The Wensleydale Heifer

About The Wensleydale Heifer

The Wensleydale Heifer occupies a seventeenth-century building on the main street of West Witton, a linear village on the road between Leyburn and Aysgarth. It trades primarily as a restaurant with rooms and has built its reputation on something unexpected for a landlocked Dales village — a seafood kitchen, supplied daily from the coast, sitting alongside a grill menu of Yorkshire beef and lamb.

There are thirteen bedrooms, each decorated to a theme, which ranges from the gently done to the very committed: Gin, Chocolate, Champagne and James Bond among them. Beneath the styling the rooms are well equipped, with good beds, decent bathrooms and, in the larger ones, seating areas or roll-top baths. A separate self-contained cottage is available for guests wanting more space or bringing a dog.

Dining takes place across a more formal restaurant and a relaxed fish bar, with the same kitchen serving both. Lobster, crab, halibut and daily specials sit next to steaks and traditional puddings, and the fish and chips has a following of its own. Lunch and dinner are served daily with slightly later weekend sittings, and breakfast is included for residents. Booking is advisable as the restaurant draws diners from well beyond the village.

It suits couples and small groups who want good food without the formality of a fine-dining hotel, and it works as a base for Aysgarth Falls, Bolton Castle, Middleham and the drive over to Swaledale. The village itself is small and there is limited on-street parking, though the property has its own. Rates are mid-range and represent decent value given the standard of the kitchen.