'Luxury' and 'dog friendly' seldom go hand in hand...but this certainly isn't the case for the Ox Pasture Hall Hotel! The dog friendly hotel in Yorkshire is luxury at its finest and is extremely popular with dog owners. After spending a night there ourselves, we can see why...
To say we were excited to be packing our bags for a trip to this luxury country house hotel is an understatement! It had been a while since we'd been away on a little holiday, and we were itching for a bit of an adventure. After all, Wilbur & Paisley have definitely earned a break after working full time doing all of those quality control checks...
We left for the hotel mid-afternoon, after packing up Wilbur and Paisley's suitcase. The hotel was tucked away down a picturesque little country road almost as if it was in its own little world. As we pulled in to the grounds, we were in awe of our beautiful surroundings: a gorgeous garden with a gazebo and tiny little country lanes to go exploring down...and this was just the car park!
The building was beautifully rustic and, as we walked through the doors, we were warmly greeted by the staff. Wilbur & Paisley were welcomed with open arms and we were escorted to our room.
As we walked there, we could hear the faint barks of fellow guests enjoying their stay! This was a welcome sound to us as we've often had run-ins with restaurants and the like who have complained about Wilbur & Paisley barking even if it's just on the rare occasion. They are dogs after all - they're sometimes going to bark! Especially if they're noisy terriers like our two... Well, the lovely man who escorted us to our room wasn't phased and was quite understanding when Paisley decided to bark in his face! He didn't even blink an eye...in fact, he later came around to give her biscuits! Of course, she was his best friend then...
We were then left to investigate our room and get ready for dinner. We'd never stayed in anything as luxurious as this, that's for sure! They say a picture speaks a thousand words, but in this case, we don't think any photos can do the beauty of this hotel justice. We were staying in one of the luxury suites (also used as a honeymoon suite and we can see why!) It was so big, it felt like our own little apartment complex! It comprised of 2 bedrooms, a wet room with a bath and a rain shower and two 'his and hers' sinks. We also had 3 televisions, two sofas and an armchair...more than we have at home!
Of course, Wilbur & Paisley made themselves quite comfortable straight away and enjoyed a quick 40 winks on the sofa whilst we got freshened up and ready for dinner. We were starving, and it was a good job too because we had a 6 course Gourmet Evening Menu with complementary wine for each course waiting for us...
We were seated in the beautiful and bright conservatory, just off from the restaurant. It was lovely to be able to sit there with Wilbur & Paisley as a lot of places only allow you to sit in the bar with your dogs and you often feel like an outsider, closed off from everyone else. This way, we didn't disturb any diners who didn't want to dine with dogs (as if there's such people out there?!) but we still had the atmosphere of the restaurant.
We were quickly greeted with a glass of prosecco, some biscuits for the dogs, homemade bread and the mouth-watering menu. We couldn't wait! The first dish came out and it was with compliments of the chef: sumptuous pork belly. This is not something either of us would usually pick, but it went down a treat: it just melted in the mouth!
We eagerly awaited our first course on the menu which was Whitby Crab Risotto (pictured below). Mr WildPaws has never tried crab before so he wasn't sure what to expect. Topped with toasted mozzarella and squash seeds, it was light and absolutely delicious, complemented well with a nice glass of Pinot Grigio which the sommelier described the grape and its history to us in detail.
We savoured the next few courses before we were presented with our entree: Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder with Dauphinoise Potatoes. It was absolutely stunning: just as good as it looks in the photo (below)!
It wasn't until later that we were told that the chef had only been working at the hotel for 3 days and had only just put together the menu - we were absolutely gobsmacked! It was by far the best meal and dining experience, either of us have ever had the pleasure of enjoying.
Wilbur & Paisley were happy too. They met some fellow doggy diners who were also giving their best puppy dog eyes...hoping for a bit of the delicious food that was on offer! It was lovely to see so many dog owners enjoying good food and wine and being able to have their faithful companion sit by them whilst they did so. We heard a few barks coming from the bar area too, where you can also dine with your dog. We bet they were barking for more treats from the staff!
With our bellies full, we made our way back to the room...but not before we explored the grounds. We'd enjoyed the meal so much that we hadn't even realised how late it was! Still, the grounds even looked picturesque in the dark.
Once we arrived back in our room, a bottle of Prosecco had been left on ice for us. With all of the complementary glasses of wine, we hadn't managed to finish it yet and the thoughtful staff had brought it up for us whilst we'd been out. We settled down with a glass for the night and snuggled up on the sofa watching some TV in the comfy dressing gowns which were supplied for us before heading off to bed.
We arose bright and early in the morning with Wilbur & Paisley curled up by our feet. The view from our window was breathtaking. It almost felt like we were somewhere abroad. We got dressed and made our way down to the conservatory for breakfast, taking in the beautiful grounds of the hotel that we hadn't quite got to appreciate in the dark the evening before.
It was a Full English - our favourite, and the perfect start to a busy day of exploring! After enjoying the hearty breakfast, we made our way back to the room to freshen up and pack our bags. We were sad to be saying goodbye, it definitely was a hotel to remember.
After checking out, the lovely staff allowed us to leave our car in the car park as we went exploring the 17 acres of beautiful grounds their hotel has to offer. One of the members of staff had told us the night before that there was plenty of wildlife to be seen in their gardens. They often have badgers, deer, geese...and cows (can you believe it?!) have been known to come and relax in their grounds. We weren't lucky enough to see any cows but we did catch a glimpse of this beautiful butterfly (pictured below).
We walked down a little country lane which took us to around the back of the hotel. There was a beautiful lake there with amazing views and patio sets for you to sit and take it all in under the gazebo. You could stay sitting in the peaceful haven for hours and hours. There were so many paths and walks for you go down - perfect for dog owners! We were advised there was another lake just a couple of minutes drive down the road with a stop-off point for cars so we made our way down there...
It was absolutely stunning, like something you see on a movie - just water and woodland going on for miles. There were lots of picnic benches and logs to sit on and an abundance of little paths you could choose to go down for an adventure...
After taking in the pure beauty England has to offer, we headed over to Scarborough town. We were hoping to go to the beach as there are a few in the area that are dog friendly all year round, North Bay being one. However, the weather was not on our side - it was very windy and the waves were choppy. Not something Wilbur & Paisley like nor are we comfortable with them going in so we decided to explore the town and make our way up to Scarborough Castle.
English Heritage have over 200 dog friendly attractions spanning across England, we've been to several and love that they're so dog friendly. Wilbur & Paisley were allowed everywhere in the site of Scarborough Castle so we could take them down to the dungeon, if they were naughty...
There were some amazing sights to be seen in the 12th century castle with stunnings views of the seaside town. It was incredibly foggy, which just added to the atmosphere! Wilbur & Paisley loved taking in the historic sniffs and exploring the castle's extensive grounds. Even more so, they loved climbing up the ancient steps.
After exhausting the castle grounds, we headed back down the hill passing Anne Bronte's grave on the way. It was a lovely church just a few minutes walk from the castle. Before heading home, we headed in to town for a coffee and a slice of cake.
We had an absolutely amazing trip away and would like to say a huge thank you the staff at Ox Pasture Hall Hotel for inviting us to stay with them and making us feel so welcome. We wholeheartedly would recommend this hotel for any dog lover...or even just for a bit of luxury! We must admit, we really didn't want to leave...
Love, nose licks & waggy tails,
From the WildPaws team