The Royal Oak Inn
Sparrow Lane, Withypool, Exmoor National Park TA24 7QP England
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What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
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What you can expect during your stay
- All linens sanitised in high-temperature wash
- Floors marked for social distancing
- Hand sanitiser available to guests & staff
- Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
- Staff required to regularly wash hands
- Daily temperature and symptom checks for staff
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Updated 08/07/20 Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
Updated 08/07/20 Safety precautions are provided by the property and are not checked by Tripadvisor for accuracy.
About
#1 of 2 B&Bs / Inns in Withypool
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Value
Travellers' Choice
After extensive refurbishment & taking over in April 2019, we offer 1 Standard Double, 3 Deluxe Doubles, 2 Superior Bedrooms & 2 Luxury Suites along with 2 indoor bars, a restaurant/function room & fully stocked outdoor bar with outdoor garden with covered areas & generous outdoor seating area with large picnic benches and then some loose seating for groups or individuals to enjoy eating and drinking outside. The Royal Oak is a traditional Exmoor Inn and we have retained the features of the beautiful building whilst adding some modern touches like Sky TV in all bedrooms, Nespresso machines and mini bars Luxury Suites... this is just a couple of the newest additions. We are open from midday everyday and food from 12-8 everyday and a Roast on a Sunday. We have an extensive Gin and Malt Bar and also offer local drinks including Exmoor Ales and our own Withy Wanger Ale and Withy Wurzel cider. Dogs and children are very welcome in our bars and dogs are welcome in all downstairs area whilst dogs and children can stay in selected Rooms
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Property amenities
Free parking
Street parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Free breakfast
Children Activities (Kid / Family Friendly)
Pets Allowed ( Dog / Pet Friendly )
Non-smoking hotel
Outdoor furniture
Wifi
Bar / lounge
Restaurant
Special diet menus
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Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Suites
Family rooms
Good to know
HOTEL CLASS
HOTEL STYLE
Mid-range
Location
Full view
Contact
Sparrow Lane, Withypool, Exmoor National Park TA24 7QP England
Getting there
Car HireSee all Withypool car hire
146Reviews1Q+A7Room tips
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We visited for lunch in the rain , and again for dinner the next night. The lunch of calamari and whitebait was nice and tasty. Just what we needed Dinner was scallops and venison. Both nicely cooked and enjoyed . All beers we tried and all good. Staff very friendly This is the best pub in the area and worth a drive.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Travelled with friends
Helpful
Just spent two nights at The Royal Oak… an old country pub with lots of atmosphere. Our room was good, clean, with a really comfy bed. Breakfast was brilliant, l can honestly say l have never had such a super breakfast. The pub meals were equally as good, lots of choice and cooked to perfection. The staff were really friendly and helpful. If l had to criticise, the only issue l could find was that the rooms were still not being serviced due to covid. We go away a lot and have not experienced this for a while now…. Withypool is a beautiful village on Exmoor, making the Royal Oak an ideal place to stay when visiting the area.
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Helpful
Passed this pretty looking pub on the way to a hike through Tar Steps and was so glad we did! After our climb and skinny dipping in the river we were absolutely ravenous, there was a cute little place at Tar Steps but only offered cream teas after 3pm. So, we hot footed it back to the Royal Oak for some proper sustenance and boy were we happy!!! The menu has a good choice of pub favourites including light bites or main meals, all sounded yummy, however we both fancied a ploughman’s my boyfriend was super hungry ordered and ordered a side of chunk chips 😊 Wow!!! When our lovely barmaid/landlady bought our food out we were thrilled; beautifully presented with lovely fresh leaves, tomatoes, large pickled onions, slices of apple, pot of pickle, slice of gala pie, four pieces of fresh warm baguette and three generous slice of cheese; Red Leicester, Cheddar and ripe Brie. It was absolutely delicious and filling, the most wonderful crispy but fluffy on the inside chunky chips.....soooo good, best chips ever! It’s a lovely cosey pub, with lots of seating options, lovely outside area and two inside bar areas. All the staff were friendly welcoming and so helpful, our lady (sorry I don’t know your name) was really informative letting us know all the good dog friendly beaches or hikes to try, she made us feel really special, well done great customer service. She also let us know there were rooms available; all dog friendly and dogs even had their own menu! Lovely find in a good location for Exmoir and North Devon beaches.…
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Date of stay: June 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
Altogether very satisfactory. We had a room overlooking a quiet back road (a deluxe room, I think) and it had a decent-sized en-suite bathroom with a proper bath. The food was excellent, both at evening meal and breakfast - really tasty fresh local produce, nicely cooked, good choice. A new dessert was being tried out that evening and was particularly yummy. Staff very friendly. Price perhaps a bit higher than the normal village pub, but these are difficult times and we certainly don't want an a place as good as this going out of business because they don't charge enough!
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Date of stay: May 2022
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
We booked for a B&B 1 night stay & meal last Saturday, as a bday treat. The room was clean & comfortable. A friendly waitress took our order &, after a while, starters arrived: baked camembert with a lot of bread, described on the menu as crusty but was in fact soft & had an unpleasant taste; a duo of whitbait & calamari - lots of whitbait that was soggy & bland & no calamari could be found. We ate very little. We were asked for our opinion on the starter & politely fed back our dissatisfaction, our friendly waitress apologised citing problems in the kitchen & we all hoped the next course would be an improvement. After some time the waitress returned with two mains, unfortunately, not what we had ordered; again she apologised explaining problems with the computer system. After some time an older waitress arrived, perhaps one of the owners? As the lady never introduced herself we are unsure. She curtly informed us she was aware of a complaint & wanted to know the problem which we calmly explained. As we spoke the lady seemed somewhat annoyed with us & repeatedly demanded to know what we had ordered. She left & some time later our mains arrived - fish of the day. The large megrim sole was pretty bland and the fresh, seasonal vegetables were neither fresh nor seasonal. The older waitress returned asking how our meal was, we replied not great & that thus far we had found her manner towards us rather aggressive. In strident tones she informed us she just wanted to make sure everything was ok & left. Next morning, we were offered breakfast but, at the same time, rudely informed by the male owner that he would want a word with us after. We decided at that point to forgo breakfast & simply pay up (minus the charge of the evening meal) & leave. On sharing this news with the owner he told us that he would not tolerate abuse of his staff and we told him we wholeheartedly agreed with that sentiment. He then accused us of having been rude to his staff saying he had witnesses. We explained that, having been present, we knew his accusation was untrue but rapidly coming to the conclusion that the owner was not going to listen to reason and clearly models his behaviour on Basil Fawlty, we chose to pay our bill and leave, never to return. Fortunately, after leaving the Royal Oak we quickly found the Withypool tea rooms where, in complete contrast to the pub, we found delicious, tasty, locally source food & wonderful service.…
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
1 Helpful vote
Helpful
I booked lunch here as they were so dog friendly. Arrived on time at 1pm and table reserved and just what we wanted. Staff and service very good. We were optimistic and very impressed when my partner was asked whether she was a vegetarian or vegan and options explained fully after ordering the nut Roast. This is rare in a pub. I ordered the riast pork. When the food arrived it was clear we should have got there earlier! Roasties been hanging around, soggy and tasteless as was the cauliflower cheese. Yorkshire pud cremated. No crackling. The separate bowl of vegetables was the only fresh item. Nut riast OK, pork dry, gravy nice. All in all, very disappointing. No treat, no treat for the dog either as at other tables. Perhaps we were just unlucky.
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Helpful
We arrived at 7.20 for a table at 7.30 when we were booked in for supper in the bar at this oh so atmospheric Exmoor pub. We went to the bar to order drinks and our supper and were told crisply to sit down and wait, someone would come and take our order. Ages later we managed to order a starter and a bottle of wine, an hour later the starter and a bottle of moderate Pinot Noir appeared. Further aeons later there was still no sign of the main course, at 9.00 pm we left, never to return.
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Date of stay: May 2022Trip type: Travelled with friends
Helpful
Gill-Graham-Hicks wrote a review May 2022
Bognor Regis, United Kingdom87 contributions30 helpful votes
A nice welcome on a sunny early evening, sat outside on a very comfy wooden bench in a very quiet village setting. We had 3 large slices of real quality ham, properly cooked fried eggs, and chunky chips and a curry with nan, poppadum, large portion of fluffy rice, at least 10 good sized pieces of chicken in the curry. Just a shame we were not staying closer or we would have used most days. Would recommend, and I`m quite picky when eating out.
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Date of stay: May 2022
Helpful
The winter chills of Exmoor still persisted when we visited at the end of April, but a welcoming warmth pervaded as soon as we entered the pub from the Landlord and the staff. Lovely to return to the Royal Oak after many years absence. The woodburner, service, good beer and wonderful food with generous portions made a lunchtime vist a pleasure. Great value for money. Wished that we could have stayed longer but we will be back.
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Date of stay: April 2022
Helpful
Had lunch, after a walk on the moor. Tasty food and prompt, pleasant service. Had an enjoyable meal and left, Several hours later, I discovered that I'd lost my phone. My wife rang the Royal Oak first thing the following morning and they said that nothing had been found. Despair, all that info and photo's, messages, buying a new phone..... They rang my wife at about four o'clock and said they'd found it after a closer look! Wouldn't even accept a thank you drink. We will return!
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Date of stay: April 2022
Cleanliness
Service
Helpful
PRICE RANGE
US$168 - US$186 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
the royal oak hotel withypool
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandExmoor National ParkWithypool
NUMBER OF ROOMS
8
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Claim Your Listing Frequently Asked Questions about The Royal Oak Inn
Which popular attractions are close to The Royal Oak Inn?
Nearby attractions include Dunkery Beacon (4.6 miles), Tarr Steps (2.5 miles), and Luckyard Farm (2.9 miles).
What are some of the property amenities at The Royal Oak Inn?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free breakfast, and an on-site restaurant.
What food & drink options are available at The Royal Oak Inn?
Guests can enjoy free breakfast, an on-site restaurant, and a lounge during their stay.
Is parking available at The Royal Oak Inn?
Yes, free parking and street parking are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to The Royal Oak Inn?
Conveniently located restaurants include Exford Bridge Tea Rooms, Withypool Tea Rooms, and Tarr Farm Restaurant.
Is The Royal Oak Inn located near the city centre?
Yes, it is 0.02 miles away from the centre of Withypool.
Are pets allowed at The Royal Oak Inn?
Yes, pets are typically allowed, but it's always best to call ahead to confirm.
Are there any historical sites close to The Royal Oak Inn?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Church of All Saints (8.3 miles).