An 1165-built abbot's house in the honey-stone North Pennines village of Blanchland, 11 miles south of Corbridge, shelters some of this entrancing inn's 21 rooms, while others are located in former miners' cottages. Rates almost halve outside high season. Non-guests can dine on outstanding Modern British fare and drink in its vaulted bar, the Crypt, with a monumental medieval fireplace.
Live music takes place in the beer garden from April to September; year-round it hosts banquets and wine tastings. The inn backs on to the River Derwent, to which it has fishing rights; guests are free to borrow equipment or take a lesson. Hiking trails fan out across the moors.
