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The Ancient Unicorn

2.0 star property
your current months are December, 2024 and January, 2025.
December 2024
January 2025

Photo gallery for The Ancient Unicorn

Classic Twin Room, Ensuite | Lounge
Classic Double Room, Ensuite
Bar (on property)
Bar (on property)
Bar (on property)

Reviews

9.0 out of 10

Wonderful

Popular amenities

  • Breakfast available
  • Pet-friendly
    Pet-friendly
  • Parking included
    Parking included
  • Free WiFi
    Free WiFi

Explore the area

Map
The St, Bowes,, The Street, Barnard Castle, England, DL12 9HL
  • Barnard Castle
    5 min drive
  • Bowes Museum
    8 min drive
  • Egglestone Abbey
    8 min drive
  • Durham (MME-Teesside Intl.)
    45 min drive

Room options

View all photos for Deluxe Double Room, Ensuite

Deluxe Double Room, Ensuite

Deluxe Double Room, Ensuite

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Classic Twin Room, Ensuite

Classic Twin Room, Ensuite

Classic Twin Room, Ensuite

  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

View all photos for Double Room, Ensuite (Upstairs WT)

Double Room, Ensuite (Upstairs WT)

Double Room, Ensuite (Upstairs WT)

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Double Sofa Bed

View all photos for Basic Triple Room, Shared Bathroom, Courtyard View (Mini Unicorn)

Basic Triple Room, Shared Bathroom, Courtyard View (Mini Unicorn)

Basic Triple Room, Shared Bathroom, Courtyard View (Mini Unicorn)

  • 18 sq m
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Twin Bed and 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Family Triple Room, Ensuite

Family Triple Room, Ensuite

Family Triple Room, Ensuite

  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Twin Bed

View all photos for Comfort Cottage, Ensuite, Courtyard View (Charles Dickens Cottage)

Comfort Cottage, Ensuite, Courtyard View (Charles Dickens Cottage) | Lounge

Comfort Cottage, Ensuite, Courtyard View (Charles Dickens Cottage)

  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Double Sofa Bed

View all photos for Classic Double Room, Ensuite

Classic Double Room, Ensuite

Classic Double Room, Ensuite

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Comfort Double Room, Ensuite

Comfort Double Room, Ensuite

Comfort Double Room, Ensuite

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Basic Twin Room, Shared Bathroom

Basic Twin Room, Shared Bathroom

Basic Twin Room, Shared Bathroom

  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

View all photos for Basic Double Room, Shared Bathroom

Basic Double Room, Shared Bathroom

Basic Double Room, Shared Bathroom

  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

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About the area

Barnard Castle

Located in Barnard Castle, The Ancient Unicorn is a 2-minute drive from North Pennines and 5 minutes from Barnard Castle. .This guesthouse is 6.7 mi (10.8 km) from Yorkshire Dales National Park and 28.2 mi (45.3 km) from Durham University.
View more Guest houses in Barnard CastleOpens in a new window

What's nearby

  • Barnard Castle - 5 min drive - 6.6 km
  • The Garage Spa - 7 min drive - 10.1 km
  • Bowes Museum - 8 min drive - 7.8 km
  • Teesdale - 21 min drive - 20.1 km
  • Yorkshire Dales National Park - 28 min drive - 10.8 km

Getting around

  • Kirkby Stephen Station - 20 min drive
  • Durham (MME-Teesside Intl.) - 45 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Babul’s - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪Coach & Horses - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪Redwell Inn - ‬9 min drive
  • ‪Golden Lion - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪Costa Coffee - ‬7 min drive

About this property

The Ancient Unicorn

Guesthouse in Barnard Castle with free parking
The Ancient Unicorn offers 17 accommodations. Housekeeping is provided weekly.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
Make yourself at home in one of the 17 guestrooms.
This smoke-free guesthouse features hiking/biking trails nearby.
Breakfast is available for a fee.
Free self parking is available onsite.

Languages

English

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and public transport

  • Free self-parking on site

Food and drink

  • Breakfast available for a fee

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (weekly)

Accessibility

  • This property does not have any lifts

More

  • Smoke-free property

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; Check-in end time: anytime
Contactless check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

Guests will receive lockbox information

Access methods

Lockbox

Pets

Pets allowed
Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees
Welcoming dogs only

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Payment types

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit/debit cards
This property is professionally cleaned

We should mention

This property does not have elevators
This property's policy is to refuse certain bookings for the purpose of group events or parties, including pre-wedding stag/bachelor and hen/bachelorette parties

Property is also known as

Ancient Unicorn Inn Barnard Castle
Ancient Unicorn Barnard Castle
Ancient Unicorn
Ancient Unicorn Barnard
Ancient Unicorn Inn
The Ancient Unicorn Guesthouse
The Ancient Unicorn Barnard Castle
The Ancient Unicorn Guesthouse Barnard Castle

The Ancient Unicorn Reviews

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

Rating 10 - Excellent. 65 out of 110 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 33 out of 110 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 5 out of 110 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 6 out of 110 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 110 reviews" "

9.0/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Staff & service

8.2/10

Amenities

8.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

8/10 Good

jakub

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great little cottage.
Charles Dickens cottage was great for a family of 4 on a short break. Comfortable and convenient location just off A66 without braking the bank. Great to have a fully equipped kitchen as well if you have kids to feed.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Bill

Travelled with family, Travelled with pets
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We (couple adult daughter dog) stayed at the Ancient Unicorn to break the journey between East Anglia and Scotland. We arrived at the charming inn located in the centre of the lovely Pennine village of Bowes to be told that we had been upgraded to the Charles Dickens Cottage(!) because there was a problem with our booked room. The Cottage was immaculate and comfortable with a fantastic shower. Despite the fact that the staff were very busy because there was a folk group getting set up to play in the bar nothing was too much trouble for Karli and her staff to make us welcome. We had an excellent dinner of home-made food (made earlier in the day by Karli!) in the dog-friendly restaurant and then enjoyed a pint of real ale in the bar. And the cooked breakfast in the morning was fabulous. A perfect stay and so, so much better than a generic motorway hotel. The area is full of attractions in its own right (we had a quick look at the ruin of Bowes Castle just up the road) and we will be back!
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jac

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
lovely little hideaway
I stayed with 2 female friends in a small but comfy courtyard room. We stayed for tea on the night and it was gorgeous, the staff were friendly and accommodating swapping the meal to suit our needs. Next morning breakfast was included so we all had a large full English, veg option available. We will definitely be back. Small issue re damp smell in bathroom but loved the place.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2024

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly, helpful staff. Modern, very clean en-suite room with comfortable bed. Evening meal and breakfast good. Great to meet Gus the dog!
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2024

4/10 Poor

Matt

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
An unpleasant experience
The hotel is self service. I received a text with a code to open a key box. The latch and lock on the bedroom door were broken on the inside, meaning that I could unlock the door from the front but could not latch or lock it. I had to push the sofa against the door overnight for security as I had a lot of expensive camera equipment in the room. There was no internet available despite being promised and sent a WiFi password. The walls were paper thin and I was woken up by drunken guests at 1am followed by another wake up at 3am due to a man loudly vomiting.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2024

10/10 Excellent

Sharon

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely place to stay
We loved our stay. The staff were lovely and the whole place was cute and friendly
Stayed 1 night in May 2024

8/10 Good

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Relaxing stay in historic inn.
Nice stay in an historic inn, with clean room, good pub food and a hearty breakfast. Reasonable price too - what's not to like?
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Brenda

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
We loved the quaintness of the hotel - it was beautiful too. The area is perfect for walking/rambling and was very quiet. The staff we encountered were lovely, kind, helpful and polite. And we particularly loved Gus, the resident doggie. Checking in was easy when we realised it was a staff-free experience and had to use codes and lock boxes to get the keys - simple and effective.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

jennifer

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was in a quiet wee village but if you have a car you can go to town I upgraded to a cottage and it had a microwave and kettle also a hob was very clean and there’s parking the breakfast and food was lovely would go again
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Beth

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

8/10 Good

Caroline

Stayed 1 night in Jan 2024

10/10 Excellent

Marcel

Liked: Property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023

10/10 Excellent

Craig

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lisa

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Andrew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic experience
Booked the Deluxe double as a stop over, and had a lovely night's sleep.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

4/10 Poor

Nicola

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Not great
No WiFi available in our room even though it is stated on the website. You had to go down to the door of the bar in the pub to pick up the WiFi. I contacted the number given and they sent the WiFi password a couple of hours later after they obviously didn't read my message properly. I measured back but heard nothing else. The hairdryer in the room turned on, got hot without blowing air and then shut down, I left a note saying this may be a fire hazard.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

4/10 Poor

clive

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness
Unfortunately our stay was ruined by the repulsive smell contained within the property (Charles Dickens Cottage). When we arrived the smell of damp dogs was overwhelming. We were offered a tokenistic can of air freshener to spray around the property. This failed to eliminate the smell which remained all week. This was compounded by a number of soft furnishings containing dog hair. The property is defined as pet friendly on their website but be warned (certainly within the Charles Dickens Cottage) that if you have sensitive smell you would be advised to book a different cottage!
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

John

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A very convenient overnight stop on our drive north to Scotland. Lovely old building in the heart of the village. We arrived late but had been provided with codes that gave us access to our 3-person room, which was very comfortable and fine for an overnight stay but might be a bit small if you were staying longer. Very comfortable beds but rather a lot of noise from the adjacent room. Very good value for money - we would certainly consider returning to use the Ancient Unicorn as a base for exploring the local area.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Geoff

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

suzanne

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Happy visitors
We were delighted by this place, we had a very warm welcome and very well appointed, spotlessly clean rooms; which were very comfortable. The food was good and the atmosphere very relaxing. Cheerful friendly staff made it a good place to stopover on our travels.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Steven

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Rooms feel very comfy and the colour style was lovely
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

8/10 Good

Beverley

Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

John

Stayed 1 night in May 2023

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Disliked: Staff & service
Not happy with the check-in!!!
We travelled 4 hours to get here to find out that the code they had given us wasn't working. With two tired children, we kept trying the door and making phone calls where we just got told that they didn't have any booking by my name. They kept asking if we were at the right place!! After around 45 minutes or so, the lady at the pub downstairs, tells us as a matter of fact that it was door 15 and not door 1 that we were allotted!! The door number on the WhatsApp message sent to us was 1!!! She also shouted out our door passcode out loud in a pub full of customers!! And after one of our outings, we found our door open (none of our stuff was missing and no, it wasn't opened by the staff for cleaning as the neither the bins were emptied nor the dirty mugs taken away). No apologies at all for any of the things listed above!! And she behaved as if it was our fault for some reason! We made a formal complaint and got a compensation. Apart from the very disappointing check-in, we enjoyed the stay there. The apartment was in an old cottage style and very beautifully kept!
Stayed 2 nights in May 2023