The Ancient Unicorn

3.0 star property
Comfortable guesthouse in Barnard Castle with free parking

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your current months are April, 2024 and May, 2024.
April 2024
May 2024

The Ancient Unicorn

Photo gallery for The Ancient Unicorn

Cottage, Ensuite, Courtyard View (William Turner Cottage ) | Lounge
Exterior
Basic Triple Room, Shared Bathroom, Courtyard View (Mini Unicorn)
Bar (on property)
Miscellaneous

Overview of The Ancient Unicorn

8.8

Excellent

Popular amenities

  • Breakfast available
  • Parking included
  • Free WiFi
The price is £63
Price available on 20/3/2024

Explore the area

The St, Bowes,, The Street, Barnard Castle, ENG, DL12 9HL
  • Popular LocationBowes, Church1 min walk
  • Popular LocationCross Lanes Organic Farm4 min drive
  • Popular LocationBengal Merchant6 min drive
  • Popular LocationPenny's6 min drive
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Room options

Deluxe Double Room, Ensuite

cleanliness

Highlights

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

Classic Twin Room, Ensuite

cleanliness

Highlights

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

Cottage, Ensuite, Courtyard View (William Turner Cottage )

cleanliness

Highlights

Separate dining area
Heating
Kitchenette
Fridge
Separate bedroom
Blackout curtains
2.0 bathrooms
Hairdryer
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Double Sofa Bed

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

cleanliness

Highlights

Heating
Blackout curtains
Premium bedding
Separate bedroom
Digital channels
Pet friendly
  • 194 sq ft
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Single Bed and 1 Double Bed

Family Triple Room, Ensuite

cleanliness

Highlights

Heating
Separate bedroom
Premium bedding
Hairdryer
Coffee/tea maker
Electric kettle
Digital channels
Pet friendly
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Single Bed

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

cleanliness

Highlights

Separate dining area
Heating
Kitchen
Fridge
Separate bedroom
Blackout curtains
Hairdryer
Microwave
  • Sleeps 4
  • 1 Double Bed and 1 Double Sofa Bed

Classic Double Room, Ensuite

cleanliness

Highlights

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

Comfort Double Room, Ensuite

cleanliness

Highlights

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

Basic Twin Room, Shared Bathroom

cleanliness

Highlights

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

Basic Double Room, Shared Bathroom

cleanliness

Highlights

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

Similar properties

About the area

Barnard Castle

The Ancient Unicorn is located in Barnard Castle. 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 the opportunity to explore the area for outdoor excitement like hiking/biking trails.

What's nearby

  • Barnard Castle - 5 min drive
  • Bowes Museum - 8 min drive
  • Eggleston Hall - 14 min drive
  • Yorkshire Dales National Park - 18 min drive
  • High Force - 25 min drive

Getting around

  • Kirkby Stephen Station - 21 min drive
  • Durham (MME-Teesside Intl.) - 40 min drive

Restaurants

  • Redwell Inn - 9 min drive
  • Golden Lion - 6 min drive
  • The Cricketers Arms - 7 min drive
  • Coach & Horses - 7 min drive
  • Costa Coffee - 7 min drive

About this property

The Ancient Unicorn

Property highlights
The Ancient Unicorn provides everything that you need. Stay connected with free WiFi in public areas.
Other perks at this guest house include:
  • Free self-parking
  • Breakfast (surcharge) and smoke-free property

Languages

English

Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transport

  • Free self parking on site

Food and drink

  • Breakfast available for a fee

Guest services

  • Weekly housekeeping

Accessibility

  • No lift

More

  • Smoke-free property

Policies

Check-in

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

Check-out

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

Special check-in instructions

Guests will receive lockbox information

Access methods

Lockbox

Pets

Service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome

Payment types at the property

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 any lifts
This property's policy is to refuse certain bookings for the purpose of group events or parties, including stag and hen parties

Frequently asked questions

How much is parking at The Ancient Unicorn?

Self-parking is free at this property.

How much does it cost to stay at The Ancient Unicorn?

As of 19 Mar 2024, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at The Ancient Unicorn on 20 Mar 2024 start from £63.0, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.

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?

Checkout 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 miles (10 km) of Barnard Castle and Bowes Museum. The Garage Spa and Eggleston Hall are also within 9 miles (15 km).

The Ancient Unicorn Reviews

Reviews

8.8

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 56 out of 96 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 29 out of 96 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 5 out of 96 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 5 out of 96 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 1 out of 96 reviews" "

9.0/10

Cleanliness

9.0/10

Staff & service

7.6/10

Amenities

8.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.8/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

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

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

General hotel information

Reasons to Book
Property Cleanliness & Room Cleanliness
Check-In Time
3:00 PM
Check-Out Time
10:00 AM
Star Rating
3.0