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The Ancient Unicorn

3.0 star property
This welcoming guesthouse strikes the perfect balance between homey comfort and practical convenience for travelers seeking a hassle-free stay

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The Ancient Unicorn offers a warm atmosphere that makes guests feel at home. Travelers appreciate practical touches like free WiFi in common areas and straightforward parking. The smoke-free setting creates a clean, comfortable environment for a restful experience.

Reviews

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful

Popular amenities

  • Pet friendly
  • Parking included
  • Free WiFi
  • Bar

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 9 of 9 rooms

View all photos for Classic Twin Room, Ensuite

Room

Classic Twin Room, Ensuite

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful
(2 reviews)

Highlights

Heating
Refrigerator
Premium bedding
Separate bedroom
Microwave
Coffee/tea maker
Stovetop
Electric kettle
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

View all photos for Deluxe Double Room, Ensuite

Room

Deluxe Double Room, Ensuite

Highlights

Heating
Premium bedding
Separate bedroom
Hair dryer
Private bathroom
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
Digital channels
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Basic Double Room, Shared Bathroom

Room

Basic Double Room, Shared Bathroom

Highlights

Heating
Premium bedding
Separate bedroom
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Basic Twin Room, Shared Bathroom

Room

Basic Twin Room, Shared Bathroom

Highlights

Heating
Premium bedding
Separate bedroom
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
Digital channels
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds

View all photos for Comfort Double Room, Ensuite

Room

Comfort Double Room, Ensuite

8.8 out of 10
Excellent
(3 reviews)

Highlights

Heating
Premium bedding
Separate bedroom
Hair dryer
Private bathroom
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
Pet friendly
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Classic Double Room, Ensuite

Room

Classic Double Room, Ensuite

8.0 out of 10
Very good
(1 review)

Highlights

Heating
Premium bedding
Separate bedroom
Hair dryer
Private bathroom
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
Pet friendly
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Family Triple Room, Ensuite

Room

Family Triple Room, Ensuite

Highlights

Heating
Premium bedding
Separate bedroom
Hair dryer
Private bathroom
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
Digital channels
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Twin Bed

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

Lounge

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

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)

Highlights

Separate dining area
Heating
Kitchen
Refrigerator
Blackout drapes/curtains
Separate bedroom
Hair dryer
Private bathroom
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Double Sofa Bed

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

Room

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

Highlights

Heating
Blackout drapes/curtains
Premium bedding
Separate bedroom
Digital channels
Pet friendly
  • 18 sq m
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Twin Bed and 1 Double Bed
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About the neighborhood

Barnard Castle is home to The Ancient Unicorn. Bowes Museum and Swaledale Museum are cultural highlights, and some of the area's attractions include Eggleston Hall and Walworth Castle Birds of Prey. National Railway Museum at Shildon and The Forbidden Corner are also worth visiting. Take an opportunity to explore the area for outdoor excitement like hiking/biking trails. Visit our Barnard Castle travel guide
View more Guest Houses in Barnard Castle
Map
The St, Bowes,, The Street, Barnard Castle, England, DL12 9HL

What's nearby

  • A woman crossing a stile on the Pennine Way, English Countryside walk.UK; Shutterstock ID 275558420; Purchase Order: -
    North Pennines
    16 min walk - 1.4 km
  • 0_353007
    Yorkshire Dales National Park
    20 min drive - 31.7 km
  • A little known gem within Durham. A lovely walk through the gardens to the Greenhouses
    Durham University
    42 min drive - 53.7 km
  • This is a great place to visit in the North of England. It’s like stepping back in time to visit a town, farm, colliery village and old hall and getting to experience what it was like to live in those places from about 1910 onwards. There are staff who take on the roles of various locals that really bring this place to life. This picture is from the town where you can explore a bank, shops, pub, dentists and lots of other things as well as ride in traditional vehicles of the time. Such a brilliant experience.
    Beamish Open Air Museum
    58 min drive - 70.6 km
  • Barnard Castle
    6 min drive - 7.7 km

Getting around

  • Kirkby Stephen Station
    21 min drive
  • Durham (MME-Teesside Intl.)
    42 min drive

Restaurants

  • Cross Lanes Organic Restaurant
    4 min drive
  • The Milbank Arms
    10 min drive
  • Ancient Unicorn Inn
    1 min walk
  • The Morritt Country House Hotel
    7 min drive
  • Coach & Horses
    7 min drive

About this property

The Ancient Unicorn

Property highlights
You can look forward to free breakfast, a free daily manager's reception, and a coffee shop/cafe at The Ancient Unicorn. Free WiFi in public areas is available to all guests, along with a garden and a bar.
Other perks at this guesthouse include:
  • Free self parking
  • Coffee/tea in the lobby, outdoor furniture, and smoke-free premises

Similar properties

Dining
The Old Well Inn
  • Breakfast included
  • Pet friendly
  • Free WiFi
  • Restaurant
8.2 out of 10, Very Good, 175 reviews
The price is P4,776
P5,731 total
includes taxes & fees
Mar 10 - Mar 11
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Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • Free self parking on site

Food and drink

  • Free breakfast available
  • A bar/lounge
  • A coffee shop/cafe
  • Coffee and tea in common areas
  • Free daily manager's reception

Guest services

  • Housekeeping (weekly)

Outdoors

  • Garden
  • Outdoor furniture

Accessibility

  • No elevator

More

  • Smoking not allowed

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
Information provided by the property may be translated using automated translation tools

Renovations and closures

The following facilities are closed on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday:
  • Bar/lounge
  • Dining venue(s)

Access methods

Lockbox

Pets

Pets allowed for an extra charge of GBP 10.00 per pet, per stay
Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees
Welcoming dogs only

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Property payment types

Important information

Optional extras

  • Pet fee: GBP 10.00 per pet, per stay
  • Service animals are exempt from fees

The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.

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
Safety features at this property include a carbon monoxide detector, a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, a security system, a first aid kit, and outdoor lighting
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

Frequently asked questions

Is The Ancient Unicorn pet-friendly?

Yes, dogs are allowed at this property. There's a fee of GBP 10.00 per pet, per stay. Service animals are exempt from fees.

How much is parking?

Self parking is free at this property.

What time is check-in at The Ancient Unicorn?

Check-in start time: 3:00 PM; Check-in end time: anytime.

What time is check-out at The Ancient Unicorn?

Check-out is at 10:00 AM.

Where is The Ancient Unicorn located?

Situated in Barnard Castle, this guesthouse is 0.8 mi (1.3 km) from North Pennines and within 6 mi (10 km) of Barnard Castle and Bowes Museum. Eggleston Hall and Raby Castle are also within 12 mi (20 km).

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Reviews

The Ancient Unicorn Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

9.0

Cleanliness

9.2

Location

9.0

Staff & service

8.8

Property conditions & facilities
Rating 10 - Excellent. 83 out of 138 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 39 out of 138 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 7 out of 138 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 8 out of 138 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 138 reviews

Reviews

8/10 Good

Murray

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good cosy room
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2025

10/10 Excellent

Louisa

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A little basic but comfy, very quiet, delicious breakfast and friendly and accommodating staff.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

8/10 Good

Carolyne

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely overnight stay, comfortable accommodation and facilities. Food lovely breast and evening meal. Great parking for motorcycles
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Sarah

Liked: Amenities
Very friendly establishment. Great service and good dinner menu and breakfast. The cottage could of done with a deep clean as there was loads of spiders and cobwebs. Would definitely stay there again but maybe in the pub next time
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2025

10/10 Excellent

Hayley

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Excellent staff and well positioned for a stop over.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Lilly

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Great Stay !

Lovely rooms , comfy bed & comfy pillows , great shower. Service & hospitality was fantastic ! Would highly reccomend.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2025

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

10/10 Excellent

paula

Wonderful trip away

Such a lovely stay property was lovely very clean inviting and cosy and great for our dogs too. The staff were so lovely friendly helpful and made us feel very welcome. I am coeliac and they were fantastic with the food for me would highly recommend loved it
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jean

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very friendly, helpful staff.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2024

10/10 Excellent

Mickie

Liked: Amenities
Loved our first experience at the ancient unicorn wonderful staff beautiful food I would highly recommend anyone to stay or visit you won’t be disappointed A****
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024

10/10 Excellent

Ruth

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Lovely and GF breakfast

Lovely stay with lovely hosts. If you’re gluten free, the landlord is coeliac so you get a fabulous breakfast!
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2024

8/10 Good

jakub

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

Angela

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Fabulous room . Helpful, friendly staff . Lovely food .
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2024

10/10 Excellent

Markus

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Fantastic place

We had a fabulous stay in the Ancient Unicorn. We were a family of 4 and also had our dog with us. We stayed in the Charles Dickens Cottage and it was outstanding. When we arrived, the cottage was warm and welcoming. The kitchen was well-equipped. The breakfast was delicious and the staff were super friendly. The location is great for exploring the area. We look forward to coming back in the future.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2025

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

10/10 Excellent

Deirdre

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Overnight Stay in Room 5 The Ancient Unicorn

We only were there for 1 night but it was a very comfy and enjoyable one. We had dinner there and it was very good also breakfast next morning was cooked as you ordered and a very good choice of cold items we had room 5 and it was a beautiful room with tea and coffee making facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2025

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

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

10/10 Excellent

jennifer

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

8/10 Good

Lorna

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely historical property and good value for money. Quiet location, great stop off for travelling on the A66, with Barnard Castle just a short drive. Easy check into cosy courtyard cottage. Nicely decorated and furnished, though the bed would benefit from a better quality mattress. Friendly staff and good breakfast. Evening pub menu satisfactory but not exceptional.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2024

10/10 Excellent

Brenda

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

8/10 Good

Sue

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Quality accommodation/ disappointing dinner.

Charming olde world inn. Beautiful room and nice original features. Very friendly staff. Superb breakfast (even did me porridge as can't manage a full english). Lovely views from our second floor room which was very spacious. Evening meal disappointed. Steak was too well-done - no pink in the middle/ sticky toffee pudding was very dry.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2025

10/10 Excellent

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The pub/hotel has evolved from a traditional coaching inn which has being doing basically the same job for over 400 years. Our room was basic, but had character (window seats) and the main facilities were fine (good bed, plenty of heating and lots of hot water). There is parking in the old cobbled coaching yard and the town of Bowes is quiet, but conveniently close to the A66.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2024

6/10 Okay

Alison

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Room was lovely with a very comfy bed. Please add a reading light as the main light was very 'soft'. However the food was NOT good. I'm pretty sure our evening meal choices of scampi+chips and sausage+mash were both microwaved ready meals, not freshly prepared. The scampi+mushy peas were hard/overdone but the chips soggy & limp. The sausage+mash meal fared better but the sausages were really poor quality meat and not tasty. Overall, we would happily sleep there another night if we're in the area but it's not somewhere we want to eat again.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2025

10/10 Excellent

Jac

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

8/10 Good

John

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