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The Ancient Unicorn

3.0 star property

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Classic Twin Room, Ensuite
Restaurant
Comfort Cottage, Ensuite, Courtyard View (Charles Dickens Cottage) | Bathroom
Classic Twin Room, Ensuite | Lounge
Bar (on property)

Reviews

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful

Popular amenities

  • Pet friendly
  • Parking included
  • Bar

Explore the area

View in a map
The St, Bowes,, The Street, Barnard Castle, England, DL12 9HL
  • Place, North Pennines
    ‪3 min drive‬
  • Place, Barnard Castle
    ‪9 min drive‬
  • Place, The Garage Spa
    ‪10 min drive‬
  • Airport, Durham (MME-Teesside Intl.)
    ‪49 min drive‬

Room options

View all photos for Classic Twin Room, Ensuite

Classic Twin Room, Ensuite

Classic Twin Room, Ensuite

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful
(2 reviews)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds
  • Free WiFi

View all photos for Deluxe Double Room, Ensuite

Deluxe Double Room, Ensuite

Deluxe Double Room, Ensuite

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed
  • Free WiFi

View all photos for Basic Double Room, Shared Bathroom

Basic Double Room, Shared Bathroom

Basic Double Room, Shared Bathroom

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed
  • Free WiFi

View all photos for Basic Twin Room, Shared Bathroom

Basic Twin Room, Shared Bathroom

Basic Twin Room, Shared Bathroom

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 2 Twin Beds
  • Free WiFi

View all photos for Comfort Double Room, Ensuite

Comfort Double Room, Ensuite

Comfort Double Room, Ensuite

8.8 out of 10
Excellent
(3 reviews)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed
  • Free WiFi

View all photos for Classic Double Room, Ensuite

Classic Double Room, Ensuite

Classic Double Room, Ensuite

8.0 out of 10
Very good
(1 review)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed
  • Free WiFi

View all photos for Family Triple Room, Ensuite

Family Triple Room, Ensuite

Family Triple Room, Ensuite

  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Twin Bed
  • Free WiFi

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)

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(1 review)
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Double Sofa Bed
  • Free WiFi

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)

  • 194 sq ft
  • 1 bedroom
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Twin Bed and 1 Double Bed
  • Free WiFi

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About the neighborhood

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 16.5 mi (26.6 km) from Yorkshire Dales National Park and 29 mi (46.6 km) from Durham University.
View more Guest Houses in Barnard CastleOpens in a new window

What's nearby

  • North Pennines - 3 min drive - 2.0 miles
  • Barnard Castle - 9 min drive - 4.8 miles
  • The Garage Spa - 10 min drive - 7.3 miles
  • Bowes Museum - 11 min drive - 6.9 miles
  • Teesdale Leisure Centre - 12 min drive - 7.3 miles

Getting around

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

Restaurants

  • ‪Three Horse Shoes - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪Babul’s - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪Costa Coffee - ‬7 min drive
  • ‪The Rose & Crown - ‬12 min drive
  • ‪Red Well Inn - ‬9 min drive

About this property

The Ancient Unicorn

The Ancient Unicorn offers 15 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 15 guestrooms.
Take in the views from a garden and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access.
Satisfy your appetite at the guesthouse's coffee shop/cafe. Mingle with other guests at the complimentary reception, held daily. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at the bar/lounge. A complimentary breakfast is included.
Free self parking is available onsite.
A complimentary breakfast is offered. A complimentary manager's reception is offered each day.

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

The Ancient Unicorn Reviews

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

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

9.0/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Staff & service

8.0/10

Amenities

8.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

Reviews

Verified

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
Verified

8/10 Good

Murray

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

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
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Tracy

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Lovely stay Very cosy
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2024
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveler

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Northern Break

It was the perfect place for a stopover. The room was lovely, the food was good, and the service was good too.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2025
Verified

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
Verified

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
Verified

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
Verified

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
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Jean

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

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
Verified

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
Verified

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
Verified

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
Verified

10/10 Excellent

suzanne

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
Verified

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
Verified

6/10 Okay

Andrew

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
No one to greet on arrival. Evening food not available. Room floor was very cold and room not pre-heated. Malc was very sociable and made a very good breakfast. Set in wonderful countryside.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2025
Verified

10/10 Excellent

Steven

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

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
Verified

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
Verified

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
Verified

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
Verified

10/10 Excellent

S

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

Ancient Unicorn

Lovely Hotel full of character. It was comfortable, clean and the service was excellent. It was was very clean and well maintained throughout. Food was very good too.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2022
Verified

8/10 Good

Julian

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Two night stay in the small village of Bowes. Double room was comfortable with en suite. Tasty English breakfast included. We used the pub for our evening meal on both nights - there is no other option nearby for dinner without a short drive. Bar food was cooked really well. The bar itself was functional but lacking a bit of character.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2025
Verified

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