty Swale valley: a view faced by most of the beautifully appointed and deeply comfortable bedrooms. The house has an elegant, tastefully furnished interior, including two sitting rooms with medieval touches here and there, but it’s Derek Hickson’s warm welcome that is the magic ingredient. Chef Paul Salonga produces a first-rate four-course dinner every evening. |
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| Mid Price: Cosy, yet sophisticated old inn with excellent modern British food |
| Location: HETTON; in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, 6 miles from Skipton |
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| A winding drive through beautiful Dales scenery makes arriving at this gem of a pub even more welcome. A crofter’s cottage, more than 500 years old in parts, it once brewed and served beer to passing cattle drovers. The atmosphere is relaxed: cosy rooms have oak beams, their nooks filled with polished furniture. In winter fires crackle; in summer you can dine outside overlooking Cracoe Fell. Diners come from far and wide to sample the superb modern British food, and there are five comfortable rooms for those who don't want to leave till morning. |
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| Mid Price: Relaxed pub, restaurant and rooms with bags of character |
| Location: HAROME, 2½ miles SE of Helmsley |
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| A 14th-century thatched pub and restaurant with rooms, the Star has old beams, dark nooks and a Michelin star for owner chef Andrew Pern’s inspired cooking. The sitting room is large and opulent, warmed in winter by an open fire, and the fairytale private upstairs dining room has been decorated by local artists. In a lodge opposite the inn, the eight bedrooms are immaculate, a perfect blend of the rustic and the modern. Guests relish the comfortable, stress-free atmosphere here. |
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| Mid Price: Glorious views outside, vibrant coloursinside in this informal estate hotel |
| Location: BURNSALL; on the Duke of Devonshire's Bolton Abbey estate in the Yorkshire Dales |
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| With a glorious setting overlooking the wide, curling river Wharfe and sheep-flecked fells beyond, nothing prepares visitors for the present Duchess of Devonshire's bold, contemporary and colourful interiors at this laid back hotel, brasserie and bar, complemented by spacious, equally colourful bedrooms. Two rooms, one on each floor, make perfect family suites, with two bathrooms each. A friendly, relaxed atmosphere and an excellent contrast to its sister hotel, the more traditional Devonshire Arms. |
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| Inexpensive: Spectacular views from this convivial converted 18th-century inn |
| Location: ARKENGARTHDALE, 5 miles from Reeth, 10 miles from Richmond |
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| Charles and Stacy Cody took over a derelict 18th-century roadside inn and in ten years made it ‘Pub of the Year’, a huge achievement. Popular with Dales people, it is surrounded by scenery of astonishing grandeur and the bedrooms have glorious views. They are light and modern, with homely touches and some period furniture. Downstairs, in various public rooms, the ambience is darker and more masculine, and there’s a traditional bar with a tempting menu of locally-sourced dishes. |
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| Inexpensive: Old fashioned country hotel in the Nidd valley |
| Location: WATH-IN-NIDDERDALE; in hamlet in Nidderdale valley, 2 miles NW of Pately Bridge, near Harrogate |
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| Ably cared for by owners Jane and Ray Carter, this traditional inn continues to welcomed walkers and country lovers. The long, rambling building dates from the 17th century and the setting, with the river Nidd in front and Dales spread all around, is as enchanting as the village name sounds. Bedrooms are light and fresh, with modern bathrooms but it's the food, served in a dining room sparkling with silver cutlery and crystal lights, that remains the highlight of a stay. |
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