Black Swan Inn

I recently stayed at The Black Swan when visiting the Polar Express at Leeming Bar. The hotel was very conveniently located, around an 18 minute drive from the Park and Ride for the Polar Express and less than a 10 minute drive to Masham, a small village with lots of pubs! Although we didn’t have time to eat in the pub for tea, we did have breakfast the following day which was very delicious! The menu wasn’t massive but we could chop and change items to have a breakfast of our choice. Alternative milk was also available on request. The man who was working at the reception and over breakfast was very friendly and helpful. Our room was very spacious, with a very large bed and nice views. The only negative was that there was a jacuzzi bath in it which was unfortunately out of order during our stay, but that is just one of those things! The shower was powerful which was nice! Overall I would definitly recommend The Black Swan for a budget friendly stay in the dales!

I have been her with work once before - about 12 years ago. That was a 2 night stay for work nearby. That was excellent. Last night I took my wife there as it was en route to our location for the weekend. The place is out of the way so quiet. Parking was easy and secure. We entered via the pu and passed through to the restaurant. The pub is a village pub. Last night it was full of locals nattering and having a pleasant evening. A good sign. We passed through to the restaurant. We were fairly clearly but through our visit we saw the restaurant almost fill up completely. It is not a large restaurant - about 30 covers I think. We ordered and received some very nice meals. I had the house curry. My wife the burger. We had a lovely evening with very good food in a friendly atmosphere. We arrived and left in the dark but even in the dark - with a full moon - my wife got an impression of the beautiful scenery to see from the back of the pub. The landlord owns a field so camping/caravans is an option. The rooms 12 years ago were excellent. I did not see them this time but I struggle to believe that they will be anything other than excellent.

I don't usually write reviews on TripAdvisor but I felt the need to after a terrible ordeal at The Black Swan Inn. I booked 2 rooms for a nights stay over the phone and spoke directly to the manager. My Father-in-Law is disabled so I was assured on booking that he had an accessible room and bathroom. I booked a second room for myself, my partner and two young daughters (aged 4 and 1). On arrival we checked in and were shown to our rooms. The 'accessible room' was on the ground floor however other than that there was nothing accessible about it. There was a large step up into a tiny shower with no hand rails in the bathroom which was not suitable. I had requested a travel cot for my daughter which had no mattress and in the middle had the metal frame protruding. How a baby was expected to sleep in there I have no idea. The rooms were very dated. How this hotel has been given 4 stars I will never know. The staff were pretty useless at dealing with the situation so I asked to speak to the manager and was told he was away in London (not sure if I believed that). We were offered our money back. After paying £345 for 2 rooms I would have expected much higher standards. It was fairly late at night so we rang around other hotels in the area but no one had any rooms available which were suitable. The pub didn't look inviting to stay for food either so we decided not to eat there and ended up driving an hour and a half back home with two tried cranky children. Not ideal!

In the area again we decided to try somewhere different and picked this pub for a meal. It is in the small village of Fearby near Masham and sits high up with wonderful views. There is a caravan site at the back but it doesn't impinge too much. The host was very welcoming and we enjoyed some Theakstons Best, a guest real ale and a tasty cider called Appleshed. Our choices were both Specials; one salmon and a seabass and both were cooked just right. Portions were ample - we noticed this at other tables as well - so we could only manage to share a delicious chocolate orange dessert. All was very good value for money and we will definitely go again.

This is a beautiful place to stay, Very clean accommodation, good food and friendly staff. We had a lovely two night stay and I would highly recommend. There are some great attractions/walks near by too. A great place if you're looking for a peaceful break.

We always try and have a meal or at least a drink at the Black Swan, Fearby whenever we are in the area. It's one of our favourite stops with great food and service. At the time we'd booked (always advisable) we hadn't realised it was the owners 60th birthday and they had a marquee outside for his family and friends. Despite this we were still able to get a seat in the dining room and the service and food was still up to its usual high standard. We don't have a caravan, but it also caters for camping onsite as well as built-in accommodation available as well. We have always been made to feel very welcome and had some great food too, so will always return whenever we can and in the area.