The Craven Heifer

We booked a one night stay at the Craven Heifer with only double rooms left. On arrival we looked at the outside of the building and wondered what we had let ourselves in for ! We were duly given room 7 which as it happened was one of the rooms we had parked outside. We have never been given a room so tiny....stood at the door the bed was directly in front of you and to the left which you could only just walk around on one side. The drinks tray and kettle on the windowsill had 2 cups one of which was filthy...it looked like it had been cleaned inside but not outside. Room was VERY shabby and tired, toilet seat was broken on both sides and the toilet roll holder had been broken off the wall. Shower was so small it was a good job we didn't use soap as you would not have been able to bend over to pick it up had you dropped it, and the toilet had been squeezed in by the side of it. The walls were filthy and needed a good scrub, and the whole place looked like it needed an upgrade. We were so bothered by the cleanliness that we ate out that evening. We were not looking forward to the breakfast, however it was quite good, although hubby did help himself to more coffee and said he stuck to the floor ! Sorry but we would not recommend this place nor go back.

We had booked to stay here as a stop over travelling home from our sons wedding, today I read on social media that they had closed, after further investigation it turns out that they have gone into liquidation.... nice to be told...i contacted the company who i booked with and am now waiting for a refund. I am so glad that I saw the notice or we would have arrived to a closed door with nowhere to stay, late on a sunday night.

On arrival at the Craven Heifer we found outdoor area was a little bleak, the planters needed filling with colourful plants and flowers to cheer up the large outdoor space. Inside we were greeted by the delightful and wonderful Nancy and her co worker Courtney. Nancy was brimming with kindness and empathy and olde world customer courtesy, I’m disabled and was made to feel like a Queen by this lovely young woman, nothing was too much trouble for her! Nancy helped me to our room which was spacious and very clean, the shower room and toilet was small, but also very clean, there was plenty of complimentary toiletries for our overnight stay too. The bedroom tea making facilities was generously filled with hot chocolate and tea/coffee etc! The only thing I didn’t like about the bedroom was the painting over the bed, it would have been far nicer to have a local view/painting rather than the female figure which was on the wall. The curtains blacked out the light really well for me as I love to sleep in darkness. The bed was clean, comfortable and beautifully presented with towels laid out ready on top. We chose to have our evening meal downstairs in the bar area, both our meals where fresh, delicious and very generously portioned! Courtney who we met earlier was our delightful, helpful and friendly waitress throughout our meal. We slept well and readied ourselves for our breakfast, it did not disappoint! We had a vegetarian and a meat full English breakfast with all the trimmings with it, it was beautifully cooked and presented and once again if generously portioned too. We could have had cereals, fruit etc, but thus was plenty for us. We had tea and coffee and fruit juice also. I was not keen on the tea I had, but that’s a personal preference, I drink Earl grey normally and the one I had was a bit strong for my taste. All in all as a couple we would highly recommend the Craven Heifer, we paid an amazingly affordable price, under £60.00 for bed and breakfast for two. Okay the outdoor space was a little bleak, but the views and the outdoor car parking made up for that, as did the fantastic welcome by Nancy when we arrived. The lady serving our breakfast was lovely and very funny, the chef popped out too to see if all was okay as we were eating it. Sadly we have just found out that the Craven Heifer is closing down, it’s such a pity as it’s perfectly situated in ‘Gods own County’ for a local stay or to be a stopping point for a longer journey! I truly hope if someone is going to takeover this business that Nancy is kept on as she truly is an exceptional asset to have onboard. I have worked as management in customer facing retail businesses most of my adult life, Nancy is one if the best members of staff I have sadly never worked with!

The room was in an annexe and didnt look as cosy as pics on the website; easy parking outside mind and nice view. We had an old pine bed rather than one with a more modern headboard; the room next to us looked better and just made me feel disapointed! Comfy ish bed , clean sheets / towels , tea with mugs and hot shower was spot on though. Unfortunately there was a strong smell of damp in our room, noisy bathroom fan & peeling ceiling, poor room security, old hairdryer unsafe and kettle ancient and we just felt the building was very creepy! Including creaking door to an abandoned stair case. Adding we are a couple put in a family room with bunkbeds just didnt feel relaxing. The room looked unfinished; new blinds, some rugs and doors mats, painted woodwork and new doors would help massively as it did look clean and half way through an update; minus cobwebs under the desk where the plugs are. The breakfast and service was great . The pub itself did smell but looked fairly updated and presentable. The exterior windows need replacing , this makes the place look so shabby. Such a shame as the hotel/pub is in an idyllic countryside setting , good location for Malham walks and we enjoyed a walk into Skipton the night we stayed which would be easy for anyone including young families staying in that room! Not going to recommend to our Yorkshire friends but hope the place gets the attention it needs. I will add the price for b&b was more than reasonable however an extra £20 gets you a much better standard locally if you do need a hotel feel.

We stayed here for a wedding nearby. The room was Small, but seemed clean, until we used the bathroom, which smelt between a mixture of bleach and poo! The toilet was not cleaned properly, which turned my stomach. I was woken up throughout the night by some sort of electrical equipment. The bed was comfy but squeaky. The sheets were like paper. We waited 50 minutes for breakfast, which in honesty was not worth the wait at all. The place was ok for what we needed, as we didn't spend much time there. I can't see us returning any time soon.

The carvery we ordered was not carvery style at all. It was cold, it was poor quality and we had to wait over 25 minutes for it to be served. Drinks were forgotten by the staff and the pudding was 20 minutes to be served as the chef apparently had ran out of cream or something. Overall a very disappointed and poor experience. We will not return.

Came here with my friend who was treating me to an overnight stay for my birthday. The views are lovely but the outside of the Inn is tired with peeling paintwork and empty planters which makes it look neglected. The bedroom was a reasonable size with very firm beds, but no toiletries as advertised apart from a tiny soap. The biggest drawback of the room was the noisy generator or other electrical equipment outside, heard even with ear plugs in. The receptionist/barmaid was really helpful and friendly on arrival. I enjoyed my stay because of the location and with a bit of investment the Craven Heifer would attract a higher rating.

Stayed here last night as it was a birthday present for a friend. I paid a fair price for what we had though I do feel the place could do with a facelift as our first impression was the paint was peeling on the outside in a number of places and the lovely old troughs were either empty or **** infested with no brightly coloured summer bedding plants to be seen. On the plus side, the staff were lovely, especially the woman on reception who couldn't do enough to help us when we arrived. The twin room we had was a decent size with a hair dryer, tea and coffee in the room. However, there were no toiletries other than a very small bar of soap. Thank goodness we always take our own! The wifi was rather intermittent and the woman at reception did warn us it could be rather unreliable at times. We enjoyed a lovely evening meal which was very reasonably priced and our breakfast this morning was cooked to order.

Excellent value for money. Very central for Malham Cove and the surrounding areas. Situated very conveniently and has a large free car park and free wi fi. Staff are very friendly and hospitable. Excellent evening meals. Near the town of Skipton