Barton Hall Country House

Beautiful property, slightly remote location, original features from a period property were retained. Host Ailsa and her team were very welcoming and attentive. Breakfast was delicious.

Fantastic property stuffed with original features & period ambience.

Great cooked breakfast. Great character hotel

The house and furnishings are beautiful, sumptuous and welcoming. The staff were really good, friendly and helpful. There was a small well equipped kitchen. Fabulous bath.

The shower was shared and a little tired.

We were made to feel very welcome, Elsa and all the team looked after us very well. The breakfast was delicious and cooked to perfection.The room was comfortable and very nicely decorated. We slept well in a very comfy bed. Very pleasant country hotel with lovely well kept gardens. We would definitely stay again and definitely recommend Barton Hall. Bernie, Paul and Tigerlily 😀

Nothing

A wonderful welcome and fabulous hospitality in this comfortable country house.

Nearby to local amenities, beautiful period property with spectacular views Ample parking, beautiful garden area to sit out in

Only downside you needed to walk on the road ( no footpath ) to the local town, no fault of Barton hall

Barton Hall itself is a bit of a stunner: a Queen-Anne-era manor dressed to the nines, all four-poster beds, claw-foot baths and delightfully quirky bric-a-brac that makes every room feel like a miniature museum. There’s a handy guest kitchen, a spacious lounge, beautiful grounds, and onsite parking. At night the place is wonderfully quiet, yet it’s an easy stroll down to Pooley Bridge for riverside pints and food. Credit where it’s due, too: every member of staff apart from the owner was unfailingly pleasant, polite and genuinely keen to help.

Unfortunately, the charm faded quickly when we raised our (pre-declared) dietary requirements. Yes, pre-declared—the hotel can’t claim that we caught them off-guard. After booking, I received a confirmation message that included a question about any dietary needs or preferences. I responded, outlining the situation, and, hearing nothing back, assumed all was well; had the hotel simply said “Sorry, we can’t do that,” we’d have cancelled and honeymooned elsewhere. Instead, our polite reminder at check-in was met by the owner with a theatrical sigh worthy of amateur dramatics, followed by an eye-roll and the verdict that accommodating our needs required too much effort. So unhelpful, and lacking in grace and good manners. In that moment, it became clear that customer care, like a hotel minibar, can be advertised yet mysteriously empty when you reach for it. What is the point of asking about dietary requirements when the hotel can’t be bothered to accommodate them? The irony? Every café and pub in Pooley Bridge met the same request with a smile, a menu and an effortless “No problem—leave it with us!” Well done to the staff at the Sun Inn and Granny Dowbekins Café, where the food and service were excellent. Hospitality, it seems, thrives just fine once you step off Barton Hall’s gravel drive. Back at base, though, the owner hovered somewhere between blissfully oblivious and pointedly indifferent. Whether she’s unaware of how she comes across, or simply doesn’t care, the upshot is the same: guests are left feeling like high-maintenance intruders for daring to have dietary needs at all. So, if you travel with any dietary quirks, intolerances or preferences, brace yourself for rudeness at Barton Hall—or pop into the village, where a genuine welcome is still on the menu.