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The Blue Lion - East Witton

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Cosy pub-with-rooms in the middle of the Dales

If you’re looking for a real countryside break, you can’t do much better than this inn, situated right in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. It’s everything you could hope for – flagstone floors, roaring fires, a cosy bar and a big range of hand-pulled ales, but with chic, luxurious and comfy bedrooms and an award-winning restaurant to mark this pub-with-rooms out from the crowd.

The cosy bedrooms make great use of the inn’s eighteenth century origins, mixing ever-so-slightly wonky floorboards and wooden eaves mixing well with twenty-first century beds, crisp bed linen and lovely en-suite bathrooms. For a really romantic weekend, ask for a room in the converted stable block – these snug little bolt-holes couldn’t be more conducive for a bit of canoodling.

The Blue Lion’s restaurant, once described as ‘one of the most romantic in the whole of England’ is lit in the evenings by candlelight. A sumptuous menu of British dishes, more than worthy of its numerous awards, includes fantastic local game and, of course some great Wensleydale cheeses.

Where is it?

The very pretty village of East Witton really does seem like the middle of nowhere, with the rolling hills of Wensleydale surrounding it on all sides. This is prime walking country, and you can explore miles of paths and trails right from The Blue Lion’s doorstep.

The picturesque market town of Middleham is half an hour’s walk from East Witton, and is a great place for pottering a day away. Cosy pubs, bakeries, antique shops and cheese emporiums line the cobbled market place, while the town’s castle, the childhood home of Richard III, watches over them. For something a bit different, visit The Forbidden Corner, a slightly mad folly – a maze of tunnels, caves and weird sculptures - in the grounds of Middleham’s Tupgill Park (www.theforbiddencorner.co.uk Tel: 01969 640638).

It’s no surprise that scenic Wensleydale is a favourite with film location scouts, and a drive around might bring back memories of All Creatures Great and Small, which was filmed here, and more recently, Elizabeth, which used Middleham and Bolton castles. But for some real cinema history, visit the beautiful Aysgarth Falls, twenty minutes from The Blue Lion, where mullet king, Kevin Costner, duelled with Little John in Robin Hood – Prince of Thieves.

You could, of course, try looking for Wensleydale’s most famous duo, Wallace and Gromit, but apparently they’ve moved to St Lucia for tax reasons.

Where can I eat?

The Blue Lion really is a fantastic place to eat, and is one of the best restaurants in the area, having been named Dining Pub of the Year three times in the last decade.

If you fancy an alternative, you could try The Wensleydale Heifer (www.wensleydaleheifer.co.uk Tel: 01969 622322) in West Witton, 6 miles from The Blue Lion. This friendly pub/restaurant in has, rather amazingly for somewhere in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, been named the AA Seafood pub of the Year 2007. Its light and modern seafood menu is fantastic, with chic and sophisticated elements sitting alongside The Heifer’s famous Whitby cod and chips.

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If you’re looking for a romanticl countryside break, you can’t do much better than this inn, situated right in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales.