Hello everyone. Doing Pennine Way 30 June to 17 July and can't wait.
Noticed some adverse comment about Byrness hotel, which we're booked in to. We were planning to have eve meal there and get packed lunch. Would appreciate any recent feedback (I think the comments I read were from a couple of years ago). Is there anywhere else to eat?

I believe I have posted on the subject in the past, but my experience was of around 2 years ago. I believe that the place is still under the same managment now as it was then and is still the same. I would also be interested to hear opf more recent experiences as I am planning to walk the nothern section of the PW later this year and am still to book accomodation.

I think I would say if you plan to stay there just dont expect too much of the place and you will be fine. Be patient when waiting for service and think twice about getting the packed lunch(expensive and doesnt exactly set you up for a day on the cheviots). I belive there was a flea problem when I was there, I was bitten all over.

The problem is in Byrness is the lack of alternatives. I have spoken to many people in the past who spoke about a really nice
B and B in the centre of Byrness. I have had no luck in finding contact details for such a place and have come to the conclusion that its no longer open.

There is a YHA near the hotel, but I have never stayed there so can't comment further.

There is a camping/caravan site in cottonshopeburnfoot (just before Byrness) who claim to do B and B but I have not tried to book.

These are the only possible alternatives to the hotel.

You may be interested to know that there is a petrol station opposite the Byrness Hotel that have ample stock for a packed lunch, they have a cafe as well but I am unsure of the opening times.

Hope thats some help.
Andy

Try the Youth Hostel at 7 Otterburn Green, Bryness, 0870 770 5740 ( bookings more than 7 days ahead 0870 770 8868 ).

Hi Steve N
Stopping in the Byrness on the 12 june , will give you feed back when i get back home. will be back before you start.

In 2004 I stayed at the YH and no complaints,going North to South. Keep the windows shut to stop the midges getting you though. There is only the cafe or the pub/hotel in Byrness, although I beleive you can sometimes buy odd bits and pieces at the camp site. So you might want to consider buying some extra food in Bellingham.
Last year I left Bellingham early and headed for Byrness, had some nosh in the cafe and headed up to the first hut for the night. Not an ideal programme for everyone but if you feel up to it by the time you get to Byrness it can be done. Have to admit I was well knackered but there was a fantastic sunset to be enjoyed.

We finished pennine way on sunday 21st May and stayed at Byrness Hotel and I have to say
it was the B & B from hell. The worst experience of the whole 19 days.

ganty

Please tell me more about Byrness???

Ganty,

Nice to see that the place is the same as when I stayed there 2 years ago.!!!!!

Andy

Thanks so far for the useful feedback/ideas. Ganty, like John B I'm keen to hear more!

We arrived on a fairly oold day and boots were wet. The heating was not on and even though we were told the boots would be put to dry they were still in the same place the following morning and gloves which had been taken to dry were still soaking wet the next day. There was nowhere to hang anything in the gloomy cold rooms. The spag bol served in the evening was dreadful and three of the party could not stomach the breakfast next day. The double bed had a protruding spring which made a good nights sleep impossible. Every other place was superb and here is where we stayed

Old House
New Barn Diggle
Badgerfields
Pondon House
Drumlins, East Marton
Eastwood House, Malaham
The Knoll, Horton
Hawes YHA
Butt House, Keld
Baldersdale YHA
Langdon Beck YHA
Dufton YHA
Eastview, Garrigill
GreenHead Hotel
Saughy Rigg Farm, Twice Brewed
Lyndale Guest House, Bellingham
The Byrness
Valleydene Kirk Yetholme 2 Nights

How did you find the Greenhead Hotel.

It was run by the nicest and most helpfull couple in all of England.

Greenhead was good. Sandra really sorted us out (if you read this Sandra thanks again).
Boots went into the boiler room nice large rooms, good tasty bar meal and nice breakfast. A nice warm welcome.

Out of the places Ganty mentions I have stayed at:
Old House
New Barn Diggle
Badgerfields
Pondon House
Eastwood House, Malaham
The Knoll, Horton
Saughy Rigg Farm, Twice Brewed
Lyndale Guest House, Bellingham
The Byrness
Valleydene Kirk Yetholme

There are many that I would recommend and would stay at again, however there are 2 that stick in my mind as being outstanding.
1. The old House - just before Crowden.
2. Badgerfields Farm - Just after Hebden Bridge.
Old excellent places and very nice people.
Anyone who is about to book accomodation, make sure you try to get these ones in.

Andy

Sadly, just whinging about the Bryness Hotel here isn't going to change things. Is anyone that's suffered a night there prepared to take the comments here up with the owner, complain to the local authority or take more drastic action ?

Hmmm. Me and my son are booked in at the Byrness Hotel. Please somebody post a message saying that it's not as bad as described! Oh well, all part of the adventure I guess.

Anyone been to Osmotherley YH? Staying there a couple of nights with my lads next week for some walking on the North Yorkshire Moors. Any comments? How far/safe is the walk to the local pub? Does the hostel sell beer, or just licensed for residents to sup their own?

Toying with the idea of copying the contents of this thread and forwarding to the BH for their "information", ahead of my stay there in August. But reluctant to do anything that could cause nothing other than a frosty reception. Time well tell I guess. At least we have the twin room booked, so hopefully will avoid the spring in the double bed! What exactly was wrong with the spag bol? Those that "couldn't stomach" breakfast, was it because of not liking the spag bol, or actually because of tummy upset?

tom read,
What makes you think that only the double beds have protruding springs ?

I stayed there last year and thought it was fine. It's very old fashioned and not very well organised (eg they forgot to ask me to pay for beer and food and I had to tell them I hadn't paid) but the twin room, separate shower, breakfast and packed lunch were all OK and the evening meal was pretty good. As one of the other guests said, it was a bit Fawlty Towers-ish but no real problems. I wouldn't worry about it, it'll be OK. Also, of course, there aren't really many other options in Byrness.

Thanks for that Kev. At least now I won't be suffering sleepless nights ahead of Byrness, even if I suffer one at Byrness!

I have the constitution of an ox where food is concerned - I can eat anything without ill effects - and I sleep very deeply, more than a few springs could stop.

Looking forward to it!

I stayed at the campsite next to the hostel last year.From what people said the hostel was pretty good.The pubs are about half a mile away down a steep hill.Easy going down but hard when you come back!No problems with safety though.

Osmotherley YH was excellent. Food was great, and they stocked a large range of good bottled ales, so no need to walk down to the pub (I had two kids with me).

We conquered Normanby (Wolds) Top, Bishop Wilton Wold, Gisborough Moor, Urra Moor-Round Hill, Cringle Moor-Drake Howe and Sharp Haw on the way home. Next time away will be on the PW...

We stayed at the Byrness. It isnt licenced any more. If you have a meal you have no choice, apart from veggie or not, but it was ok. To be honest, it has seen better days, but the owners seemed very old and frail. Downstairs it was a bit odd, and smelled of their numerous dogs, but the bedrooms were clean and comfortable. Oh, and the christmas decorations were still up......

Good ones:
The old house at Crowden
New Barn, Diggle
Greycroft at Alston
Hall Croft, Dufton
Holme House, Hebden Bridge
Ancient Unicorn, Bowes
Vallum lodge, Twice Brewed
And the Plough in KY is Excellent!

I thought that the Byrness Hotel was the only bar in Byrness! Is there an alternative for a couple of pints?

NO, Bryness is devoid of liquid refreshments of the amber type. Was lucky enough to be walking with Dunk this year who managed to blag a lift to the other side of Otterburn somewhere for a nice evening meal and a couple of pints.
I've stopped at the Hotel in Bryness twice with no ill effects (once just turning up unannounced). Both stays were good enough, with friendly staff who looked after me...

The best nights accommodation I had this year was in Marsden at 'Pear Tree Cottage' it was outstanding. The best YHA was a toss up between Baldersdale and Dufton.

Please remember if you are intending to stop at the Bryness YHA to check to ensure it has not been closed down yet.

Nick Mac

I stayed at the Byrness hostel last Saturday night and the warden had just heard that the man buying it was to run it as a hostel and that YHA members would be welcome.

Andy

Just returned from PW and stay at The Byrness. Can only speak as we found it. Great place! Very walker friendly, good food served at the time agreed and an early start, 5.15am, no problem.

Maybe the Byrness Hotel is a different place now than is was when I stayed there.

We will see what TomRead says when he gets Back.

Andy

Following my orignal post - as it happened we didn't stay there after all, as a friend met us in Byrness to walk the last day to KY and he couldn't get in the Byrness the night before. He had wheels so whisked us off to a truly appalling pub in Jedburgh where we spent a sleepless night. After reading all these posts we'd probably have been better off staying put! Never mind, the sleepless night couldn't dent that feeling of arriving at the Border Hotel and the sweetest-tasting drink of our lives!

Perfectly acceptable. Evening meal was OK, not brilliant but nice and filling enough. Breakfast was simply eggs and bacon after the cereals and fruit juice bit, but the bacon was local and very very good. No licence, but she had two cans of Carlsberg available at £1.25 each which I had. Beds were comfortable, sink and telly in room, packed lunch was nice, breakfast served (on request) at 7.30am no problems. One of the dogs could be noisy and lively until he was returned to behind a closed door. Overall, quite happy and it is right on the path.

"No license, but she had two cans of Carlsberg available at £1.25 each".
So if she is contravening licensing laws is she also ignoring fire regulations and health regulations and failing to pay VAT, income tax etc ? Surely not the sort of establishment anyone would want to recommend on here.

I don't know that she doesn't have a licence. I know that she doesn't have a public bar anymore.

Here we go again....LL jumping to assumptions without having a shred of evidence to support his claims.

Well done TR.

tonky, Who's jumping to conclusions ?
I'm neither jumping to conclusions nor claiming anything, merely asking a question that someone familiar with the establishment might be able to answer .

It would be most unusual for a hotel to tell its guests it avoided paying tax and VAT!

I stayed there last week (end Sept). You get a mobile home/chalet to yourself. No evening meal (I carried a couple of tinnies and a pastie/pork pie/choc chip cookies from the co-op in Bellingham). Nearest pub is 4 miles (no offer of a lift) and the Byrness still has no licence, although I am told "she is thinking about re-applying". Breakfast was good. By the way, all the Bellingham pubs don't open till seven, but as the co-op opposite doesn't shut until eight its a cheap way of drinking at the Cheviot Hotel's tables until seven if its not raining!

I stayed at the Byrness Hotel the night of Sept 23d, just prior to doing the last leg to complete the PW. The Hotel is being operated as a B&B and the room was nice. The evening meal was fair and they packed a decent pack lunch for the next day. The shared shower is an interesting arrangment, sort of like being in a well at the bottom of 3 steep steps. Fortunately, the pull cord was broken so I used the daughter's shower. The night before our early departure, the owners laid out a dry breakfast for us(Brian and myself).

Directly across the street is a gas station that has a great bakery and extensive selection of sandwiches. I picked up a few goodies and walked to the Hostel where Cliff and I had a late tea.

If the Hostel does not reopen under new management, accommodations in the area are going to be sparse.

"The shared shower is an interesting arrangement" - did you have a choice as to who you shared with ?

Just stayed there.

It was kind of strange - big old country house, kind of spooky. Had bedroom, bathroom not en suite. Was shown no public rooms or lounges - there were rooms, but they were cluttered with boxes and other junk. Was shown into the dining room by a very solicitous old gentleman - at least eighty - he reminded me of a head butler in an English Country Manor, but when I got into the room, a rock song from Queen was blasting from the CD player. Dinner was edible but certainly not as good as others I had on the PW. Overall, it was not a bad stay.

Youth Hostel is closed, I heard. Only other place to eat is a truck stop across from the hotel.

JohnH think we met you at Greenhead you were talking to Steven about the appalachian way which you had completed, we stayed at Bryness strange place especially when we where offered a can of beer which came warm, most expensive place on the whole walk very disappointed. well done on completing the PW

Valpoulton,

Congratulations on finishing the Way. It truly is a great hike with beautiful scenery and plenty of nice people along the path. I had no difficulty in finishing except for the last few days when I developed a rash on my back. By the time I got home I had a bad case of shingles and it's still with me! That's something I don't wish on anyone.
For your next adventure come to the States and hike the Appalachian Trail. It will take a wee bit longer and the scenery is grand. All the best.