The Blue Lion

About The Blue Lion

The Blue Lion sits on the green at East Witton, a stone village in lower Wensleydale a few miles from Leyburn. It was built as a shooting lodge and became a coaching inn around 1840, and the front bar still looks the part — stone floors, an open fire, candles on the tables and menus written up on blackboards. It has been a fixture on the Dales eating-out circuit for decades and remains a genuine local pub as well as a place to stay.

Accommodation is split between rooms in the main house and a group of courtyard rooms in converted outbuildings behind. The house rooms are more traditional, some with four-posters and sloping floors; the courtyard rooms are larger, quieter and better for anyone wanting a bit of separation from the bar. All are comfortably rather than lavishly furnished, and dogs are accepted in several.

Food is the strength. The kitchen cooks Yorkshire produce in a straightforward way — game in season, local lamb and beef, fish from the coast, and a twice-baked Wensleydale cheese souffle that has been on the menu for years. There is a full a la carte, a lighter bar menu and a well-attended Sunday lunch. Real ale comes from Yorkshire breweries and the wine list is longer than a village pub needs to be.

It suits walkers, couples and anyone who wants a proper old inn rather than a hotel. Middleham with its racing stables and castle is close, Jervaulx Abbey is a short drive, and Wensleydale opens out to the west towards Aysgarth and Hawes. Parking is available and rates are reasonable for what is on offer, though weekends and race days book up early.