The Blue Bell Inn - Please support us by booking direct.

First time here and as a dog friendly . What can we say. Karl was superb friendly and all staff couldn’t do enough for all 3 of us(including Frank the puppa ) Room was large and very nice , comfortable bed and food was exceptional! Great location and pretty village. Breakfast was locally sourced and the sausages and black pudding stunning. Well done and we will be back

We booked through Hotels.com a room with 2 single beds £111 for the night including breakfast. Upon arrival, we were met with a lady who looked very unhappy, no smiles, no greeting, this did not make us feel welcome, we do realise that sometimes people may not have a lot to smile about, but nonetheless it was uncomfortable checking in. We were then led up some stairs off the bar, where there was what looked like a meter box hanging below the doorway, we are both 6 feet tall and had to duck to not knock our heads, - no padding on it, no sign telling you to mind your head, no warning from the lady taking us to our room. The room itself was off a rear landing, near the door to the outside stairs. It had no view, a glass window panel to the entrance door with a blind over it. The room was beyond basic, mismatched, shabby furniture and cheap wobbly beds, stains on the carpet. Filthy edges to the carpet, ripped wallpaper, One of the 2 ceiling bulbs out, and the toilet did not flush properly. Of particular safety concern, were nylon cords for blinds angled across the corner of the room at neck height, (I am a 6 footer) surely these should be routed and secured through a ring higher up on the wall, so they are usable but for somebody fumbling in the dark, it would be perfectly possible to get your neck caught in these. I have taken photographs to substantiate my comments. Within 15 minutes of being in the room, we took our bags, returned the key and left to find accommodation elsewhere. We have stayed at the Bluebell Inn and enjoyed many a warm welcome, several times before when enjoying country pursuits locally, albeit not for the last 5 years or so, when everything was absolutely top notch, and priced accordingly.... but what we saw earlier this evening was diametrically opposite to what that wonderful establishment had been. It is more than misleading to look at excellent reviews, and believe that the old Bluebell Inn still operates in the same way. The lady/manager listened to what we had to say, and the reasons why we were leaving, and said as she was full she could not offer us an alternative room, we asked if all the other rooms were similar and she said yes. I did say I would email the owners, but looking at the defensive nature of their responses to other customers dissatisfaction, I really don't think there would be any point. Please do not be misled (as we were based on history) by the excellent reviews. This is not sour grapes - its genuine disappointment, as it is off the beaten track and we travelled some distance to go there specifically due to our wonderful previous experiences there.

I would say this is one of the best stays in the UK I have had. Karl & Julia are amazing hosts and very helpful. The room was perfect and really catered for our dog we brought along. Really clean and the hot tub was private which you don't get in a lot of places. I also have to point out the small attention to details in the room, they have covered everything from robes to champagne flutes etc. The breakfast was great also by Julia ( sorry Karl I don't think you can match). Lastly the location is great for days out to the coast etc! we will be back!

We stayed for 3 nights and Karl and Julie were excellent hosts. Karl upgraded our room to a larger one as we had our dog with us. Room was spacious and spotless. They made us feel very welcome in their lovely pub such a shame they didn't have a chef when we stayed but their breakfast was excellent with other options available than the full yorkshire which is always good. Lovely poached eggs on breakfast although think Julies had the edge on Karls. Sorry Karl yours were good but think Julie takes top spot. Hope to be able to return when we next in the location Jane Phil and Ned

Excellent food, rooms are lovely, very clean. Staff are very friendly, plenty of car parking. Great choice on the menu. Lovely venue