Stayed at The Ancient Unicorn for the first time as we were attending a wedding at nearby Lartington Hall. Stay was for two nights, in the Charles Dickens cottage, so we had the opportunity to visit the restaurant and bar on the first night. After our self check-in, which was a breeze especially with parking directly outside of the room, we headed over to the bar where we were greeted at the door by a four legged landlord going by the name of Gus. Such a lovely well behaved dog who gets a lot of attention from visitors. We were then welcomed by Karli who is dedicated to ensure that her guests are happy and have a wonderful stay. Great selection of drinks and the food was really good with plenty to choose from the menu. All the staff were very polite and extremely helpful, making sure that we had everything we needed whilst serving food, drinks etc. Evening meal and breakfast were both good quality, home cooked, plentiful, very tasty and very enjoyable. The apartment has everything you could possibly need, it's clean, with a very comfortable bed, lots of space, well equipped kitchen, powerful hot shower, etc. Looking forward to another stay later on in the year so we can explore the area.

We were welcomed with open arms by the owner, staff and locals. Room across the courtyard was clean, compact, tastefully decorated and had everything we needed for a one night stay on our way home down south. By the end of the evening we were treated as old friends, dancing with the villagers to the "Shamrocks" from Bishops Auckland. A mix of the Pogues, meets sea shanties with a few old favourites thrown in, made for a very entertaining evening. Evening meal was traditional pub grub and the breakfast was superb, back in the bar where we had been dancing only a few hours before, but all tidied up and clean. A very unexpected but memorable night, and we would re-book in a heart beat if we were passing by again.

Nothing not to like.

A lovely quirky place to stay in a small quiet village. Perfect for us after a long day walking the Bowes Loop. Our room was cute and comfortable. We had an evening meal which was pleasant and a hearty breakfast. We played pool and watched the Olympics in the pub.

The shower flooded both times we used it so we had to mop it up and ask for more towells. The staff were very accommodating, but we were told the shower kept flooding despite having it looked at. The door did not close properly and the shower itself clearly needed resealing or replacing. The blinds in front of the door/window looking out directly to the courtyard were a bit flimsy and lacked privacy.

Breakfasts and evening meals were really good, chips were amazing. All cooked by Susan who worked so hard whilst we were there but still found time to make us very welcome. Thank you Susan Bedroom and bathroom was lovely, spotless easy to get in with instructions sent prior to arrival. Thank you

Internet in room wasn’t very good kept dropping out, couldn’t even get on using phone in the room. Okay in bar. Shower water took awhile to get warm and wasn’t that hot when it did come though, but I like a really hot shower so it might suit other people.

Room was clean modern, tea making facility's, TV in room. Breakfast was included in the price, full English, option to have cereal and orange juice, above and beyond especially for the price. The manger informed us that the pub isn't open on a Monday, we were very disputed as we wanted a drink and some food, as it was 10min drive back to Barnard Castle. The manager invited us in for a drink and then offered to cook us some food which we both had a curry, very nice. We had a great night and the manager looked after us very well. highly recommend this pub. Well done.

Shared bathroom. Didn't bother me on this occasion, but when its busy, I can image it would be a long wait to use the facility's.

The hotel is well situated in the centre of the village, and has a large car park. The rooms were spacious, although our room had noisy guests next door who didn’t seem to bother about the noise they were making in the early hours. We had a problem with our original room, but Karli the manageress was extremely helpful and gave another, better room. Unfortunately this room had a problem with the problem with the plumbing, so we ended up in the original room! The restaurant was open, we had an excellent meal and a few drinks. The menu was comprehensive and good value for money.

Nothing thing not to like

Extremely convenient courtyard room which was ideal with our dog. We were able to park directly outside the room, which was attractively decorated and the bed was exceptionally comfortable. Breakfast was included and was generous and very tasty. The village is well situated and attractive and good for a decent dog walk!

Our bedroom was on the cool side and the staff were dismissive when we asked if the heating could be turned up as nobody else had complained. Otherwise the staff were very friendly.

Very good advance checking in information provided. Clean and comfortable room. The home cooked meals were delicious and the staff were very welcoming and friendly.

Our evening meal was situated in the Public Bar which was populated by some regular customers whose language was often coarse. Whilst it didn’t bother us too much, there was a family with several children, also having a meal, who probably found it to be uncomfortable. A separate dining area for guests would complement the excellent food.

One of the Better locations I have been too, Great place,, lovely staff, and good food, Hotel room was small and up a lot of narrow stairs, (I mean a lot), I made the mistake of a heavy suitcase which I will not be using in the future, Room was clean and comfortable however for me the location was Really amazing, VERY close to Bowes castle and THE UK Route 66 (A66) which made it an unusual mix of Beautiful hills and fields with the constant drone of vehicles, I was walking and admiring the location but it sounded like I was stood on the M6 in rush hour,, (A little weird), I hope to return again soon as it is so local to many amazing places, next time I hope to take my Grandson hill walking as I feel the other rooms and apartments in the Hotel are perfect for this.

A room that did not make me feel like a Disney princess in a HIGH tower,, (Less stairs)

Location was just right to break the journey home from a Scotish holiday destination, Breakfast was good and the ensuite room was good if you are not bothered about easy window access.

The room had very limited opening window access due to room location in a stable block (there was a floor level arched non opening window in the room and an opening window at the end of a boiler cupboard/room, which meant leaving the door to this open in order to benefit from this ventilation, as my wife dislikes sleeping in a totally closed room, however there was consequent boiler operation noise disturbance,)