The Black Bull Inn
Location: 27 High St, Balsham, gb
Star Rating: 4 Stars
Property Type: Inns
About this Property
Modern Rooms with Free Wi-Fi
Experience the charm of our thatched public house in Balsham, Cambridgeshire. Relax in our bright, modern rooms equipped with free Wi-Fi, flat-screen TV, and tea/coffee facilities. Enjoy a comfortable stay surrounded by rural beauty.
Classic English Dishes and Real Ales
Indulge in classic English dishes and real ales at our restaurant. Our varied menu, made with fresh local ingredients, offers options for all tastes. With original wooden beams and an open fireplace, the dining room provides a cozy atmosphere for a delightful dining experience.
Convenient Location
Explore nearby attractions like the Imperial War Museum at Duxford, Newmarket’s Racecourse, and historic Cambridge. Whether you're here for leisure or business, our grade II listed Black Bull Inn is the perfect base for your adventures. Book now for a memorable stay.
Important Information
This property does not accommodate bachelor(ette) or similar parties.
Policies
Check-in: 02:00 PM - 10:30 PM
Check-out: 10:30 AM
Amenities & Facilities
- Non-smoking rooms
- Restaurant
- Pets allowed
- BBQ facilities
- Luggage storage
- Non-smoking throughout
- Shared lounge/TV area
- Kid meals
- Cashless payment available
Rooms Available
-
Room, Accessible, Ensuite (HOUSE-AC)
1 Double Bed
1227 sq feet
Internet - Free WiFi
Entertainment - Digital channels
Practical - Iron/ironing board
Comfort - Air conditioning
Accessibility - Wheelchair accessible
Need to Know - No housekeeping, towels not available, bed sheets not available
Non-Smoking, pet friendly
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Shower
- Air conditioning
- Heating
- Wheelchair accessible
- Free WiFi
- Partially open bathroom
- No housekeeping
- Towels not available
- Bed sheets not available
-
Double Room with Private Bathroom
An private bathroom, free Wi-Fi, and a TV feature in this spacious room with solid oak furniture and a king-size bed.
Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)
- Coffee/tea maker
- Shower
- TV
- Hair dryer
- Toilet
- Private bathroom
- Entire unit located on ground floor
- Cots
- Window
Guest Reviews
- Annet (10/5): Heerlijke plek! - Heerlijke plaats om te verblijven. Ruime kamers, goed ontbijt en het diner was voortreffelijk. Personeel is super vriendelijk en gastvrij. Mooi rustig dorpje en een prachtige omgeving. Zeker de moeite waard! Niets
- Kay (10/5): A fabulous stay in a Beautiful village. - The room was absolutely lovely with so much space. The decor was beautiful and very well looked after. It was kept wonderfully clean. The pub was a great place to be in with some amazing meals. Breakfast was perfect. A fabulous stay.
- Matthew (10/5): - Good location, clean, tidy, breakfast was lovely and staff friendly.
- nick (6/5): - Jake and his lady assistant were amazing. They were above and beyond good.. They made our stay great The room was comfortable, but sadly was a smell in the bathroom. We spoke to staff and they apologised. This wasn't a complaint as such just letting them know and I'm sure it's an easy fix
- Simon (10/5): -
- Paul (10/5): -
- Karen (8/5): Comfortable with a good breakfast - We loved the spacious room and friendly staff. Great breakfast ! The shower water pressure was very low-
- Imogen (8/5): Lovely - Beautiful in , lovely breakfast and staff and room. Noise from next door room
- Carl (8/5): Really welcoming staff , definitely worth visiting again . - Breakfast was good , staff were excellent , bar area was so cozy and very welcoming .
Only minor things regarding room , tv had no signal for any channels , no hairdryer as mentioned in booking info
Would have been nice to have a couple more pillows .
But overall , very good and would definitely recommend it and would love to stay again . All was good .only minor issues mentioned above …
- Laurence (10/5): -
- Nigel (8/5): - Luke was a great host Having to change wifi codes between pub and bedroom
- Richard (7/5): -
- Emilie (7/5): -
- Francesca (7/5): Great location with warm atmosphere. Few improvements needed to make value for money - Beautiful, peaceful location and the staff were very warm and welcoming. Dinner in the pub was delicious. Huge bed and plenty of room allowed us to comfortably put up our cot for our baby and feel we still had room to move about. Overall I thought the room was pretty basic and a bit tired and therefore wasn’t good value for money. Shower pressure wasn’t great and took ages to turn warm. Our bathroom light switch was very temperamental which was a pain in the night and the towels were very small and thin, which was disappointing for the price.
- Sean (6/5): - Room was ok, no complaints. Breakfast would be better if they offered veggy options such as meat free sausages
- Brent (10/5): - Staff was very friendly and accommodating. Dinner far exceeded expectations. Best meal we've had on our trip to England.
- Kathryn (8/5): Great hospitality but rooms need attention. - Food, drink and staff were excellent. Water pressure in room and bathroom fixtures not good. Shower was inadequate .
- Ann (5/5): -
- Stephen (8/5): - Breakfast first class, clean nice staff
- Mike (7/5): -
- Dan (10/5): Outstanding, looking forward to staying again - Exceeded expectations, when we booked, the venue got in touch with us immediately to inform the restaurant will be closed for the night of our stay and advised of multiple places we could eat. Rooms were very comfortable, quiet and spacious, all of the staff were attentive and a pleasure to deal with, the breakfast was excellent and we will be staying again.
- Verified traveler (10/5): Would stay again - This motel style accommodation is convenient and easy to access.
The building housing the accommodation is right beside the pub.
Lovely big room with comfortable superking size bed.
Breakfast included, served in pub.
If you have time, its worth wandering in the sweet village. Look out for the thatched cottages with cute detailing on the roof.
- Michael (10/5): -
- caroline (10/5): -
- Nathan (8/5): Very good - Big space in the rooms, clean and tidy, nice meal
- Ian (10/5): -
- Sarah (8/5): Friendly, clean, fair food and good peice - Very quiet, good location in a small village. Friendly staff, lovely room to stay in and breakfast good. So difficult when running pubs these days - they made the best of everything but maybe the garden spruced up a bit?
- Ager (10/5): Exceptional -
- Owen (10/5): Lovely stay - Lovely pub in a gorgeous village. Room was clean and nicely furnished. The evening meal was really exceptional. Staff were friendly too, very welcoming.
- Ian (10/5): Comfortable place to stay - Very comfortable and spacious modern rooms in a block to the side of the pub so quiet too. A huge bed. Staff were very good, with special thanks to Luke.
- Sabiha (10/5): - Surprisingly quiet despite the pub and outdoor seating setting. Staff very friendly and food was good.
- Tony (10/5): Two great nights in June. - What a hidden gem the Black Bull Inn is. Lovely private and very comfortable accommodation.
Breakfast that was included was tremendous and the two evening meals we had were so great and tasty.
The super friendly and helpful staff made the stay perfect. We will certainly return when we are next visiting from Australia.
- John (10/5): Relaxing, great food, I was on business, but great place to stay and explore surrounding countryside - Everything, staff were friendly and welcoming, food in the reteraunt was excellent, as a non drinker great to see a good selection of non-alcoholic beers. Rooms were very comfortable, quiet and had everything needed for my stay.
Definitely somewhere I would book again for both business and pleasure. Nothing!
- 2304jeff (7/5): Good -
- Carl (10/5): 5 star pub stay - really good staff , beautiful room , thank you all very much nothing
- John (9/5): Comfortable pub with excellent food and service. - Large comfortable room. Food was excellent for dinner and breakfast. Service friendly, helpful, efficient. Nice pub.
- Paul (8/5): Ok stay but breakfast ruined it , it took 2 mins to deliver my warmed up breakfast , crap - The authentifcatiy Meagre breakfast no bread / toast
- Nev (10/5): Great company with food to match - Super team providing a relaxing experience with fantastic food in a great venue No bath/shower slip mat available
- John (5/5): Passable - Daughter just moved into village so excellent location and primary reason for choice Strange arrangement for payment on arrival then refund even though booking .com have been paid in full many weeks ago kind of spoils the welcome
Tea and coffee arranged in wardrobe means poor light and nearest plug for kettle bedside with on bin opposite wall so too much movement of boiling kettle and waste for me
Lots of faff opening and making fresh coffee
No way of being sure door to outside locked once you are in room
Water in shower took ten minutes to warm up
Shower screen articulated and also a faff
Bath towels too small
Overall a bit expensive for the experience
- Charlie (6/5): Pleasant -
- Neill (9/5): Will stay again - Staff helpful Good parking
- Janet (9/5): Superb -
- Amanda (10/5): Great staff, comfortable and clean stay! - Nice friendly staff, made to feel welcome and very comfortable clean room. Definitely recommend. Nothing!
- Simon (5/5): I’d suggest go & visit the Three Blackbirds or one of the other sites in the “Chestnut Group” to see how it should b - From the outside looked good & on the way to my destination, the welcome was good & the young gentleman who seemed to be doing everything was polite, helpful & a credit to the business if a little over stretched! I felt the rooms were dated & in a desperate need of update/refresh, no biscuits offered in room & extension cables everywhere, the food was well presented & tasty if a little expensive for what it was so not great value for money, maybe have some cheaper options on the menu you have a captive market so why not?
- Ian (10/5): Great place - Second time staying here in last 3 months. Great service, great staff and great food. Highly recommended.
Guy behind bar also remembered me from last time. Happily stay again!!!
- Stephen (10/5): - Nice Rooms, staff very good
Good meal at night and breakfast
- Scott (9/5): Superb -
- Richard (8/5): - Room was a bit dark everything else good
- Sue (8/5): A good night away. - Lovely old building. Good food. I missed out on cereal as I didn't read the breakfast menu properly ! It wasn't laid out to help yourself. The Full English was great though.
There were only 2 real ales and both similar.
- Sue (10/5): Exceptional -
- William (6/5): - Good place to stay, but the pub closes really early if there aren't enough guests.
- John (10/5): - Excellent staff and a good price
- Michael (8/5): Very good - Very nice place to stay at. We got a very large room plenty of place.
Good beer and food in the restaurant.
Good breakfast. Nothing
- Sarah (6/5): A very cosy hotel and rooms, though some issues with the service - Conveniently situated just outside Cambridge. Easy parking, lovely pub and food. Very comfortable room. Friendly staff and owner. No hot water until switched on next morning. We had to wait for it to heat before having a shower to start our day. In the rush to leave, we left a much loved item of clothing behind. Even though we were the only guests at the time, when we discovered the item was missing that evening, we contacted the hotel straightaway but strangely it was never located. Very odd. Still hoping they might manage to find it.
- Robin (8/5): - Lovely setting
- Claire (8/5): Friendly staff and service - perfect location for Heritage Live at Audley End 🙂 - Friendly staff and lovely breakfast 🙂 Beds a little bit firm (for us) and could hear other guests going into their rooms during the night. Struggled with WiFi when trying to book taxi - staff were very accommodating and helped us out 🙂
- Rachel (10/5): - Lovely place with lots of character felt very homely
- Thomas (8/5): Very good -
- Leslie (7/5): Good -
- Valeria (5/5): Passable - The pub looked amazing from the photos but it was a run down and not-well-looked-after place in the middle of nowhere
- John (1/5): Would never recommend it. - I booked the accommodation for my son and his new wife and it didn’t match the expectations My son and daughter arrived and were disappointed with their room especially when it was supposed to be four star.
- John-paul (7/5): Staff were exceptional. They couldn’t do anymore than they did. Thank you - Perfect location Enjoyed everything
- Imelda (10/5): Exceptional - Lovely inn comfortable room Nothing
- Ian (8/5): Lovely place and staff - Place and staff were really really nice, only let down was the mattress. Could feel the springs and even see them as sat on the bed. Other than that a great place and easy fix
- Karl (10/5): Exceptional -
- Guy (8/5): Comfortable room in quiet location. - Casual pub vibe in quiet area. Easy parking, comfy room. Excellent full English breakfast with other good menu choices. Very expensive for a pub stay and small room
- robert (4/5): Rob B - One night stay asked on arrival what time I wanted breakfast and was told anytime after 7.30 would be available . So I went for 8.am went down for breakfast at 7.55 and there was no one there place was all locked up. Butcher delivery man tuned up went round to kitchen and came back saying no one in place kitchen has not been opened. So packed my van to leave. While packing, front door of pub / restaurant opened it was now 8.20am with chef coming out saying we were told breakfast was for 8.15. Rubbish service rubbish comunication
- Stewart (9/5): Superb -
- Izzy (7/5): Good -
- peter (10/5): Fabulous one night stay - Fantastic place, great rooms, lovely food and terrific service
- Simon (7/5): Staff were excellent. Food was superb, both main meal and breakfast. Think we caught them on a quiet weekend. Room was c - The main PH was charming. Unfortunately the Restaurant area was closed due to lack of bookings so our main meal was in the bar area. Restaurant was understandably closed as not enough customers to warrant opening it. The accommodation rooms were a little dingy for our liking not as bright as depicted on the website. But I suppose that’s photoshop for you. Bed was quite hard.
- Joanne (8/5): Good overnight stop. Nice comfy room. - Good for overnight stay. Comfy and clean room Shower pressure was a bit low! We felt a bit rushed
At dinner and breakfast!
- Hamish (7/5): Lovely ping but slightly let down - Beautiful pub in a lovely setting. Good food and drinks. The big bed was actually two single beds pushed together and on casters so it wandered across the floor with a little encouragement. Slightly disconcerting!
There’s a great seating area next to the lovely fire but other people were sat there all evening!!
- Smith (9/5): Lovely Pub Stay - The friendly staff, the lovely village. The food was also very good. The shower took a long time to warm up.
- Russell (9/5): Superb - Lovely pub set in charming village stayed for my parents birthdays so we could go to Cambridge for the day.. Sat by the cosy fireplace until ready for meal. Food was very nice as was the breakfast and plenty of choice on breakfast menu. Staff were very friendly and was dog friendly also. Rooms were large with a huge bed. Nothing at all except the rooms (3 rooms) were rather cold when first arrived. But overall lovely 1 night stay.
- John (8/5): Very good -
- Philip (9/5): Superb - Excellent restaurant, bar and room
- Stephen (10/5): Exceptional - great food and even better staff a great location not far from the m11 Rob the chef is brilliant can't fault anything. nothing.
- Eileen (8/5): Very good - We were served with the lightest pastry of a steak and mushroom pie. Beautiful. Very good chef. Kind friendly staff. Pity the television signal was non existent.
- Jan (10/5): - The very wet conditions were a disadvantage to an otherwise fabulous location
- Ali65 (10/5): Gorgeous pub in a great location. - Great location, had a wonder around the village after breakfast which was lovely.
Spotlessly clean and comfortable room.
Gorgeous old pub, beautiful fireplace and food was delicious.
Very friendly staff and local residents, We had a great evening chatting and learning lots about the local area and was given advice on where to go and park etc for our visit into Cambridge.
Would love to visit again . Nothing!
- Margaret (9/5): We really enjoyed our short visit to this lovely spot. - Felt warm and homely. The staff were wonderful and the food excellent. Prefer a walk in shower.
- Stephen (8/5): Very good -
- Stephen (8/5): Very good -
- Graham (8/5): The stay was comfortable with excellent food but we would have appreciated some warmth in the room. - The food was excellent and delicious and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The room was extremely quiet and peaceful and the pub had ample parking. Unfortunately the room was rather cold. Even though we tried to turn the radiators up no heat came through. We informed the staff but nothing seemed to be done and the room remained rather cold at night. The towels could also have been larger and flannels would have been useful.
- Siobhan (10/5): Exceptional -
- Liz (9/5): Very comfortable stay with excellent food available. - We were very pleased with the room, especially having a superkingsized bed as that is what we are used to. Everything was very clean, and very well equipped. I liked the touch of having a lock on the bedside cabinet for valuables.
We had dinner there in the evening and the quality of food exceeded my expectations, and that was also true of the breakfast the following day. The only downside to the room would be the shower, it would benefit with a pump to make it more powerful.
The room had an information folder which was useful as it also contained a copy of the dinner menu. Having decided what we would have we then found that menu was 'an old one' which was a shame.
- Lazarou (9/5): Superb - Lovely old building with provenance but the stand out feature was the staff, a real credit to the business.
- Carol (10/5): Exceptional - Very spacious, comfortable room. Lovely staff.
- Richard (7/5): Comfortable but rather overpriced for the standard of the accommodation - but we only stayed one night, a Saturday. - Quaint pub, good breakfast. Quiet location in pretty village Bedroom a little drab but clean and comfortable. En-suite bathroom had one or two minor problems. (Shower control with loose part, light switch a bit erratic in performance)
- Colin (10/5): Lovely pub, lovely food lovely people thank you. - Our lunch was very good staff very nice, particularly Charlie very helpful. The room was good and clean. Breakfast was great.
- Julie (7/5): Comfortable stay - Very nice room with good facilities
- Alison (9/5): Superb -
- Jane (6/5): Nice room, clean and comfortable. Some more work to be done on the breakfast. - Staff were nice and friendly and proper coffee in the room. Breakfast was a bit of a let down. Out of 3 cereals, only two were available. Hot breakfast was small. Bread for toast was sliced stuff that sticks to the roof of your mouth. Also, there was a workman rehanging a door whilst we were trying to have a peaceful start to our morning… felt a little bit like we were in the way and had outstayed our welcome.
- Debbie (8/5): Very good -
- Philip (7/5): initial impression was not great as it seemed a little tatty but room and food made up for it. - Staff were lovely and food was fantastic. 'Beer garden' at the back was very tatty and not very welcoming.
- Darren (9/5): Overall excellent weekend experience. Nice and quiet place to relax. - Nice friendly and comfortable little pub in Nice quiet area. Just a little on the expensive side to do it on a regular basis..which I would like to do each year.
- Oliver (8/5): Great spot for brief stay! - Comfortable rooms, v clean. Very nice and helpful staff. No spare key to room so had logistics issue!
- Gunter (10/5): Exceptional -
- Ruth (8/5): Very good -
Photos