It’s late on a winter’s afternoon in the Eden Valley, and the light is fading. We’ve done a nine-mile hike to Nine Standards Rigg, high on the Pennine watershed, and, as B&B owners Liz and Rob Paisley advised, we’re safely back in Kirkby Stephen town before 4pm.
Our dinner booking is not till 8.30, which means a lovely long time to make the most of our billet. There are B&Bs that are just places to lay your head for a walking trip or family wedding, say. Then there are places like Redmayne House – supremely comfortable and unaffectedly welcoming, where it’s a pleasure to just hang out.
My mate Sue and I kick off our walking boots in the hall, where original tiles and stained glass are paired with muted walls and carpet, and fill the next few hours having tea and homemade Victoria sponge, taking hot showers with nice smellies, snoozing on one of the comfy beds (Sue), and relaxing in the guest sitting room, with its multifuel stove (me).
The three-storey Georgian house, just off Kirkby Stephen’s main street, was once home to the High Sheriff of Westmorland. When Liz and Rob took over (swapping teaching jobs in the home counties for a different kind of hard work), it was already a B&B, but old-style, with in-room washbasins and shared bathrooms. They spent the best part of a year revamping, adding en suites to four spacious guest bedrooms, and insulated plasterboard on exterior walls to keep out the Cumbrian winter. Its history is still there, though, in the dark wood Georgian banisters and a hilarious museum piece of a thunderbox toilet off the first-floor landing.
Anyone who read James Rebanks’ recent autobiography The Shepherd’s Life will have an idea how big sheep are around here. Kirkby Stephen’s auction mart, mentioned in the book, is down the road from Redmayne House, and guest rooms are named after types of sheep. (We’re in Herdwick, the iconic breed loved by Beatrix Potter and almost lost in the foot-and-mouth outbreak.)
I imagine Liz was an inspiring teacher, but it would have been a sad loss to the hospitality trade had she not switched and applied her design talents here: bedrooms in shades of grey with accents of mustard, lime green or pale teal are serene but cosy, with woolly throws and cushion covers.
Dinner is in Winton, a mile away, (Rob or Liz offer lifts to car-free guests) where another pair of enthusiasts are raising the bar for Eden Valley hospitality. In December, chefs John Bowler and David Rodgie celebrated taking full ownership of the Bay Horse on the village green, having lightened the interiors, removed all the cliched brass, and added a modern kitchen to suit their high-end cooking.
I’m sold when my starter of crispy chorizo cakes comes with homemade scratchings, though I’d been tempted by Sue’s sweet onion and thyme tart. We both go sheepish for mains – regional speciality lamb henry (bone-in shoulder with herbs); and a trio that comprises pink slices of rump, a tangle of pulled lamb and a tiny shepherd’s pie. We shouldn’t really have room for lemon tart and sticky toffee pudding too but, hey, we did that big walk.
We apply the same rationale to the morning’s generous full English (with three fantastic sausages) in the panelled, bay-windowed dining room. We’re going to walk upriver on the Eden viaducts trail and poetry path, spotting red squirrels and migrating salmon. But that’s almost by way of a bonus. Redmayne House could be next to a Grimsby industrial estate and I’d still want to come back.
• Accommodation was provided by Redmayne House (doubles from £80 a night B&B – £75 before 26 February, 01768 371328, redmaynehouse.co.uk). Rail travel between Leeds and Kirkby Stephen was provided by Northern
Ask a local
Ann Sandell, chairman of Kirkby Stephen & District Walkers are Welcome
See
The flock of free-flying macaws brought here by the late John Strutt, who provides a refuge for unwanted parrots on his farm at nearby Eden Place, always amazes visitors. And don’t miss the Boot Tree – an ash decorated with boots of all kinds as you enter the Kirkby Stephen from the south.
Walks and views
Kirkby Stephen’s celebrated Poetry Path has 12 stones inscribed with poems depicting the farmer’s year, pick up a brochure and look out for herons, red squirrels and black rabbits along the way. The most popular all-year buggy and wheelchair-friendly walk is along the Northern Viaduct Trust’s old Stainmore Railway: it has plenty of information boards and includes the Millennium Bridge over the spectacular Stenkrith gorge and waterfall.
The town is crossed by 10 long distance paths, the most famous being Wainwright’s Coast to Coast as it rises to the Nine Standards on Hartley Fell, with spectacular views of the area. The Adventure Trail and Town Trail provide entertaining walks – leaflets and details for all the walks are available in the Visitor Centre on Market Square.
Shop
Church Galley on Market Street has three floors of unusual gifts and fashion items. Sit at your leisure enjoying the free wifi in the self-service tea and coffee facility, which has delightful homemade cakes.
Eat
By far the most popular restaurant in town is the Mango Tree Indian restaurant (27 Market Street, 017683 74960) so booking is essential.
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