The Plough at Lupton – The Perfect Country Inn for Hikers

Both Yorkshire and the Lake District are considered by most Brits to be some of the most beautiful areas in the UK. And those of you who follow my Instagram stories (btw you definitely should) will know that Yorkshire is fast becoming one of our favourite parts of the country. We have stopped there several times now on our trips between London and Scotland. On the other hand the Lake District is a county that we haven’t explored at all. That is as of yet! We are definitely planning a weekend getaway there very soon.

The Plough at Lupton is a small historic pub and inn that is ideally placed to explore both the Yorkshire Dales and as the Lake District. So if you hike on a regular basis, you will love this place!

Sadly Gary and I only stayed here for one night before heading back down to London. If we had had more time on our hands, we would gladly have cozied up in our suite for longer. The Plough offers a relaxed atmosphere, friendly service, and food that I still daydream about a month later.

LOCATION OF THE PLOUGH AT LUPTON

Granted if you are planning to give in to your cravings for some retail therapy, and are thus after a city or village centre location, then the Plough of Lupton might not be ideal for you.

Positioned on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales on a long stretch of straight country road (A65, just off the M6) that leads from one area of outstanding beauty to another, the Plough might appear to be located in the middle of nowhere. In fact, one could easily whizz past this pub, hell-bent to get to the Lake District or Yorkshire Dales as fast as possible. Instead, I suggest you stop and rest here, perhaps for a couple of days.

Dotted all around the location of this Inn are several examples of stereotypical chocolate box market villages such. Long Preston, Settle, Giggleswick, Ingleton and Kirby Lonsdale spring to mind immediately.

There is plenty to fill you time with during your stay. You could for instance spend an hour walking from the Plough at Lupton to Farleton Knott, an ancient local landmark that was once a beacon hill used to send warning of ‘Scottish irruptions’. The Knott now serves as a good challenge for walkers, fell runners and mountain bikers, with stunning Lakeland and Lune Valley views.  A 25mile drive, on the other hand, will take you to the bottom of Lake Windermere or to the western edge of the National Park of the Yorkshire Dales. Or you could copy what we did and pop into Morecambe to take a stroll along the pier.

Of course, the beauty of staying overnight in an Inn that is rather remote is that you get to indulge in not one but two meals – dinner and breakfast. Bonus!

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PLOUGH AT LUPTON

When the pub was bought by its previous owner in 2009, the 20ft wide and 4ft thick end wall had blown and needed rebuilding from top to bottom; much of the old flooring had crumbled beyond repair and needed battoning, and the roof needed major repair works.

The Plough at Lupton was then taken over by Paul Spencer and the Cricketers Inns group who completely renovated the interior in 2014, gradually dragging the pub into the 21st century. The renovation works cannot have been cheap, but the current owners of the Plough at Lupton truly did this 18th-century inn justice. The Inn as it stands today combines old-world country charm with state-of-the-art facilities.

Paul is actually pretty famous on the pub and inn scene in the Lakes. Some of his other ventures include the famous Drunken Duck Inn and Barngates Brewery, with which he won the Catey and AA Inn of the Year awards. More recently he purchased the Crown and Kettle in Manchester’s Northern Quarter and The Hart’s Head in Giggleswick.

The Plough originally had 11 rooms. But when Paul Spencer and the Cricketers Inns group took over the business this number was reduced to just six very large and meticulously designed boutique rooms. Five of the rooms are located on the first floor of the inn whilst the sixth room occupies the entire top floor.

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CHECK IN AT THE PLOUGH AT LUPTON

The first thing we noticed when we arrived at the Plough at Lupton is how busy the car park was. It was almost entirely full and not because it was by any means. My guess is in fact that the Plough at Lupton is very popular with hikers or locals who are just looking for a nice meal.

After finding a spot to park in, we grabbed our bags and headed towards the entrance at the front of the building. As soon as we stepped in to the entrance hall I knew we would enjoy our stay.

We had arrived late in the evening, just at the peak of the Dinner service, and so found the check-in desk unmanned. No problem. A polite notice on the desk instructed us to pop into the bar and ask one of the staff to check us in. And so we did.

From there check-in proceeded quickly, efficiently and in a friendly manner. I filled out the required forms, provided the receptionist with my card details and was then handed our room key. And let me tell you, this is definitely not a key that you will forget anywhere as it is attached to a full sized horseshoe.

Finally we were led up one flight of stairs and shown into our suite – Torsin.

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LOOK AND ATMOSPHERE OF THE PLOUGH AT LUPTON

Photography is one of my favourite aspects of blogging. And thus I always get excited when our hotel is inherently photogenic. It not only makes my job easier, it makes it incredibly fun. I especially like it when the interior designer has dotted lots of little details around the place for the curious guest to discover.  And this historic coach house certainly wasn’t missing those little touches.

The first thing that drew my attention was the beautiful and very unusual wallpaper in both the reception and dining room. The pastel splashes of watercolour paint, almost reminded me of a map that had long since faded away. But perhaps that’s because my eyesight isn’t very good and most things appear a little blurry to me from a distance.

The ground floor of the Plough feels very open plan, with one space flowing more or less into another. Picture farmhouse chic, with smooth slate floors covered in pale rugs, equestrian art and leather furniture. Whilst the chairs and couches could have easily once belonged to a gentleman’s club, the Plough certainly doesn’t lack a feminine touch with an exuberance of soft furnishing in subtle but welcoming feminine colours. The traditional wall lights by Jim Lawrence cast a warm glow over the earthy interior.

The setting of this country inn is relaxed and intimate at the same time. Both the bar and restaurant area are filled with a variety of seating spaces that cater to all tastes. Modern ‘Baa’ stools, little table nooks and squishy imperfect leather settees in front of a log burning fireplace, it has it all.

The Plough is obviously a popular choice with the locals and their dogs as when we first arrived the ground floor was packed with people having dinner or simply enjoying a drink. It certainly was a lovely place to spend the evening and even though it was very busy throughout the evening, the atmosphere remained extremely laid back. This was in large part due to the staff who were very friendly and accommodating, not just to us but to all the customers.

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OUR HONEYMOON SUITE AT THE PLOUGH AT LUPTON

Our room for the night was the Torsin, which sometimes doubles up us a honeymoon suite. Although it only sleeps two, the room is massive and beautifully appointed.

The decoration of the suite is light and modern with extra cool touches such as a such as a retro record player (and a vinyl collection that’s way better than ours).

In addition to the gigantic king-sized bed, the suite has been furnished with a generously sized seating area, a breakfast table, a flat screen tv and a small fridge. The tea and coffee making facilities feature fresh milk (which always gets a thumbs up from me because seriously, who actually likes UHT milk?) and delicious biscuits. To my delight, we also found two dressing gowns and slippers in the bathroom.

In fact, the Torsin boasts a massive ensuite with twin sinks, a walk-in rain shower and a luxurious stand-alone roll top bath. So, the first thing I did before dinner, was to enjoy a very long luxurious hot soak in that bathtub. The hotel even provides bath salts just for that purpose.

At this point, there is just one minor thing I would like to note. And that is that the Torsin suite faces the road and the car park. Thankfully Gary quickly realised that someone might walk or drive past our room and closed the blinds before I slipped into the tub. The windows are double glazed though and so there really weren’t any noise issues throughout the night. We slept like babies.

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DINNER AT THE PLOUGH AT LUPTON

After a relaxing bath, Gary and I headed downstairs, ready to see the menu and sample the food. Our table had been booked for eight. We were seated in the cosy dining area which was buzzing with people eating, chatting and laughing. I ordered a lovely glass of pinot noir and then we started perusing the food menu. This presented us with a bit of a problem, there were simply too many delicious things to choose from. It took us a while to make up our mind.

In the end we agreed to get the whole baked camembert with rosemary and garlic artisan bread as a shared starter. I am currently on a mission to lose weight and thus following slimming world. This starter certainly broke all the rules. But I do not regret ordering it for one second. Its gooey deliciousness was just too good to resist. The melted cheese was served with a rich and fairly sweet figue chutney. We both heaped huge quantities of the cheese and chutney onto our bread. This was such a moreish dish!

For my main I turned towards the specials board. As soon as I spotted the Cumbrian lamb assiette, I knew I had to have it. And I certainly wasn’t disappointed when it was served up. It featured various parts of the lamb from the sirloin chop to the rack and shank. This was a plate heaped with meat, meat that melted as soon as it touched my tongue. The whole lot was paired with a sweet celeriac puree, salsify and crispy brussel sprouts that contrasted beautifully in texture. My mouth is watering just writing about this dish.

There was no surprise with Gary, and as always, he picked the 28-day dry aged sirloin steak, served garlic butter and a crispy shallot salad. His eyes were a little bigger than his stomach and so he opted to have buttery mash as well. After one mouthful Gary stated this was definitely the best steak he had ever eaten.

Gary is a fan of chocolate and so for dessert got the dark chocolate delice combined with Jersey ice cream and fresh raspberries. Although this was tasty, Gary questioned whether it needed to be a little creamier. My fig and frangipane tarte, on the other hand, was perfect and wonderfully paired with cinnamon ice-cream, a combination I hadn’t encountered before.

Overall our evening meal was amazing and certainly cannot be classified as your average ‘pub grub’ even though the average price for a main course was only around £12. It was very tasty and above all else hearty. We were both extremely full by the time we had finished. More than satisfied, we then headed back up to our room and into bed.

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BREAKFAST AT THE PLOUGH AT LUPTON

After a great night’s sleep, courtesy of our huge bed and incredible bedroom, we headed down to the bar area for breakfast. We had a long journey down to London ahead of us and both our stomachs were grumbling.

We grabbed a table and I went to see what was on offer on the breakfast buffet table whilst Gary waited for us to be served. With cereals, fruits and warm pastries on offer, the buffet looked great. I somehow managed to restrain myself and just grabbed a glass of orange juice. By the time I got back, our order had been placed. Now it was Gary’s turn. Hungry he brought back a croissant as well as a pot of yoghurt and toast.

We didn’t have to wait long before our breakfast was served. Gary ordered his favourite, pancakes with maple syrup and bacon, while I chose the more unusual sourdough bread with a fried egg and chorizo.  It was just as delicious as our evening meal had been the night before and set us up perfectly for the day ahead.

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FINAL THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PLOUGH AT LUPTON

Please note that we were hosted for one night by The Plough in exchange for review. But as always, all opinions stated are my own and truly sincere.