Lord Crewe Arms

About Lord Crewe Arms

The Lord Crewe Arms sits at the centre of Blanchland, a village built largely from the stone of a 12th-century Premonstratensian abbey and one of the most complete estate villages in the north of England. The inn itself began as the abbot's lodging and kitchen, and the Crypt bar underneath still has its barrel-vaulted ceiling and enormous fireplace. It is a genuinely old building put to sensible modern use.

There are 21 rooms, split between the main building, the Angel next door and a row of former miners' cottages across the road. They are graded from the smaller Canny rooms up through Champion rooms to suites, and the styling is contemporary country: bold colours, good fabrics, Nespresso machines, decent toiletries and cake on arrival. Some of the larger rooms have log fires or roll-top baths. Ceilings are low and staircases narrow in the older parts.

Food is a serious part of the operation, with a menu built around game, local beef and lamb, and produce from the surrounding moors and gardens. The Crypt is a proper bar rather than a hotel lounge, and there is a terrace for warmer days. Walking is the main activity here, straight out of the village into the Derwent valley and the North Pennines, and the dark skies are excellent.

It suits walkers, couples after a weekend of fires and long lunches, and anyone driving between Hadrian's Wall and Durham. Blanchland is remote enough that you should plan to eat at the inn, which is no hardship. Dogs are welcome in a number of the rooms.