Stow House

About Stow House

Stow House is a Victorian vicarage on the edge of Aysgarth, converted into a small bed and breakfast and run by its owners rather than by staff. There are seven bedrooms in total, which keeps things personal — guests tend to end up in the drawing room together over a drink before heading out to eat. The house sits in its own grounds with views down Wensleydale, and Aysgarth Falls are within walking distance.

The rooms are the reason most people book. Each has a name and a character of its own, and the design is playful rather than country-house traditional: bold wallpapers, vintage finds, cast-iron baths in several rooms and underfloor heating in the bathrooms. Sizes and prices vary quite a lot, from a smaller double to larger rooms with seating areas and the best of the valley views. Dogs are welcome in five of the seven.

Breakfast is included and made in-house, with homemade bread and granola, freshly squeezed juice and cooked dishes to order. In the early evening the owners serve classic cocktails in the drawing room at a fixed price, and there is an honesty bar for anything else. Dinner is not served, but the Aysgarth Falls Hotel is a few hundred yards down the road and there are good pubs in the surrounding villages.

It suits couples and walkers who want somewhere characterful and sociable rather than anonymous, and it is a strong base for the middle of Wensleydale — the falls, Bolton Castle, Castle Bolton village, Hawes and the Buttertubs Pass are all close. The house is not suited to large groups or young children, and with only seven rooms it books out well in advance for spring and summer weekends.