Emma's Travel Reviews

Reviewed Places

Aspley Guise - Moore Place Hotel, Bedfordshire

Berwick upon Tweed - Cara's House B&B, Northumberland

Charlestown - T'Gallants B&B, Cornwall

Chippenham - The Old Bakery, Suffolk

Cockfield - The Old Manse Barn, Suffolk

Creswell - Creswell B&B, Northumberland

Edinburgh - Stratharn B&B

Falstone - Blackcock Inn, Northumberland

Drumnadrochit - Glenkirk B&B, Loch Ness

Hope - The Poachers Arms, Peak District

Kinclaven - Ballathie House Hotel, Perthshire, Scotland

Macclesfield - Chadwick House Hotel, Peak District

Matlock - The Boathouse Hotel, Peak District

Moffatt - Hartfell House, Moffatt, Scotland

Pitlochry - The Well House, Pitlochry, Scotland

Slaley - Rye Hill Farm, B&B Northumberland

Seahouses - Mainston House B&B, Northumberland

St Just - Commercial Hotel, Cornwall

Moore Place is a Best Western Hotel set in the beautifully scenic small village of Aspley Guise near to Woburn and not far from Milton Keynes. This restored Georgian Manor house has nice large rooms with the usual provisions expected of a hotel. The complimentary yellow duck to play with in the bath is a nice touch. Fresh fruit and some alcohol is also complimentary. The duck now has pride of place on my bathside. The Greenhouse Restaurant, serves nice good quality food and it is worth visiting, although if you are famished you may wish to go somewhere else which serves larger portions.

Whilst staying at Moore Place do not forget to go and visit Woburn Safari Park and Woburn Abbey. I found myself within metres of a pride of feeding lions which was amazing to see. The village of Woburn is quaint and is also worth a visit and there are several places to eat there too.

Cara’s House is found at the very top end of the High Street within very easy walking distance of the all the facilities of the town and the local supermarket. On walking down to the town one passes many take out places but please do not be tempted by these! The Queens Head Hotel, in the town centre provides superb food which should not be missed! albeit slightly on the pricey side. The room was a reasonable size with the usual provisions and the breakfast was average. The parking provision here is not very spacious. The main benefit of this place is its location rather than the accommodation itself. Whilst you stay here, do not forget to walk the old walls of the town as this is a nice relaxing experience with views of Holy Island and Bamburgh Castle from the southern wall.

Creswell House is located within a few footsteps of a wonderfully long sandy beach on the south Northumberland coast in the little village of Creswell east of Morpeth. The added luxury of ‘Creswell Ices’ next door, selling bizarre flavours of ice creams, such as ‘Blue Cloud’, is a naughty but lovely treat - especially in those summer months. This place is certainly somewhere to go and spend a night or two if you want to relax, unwind and leave it all behind.

For those of you looking for a more active holiday, this may not be the place for you as there is not much to do here apart from taking long beach walks. The accommodation is well furnished with a very comfortable pocket sprung bed, although the en-suite was quite small with a somewhat flimsy door. Parking is not a problem here. A tasty full English breakfast was on offer which was accompanied by very nice toast and jams.

This B&B is found at 44 Minto Street outside the centre of Edinburgh. It is within a long walking distance of the city centre but a conveniently located bus stop offers regular services into the centre. Please note that exact change is required for bus fares in Edinburgh which is rather annoying!

Stratharn is a large Victorian house with spacious rooms and en suites. However, although all the basics are provided, it was not as clean as would be desired, with a dirty cup and the yellow coloured water, apparently a feature of this area, which rather puts one off taking a bath! Breakfast was average but the host was very friendly. It must be admitted though that from the B&Bs seen along this street, there are many, it was the best to be found. This says something for the B&Bs here in this area of Edinburgh. My advice here would be to pay more and stay in a hotel in the city centre although this may not be feasible for all. Despite the accommodation and rainy weather, Edinburgh was a nice place. A tour of the underground city should not be missed and there are many places to eat, including a ‘Filling Station’ which does great burritos and long island ice teas! Happy me.

The Blackcock Inn hides away in the very small village of Falstone a couple of miles east of Kielder Water. It is well positioned for anyone wanting to explore Kiedler and I would thoroughly recommend the Kielder forest drive which is great fun even in an old mini city!

With regards to the Inn, our room was not overly spacious but it was comfortable and it had a nice clean en suite. The usual tea and coffee was provided but with the smallest biscuits that I have ever seen! a complete contrast from the very generous large English breakfast. There is very little to do in Falstone except for going for a walk down by the river. Parking at the Inn is fine.

The rooms are upstairs above the pub which provides some food but which is basic. By far the best place we found to eat locally was a few miles down some very small roads/byways in the village of Bellingham. The Riverside Hotel served lovely food at a very reasonable rate in the bar area. The same food will be served to you in the bar area at a much cheaper price than if you sit in the restaurant and is well worth doing.

Rye Hill is located in the middle of nowhere on a farm about 5 miles south of Hexham. The accommodation had the feel as though you were a school child staying on a farm in youth hostel type accommodation. Although obviously you had your own en suite room, the floors and walls were thin, the carpet was that horrible thin brown carpet and the doors were those dark pine coloured ones which slam shut after starting to close slowly. The en suite was also not much to be desired. The bed was reasonably comfortable. I was expecting more to be honest with nicer rooms set on a farm to give you a more relaxed feel as opposed to being on a school holiday trip. Breakfast is served downstairs and is also fair.

The one redeeming feature of this place was the local pub which you can walk straight to down over the fields in the valley called the ‘Travellers’ Rest’. The food here was fantastic! I firstly enjoyed a lovely smoked salmon pasta dish followed by crème brulee and the banoffee pie was to die for!

Located in the seaside resort of Seahouses, this B&B was a good find. Situated on a road just off the High Street this place is great for exploring this place on foot, just a short distance from the town, quay, restaurants and mini golf. A local Inn, The Ship, provides home made cooking for a nice evening meal.

This family run B&B is a recent venture but nothing has been spared in the renovation of the house and rooms. Our room on the ground floor was very spacious and clean with a lovely bay window, fireplace and modern bathroom. The bed was very comfortable and the room made you feel ‘at home’. Nice tea and coffee was provided with the addition of good biscuits, twixes, penguins, and kitkats which won my vote. The hosts were very keen on locally sourced produce and the English breakfast certainly showed this. Parking is provided at the front of the house. Mainston House is an ideally located B&B if you want to take a trip to the famous Holy Island ‘Lindisfarne’, the Farne Isles or Bamburgh Castle.

If you want to stay in a very old grade II property set in a small village then this is the one. True to form this B&B has a very historic feel to it with wooden beams everywhere and wonky flooring. Downstairs there is a big open fire. On both occasions that we stayed at the Old Bakery we chose to stay in the ‘Yellow Room’. A lovely cosy room with small leaded windows you can peer out of. The only improvement could be a bigger bed as it felt like a normal sized or ¾ sized double. You can dine with the owners if you would like on an evening, as we did one Sunday night. The food was lovely - we ha a roast followed by a yummy pudding. There is a good choice at breakfast and some fantastic homemade jams and marmalades including a whisky marmalade which I loved. The owners are retired restaurateurs which may have something to do with the quality of their hosting and food.

We usually never return to the same place so as we have been twice that says something about our opinion of this B&B. If you want a larger room over a smaller cosy room there is a four poster room with a lot more space, we just liked the ‘Yellow Room‘. I would recommend a stay in mid winter as it looks beautiful in the snow. This B&B is set in a small village close to Newmarket but there is not much to do in the village apart from taking a walk or drinking in the pub. During your stay you can visit Newmarket, Ely and Saffron Walden.

If you are looking for somewhere to stay next to the shores of Loch Ness then this is a fantastic place to stay. This B&B is the ex church of Drumnadrochit which has been very tastefully renovated. We had a family room here and it was lovely. The room felt very clean, light and airy and felt like a nice place to relax. Although the TV and tea and coffee making facilities were not in the room, this was not a problem as a delightful sitting room offered all these facilities including Sky TV located just along the hall. The sitting room has a large half moon window as you can see by the pictures on the website. Breakfast was great with lovely oatcakes, cereals, toast and homemade jams accompanied by a good cooked breakfast

Whilst staying here you must take a trip out to Glen Cannich which takes you down a 9 mile dead end single tracked road to Loch Cannich and its large dam. It is a great eveing drive where you can see wildlife up close as you drive through a deer park, and there are lots of sheep of course! On the way out or on your return visit nearby Tomich and eat at the Tomich Hotel, the venison pie on offer was sumptuous.

The Poachers Arms Public House and Hotel is set in the lovely village of Hope just a couple of miles from Castleton. We stayed in a family room here which was nice and spacious. The en suite was ample in size and offered a nice corner bath. The only negative aspect of our stay was the rather potent smell of cigarette smoke in the place. Breakfast is served in the restaurant downstairs.

Upon searching for somewhere to stay one bank holiday weekend after having had no luck in Perth we travelled north to come across a sign saying '2.5 miles' to a hotel. We were in the middle of nowhere and as it was late in the day we thought we’d give it a go. On entering the hotel grounds we drove along a lovely driveway through the grounds to be greated by a carved wooden bear and the sight of a magical castle hotel - Monarch of the Glen style. We thought that there was no chance that we would be staying there that night but out of interest we enquired all the same. To our delight, although we were not to stay in the hotel building itself, there were lodges which we could stay in instead for a reasonable price with breakfast in the main hotel in the morning.

Our lodge consisted of a spacious room and a lovely en-suite with nice toiletries and biscuits. On waking up in the morning you are greated by lovely surroundings and a superb breakfast silver service style in the hotel, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, butteries etc. The hotel is situated on its own Perthsihire estate next to the River Tay. A stay in a lodge here is recommended and if money is no object a stay in the hotel would be fantastic for a special break. Although we did not eat in the hotel restaurant, as we wanted to go exploring, the menu looked lovely and having experienced the breakfast I’m sure dining there would be exceptional.

Chadwick House Hotel is set just 5 minutes walk from Macclesfield town centre and is very convienient for popping out for a meal or for going shopping. Parking is available to the rear of the hotel although the roads are very narrow. The room was on the small side but it had quaint victorian features including the old style lavatory in the en suite. The room was generally comfortbale with the usual TV, tea & coffee making facilities and en suite. The hotel features in the Michelin Guide however we were unable to experience this during our stay as the owners were not there for that weekend but we knew that they would not be there when we booked.

The Boathouse Hotel is set just on the outskirts of Matlock and is a short walk to the town centre. Our room was tastefully decorated with comfort in mind. Thoughful touches and nice toiletries were on offer. This pub serves interesting beers and has great deserts which went down a treat. The pool table was great for some evening fun with the beers. Ample parking is available to the side of the Pub. Matlock has some pretty and not so pretty parts, like all towns. In the town centre there was not much choice for eating out in the evening.

Hartfell House is a nice guest house situated a few minutes walk from the centre of Moffatt. Our room was very spacious and comfortable with a nice big bay window. This guest house has a traditional period feel for the style of its architecture. Our stay here was pleasant and it was a good location where one could relax easily overlooking the Moffatt hills in the distance. If you stay here the Limetree Restuarant in Moffatt serves great food.

The Well House is located in the centre of Pitlochry off a side street within a couple of minutes walk of the town centre. The room and en suite were a generous size and they felt very clean. The room was comfortable and light. The hostess was friendly and happy to help. Breakfast was served in a nice room with a variety of foods on offer including homemade porridge. Well House also has a restricted licence where non-alcoholic and alcholoic drinks can be served to you in the relaxing lounge downstairs.

Whilst staying in Pitlochry you can take a nice walk along the river. The shops in Pitlochry stay open quite late and make for good browsing. If you eat before 6.30, a few places, offer good deals on nice three course meals.

T’Gallants Guest House overlooks the beautiful bay of Charlestown. When staying here ensure that you book a room over looking the bay as the crystal clear water sparkles in the sunshine and the old rigger boats give it an amazing atmosphere. On this occasion we arrived late in the day and so took a twin room over looking the bay instead of a double at the back. The owner was quite happy for you to push the beds together. The large window was great as you could sit on the windowsill and watch the world go by. When we were here the sun was shining and this B&B was perfect for leaving your belongings in the room to give you the freedom to go for a short stroll to swim and sunbathe at your leisure. I would fully recommend swimming in the bay if the weather is sunny. The owners were pleasant and the ususal B&B breakfast choices were on offer. The room was spacious and clean although the bathroom was in the hall which was fine as the room had its own sink and shower anyway asides the bathroom. A great place to stay for a relaxing break.

This hotel is located in the centre of St Just on the market square. The accomodation is above the pub. Our room was decorated in a modern style, was comfortable and clean as was the bathroom which had a powerful shower. On this occasion we had a family room which was spacious. You can park you car on the market square until about 9am in the morning and having been in a room that overlooked the square it was useful to keep an eye on it. The hotel is in a good location allowing you to drink and eat in the hotel or to go on a pub crawl to the other 2 or 3 pubs in close proximity. You can also, as we did, go for a nice long walk to the rocky coast and gaze out to sea. Breakfast offered up the usual B&B style breakfast including a full English if you desire.

The Manse is a converted barn in the small village of Cockfield a stones throw from Lavenham, Long Melford and Bury St Edmunds. It is in an ideal location for visiting these areas. Unlike your typical B&B, The Manse is quite different. One occupies the entire top floor of the converted barn. After scaling some quite steep stairs you find yourself firstly walking into the bedroom area. The bed has a lovely view out through a large panoramic window through which you can view the beautiful countryside in the early morning as you awake or to stare into the starry night sky. Also a sky light window allows for some late night star gazing.

You then walk into the centre of the floor space to a sitting room area with a TV and other entertainment boxes. To the side of the sitting area is an alcove with a dining table and chairs from which you can again enjoy lovely views out of large windows. Finally you move into the kitchen area which is equipped with a fridge, microwave, sink and cupboards full of crockery. Oh an not to forget the en suite at the very end through the only other door in the place. The shower is lovely and spacious and you can even site down in it!

As if it couldn't get any better, every night the charming hosts bring you fresh platters of fruits, cheese, ham, eggs with fresh bread, butter and fruit juice to place in the fridge for breakfast in the morning. The usual milk and cereals are also on offer. For your comfort there are also various other items in the cupboards which you can feast on for a modest fee such as a bottle of wine, cashew nuts, crisps etc. You will not go hungry here!

Speaking of food, if you are looking for somewhere to dine on an evening do not be tempted by anywhere other than 'The Six Bells - Wines' in the nearby village of Felsham. Faultless food to die for in a lovely old traditional pub. Whilst you stay here you have your own off road parking available and a nice patio area with table and chairs for some fresh air. The Manse if modern and tastefully furnished, is well kept and clean. Well worth a stay in my opinion and very good value.