Lowbyer Manor Country House

The room and cottage were great. Very peaceful location to stay and explore the nearby area, including Penrith

18 folk plus 2 dogs stayed for a birthday celebration weekend - pro kitchen was great and allowed us to cook breakfasts and dinners for everyone really well - dining room was well set up and everyone loved the private pub - older family gathered in lounge later and let the grown up kids enjoy their evening. Good walks and runs from the door and good facilities ie coop, bakery and pubs in Alston. A few bedrooms were colder but that suited our group, the recently refurbished room 3 was top notch and if that’s the standard going forward it will be very popular. Garden is lovely but dogs need to be on lead which was fine

I'm so sorry to give this review as the owner and staff at Lowbyer Manor were very friendly and welcoming however we were very disappointed with our stay. We stayed in room 8 which, upon entering, felt cold and smelled very musty. Although the room and bathroom were clean, they were both very dated and in need of some refurbishment. The bed, which was very comfortable with a good quality quilt, felt cold and damp until it warmed up. Overall the bedroom could do with updating but, as a minimum, it should be heated and aired properly. Breakfast was pre-ordered the night before. We ordered for 9am and arrived in the (cold) dining room on time. The cooked breakfast was very poor with everything but the fried egg feeling like it had been cooked well in advance and kept warm.

Lovely manor house B&B with friendly and welcoming staff. Very short walk into the village. Food was wholesome and delicious.

My wife has attended a writers’ retreat at Lowbyer and spoke so highly of the whole experience that we came back as a couple for a few days. Great experience with super service from hosts Jim and Janice. Bedroom comfortable, breakfast perfect and the hotel is a great base for exploring the area. Janice recommended Barnard Castle and the Bowes Museum and we spent an enjoyable day following her advice. Janice is a tremendous cook and we had a superb dinner on our last evening. Rest assured we will return. 10/10. 👍

Fabulous, friendly staff who looked after us so well. We stopped for two nights whilst walking Issac’s Tea Trail. Comfortable room with excellent shower. Delicious breakfast cooked to order. Evening meals were superb. Warm cosy bar. Highly recommend and we will be back.

Accommodation - fine/good We didn’t dine there so can’t comment- we ate at the Alston House, people say the Cumberland Arms is also ok - better beer but a more basic menu I think. Breakfast at Lowbyer was fine for us walkers, all the usual stuff but not til 8am - might be a problem for some Bar in the cellar with tv, big garden, welcoming hosts (but possibly unmanned til 3pm) We three 60+ blokes used a twin and single room - all fine

DISAPPOINTING ROOM. Our group consisted of 8 people, 3 double rooms and 3 single, which were booked 6 months in advance. On arrival we found the extractor in the bathroom didn't work leaving the bathroom full of condensation the whole stay. The towel radiator didn't work either as the controls had been removed. The radiator in the bedroom was put on for a couple of hours the first night but after that there was no heating whatsoever so we had to use wet towels for our 3 night stay. In the bedroom there was signs of damp where a mini dehumidifier had been left. We told the ower (Jim) and he actually said "yes that room is damp"! What was even worse was when we went to bed, that also felt damp. As we had booked well in advance we assumed (wrongly) that all the rooms were occupied and as we were with a group of friends didn't want to find alternative accommodation. It was on our last night when we realised our group were the only peope staying in the hotel and they could have moved us to an alternative room. It is beyond us why we were given a damp room in the first place. We ate at the hotel the first night and the food was very good but as the menu was limited decided to try elsewhere in the village. Jim said as we were not staying to eat the bar would close at 7pm on the second night. The owners do not stay at the hotel overnight so if anyone is a lone traveller this may be quite disconcerting and something to consider before booking.

Breakfast was an absolute delight. Really accommodating at short notice!