The Ancient Unicorn Hotel in the pretty village of Bowes is the ideal place for walkers to relax after a day of exploring County Durham and North Yorkshire.
Conveniently located near to the A66, the hotel is the perfect base to enter the Lakes or to visit towns such as Richmond and Barnard Castle. Portfolio North were kindly invited to visit and stay at this historic and beautiful location.
With 14 cosy bedrooms, a pub and coffee shop on site, there are plenty of places to relax and unwind. Many walks start or pass through the village of Bowes, with plenty of walking routes for hikers of every ability.
God’s Bridge is a 7.5 mile walk starting in Bowes that takes you through the River Greta valley on parts of the Pennine Way to a natural limestone bridge across the river. Walking across heather moors and wildflower meadows, this walk takes in the beauty of County Durham and is ideal for those on a walking holiday and wanting to explore the local area. A 3.5 mile walk into Barnard Castle is an easier option and takes in the quaint market town, ruined castle and calming river.
The Hotel- and Bowes itself- is steeped in history. With a horse mount outside and original features as well as listed properties on the site, it was lovely to stay somewhere so connected with the past. Even some of the locks on the doors were listed- an interesting fact that the welcoming owner Terry told us about.
Terry also told us that it is allowed to be called ‘ancient’ as it has only changed owners twice, and that it is the only hotel in the UK called The Ancient Unicorn. Charles Dickens visited the nearby Bowes Academy, a private school for 200 boys, and was outraged by its disgraceful conditions. In his novel, Nicholas Nickleby, he exposes the academy and its headmaster. It caused a public outcry that forced many similar schools to close down. The owner told us that Dickens stayed at The Ancient Unicorn and wrote much of the novel there. With hundreds of years of heritage surrounding us, it was great to learn about the history of the hotel and the area.
The close by Bowes Museum is a large French Chateau full of artefacts collected by the Bowes family and includes exhibitions on fashion, art and culture. There are activities for all ages and stunning parks and gardens to explore.
Nearby, High and Low Force are two of the most impressive waterfalls in England and a visit to Upper Teesdale is a must. There are walks around both waterfalls and plenty of idyllic spots for a picnic or to take in the views.
The room itself was comfortable and was a lovely place to unwind after our exploration of County Durham. The hotel has an apartment suitable for eight people and is great for groups on walking holidays. We headed down to the restaurant for dinner and really enjoyed the atmosphere and pleasantness of the staff. We had prawns and salmon and a halloumi dish for starters, both of which were delicious and the seafood was really fresh. We both had fillet steaks which were delicious and the perfect portion size. The wine was also lovely and complemented the steaks.
After a peaceful night of sleep in a cosy bed, we had a full cooked breakfast which set us up for another day of exploring before we headed home.
In beautiful surroundings and with so much heritage and history surrounding the hotel and County Durham itself, our stay was full of exploration and education as we took in all that the hotel and Bowes had to offer. The perfect place from which to relax on a walking holiday, the rooms and restaurant were lovely and Terry and his staff were fantastic throughout.
To book your own stay, visit https://ancientunicorn.com/ or follow @the_ancientunicorn on Instagram and Facebook for the latest updates.
