The Blue Bell Inn

We stayed for three nights and were made very welcome by Karl and Julie. Since we had our dog with us, Karl moved us to a larger room, which was spacious and spotless. Their pub was lovely, though it was a shame there wasn't a chef while we were there. Breakfast was excellent, with choices beyond the full Yorkshire, and the poached eggs were lovely. I think Julie's just edged Karl's, sorry Karl, yours were good too. Hope to return when we're next in the area. Jane, Phil and Ned

Our first visit, and being able to bring our dog Frank was a big part of it. Karl was brilliant, friendly, and all the staff did everything they could for the three of us. The room was large and really nice, with a comfortable bed, and the food was exceptional. It's in a pretty village and a great location. Breakfast used local produce, and the sausages and black pudding were stunning. Well done, we'll be back.

We were so disappointed, especially because we’d enjoyed several lovely visits to the Bluebell Inn in the past. After travelling a fair distance to return, the room we found was nothing like we remembered. The manager listened to why we were leaving, but said the other rooms were similar and she couldn’t move us because the place was full. I said I’d contact the owners, though their defensive replies to other unhappy guests made me doubt it would help. We’d paid £111 through Hotels.com for a twin room with breakfast. At check-in, the woman who showed us in seemed unhappy and didn’t greet us, which made for an uncomfortable start. The room was tucked off a rear landing beside an outside stair door, with no view. It was extremely basic, with mismatched, shabby furniture, wobbly beds, stained carpet, dirty carpet edges, torn wallpaper, a ceiling bulb out and a toilet that wouldn’t flush properly. There was also a serious safety issue: blind cords crossed a corner at neck height. In the dark, someone could catch their neck in them. A low box hanging under the doorway on the stairs from the bar was another hazard. We’re both six feet tall and had to duck, but there was no padding, warning sign or warning from the woman leading us upstairs. I took photos of these problems. We left within 15 minutes, returned the key and found somewhere else to stay. Years ago, the welcome and everything else had been top notch, at a price to match. What we encountered this time was the opposite. The excellent reviews gave us the impression that the old Bluebell Inn was still operating as before. This isn’t sour grapes, just genuine disappointment after our good experiences there and the long trip we made to return.

A lovely venue, with a good range of dishes on the menu and plenty of parking. The staff were really friendly, the rooms lovely and very clean, and the food excellent.