The Heights Bunkhouse

The one bright spot was Sonia from the bar below. She went out of her way to help after I arrived to find a terrible room, and I appreciated her hospitality. The room itself was freezing, with radiators that barely heated it, no blinds, no hot water in the bathroom sink and power sockets that didn't work. Cleaning was poor, and I saw a centipede on my bed. I had a horrible night. I feel the owners are taking advantage of the shortage of affordable alternatives in this small town and have become complacent. Management really needs to be more proactive. Such a shame.

The place was in dreadful condition, and at £66.66 a night for two people, “no frills” doesn't mean no heat, poor cleaning, black mould on the shower ceiling or potentially dangerous electrics. There were clumps of hair in the shower, filthy bathroom floors and lumpy mattresses. We were woken at 4 am by a drunk man. Door locks were unreliable and didn't always close, and we could see marks where other doors had been kicked in. I wouldn't feel safe here as a woman on my own. Our second floor room for two had no electricity or heating when we arrived. After the reception guy ran around trying to sort it out, we were moved to an eight bed room on the first floor. It still had no heat. We didn't complain at first because we knew the boiler was off on Saturday. Overnight it was around 10 degrees or a little below, and we wore more layers indoors than on below-freezing summits. On Monday evening we asked about heating. The bar lady was apologetic and checked the remote thermostat, which showed 18 degrees. Our office at home is regularly 18 degrees and never feels this cold. A local had told us the landlord or owner had a bad attitude, and it seemed to show in the lack of care for the place. After finding the accommodation in this state, we wouldn't even consider eating here. DO NOT STAY HERE!

The burger was enormous and really tasty, the chips were cooked well, and my husband said the onion rings were the best he'd had in ages. We shared the £26 3 peaks burger and a meat feast pizza, and both were great. The food arrived quite quickly considering how busy it was. We hadn't stayed here, just stopped in for a drink and food after checking into a local b&b. It's much bigger inside than it looks, and it was so busy we only just found a seat after getting a quick drink at the bar. We left earlier than planned because it was noisy, but we'd happily come back and try to sit somewhere quieter.

Staff were very helpful, and there's a good choice of beer and spirits. This is a family pub and restaurant, mostly catering to families with small children, so the indoor play area was quite noisy. The carvery was popular, though a lot of menu dishes weren't available on Saturday teatime.