Hotel Review
Location
The New Inn is located in the village of Clapham, six miles north west of Settle in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. As a conservation village, many features of modern life do not exist. In Clapham you will not find any street lamps, overhead wires or modern architecture. The New Inn began life as a coaching inn in the eighteenth century and the listed building is now a luxurious country inn.
Arrival and Check-in
The inn was easy to spot in the village centre and had a large car park at the rear. We entered via the rear door and wandered into the pleasant bar and spoke to one of the bartenders who was very organised and aware of our reservation. He then carried our overnight bags and showed us to our room on the second floor. Being an old inn, there was a maze of narrow corridors and short flights of steps so it was useful to learn our route. Although the hotel does not have a lift, it does have some ground floor rooms suitable for wheelchair access.
The Room
The inn has 19 individually designed rooms and our executive room was beautifully appointed. The spacious room boasted original oak beams and an antique four poster bed with crisp white bed linen.
I was drawn to the attractively upholstered window seat from where there were gorgeous views of the babbling brook running through the centre of the village over which an old stone humped back bridge passes.
The country style soft furnishings complimented the oak beamed room so well. On a side table we found a hospitality tray with an assortment of high quality teas, coffee and biscuits. For such a large room, the 24 inch television seemed small and wasn’t so easy to watch from the bed, but this was just a minor niggle as we’d come to spend time in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park and not waste too much time watching television.
Our en-suite bathroom had recently been installed and came equipped with a powerful rain shower, fluffy towels and luxury toiletries.
Dining
The Bar – The New Inn’s bar has recently undergone extensive renovations and as I had visited once before, long before the new owner had taken charge, I couldn’t believe how much better it was. Care has been taken to retain the pub’s original features whilst creating a stylish and sophisticated area.
The weather might have been dull and dreary outdoors but inside the welcoming bar, sitting around its cheerful wood burning stove with our glasses of wine, we soon felt warm and cosy. Dinner can either be taken in the bar or in the more formal 1745 Bistro. As we had arrived early and managed to secure a large corner table, we opted to remain in the bar as the same menu was available there.
The food is all home cooked and the menu had lots of interesting dishes to tempt us. For my starter I selected Tiger Prawns with Liguine whilst across the table my dining partner opted for Thai fish cakes which, naturally I was duty bound to sample. Both these dishes were delicious and beautifully presented.
For our mains we again chose differently. I opted for the pan fried bake cooked with butter and fennel on a white butter sauce whilst my husband tucked into a rich venison casserole topped with dumplings, both of which were mouthwatering and excellent value for money.
We chatted to a group of four people on the next table who were relaxing at the hotel after climbing the Three Peaks – Pen y Ghent, Ingleborough and Whernside. The hotel being ideally situated for walking holidays and the bar a great place to relax after a day on the fells.
1745 Bistro
Breakfast was served in the hotel’s bistro where a cheerful log fire had already been lit. A table on one of the side walls was laid out with fresh fruit, cereals and pastries and from the printed menu on our table we each ordered a traditional cooked breakfast. These were freshly prepared with eggs cooked in any way guests desired so I opted for the healthier option of poached rather than fried.
When the breakfast was served, I particularly liked the miniature pans that the baked beans were served in. Along with our cups of coffee, we popped thick slices of wholemeal bread into the toaster then spread them with lashings of the hotel’s home made tangy orange marmalade. I am a big fan of marmalade and find it sad to read that its popularity is on the wane with most people now preferring jam at breakfast.
Overall
The New Inn has an Australian owner who was very friendly and made a point of coming round to each table to introduce himself and spend a few minutes chatting with all his guests. This was so nice as it made everyone feel welcome and added a personal touch. I would definitely recommend a stay at the New Inn as it’s an excellent combination between a country hotel and gastropub as well as being an ideal base for hillwalking and climbing the Three Peaks. Both the bar and the restaurant are open to non residents for those that don’t live too far away and just want to call in for a drink or a meal.
We were guests of the New Inn Clapham and as always, all views and opinions are entirely my own.
For more information of things to do in the surrounding area, you might like to read:
A short break in the Yorkshire Dales
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