Horseshoe Hotel

An area of the country that I have never visited before.. a glimpse of historical past.. a warm charming English building that is original and handmade throughout.. enjoyed the evening meal and breakfast with the chef's unique twists.. thank you..

This was once a great place for a traditional Sunday lunch back in the day. Booked a table for two in April and was shocked when l walk through the bar. What was once a cosy bar has now got rough, untreated wood tacked onto everything. It looks awful. The dining room looked scruffy and the missing door had not been replaced. Maybe the owners have convinced themselves that all this looks quirky and charming; it doesn't, it just appears neglected. Instead of a water jug and glasses, we got a copper jug and beaker that didn't look fit to drink out of. The staff were friendly enough and the food was okay but expensive. The gents toilet gets an A for atrocious. Cold and draughty with walls all covered in rough-hewn wood. The sink is a filthy-looking metal bowl on a wooden shelf. This isn't quirky and charming; it's just squalid. I've included a photo of the sink.

So disappointing, very cold throughout. Had to ask for a portable heater for our room which was (reluctantly) found. Central heating in bedroom and bathroom did not come on at all in the morning- bathroom freezing. Room very grubby, tacky surfaces and poorly lit. Breakfast buffet table just horrible and poor quality. When we spoke to the owner at checkout and told him about our complaints he became defensive, aggressive, bombastic, unempathic and directed his anger mainly toward me (a female). My husband asked him for a discount and he indicated in no uncertain terms that this was not going to happen. We paid the bill and left.

Walking the coast-to-coast with friends and the only reason we booked in here was sheer convenience. Initial impressions were of a place that needed some TLC (our friend, a professional surveyor, said he wouldn't know where to begin checking the place out). Any low expectations or reservations soon dissipated. The welcome was warm and genuine, the bed was as modern and comfortable as the building was ancient and creaky. The dark green dining room had retained its 300 year old elegance despite a 20th century fireplace, but the roaring fire and high quality of the cooking were what mattered. A 'comfort food' choice of chicken and leek pie turned out to be a culinary experience to treasure - home made with thick, crunchy pastry and generous filling. It wouldn't have been out of place in a very pricey restaurant. A veggie friend remarked that the menu was obviously designed by a carnivore but the sole option of beetroot bourguignon went down well enough. The cooked breakfast menu was extensive and cooked to order. The bacon was thick (obviously not from a supermarket) and perfectly cooked. Continental breakfast options included a yoghurt, strawberry and oats. The beer was in top condition. The most impressive thing about our stay was experiencing some little, unexpected touches that, had they not been provided, would not have lowered our impression of the place, but reinforced our belief that the proprietors are genuinely concerned to give guests a great stay. Two examples: the espresso machine in the bedroom (no Nescafe instant here); and, instead of the usual trio of pre-packed ginger nuts, we had midnight munchies of home-made fruit bread and mince pie with what I assume was a local cheese, a bit Swaldaley or Wensleydaley with a crunch (I should have asked), all left on a covered cheese board in the bedroom. Wonderful!

The staff are amazing and the food, what can I say, when the evening menu stated Ultimate Prawn Cocktail this was not an exaduration it was the best I have ever been served. Dog friendly is an understatement they truly welcome all dogs. The roaming chickens and roosters are so cute to observe, we did not experience the outdoor bar etc at this visit but will be back when it is warmer. Rooms were comfortable maybe a kettle instead of the coffee machine as there was only one coffee pod supplied and it seemed unnecessarily complicated for hot water, but that is just us. Overall a really chilled stay, we will be back.

Having struggled to find somewhere serving on a Tuesday night we were pleased that the team took our call and our booking! Food and service all excellent. Definitely home cooked and the chicken pie in particular was superb. Limited wine list but enough choice to complement the meal. Dining room was warm, cosy and inviting on a wet April evening.

Fantastic, homely dog friendly hotel in a lovely location in the North Yorks Moors, was perfect for us and our 2 old dogs, the only thing we were disappointed with was the bathroom and that's what stops this being a 5 star review. We arrived and were greeted by the staff and shown to our room on the top floor, after we unpacked and got settled my wife thought she heard running water so went to see if a tap had been left running, we soon discovered the shower head was on the shower cubicle floor, we picked it up and noticed it was dripping, not just a little drip but it was actually coming out as though the shower was turned on low, after trying to turn it off unsuccessfully i went to notify the staff, they knew about it and told us that's why it was placed on the floor, we asked for it to be fixed as we didn't want it dripping in the night and disturbing us, it was then ignored and we just learnt to angle it so the water went down the plug, obviously we were a bit concerned by water being wasted like this and looking at reviews it was mentioned back in June 2023!!, surely a cheap, easy fix to do? The bin in the bathroom was also very rusty, the toilet seat was chipped, the paintwork was flaking and chipped and there was black mould all over the walls, again all of these would be relatively easy to fix and would improve the only negative about the whole place we found. The room itself was well equipped with tea/coffee facilities, drawers at both sides of the bed and a large wardrobe, ample storage room. Also a lovely touch with the cheese/bread and cakes left in the room. Upon entering the room there were dog bowls and dog blankets laid out as well as a jar of dog treats too, we had brought all our on stuff but were delighted to see that kind of effort to make pets welcome, a massive plus for us. Breakfast was lovely too, including sausages for the dogs. help yourself continental then a cooked menu to choose from, again very satisfactory to us both. Breakfast is only served 8-9 so if your a late riser you'll miss out!. The grounds were perfect too, a lovely raised beer garden area for walking the dogs as well as a smaller beer garden to the side, chickens and roosters wandering freely, we loved that. The bar area had a roaring fire and was a nice area to relax with a drink too, all the staff we met were very friendly and helpful. All in all an almost perfect stay, we will recommend this hotel and will definitely consider staying here in the future as it ticked all our boxes but as i say the bathroom really let it down. Thank you for a lovely stay!!

We had a lovely 3 night stay at The Horseshoe Hotel. Craig and Sharon were very welcoming and the room (#5) was very cosy overlooking the stream and chicken island. Ear plugs were provided if you didn't want to be woken early by the cockeral but for us, that was part of the charm and the experience of staying there. The Full Yorkshire Breakfast was amazing, i had one each morning we were there, my partner being vegetarian didn't but was happy with a continental option and a couple of hash browns. There are some steep hill walks all around, or a 30 - 45 minute drive to several places of interest plus the steam train from Grosmont to Pickering. Great location for exploring the North Yorkshire Moors.