Elmfield House, Arrathorne, Arrathorne DL8 1NE, Northeast England, United Kingdom
Elmfield House
Arrathorne, Arrathorne DL8 1NE, Northeast England, United Kingdom
+44 1677 450558, +44 1677 450557
http://www.elmfieldhouse.co.uk
Arrathorne, Arrathorne DL8 1NE, Northeast England, United Kingdom
+44 1677 450558, +44 1677 450557
http://www.elmfieldhouse.co.uk
General and in-room facilities and services available at Elmfield House
lobby bar
fully equipped common kitchen
summer garden
solarium
room for quiet games
suitable for disabled guests
laundry/washing services
phone at the reception
television set in room
telephone in room
heating in room
kitchenette in room
en-suite/private bathroom
Some excerpts from the website of Elmfield House that might be useful
We had this lovely e mail from some guests this weekend Hi there We just wanted to thank you again for a lovely stay. We sat munching our packed lunch in the grounds of Fountains Abbey following a 6 mile stroll, most delicious and much needed. We had a safe journey home and are back at work today, tired but feeling better for the fresh air and kind hospitality. We hope you are soon on the mend, Astra, and thanks Ian for all your hard work! Regards JULIE AND BRIAN COOK For info just before these guests arrived I parted company with my appendix very suddenly and in rather spectacular fashion so was out of action during their stay. received via e mail 22.1.08 Dear Astra I just wanted to drop you a note to say thank you again for a wonderful weekend. Antony and I both had such a good time and you have a wonderful house and your hospitality was very much appreciated and it goes without saying that breakfast was brilliant! We will definitely be back at some point. Thank you again to you and your family. Kind regards Kate. While the problem of the spamming on the guest book on this site is un-resolved then we thought it would be nice to pick out some of the comments from the guest book here again to let you know what guests so far this year have said about their stay here. If you want to add a comment to this section then please e mail us on stay@elfieldhouse.co.uk and we can publish them here. 28.1.07 GM Smith, Kent Wonderful place to stay, very disabled friendly. We will be back 4.2.07 SA Turner, Pontefract Wonderful. Good food. Comfy cosy. Home from Home! 19.02.07 Haddon family, Hants Another lovely stay with delicious breakfasts. 25.02.07 Mr and Mrs K, London Smashing accommodation breakfast, we will definitely be back. 25.03.07 Mr Mrs Burdon, Lancs A very enjoyable stay, perfect location. Breakfast was wonderful. Much thanks!! 08.04.07 The Fishers, Bristol We've had a great break and the breakfasts have been superb hospitality second to none! We recommend the Askrigg walk. 10.04.07 Jan and Walter, S Yorks Once again, perfect hosts, perfect environment, perfect food, perfect holiday. 14.04.07 Bill and Carol, Boston Excellent and homely. Thank you. 22.04.07 Bill and Sue, Dundee Another enjoyable weekend. Great place for a family re-union. 24.04.07 Wilsons, S. Oxon Glad we found you - look forward to our next visit. 07.05.07 Richard and Judy, UK Great welcome. Excellent breakfast. 07.05.07 Hilary, David and Lucy, Newcastle As above - thank you! especially for the tea. Great attention to detail. 07.05.07 Vera and Rod, Perth Home away from home. 25.05.07 John and Gwen, Ballater Excellent in every way! Sorry it was only a stop over. 29.05.07 Nic and Ben (on 8th wedding anniversary) Very comfortable and exceptionally helpful. Lovely breakfast. Thanks very much. 30.05.07 Janet and John, South Yorks A lovely chance to see North Yorkshire. Very comfortable. Thank you. 03.06.07 Steve and Valerie, Staffs. A delightful experience from start to finish made all the better by the wonderful hospitality shown by everyone at Elmfield House. Thank U. 04.06.07 Larry and Georgene, Colorado Wonderful, relaxing experience. Outstanding BB. Thank you. 10.06.07 Rebecca and Neville, London Superbly comfortable and relaxing, excellent facilities, great breakfast. Thanks (oh and a nice dog) 16.06.07 MC, HF Holidays Great stay. All party members very impressed. 21.06.07 M Edwards, Staines After a difficult few days in front of TV cameras you made us feel so welcome. Thank you. You will see is again. 21.06.07 K Ghandhi, Herts Thank you for a warm welcome, we had a lovely evening and breakfast. Thank you. 22.06.07 Norman and Margaret, Cambs Nice touches warm welcome comfortable stay. Daphne and Fred, Cheltenham Enjoyed our stay, would love to come again. Jan and Martin, Uxbridge Very pleasant stay. Wish it could have been for longer. Will certainly be back. Many thanks. The room was lovely, beautifully decorated, the most comfortable bed I have ever slept in, fantastic restaurant quality food, really friendly hosts and satellite channels most welcome. I am not normally so effusive - but it makes such a difference to stay somewhere like Elmfield House. A.S. Yorkshire. Having had a very busy autumn we have time to reflect on our visitors and their experience staying with us. We have met some fantastic people this year and look forward to meeting some of them again in 2007 as well as the new guests who will arrive. Below are some of the entries from the last few weeks which can be found in the book we have in the hallway 6.9.06 Thanks very much for great dinners breakfasts a very comfortable stay. Nina, N Yorks 16.9.06 Yorkshire (I think) hospitality at its very best in a beautiful setting. Thank you. AW Vancouver 17.9.06 Excellent, friendly host, great facilities. Will be back. Mike and Tessa, S. Africa 19.9.06 Superb. Five star. Love it!! KF Paris 23.09.06 A really good value stay. First class accommodation and a charming family. CS Welwyn 25.9.06 Great weekend with our friends. Thank you for all your attention and good food and comfort. JP W Yorks 13.10.06 Had a fantastic time. WE'RE ENGAGED. Thanks Astra! xx Dan and Emma, Notts 14.10.06 Once again you have managed to delight us. A 65th birthday to remember. Thank you all. John and Pat and family 30.10.06 A brilliant break with lots of good food very friendly staff. Thank you all!! We will be back. JE S
Seeing stars and kingfishers Apart from the rain, which is very welcome for the garden after our run of lovely weather, today has been quite an interesting one. It started with the postman bringing our AA rating certificate for 2008-9 and we are pleased to say that we retain our 4 stars with a Highly Commended rating from them. It is always great to get recognition for what we do and to see that we rate in the top 10% of 4 star rated accommodation. Apart from giving us a bit of a boost these ratings are really good for guests because it does let you know what level of accommodation and service you are going to get. Together with our Silver Award from Visit Britain we are pleased that across the board our standard of service is well recognized. Later on I went for a walk with Ozzie and, joy of joys, he did not disappear across the neighbouring fields in pursuit of rabbits but chose to stay with me for a change. I also saw both our kingfishers down at the lake which was a delight because I was there for about 10 minutes as they flew about and perched, seemingly just for my enjoyment. They are so beautiful and fast the first thing that tells me they are about is the sound of their wings beating the air as they fly. As we have two I am hopeful of babies this year. Whilst I sat on my little bench on the slope above the lake watching the kingfishers, Ozzie decided to dig for rabbits. Now some of you will know that handsome and charming though he is, Ozzie is not always the brightest of chaps, and today was no exception. He was digging at a rabbit hole below me on the slope and, for a German Shepherd, he is a good and enthusiastic digger. He got so far down he had to tear out tree roots with his teeth so it was a major undertaking. However, he did complicate the matter by digging earth so vigorously it flew behind him and landed, some 10 feet below, in the lake. On hearing the splash he stopped digging and dashed down to the waters edge to see what had made the noise. Obviously there was nothing to see apart from the fading ripples. Disappointed he returned to digging only for more soil to land in the water, so back down the slope€€. I am sure you get the picture and this went on for ages. I had to call and end to it as I was worried he could himself entertained all afternoon if I let him. I also saw a jay make its way into the woods which was another first. I had heard one last year, but it was nice to see it in flight. I have also found where the deer have made nests in the long undergrowth so I am hoping we will see some fawns around as well. I will have to keep Ozzie on the lead in that area for the time being so he does not disturb them. Above all else, the beauty of the countryside is breathtaking. We seem to have had the right combination of sun and rain to make everything burst into life. The trees are wearing many shades of green, the bluebells are giving over to new growth of bracken and the wild flowers are starting their colourful display. Added to this the fields are starting to green up and already some of our neighbours have got silage cut and have left their fields beautifully mown with the lovely stripey finish so beloved on a garden lawn. Now is a great time for a break and we, together with all our animals both domestic and wild, will be happy to see you. An abundance of loveliness I am really enjoying May so far. The weather is bringing out all the best in the garden and surrounding countryside and I cannot count the number of shades of green that are visible from my window. The lilac is blossoming as well as the hawthorn and rowan trees and the garden is holding promise of good things to come. I have been out, getting containers filled and trying to keep down the weeds which, sadly, are benefitting from the weather as much as the other plants. For those who have been here in autumn you will well remember the bed of Chinese Lanterns at the side of the path - many of you went home with some plants in a carrier bag last year! I have now officially declared the bed over-run with them and has started to try and clear them out - and what a task that is! The root systems have to be seen to be believed and it is going to take many days to get to the bottom of it. I am not sure how my back will feel about it as a long term activity. My florist delivered flowers for the house yesterday and I was delighted to receive an abundant armful of the most beautiful flowers. The lovely Dot at Simpsons Florists in Bedale takes my order in her stride - it is usually very vague. My requests must make her heart sink - cheap and cheerful, anything seasonal, I am fancying cream and green, nothing too pale, Christmas please and so on She rises to the occasion magnificently and for the last two weeks I have asked for blousy and cottage gardeny. And on opening the wrappings I have released a riot of paeonies, stocks, carnations, alium, lilies and others that I cannot name. They grace the hall and dining room beautifully and I am grateful to the growers for their skill and Dot for her creativity which always exceeds my limited knowledge and vision. I am so inspired I am considering a cottage garden bed of my own (maybe a good replacement for all the Chinese lanterns) which would give the added benefit of providing some cut flowers to supplement Dot's endeavours. We are forecast some rain, I understand, which will be good for the garden and hopefully we will then get some more lovely weather to keep the promise that nature has at the moment. Bluebells a plenty In the last 5 days the bluebells have blossomed forth and are carpeting the woods in the most beautiful shade of blue. The scent is fantastic, and combined in parts with the honey aroms of the rape in the neighbouring field is a heady mix perfectly suited to the languid, sunny, warm days we have had recently. The birds are being very, very busy, dashing around finishing nests and, for those who are a bit ahead of the rest, feeding their young. I am trying to spend a little more time just sitting to observe the birds and see what we have got. So far I notice that we have some goldfinches - I have never really noticed them before but their colouring is stupendous. They are described in my wildlife book as common, but they are anything but. They are beautiful, interesting and work tirelessly. We also have some blue tits who have found a small hole into the porch roof and clearly have a nest going on in there. The more I have watched them the more they fascinate me and make me realise that the ordinary can be quite extraordinary and beautiful. I have been able to find many good reasons to sit in the sun for a while each day and make the most of what has started as a lovely May. Perhaps you would like to join me? An unexpected arrival For those who have been here, you will know that my ram (Rambo) has not been very good at producing offspring. We were most disappointed last year, but gave him another chance in the late autumn to redeem himself. We should have had lambs around February but, again, nothing happened and I cheerfully resigned myself to another year with a static flock. And then two weeks ago, out of the blue, a lamb!! A lovely, healthy, big, bouncy lamb born to one of the Swaledale cross ewes. I am delighted and, much to his mum's concern, have had a couple of cuddles with him and dealt with the animal husbandry side of things. I do feel a little sorry for him beacause he really needs to have some other lambs to play with. Whilst all his maiden aunts appear to be interested in him, they are very intolerant of his invitations to play. His mum can only do so much and she is obviously using much of her energy to feed him as he is growing at an astonishing rate. I have never closely observed a lamb growing and it is near miraculous how fast he has put on height and his weight is following in proportion. I am not sure how or why, but he has been named Jaques...
Seeing stars and kingfishers Apart from the rain, which is very welcome for the garden after our run of lovely weather, today has been quite an interesting one. It started with the postman bringing our AA rating certificate for 2008-9 and we are pleased to say that we retain our 4 stars with a Highly Commended rating from them. It is always great to get recognition for what we do and to see that we rate in the top 10% of 4 star rated accommodation. Apart from giving us a bit of a boost these ratings are really good for guests because it does let you know what level of accommodation and service you are going to get. Together with our Silver Award from Visit Britain we are pleased that across the board our standard of service is well recognized. Later on I went for a walk with Ozzie and, joy of joys, he did not disappear across the neighbouring fields in pursuit of rabbits but chose to stay with me for a change. I also saw both our kingfishers down at the lake which was a delight because I was there for about 10 minutes as they flew about and perched, seemingly just for my enjoyment. They are so beautiful and fast the first thing that tells me they are about is the sound of their wings beating the air as they fly. As we have two I am hopeful of babies this year. Whilst I sat on my little bench on the slope above the lake watching the kingfishers, Ozzie decided to dig for rabbits. Now some of you will know that handsome and charming though he is, Ozzie is not always the brightest of chaps, and today was no exception. He was digging at a rabbit hole below me on the slope and, for a German Shepherd, he is a good and enthusiastic digger. He got so far down he had to tear out tree roots with his teeth so it was a major undertaking. However, he did complicate the matter by digging earth so vigorously it flew behind him and landed, some 10 feet below, in the lake. On hearing the splash he stopped digging and dashed down to the waters edge to see what had made the noise. Obviously there was nothing to see apart from the fading ripples. Disappointed he returned to digging only for more soil to land in the water, so back down the slope€€. I am sure you get the picture and this went on for ages. I had to call and end to it as I was worried he could himself entertained all afternoon if I let him. I also saw a jay make its way into the woods which was another first. I had heard one last year, but it was nice to see it in flight. I have also found where the deer have made nests in the long undergrowth so I am hoping we will see some fawns around as well. I will have to keep Ozzie on the lead in that area for the time being so he does not disturb them. Above all else, the beauty of the countryside is breathtaking. We seem to have had the right combination of sun and rain to make everything burst into life. The trees are wearing many shades of green, the bluebells are giving over to new growth of bracken and the wild flowers are starting their colourful display. Added to this the fields are starting to green up and already some of our neighbours have got silage cut and have left their fields beautifully mown with the lovely stripey finish so beloved on a garden lawn. Now is a great time for a break and we, together with all our animals both domestic and wild, will be happy to see you. An abundance of loveliness I am really enjoying May so far. The weather is bringing out all the best in the garden and surrounding countryside and I cannot count the number of shades of green that are visible from my window. The lilac is blossoming as well as the hawthorn and rowan trees and the garden is holding promise of good things to come. I have been out, getting containers filled and trying to keep down the weeds which, sadly, are benefitting from the weather as much as the other plants. For those who have been here in autumn you will well remember the bed of Chinese Lanterns at the side of the path - many of you went home with some plants in a carrier bag last year! I have now officially declared the bed over-run with them and has started to try and clear them out - and what a task that is! The root systems have to be seen to be believed and it is going to take many days to get to the bottom of it. I am not sure how my back will feel about it as a long term activity. My florist delivered flowers for the house yesterday and I was delighted to receive an abundant armful of the most beautiful flowers. The lovely Dot at Simpsons Florists in Bedale takes my order in her stride - it is usually very vague. My requests must make her heart sink - cheap and cheerful, anything seasonal, I am fancying cream and green, nothing too pale, Christmas please and so on She rises to the occasion magnificently and for the last two weeks I have asked for blousy and cottage gardeny. And on opening the wrappings I have released a riot of paeonies, stocks, carnations, alium, lilies and others that I cannot name. They grace the hall and dining room beautifully and I am grateful to the growers for their skill and Dot for her creativity which always exceeds my limited knowledge and vision. I am so inspired I am considering a cottage garden bed of my own (maybe a good replacement for all the Chinese lanterns) which would give the added benefit of providing some cut flowers to supplement Dot's endeavours. We are forecast some rain, I understand, which will be good for the garden and hopefully we will then get some more lovely weather to keep the promise that nature has at the moment. Bluebells a plenty In the last 5 days the bluebells have blossomed forth and are carpeting the woods in the most beautiful shade of blue. The scent is fantastic, and combined in parts with the honey aroms of the rape in the neighbouring field is a heady mix perfectly suited to the languid, sunny, warm days we have had recently. The birds are being very, very busy, dashing around finishing nests and, for those who are a bit ahead of the rest, feeding their young. I am trying to spend a little more time just sitting to observe the birds and see what we have got. So far I notice that we have some goldfinches - I have never really noticed them before but their colouring is stupendous. They are described in my wildlife book as common, but they are anything but. They are beautiful, interesting and work tirelessly. We also have some blue tits who have found a small hole into the porch roof and clearly have a nest going on in there. The more I have watched them the more they fascinate me and make me realise that the ordinary can be quite extraordinary and beautiful. I have been able to find many good reasons to sit in the sun for a while each day and make the most of what has started as a lovely May. Perhaps you would like to join me? An unexpected arrival For those who have been here, you will know that my ram (Rambo) has not been very good at producing offspring. We were most disappointed last year, but gave him another chance in the late autumn to redeem himself. We should have had lambs around February but, again, nothing happened and I cheerfully resigned myself to another year with a static flock. And then two weeks ago, out of the blue, a lamb!! A lovely, healthy, big, bouncy lamb born to one of the Swaledale cross ewes. I am delighted and, much to his mum's concern, have had a couple of cuddles with him and dealt with the animal husbandry side of things. I do feel a little sorry for him beacause he really needs to have some other lambs to play with. Whilst all his maiden aunts appear to be interested in him, they are very intolerant of his invitations to play. His mum can only do so much and she is obviously using much of her energy to feed him as he is growing at an astonishing rate. I have never closely observed a lamb growing and it is near miraculous how fast he has put on height and his weight is following in proportion. I am not sure how or why, but he has been named Jaques...
