From The Blog, Hotel Reviews

Frankie goes to Kirkby Fleetham, Yorkshire


The Black Horse Inn in Kirkby Fleetham is nestled between the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales National Parks, so a perfect base for a dog walking holiday. 2018, saw the inn winner of the tv programme ‘Four in a Bed‘, with the plaque heralding the award on the wall of the bar. It was also a ‘Winner of Trip Advisor’s Travellers’ Choice’ in 2021, after ranking within the top 10% of hotels worldwide, for providing guests with outstanding service & experiences.

The Inn belongs to the HRH Group and so the website is multi functional, depicting all properties in this small chain. It’s important to say though that it has a totally independent feel as you enter retaining all its original rustic charm.

With its AA stared restaurant and informal dining you can relax and enjoy the excellent food the menu has to offer at The Black Horse Inn. It’s thought that the inn gained its name in the late 1730s when Highwayman, Dick Turpin was riding from York to London. The village itself resembles that of the Midsommer Murders film set, especially with its annual village fete held during the weekend we were there.

The Paw Award

The five paw awards

Everyone knows we dogs normally have four paws, so to get a five paw award is super special. Four is an extremely positive Frankie recommendation, any less and it’s just a question of personal choice.

Image from the front of The Black Horse, Kirkby Fleetham, North Yorkshire
The Black Horse, Kirkby Fleetham, North Yorkshire

Friendly & welcoming atmosphere

A warm and cosy welcome awaits as you arrive at The Black Horse Inn. We were shown to our room, which over looked the front and was snug, but exactly what you’d expect from a traditional English inn.

Helpful staff

There’s no stipulation as to how many dogs the Inn accepted, but the norm is usually up to two. However, on this occasion while our daughter anticipated the arrival our second grandchild we had our her bordoodle pup, Kassie, with us. The staff were really understanding as we lugged Kassie’s crate up to the room, along with two dog beds! They were also happy for us to bring all three with us into the dining room while we ate our breakfast and evening meal. So in terms of friendly staff, they were amazing.

Three dogs sharing one bed
Freya complaining at three in a bed

Accommodation suitability & cost per dog

The only reference to accepting our furry friends is on the home page of The Black Horse Inn’s website with the heading “Dog friendly – Guaranteed”. What more to you need! Also, there was no charge for dogs which we were delighted with as we had three. There’s an outside eating area, but no garden. The village is easily accessed in a few minutes for morning/late night toilet walks.

The village green at Kirkby Fleetham with Frankie, Freya and cousin Kassie shading under a tree
The village green at Kirkby Fleetham with Frankie, Freya and cousin Kassie shading under a tree

Little extras offered

There were no ‘dog specific’ extras other than water bowls in the main pub areas. There is also no-where to wash paws as the shower had a fixed head. We were there during the summer heatwave which was a huge advantage – no muddy dogs to manage. Come winter though it would have been a huge issue for us, so we’ve just invested in a Karcha dog washing kit. It was expensive but for us invaluable.

Image of the ensuite highlighting the fixed head of the shower
The shower had a fixed head so not suitable for a quick paw wash
Signpost on The Green in the village of Kirkby Fleetham
Signpost on The Green in the village of Kirkby Fleetham

Location and dog walks

The woodland walk at Kiplin Hall and Gardens
The woodland walk at Kiplin Hall and Gardens
Frankie, cousin Kassie and Freya
Frankie, cousin Kassie and Freya

It’s a really pretty location, and even though the pub is the only place to eat, the food was excellent while we were there and it was great just to relax after a day’s walking. The heatwave meant we needed shady walks so we took them to Kipling Hall & Gardens just a few miles down the road where dogs were welcome in the garden (on leads) and in the woods – again on leads, but as there was no-one else about, we let them off to enjoy some fabulous freedom to race and chase each other. It was quite expensive to enter as you’re not able to pay for just the grounds and dogs were not allowed in the Hall. However, it wasn’t a problem for them to join you in the small tearoom.

Frankie enjoying the woodland walk
Frankie enjoying the woodland walk

We didn’t explore the area fully as it was just to hot to take the dogs out without shade during the day, but having searched online we couldn’t find any dog friendly walks locally other than this one.

Frankie, Kassie and Freya sheltering in the pagoda at Kiplin Hall
Frankie, Kassie and Freya sheltering in the pagoda at Kiplin Hall

Frankie awarded The Black Horse Inn 4 Paws

The Black Horse Inn review - 4 Paws

You can book direct at The Black Horse here.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *