The Traddock

The refined yet homely atmosphere of this elegant country house hotel, amid the Yorkshire Dales national park, ensures guests keep returning for its generous comforts. ‘One of my favourites,’ says one reader. The creeper-covered Georgian and Victorian house, run for almost 20 years by the Reynolds family, retains a period feel with rooms of antiques, plump sofas and rich wallpapers. Comfortable lounges have fires in the grates, newspapers and magazines to browse, and ‘brilliant’ staff always on hand. Bedrooms are country-house style with pretty fabrics, armchairs and perhaps a window seat. Most have a bath as well as a shower; all spoil with fruit and home-made biscuits. Food is a highlight – ‘unquestionably good’ – with fine-dining and brasserie menus; one reader much preferred the former. Accomplished dishes include guinea hen with confit leg, asparagus and girolles, and tempting desserts such as prune and Armagnac soufflé. A big breakfast, with home-made bread, sets you up for one of many walks from the door of this dog-friendly hotel. ‘We enjoyed our break enormously.’ (Peter Anderson, John and Kay Patterson, FK, and others)