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Built in 1688 this traditional Lakeland Inn with its slate flagged floors, beamed ceilings and open fire retains all the character you would expect from this popular village pub. Situated at the foot of Blencathra in the beautiful village of Threlkeld with views towards Skiddaw & Helvellyn this really is the place relax and enjoy the beauty of the Northern Lake district. The Horse & Farrier is committed to serving food and drink of excellent quality amidst informal surroundings. We have an excellent reputation in the Lake district for serving home cooked Fayre either in our intimate restaurant or cosy bar. Our menus are interesting and varied with vegetarians well catered for. We have two pubs in the village which cater for every occasion,two cottages and 14 well appointed bedrooms. Jooles & the team look forward to welcoming you to The Horse & Farrier & The Salutation Inn.
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The Horse & Farrier Inn is acclaimed for its scenic location near lakes, with its food and beer also receiving high praise. While opinions on value differ—some find it reasonable, others not so much, especially regarding the rooms and dining options—guests are united in their appreciation for the hotel's welcoming vibe and array of amenities, such as pet-friendly policies and a secure bike shed.
The staff's friendliness and attentiveness contribute to a pleasant atmosphere, although room sizes and pricing have raised some concerns.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Inviting
Rooms
Comfortable
Value
Reasonable
Service
Friendly
Amenities
Welcoming
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We received a very upbeat, warm and friendly welcome upon arrival. As we had our pet dog with us we were booked in at the Salutation (which is the H&F dog friendly accommodation). Room 2 was very clean and tidy and the little surprising extras of a raised dog bed, bowl stand and little bag of treats in the room a lovely touch. Our bed was very comfortable, the usual tea/coffee, hairdryer all available and at £110 for B&B I thought extremely reasonable - well impressed. We ate at the H&F both evenings and a tip would be to book a table before you arrive as they did seem to be fully booked even on a Tuesday and Wednesday night. The service was friendly, prompt and attentive and the food was delicious. Nothing seemed too much trouble and we will definitely be back!
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Date of stay: September 2021
Location
Service
Sleep Quality
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.
Response from HandF Threlked, Marketing at Horse & Farrier Inn
Responded 12 Sept 2021
Dear Shirley, Thank you very much for such a great review. We really appreciate your wonderful comments about our accommodation and food, especially as we recently renovated all the rooms at our sister Inn, the Salutation. We were glad to read that you felt well looked after by our team, as it was a testing summer for us all. We look forward to seeing you again sometime in the future. Kind Regards Marketing Manager
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Booked via the Horse and Farrier the Sally cottage is attached to its sister pub The Salutation Inn
The cottage is about 100 yds if that away from the horse and farrier with its own parking right outside of the fences off patio area of the cottage, outside of the front there are good views towards Clough Head which is the end of the ridge of the Helvellyn range of mountains.
The cottage sleeps four, downstairs is compact with a living area and a kitchen with breakfast bar and a foldable table that will sit four people and the collapse away to be out of the way.
Upstairs there are two bedrooms with one being en-suite.
We stayed there for 5 nights, and there were only two of us, the cottage was really great for what we wanted and it was the 5th time that we have stayed there, cleanliness was great and everything worked as it should, the kitchen is small but really workable and a lot of basic gadgets and pans there to create a meal.
The furnishings are really comfy and the beds are big so both of you can “starfish” with out annoying the other.
The stairs are a bit steep, which is the only thing that I would warn people about and do go through a 180 degree turn half way up, but that’s down to the layout of how the cottage is, just be careful on way down with a big bag and you will be fine.
We ate one night at the Horse and Farrier and was excellent really enjoyed it, just make sure you get served by Keith and ask him for his repertoire of jokes….
Already booked again for next year and looking forward to going back
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Date of stay: September 2022
Value
Service
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.
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Stayed here for one night on a C2C stopover. Arrived at 5ish. Initial reaction was how unfriendly the 'welcome' was. No general conversation offered at all by the lady who booked us in (think she was the owner). Bikes very grudgingly put in the bike store at the back and key handed over, then turned away. Found our room ourselves (Rm 1). Very small - no storage space, and nowhere to put a suitcase down when open. Very compact shower ensuite. All adequate and clean and fine for one night. Could defintely do with an instructions sheet in the room giving WiFi code, times of breakfast etc, particularly when none of that information was given at check in. However, be aware that (as on photos) the only view from this £110 room was of a flat roof and a VERY loud enormous refridgeration unit. We were about to go downstairs and complain, but luckily it was turned off at 10pm, although it did go on again early in the morning. Don't expect to relax in your room in the evenings looking at lovely scenery as the noise would be intolerable. I might expect this from a £35 Premier Inn room (which we paid in central Newcastle and actually had a lovely view of the Tyne), but not from a room costing £110. Service again not good for dinner. We'd booked a table but were left standing at the bar totally ignored for 10 minutes. Service very inattentive - when asked how hot the Madras curry was, answer 'No idea'. Ordered a beer which never arrived and yet we were charged (although it was taken off the bill when alerted). No interaction such as 'was your meal ok' etc. Food was good (not spectacular), although a little overpriced compared with other establishments. Staff definitely require better training. Breakfast was good, but again service really surly. Left feeling as though we'd been a huge inconvnience to them, which isn't how you should feel. Same lady unlocked the bike store for us and went straight back in with barely a word. It only takes 10 seconds to ask if we've had a nice stay, tell us to enjoy our day etc - anything! If you don't like to interact with your guests, you're in the wrong business! Luckily the following two nights at other B&B's were completely different, so that restored our faith in British hospitality which had sadly wained. When this industry has had such a touch time, now is the ideal opportunity to give a warm welcome to your paying guests and that was definitely lacking here. If we did the C2C again (which we've done three times now) would unfortunately look elsewhere to stay.
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Date of stay: August 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Avoid room 1!
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.
Response from HandF Threlked, Marketing at Horse & Farrier Inn
Responded 12 Sept 2021
Dear Oxon, First, I want to thank you for your feedback. While I wish, you had a better experience, it is feedback like this that we learn from and use to improve. We work hard to deliver an exceptional guest experience, and unfortunately we fell short in your case for which please accept our sincerest apologies. It is really unfortunate that you were disappointed by the size and location of your room. We do apologise for the noise form extractor fan in our kitchen, which as you mentioned was switched off after the dinner service and switched back on for the breakfast service. We will investigate if we can quietened down - inevitably when it is hot it works harder and people tend to open the windows which compounds the problem. We were very pleased to read that you found accommodation which met your expectations on the rest of your trip. Kind Regards Marketing Manager
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We stayed for three nights from 23rd January, taking advantage of their special offer booking three nights for the price of two if booked direct. The Horse and Farrier is situated just off the A66 and is easy to find. It is close to some of the most beautiful locations in the Lake District national park, which we visited during our stay. There is ample free parking. The inn is lovely, clean, warm and cosy with log fires. The staff are friendly, pleasant and welcoming. The room was clean and well equipped. Housekeeping attended on a daily basis. Breakfast was included which was more than adequate and well presented! We chose to dine there each evening and the food was delicious with a good selection of meals from which to choose! Staff frequently used the hand sanitiser stations were distributed around the pub. Each table was sanitised after use. A very enjoyable stay and we will not hesitate to return when next in the area. Thank you! Teresa
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Date of stay: January 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
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Response from HandF Threlked, Marketing at Horse & Farrier Inn
Responded 17 Mar 2023
Dear Teresa, We really appreciate you taking the time to leave us a review. These are the stories that keep us so motivated to continue to work very hard to keep high standard of hospitality, and we’re so happy to hear that you had a great experience at the Horse & Farrier. We’ve passed your comments on to our team so they can enjoy the good vibes too, thank you so so much for your kind words. We already look froward to seeing you again. Kind Regards Marketing Manager
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The room was nice such a shame the carpet was badly stained and quite dirty, as was the footstool stained and dirty. The room was so cold and the bathroom so cold as well, there was also a drain smell in the bathroom every now and then not pleasant. As it is a dog friendly inn maybe the reason for the dirty carpets. Meals ok nothing special prices high large portions though. As mentioned its a dog friendly inn no problem with that but how about cleaning the floor every now and then, at breakfast my napkin slid off and when I retrieved it from under the table and this is no exaggeration it was covered in dog hair i mean covered, plus I found food scraps and used napkins under the table which proved the floor had not been swept from the day before. We paid in excess of £200 per night for the room for dirty/stained carpets, no heating and a restaurant that had filthy floors, what would the hygiene standard rating be on that!!!!. Plus I found a previous Guest Wallet in the room complete with cash and debit cards and drivings licences which I handed into the desk again proving the rooms are not properly checked, cleaned etc Would I stay again Im afraid the answer would be definatley NOT.
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Date of stay: April 2022
Rooms
Location
Service
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This pub has lost our custom after more than 10 years because of the poor service we had on this visit. This pub for the last 10 years has been our go to pub as the food is great and the previous owner jools knew all her customers and took time to get to know you and the staff were fantastic too. My partner asked for a simple request to change the type of potatoes served with his meal as he always does as he dislikes it and they refused when he asked for the manager she didn’t seem to give two hoots and said it was the chef’s decision to refuse to serve the dish that way ! How pretentious is that it’s not like it’s Michelin star ! It’s a pub and what happened to accommodating a customer ? Would the chef not change the menu if they had an allergy or diabetic? This place has lost what it’s meant to be and doesn’t belong in the Lakes. They then had the cheek to charge us for the separate potatoes sat right next to the over priced meal at £20 ! That is us done with this pub.
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Date of stay: July 2020Trip 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.
Response from HandF Threlked, General Manager at Horse & Farrier Inn
Responded 23 Jul 2020
Dear Footprints704977 Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re truly sorry that your experience didn’t match your expectations. It was an uncommon instance and unfortunate that our team didn't go above and beyond to accommodate your needs. Horse and Farrier is a family run business and we take great pride in providing high standard of hospitality across our business. We would like to guarantee you that we are looking into the issue and hope to resolve it promptly and accurately. Please accept our apology and hopefully next time you are visiting the area you will give us another chance, if you do so please make yourself known to our manager. Kind Regards
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I am very confused by the previous negative reviews because my party of four had a most comfortable and enjoyable stay last weekend. Our rooms were in the 'Sally' because we had our dog with us. The two rooms we occupied were spacious and very warm, so warm even though it was January we left the windows open all night. We had an evening meal in the cosy and warm pub. The staff were extremely attentive and although very busy took their time to talk to us and make sure we were happy with our meals and drinks. In fact, when we ordered whiskeys another barman came to our table to inform us of the choices and recommended a wonderful locally distilled lake land whiskey. We all felt very well attended to and looked after. The breakfast was large and hearty with plenty of choice. Our Canadian guests were very happy with their stay and my husband and I intend to return with our dog very soon. We visited the lake land distillery on the recommendation of the landlady and this rounded our trip off nicely. Well worth a visit.
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Date of stay: January 2020
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.
Response from H-F-KESWICK, Manager at Horse & Farrier Inn
Responded 13 Jan 2020
Dear Judith Thank you for sharing your feedback regarding your stay, we are delighted to hear it. We endeavour to go above and beyond to ensure our customers have a memorable experience. As the winter time in the Lakes it is a little bit chilly and wet at times we are making sure our rooms are welcoming and cosy so our guest can relaxed in them. We are always trying to source and to recommend local produce and we truly believe that The Lakes Distillery it is a little gem for whisky and gin lovers. We are looking forward to your next visit. Have a beautiful day. Kind Regards
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We stayed at the Horse and Farrier Inn as we were taking part in the Lakeland Festival of Light on Cat Bells. As everywhere in Keswick was booked up, we decided this would be a suitable location and we were not disappointed! We reserved a table at 14:30 to ensure we had time to eat, check in and get sorted before we needed to meet in Keswick for the festival. Upon pulling up to hotel, we were surrounded by beautiful views albeit a little foggy. There was ample off road parking. A warm welcome when we entered the property. We mentioned that we had a table reserved and also a room, but we were aware we were early for check in. The barmaid could not have been more helpful, told us to take a seat and told us our room would be ready by the time we had eaten. The service was prompt, efficient and friendly. The food was outstanding! Fresh, hot and plentiful. Once we finished we were shown up to our room, again friendly, informative and approachable and we were asked what time we would like breakfast (between 08:00-09:15). The room itself was outstanding! We stayed in the Saddleback suite which had all amenities. The only slight niggle was it was a little chilly during the night. There was a small portable heater provided ehich was very powerful, however we did not want to leave this on overnight. The bathroom was well stocked with shampoo, conditioner, body lotion and soap, the shower had shower gel. There was a hair dryer provided and tea and coffee supplies also. The breakfast again, was amazing. A cooked breakfast menu, with a table of cereals, juice, fruit etc plus tea/coffee and toast. Check out was smooth and easy. We can't wait to come back!
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Date of stay: April 2023Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:Book a table if you plan to eat on an evening, it gets very busy!
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.
Response from HandF Threlked, Marketing at Horse & Farrier Inn
Responded 18 Apr 2023
Dear Lauramshaw, Thank you for your detailed review of your recent visit to the Horse and farrier in Threlkeld. It means a lot to us that you took the time to share your experience with us. We were delighted to read that you found our staff welcoming and you enjoyed our delicious homemade food, Full Cumbrian Breakfast is definitely the winner! Lakeland Festival of Light it is a superb occasion to visit our beautiful Lakes, luckily the weather stayed kind to people taking part this year and the end result was breathtaking. We were over the moon reading that you loved our Saddleback suite, we put a lot of thought into decor of our rooms and restaurant as we wanted to maintain charming feeling of country inn yet to be quite modern. We do apologise that you found it a bit chilly, our portable heaters are all PAT tested and are safe to use as long as they are placed away from furniture and not covered. But we do understand you concerns. Once again thank you so so much for your amazing words and we are look forward to seeing you again in the near future. Kind Regards Marketing Manager
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We visited this pub and intended to eat and drink as the reviews we read were fairly positive. As seasoned walkers we have stopped here many a time for a jar on our travels but never eaten. The pubs website clearly states that dogs can go inside provided they are not on the carpeted areas. We found a seat that wasn't within a carpeted area only for a rude local at the bar to pipe up that we couldn't sit in that part bar with a dog. I questioned this but he insisted we couldn't sit there and to 'look at the sign'. The sign clearly states a paw 'on carpets'. Well, we wasn't on the carpet so I asked the bar staff. They backed up the local and said we can only sit in a certain part of the bar, not the bit we wanted to sit in that was 'uncarpeted'. We decided to leave and take our business elsewere. As a business in the Lakes your main point of income will always be from tourism and you shouldn't allow rude locals to dictate to customers and furthermore back them up when clearly your information is incorrect. I can't commnet on the food as we didn't stay to eat, but we've been walking in the Lakes for many years and won't be be back here I'm afraid. Tell you locals to mind their own......
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Date of stay: January 2020
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.
Response from H-F-KESWICK, Manager at Horse & Farrier Inn
Responded 23 Jan 2020
Dear Compass538223 Thank you very much for your review of your recent visit at the Horse and Farrier. We are extremely sorry that your experience didn't match your expectations. I would also be annoyed in your situation. We took your comment about the rude local very seriously and we did explain that such a behaviour it is unacceptable . He is sincerely sorry. Our establishment is dog friendly, we always make sure we do have some treats behind the bar and towels which can be used to dry dogs during rainy days, as we do have them from time to time at the Lake District. Our bar and snug, areas with wooden floors, is where we welcome dogs. There is an open fire and a log burner which it helps to create relaxing and welcoming atmosphere. In regards to our signs we do apologise for the confusion. From what I understand you were trying to take a seat in our restaurant which we are trying to keep dog free even though part of it has a stone floor. We value your feedback and we are doing our best to find the right solution to this issue. We are hoping next time you are visiting this area you will give us another chance so we can prove to you that we can provide an excellent experience for our visitors.
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We have been visiting this pub for a lot of years, mostly whilst walking. I have actually written good reviews in the past but today’s visit was extremely disappointing. We ordered food using the app and ordered a starter and two main meals with a side order, straight forward, self explanatory, shouldn’t go wrong, surely. All down hill after that. The starter came out alongside the two main meals and the side order 😒🤔🤔all together, took two staff to bring it all out. My husband mentioned we weren’t expecting it to come out together. The waitress replied Oh you’ve done it wrong. 🤔🤔 Actually no we hadn’t done it wrong, the staff had done it wrong. Not wanting to make a fuss we didn’t say anything and having to eat so much food in one go had to eat cold food. After eating my husband asked the lady on reception what exactly had we done wrong. Apparently we should of mentioned in the special comment box that we wanted the starter to be served as a starter. Heavens above, who’d have known. Has anyone who has visited this pub and ordered starters thought,right,we had better let them know we want it as a starter. The receptionist decided that some people like soup and a sandwich to come together. Well I’ve had soup and a sandwich many times, but only when offered on a menu. In general soup and sandwich consists of a small soup and small sandwich usually as a brunch or lunchtime snack. We were expected to eat a large bowl of soup with focaccia bread two large steak baguettes chips side salad coleslaw and as advertised but didn’t receive, two jugs of gravy, how could anyone possibly eat all that in one go. Complete lack of common sense. As for the waitress who said we’d got it wrong, I beg to differ, on this occasion the horse and farriers had well and truly got it completely wrong.
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Date of stay: April 2021
Cleanliness
Service
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Response from HandF Threlked, Marketing at Horse & Farrier Inn
Responded 3 May 2021
Dear Julie, We truly regret to read that you have encounter issues during your recent visit at our Inn. We can only apologise that this happened to you as it is distressing for every member of our staff when customers feel that service was poor and not a reflection of our usual standards. We would like to apologise for the inconvenience and misunderstanding on our side, members of our team should off communicate better with yourself and advise on how to use our app - which we unfortunately learned that has it's limitations, and should double check if you would like all your food to be served together. We would like to ask for your understanding as we can see how this unfortunate mistake could off sneaked in and be misinterpreted by our team on a busy day as majority of our lunch time customers are hungry walkers and cyclist which are looking to refuel after their long walk in a short period of time, hence why they would order soup and a sandwich and asked to be served at this same time. We would love to assure you that we have taken your comment on board and improved our service to make sure such a mistake won't happen again. Please accept our sincerest apology and we are hoping that you give us another opportunity to share more positive experience with you soon. Kind Regards Marketing Team
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There are more places to choose from in the Threlkeld area.
PRICE RANGE
£72 - £109 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
horse & farrier hotel threlkeld, horse and farrier inn
LOCATION
United KingdomEnglandCumbriaLake DistrictKeswickThrelkeld
NUMBER OF ROOMS
9
Prices are provided by our partners, 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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Are there any historical sites close to Horse & Farrier Inn?
Many travellers enjoy visiting Castlerigg Stone Circle (2.2 miles), Moorforge Viking Settlement (4.1 miles), and Crosthwaite Parish Church (3.8 miles).
