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The earliest reference to a building here is 1528 – this would have been a parlour, hall, buttery, dairy, and kitchen. In 1690, the building became the property of the Hurt family, which then became an alehouse and soon after known as the Olde Brown Bear Inn. The Bear Inn, as it became known by 1735, lay on the Birmingham-Derby-Chesterfield-Sheffield turnpike road…..by 1764 it had become a prominent coaching Inn. The names and dates of all Innkeepers and owners from 1735 – 2008 is listed in the entrance hall of the Bear. Just standing beneath the beams of this fine English country Inn invites history to wash over you – sampling a pint or two of fine English ale helps the process! The fame of The Bear has spread across various counties and continents in recent years, mainly as a Gastro pub of note, a hotel, carvery & real ale venue. Real Food, Real Ale, Real People, Real Derbyshire – can be completed with Real History. The Bear can truly boast to be one of Derbyshire’s oldest & most renowned Inn & Hotels.
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The Bear Inn & Hotel emerges as a favored destination for guests seeking rustic charm paired with comfort. Many visitors extol its serene ambiance and the high-quality food that complements the picturesque views. While the inn's rooms are generally celebrated for their unique and homey feel, a few guests have noted they can be a tad cool.
The hotel's value is recognized, with most finding the pricing fair, despite a few experiences that fell short. Spotless facilities and a charming atmosphere, enriched by historical details, consistently impress, while the attentive and efficient service adds to the overall pleasant stay.
Atmosphere
Charming
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Reasonable
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Relaxing
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Stayed here recently on a short family break, visiting relatives in the area. After a slight technical hitch, things just got better. Monday night is quiz night, so that brings a few local characters in. We stayed in one of the self-contained cottages allocated to guests with pets. With four of us & a dog, it was a bit tight for space with limited comfortable seating. We were on the B&B rate, so we only had the occasional hot drink from the tea & coffee provided. There is a hob & fridge should you want to do your own cooking. We booked a table on Monday night (while the quiz was on), which was excellent. Food was piping hot & fresh as the flowers in the garden, a great pub to eat in. Breakfast each morning was 1st class, with everything from full english to eggs benedict freshly cooked & again piping hot. The staff are brilliant, and nothing was a bother to them, going out there way to accommodate us on several occassions. The views are spectacular from the location, and the cottages & beer garden benefit from this. No hesitation in recommending the Bear Inn for a stay, its cuisine, wonderful views, or just enjoy a drink in an inn full of history and charachter. No question, we will be back next time we're in the area.
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Date of stay: August 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
Room Tip:Advice is to pre book. Meals are very popular.
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We have just stayed for a romantic night away and can’t recommend this place enough-it was perfect from start to finish. When booking, I accidently booked for that very evening and Chris (the manager) immediately phoned me to check that was correct. It was no trouble to change booking and a confirmation email was sent through. On arrival, we were shown our room (the Peacock room) which was utterly gorgeous with a massive four poster bed and one of the biggest bathrooms I’ve seen! Everything was spotlessly clean, beautifully and thoughtfully decorated in keeping with age and aesthetics of the building. We enjoyed a wonderful two course dinner, very reasonably priced wine, well-kept ale and delicious food. The service was faultless with a very friendly waitress. The decor of the inn is exactly why we picked it to eat and stay there. The building has been an inn since the 1700s and the current (new) owners have not ruined the decor by modernising it. All furnishing, pictures and decor are in keeping with the age of the inn, which is exactly how it should be! We slept brilliantly in the bed and were very grateful for the late checkout that allowed us to waltz down to breakfast at gone 10am. And what a breakfast! A real fire was lit and we were given a fantastic menu to choose from and were delighted to be able to mix n match some items. Coffee refills and extra toast were no bother at all. All food locally sourced and beautifully cooked and presented. Genuinely we have had the best treat night away and are already wondering when we can return. Thankyou to all the staff at The Bear who made our stay such a wonderful one.
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Date of stay: March 2024
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Wonderful beauty spot just a few minutes drive away at Alport Heights where you can watch the...
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The friendliness, skills and politeness of the staff were most welcome. The surroundings are so peaceful; the furnishings and interiors appropriate. The food and drinks menus perfectly adequate for our needs. The four of us enjoyed our dinner and breakfast dish selections and the drinks ranges and value for money.
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Date of stay: May 2024
Value
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Location
Cleanliness
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Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
All in all we had a pleasant meal and experience at the Bear Inn however there were a few small things that I would like to point out which took my review from a 4 to a 3……
Pro’s: Friendly Staff Cozy and warm atmosphere Great location Wife’s Chicken pâté starter was excellent. The gravy on both main meals was nice. Decent selection of Gins.
Con’s: No wine or drink list. They only sell small bottles of still water and we wanted a large bottle. I’m guessing this is to make more revenue as we’ve never been to a restaurant that doesn’t sell a large bottle of mineral water. On two occasions I had to queue at the bar to order drinks as service at the table was few and far between. This may be down to the restaurant being very busy and from what I could tell only two workers who had to man the bar and restaurant at the same time. Instead of Sourdough bread with my Sautéed Mushroom starter it came with a standard slice of white supermarket bread. My main meal (Steak and Ale Pie) was nice except the Triple Cooked chips were slightly underdone and lacked any real flavour. We asked if we could take the strawberry sponge and cream as a takeaway that the waitress sorted out for us however the sponge was in a cardboard container which made us feel it was not homemade and goes straight in a microwave to heat up rather than an oven. Last of all, when we left we walked past the kitchen door and saw the chef and 2 other workers smoking. I don’t have a problem with smoking but they should move away from the kitchen and be more discreet. There is plenty of space further away in the garden area.
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We visited The Bear Inn on a Saturday in Sep. We booked last minute and the gentleman on the phone was very helpful and pleasant. On arrival Chris showed my partner to the room, he was professional and personable. We stayed in the horse & hound family room, which was a perfect size for us, as there were two adults, a teen and a 2 year old. The sofa pulled out into a good size double bed, we slept in the comfortable four poster and there was plenty room for our travel cot. There were two shower rooms. We booked a table for the evening and the food choice was great and all our meals were tasty and generous. The little one loved running in the garden before it was time to sit down for the meal. In the morning we are breakfast in the pub, we had a mixture of full cooked breakfast’s and eggs benedict. All of which was lovely and lots of it :) Overall a fab stay, no complaints and would recommend this for anyone wanting somewhere warm and cosy to stay if out and around the Peak District ♥️
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Date of stay: September 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stayed two nights for a family Christmas nearby. Staff in pub attentive, friendly nothing too much trouble. Accommodation in a modern cottage opposite pub was superb, including little kitchenette and nice bedroom and sofa bed for teenager. Great experience. We will be back. They were especially understanding as I needed to cancel Christmas Eve booking as I was poorly and they let me add the day to Boxing Day night instead. Some places would have been less understanding. x
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Date of stay: December 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Back and better. Second visit under the new management and once again we found the staff extremely friendly and polite. The food was good. The puddings were extremely tasty and good value ( try the chocolate and orange cake with ice cream ). We took our puppy and they were so accommodating - even talking to her and getting her treats. The proprietors obviously know what they are doing. So nice to have a decent pub close to Belper.
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Date of stay: July 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Popped to the Bear for a quick bite to eat on Friday lunchtime. Took a seat in the garden and took in the glorious countryside views; the pub is set in a very peaceful part of the world and it’s always a pleasure to just sit in the garden and relax. We ordered the chicken and bacon club sandwich to share; it’s a massive sandwich and there was more than enough for both of us! Tender chicken, good quality bacon and fresh lettuce and tomatoes made this a really tasty lunch. It came with a dressed side salad and portion of crisps. Unfortunately I didn’t take ‘photo of the food! The prices are very reasonable - £20 for the sandwich, large coke and medium white wine. The food came quickly but was not rushed …. Staff were friendly and efficient. Have eaten at the Bear many times and it never disappoints ….
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We held our wedding evening do at The Bear Inn in November 2024. The team were absolutely brilliant, nothing was too much for them they even sorted the DJ and cake for us and had the room decorated for our arrival. The Hog roast was amazing, I’m still receiving compliments on the food now. All completely affordable! Some of the family stayed overnight and we had breakfast in the morning which was absolutely delicious. We’ve since been back for dinner and the food was amazing yet again. Will continue to recommend them for food and a venue for events to anyone who asks!
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I spent six nights at The Bear, an eighteenth-century coaching inn near Alderwasley in Derbyshire’s Peak District. I cannot remember ever having such an enjoyable hotel stay. The inn is full of character with comfortable rooms, is well-managed and has a friendly and efficient staff. The menu was varied and the quality of the food was excellent. Portion sizes were generous. For example when ordering the traditional English breakfast one was asked whether one preferred the “Little Bear” or the “Big Bear”. I have a healthy appetite but I found the “Little Bear” was more than sufficient. There were several other breakfast options and during my stay I tried four of them and found them excellent. The varied evening meal menus were first class with the chefs clearly of more than usual ability. At almost 1000 feet above sea-level the Inn offers excellent views and is situated on a quiet road. I shall definitely be going again.
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Date of stay: August 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Some sat-nav systems misdirect when one is almost at the Inn. Take advice from the staff when...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Alderwasley area.
PRICE RANGE
£106 - £153 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
the bear hotel belper, the bear inn and hotel
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandDerbyshireAlderwasley
NUMBER OF ROOMS
9
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect nightly room rates, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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