You can arrive by helicopter at the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire’s hotel ‘in extensive lawned grounds with a view towards the River Wharfe’. Our inspectors, more circumspect, came by car, to be ‘greeted by both the receptionist and a porter as we offloaded suitcases’. These were ‘whisked’ to a bedroom with ‘quality period furnishing’, a minute bathroom but a garden view. The nicest rooms are in the 17th-century wing, some with a four-poster, overlooking the Italian box garden. All have coffee machine, mini-fridge, fresh milk, a hamper of Yorkshire treats. In the restaurant, Peter Howarth’s menus are a paean to local and home-grown produce. ‘Cooking is of a high order. As amuse-bouche, we had rabbit goujons, salmon rolls and Wensleydale tarts, followed by langoustine, salted beetroot salad, smoked duck, wild mushroom raviolo, cured mackerel with warm apple dressing, a fine cheese selection.’ The wine list ‘has the weight of an ecclesiastical bible’; the sommelier ‘knows his stuff’. You can eat à la carte in the jazzy brasserie from a wide-ranging menu. After breakfast, take advantage of the spa, or the complimentary access to ruined Bolton Abbey. (See also The Cavendish, Baslow.)