Rose & Crown

Absolutely top notch in all respects, this handsome 18th-c country coaching inn is run with keen attention to detail, resulting in a charming environment, superbly cooked food (you do need to book) and a first-class place to stay. The cosily traditional beamed bar has lots of brass and copper, old-fashioned seats facing a warming log fire, a Jacobean oak settle, a grandfather clock, and gin traps, old farm tools and black and white pictures of Romaldkirk on the walls. Allendale, Black Sheep and Theakstons are on handpump, and there are 14 wines by the glass, organic fruit juices and pressed vegetable juices. The smart brasserie-style Crown Room (bar food is served in here, too) has large cartoons of french waiters, big old wine bottles and high-backed dining chairs. The hall has farm tools, wine maps and other interesting prints, along with a photograph (taken by a customer) of the Hale Bopp comet over the interesting old village church. There's also an oak-panelled restaurant. Pleasantly positioned tables outside look out over the village green with its original stocks and water pump. The exceptional Bowes Museum and High Force waterfall are close by and the owners provide an in-house guide for days out in the area, and a [I]Walking in Teesdale[I] book.