Running Horses

United Kingdom , Dorking
DORKING, Running Horses Old London Road
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75 reviews shown

8/10

Excellent

11 May 2026

Joanna

The bed in our room was very comfortable and the room and bathroom had everything we needed for a nights stay.
We had breakfast and was disappointed with the quality for the price - the poached eggs were hard and instead of the sourdough it stated on the menu, it came with cheap white bread. This was rectified, however we had to (obviously) wait for our breakfast to be re cooked and our family (who had ordered something different) had finished their breakfast by the time ours arrived.
They did take our drinks off the bill, but for £14 each we feel it should have been right the first time.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Apr 2026

Oonagh

Brilliant - beautiful country pub, open fire! Room was great, massive, roll top bath. Comfy bed. Staff super friendly.

Self

8/10

Excellent

26 Mar 2026

Paul

Lovely room and bathroom. Great breakfast. Highly recommended.

Self

8/10

Excellent

21 Mar 2026

George

Pleasant pub hotel

10/10

Exceptional

03 Mar 2026

Nancy

Lovely big room with a fab view of the village church. Nice pillows too

Self

8/10

Excellent

17 Feb 2026

Sara

Nice Room.
Very noisy.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Feb 2026

Natalie

Charming little pub with lots of cool original features. Large bedroom and a comfortable bed. Everything works really well. Now, the food at this place is honestly on another level. I have never had any food inside a pub this good. This pub is well known for serving up some of the best food. Locals are highly complimentary about the dining experience here.

Business Self

8/10

Excellent

04 Feb 2026

ADRIAN

Staff

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

09 Dec 2025

Shelley-Ann

The room was spotless and staff extremely courteous. The floors in the common areas —stone and carpets were very dirty, so a good shampoo or replacement of the carpeting is in order. The muck in the corners of the entranceway, hallways and bar was particularly problematic. The staff was amazing, as was the service and food!!

Business Self

6/10

Pleasant

12 Nov 2025

Alexander

Pleasant staff upon my arrival. The Running Horses is a bit shabby but not very chic. The room was a good size with well thought out amenities. However, the tv didn't work and just pixelated which was slightly irritating after a long day. The shower head in the bathroom was black with mildew although there was also a rainfall shower head.

My dinner was ok. The soup was delicious but only tepid. My main course, a blisteringly hot pie but the mash was only just warm and the cabbage was cold.

Breakfast was a bit of a disaster as I had explained that I would be down at 8am sharp. Other than the chef, the place was in darkness and no staff. Eventually I had to go into the kitchen to ask the chef about breakfast! At last, a member of staff turned up and I was able to get my order taken. Breakfast was expensive and not worth the £14 charge excluding drinks. The options for breakfast were poor.

Like so many small hotels, attention to detail and general observation were lacking. In summary: could do better!

Business

10/10

Exceptional

04 Nov 2025

Claire

Spotlessly clean, comfy bed, superb staff - friendly, efficient, helpful. All in a gorgeous location. Would definitely return.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

31 Oct 2025

Max

Really lovely!

8/10

Excellent

16 Oct 2025

Nicholas

Love the Running horses. Great place on a great spot. Food was good, rooms are lovely and service is good

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Oct 2025

Ben

Great location and lovely accommodation and pub.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

01 Oct 2025

Jodie

Owner is lovely

The hotel really is MINT.
The food is nice and rooms are nicely done.
The reason for the 3 star is the bed I slept in last night slumped in the middle I didn't sleep a wink all night. It was so uncomfortable. In addition the breakfast doesn't open till 8am. This morning it was 8.30am making us late for a 9am meeting. The breakfast could start 7.30am or on time and the bed issue definitely needs addressing.
The owner of the place is lovely!

Business

10/10

Exceptional

30 Sep 2025

Allan

The food at the Running Horses is excellent, as is the beer and wine.

A proper country pub in a beautiful location with a wonderful logfire.

The staff ard all very helpful and friendly.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

31 Aug 2025

Sheila

Beautiful orignal features and i liked the large bath.

More offer for vegetarian meals would be appreciated. There was only one option for dinner and no vegetarian breakfast.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

25 Aug 2025

Jahanara

Lovely little hotel, superior room was bigger than we expected looking over the front of the hotel. Fairly clean, only minor point, as the hotel was full there were no spare pillows,I sometimes, I struggle with my breathing hence the extra pillow at night. Will stay again.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

06 Aug 2025

Colin

Individual charm

Great character, food, and setting

Business

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jul 2025

LUBOV

The building was historic and the property had a cool antique vibe, the rooms were clean and the staff were very friendly

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2025

Sharon

The staff were very kind and the room was very clean. Our stay just happened to coincide with a heat wave and it was very hot and a bit challenging with opening the windows since our room was located just above the rubbish area. We kept the windows closed a lot to avoid the smell and the flies. They were very helpful in providing a fan, lots of ice and water to help keep us cool. We recommend booking directly so if you need to request a room change, it would be easier to accommodate that request, but because we used a 3rd party we had to stay in the room we were given. The heat wave impacted a lot, but we would still recommend The Running Horses, just maybe in a colder season:)

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jun 2025

Learning Gate

Beautiful location

Very friendly staff. Great food in the pub and lots of variety. The bed was comfortable and we had a great night's sleep. Quiet location.

Partner

2/10

Poor

11 Jun 2025

G S

Carpets throughout thr property were dirty. The food was poor and vastly overpriced. £24.50 FOR BREAKFAST WAS A JOKE

Business

10/10

Exceptional

09 Jun 2025

Katie

Incredible stay! Comfy, clean rooms and the staff could not do enough for you.
The food was incredible and we were given a free glass of fizz as we were celebrating our anniversary. Thank you so much!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 May 2025

Verified traveler

Recommended

Fantastic 16th century pub with rooms - room spacious, clean, very comfy bed. Food excellent quality. Highly recommended. Good value for money

Partner

8/10

Excellent

21 May 2025

Vlad

Little place to stay. Good location to reach Box hill and Dorking. Friendly staff, locals are dining. Standard room (Epsom) has view to the roofs/inner yard/other houses, so I suggest to get better room for the view to the church. Default selection for Breakfasts.

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 Apr 2025

Adam

Giovanni and his excellent team were both friendly and professional. We had a lovely big clean room and the food and wine was wonderful .
We will be back for sure !

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

09 Apr 2025

Christopher

Stayed here a number of times now whilst away for work. Very nice place great food staff always pleasant. Will stop again.

Business Self

10/10

Exceptional

06 Jan 2025

Shaun

Really cosy

Love this place. We come back every year for a weekend away

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Dec 2024

Allan

Wonderful Surrey Hills Location

Excellent place to stay with a fabulous restaurant (the food is wonderful) and a relaxing country pub bar.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Oct 2024

Reza

Lovely hotel/pub/restaurant

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

28 Sep 2024

Susan

Lovely, charming period property. Our room was facing the road and outdoor tables from the pub which was noisy until closing time. I unfortunately chose the room with the shower in the roll top tub. Very difficult to climb in and out of for people in their 70’s. No safety handles. Something to bear in mind. Otherwise all good!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Sep 2024

Glynn

The Running Horses was a perfect stay for our trip to the local Debbie’s Wine Estate.
Exceptional place and service in a great location.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jun 2024

John

We stopped here for one night and the staff were very welcoming, the food was very nice. We would definitely stop here again.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Jun 2024

Tania

Well worth walking to

Really lovely relaxing pub with pretty rooms and an excellent restaurant. Friendly staff and great walks all round.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jun 2024

Tania

Romantic getaway

Really lovely relaxing pub with pretty rooms and an excellent restaurant.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Apr 2024

Claire

Great rooms, average food.

Beautiful place with lots of character. Rooms were smal but well appointed with a very comfortable bed. Breakfast served was pleasant but the service was ridiculously slow and the food average with coffee that was moderately warm, however, I would definitely stay there again.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jan 2024

fran

Great atmosphere in the pub

10/10

Exceptional

30 Dec 2023

Mike

Excellent however as productive feedback;
The welcome note in the room advises that you need to request milk for the room and to request a breakfast booking with the staff however. Most guests may read this whilst ready for bed by which time it’s too late to speak to staff or they may have to redress to go and ask. I would highly recommend that these questions are asked whilst being welcomed / checked in.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

02 Dec 2023

Diana

Friendly, clean and really beautiful

10/10

Exceptional

15 Nov 2023

Dean

Great pub, lovely food and accommodation. Thanks for the early breakfast too

8/10

Excellent

08 Oct 2023

Verified traveler

Pretty pub, great location for hiking!

We stayed at the Running Horses as looking for a base to hike locally Saturday and Sunday. The pub has a lovely terrace which along with the bar and bedrooms are dog friendly. Our room was well maintained, comfortable and quiet. We had dinner and breakfast both tasty with good service. We enjoyed our stay and would visit again as a great location for Box Hill hikes and surrounding walks.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Sep 2023

Raymond

Funeral

Very friendly

Partner

8/10

Excellent

22 Sep 2023

jit

Great place for a country pub feel. Good solid restaurant attached that does themed nights

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

28 Aug 2023

Sandeep

I love this place….

This place is awesome! From the moment we arrived we just knew it was the start of a great weekend… gorgeous building and surrounding areas, superb food and drink selection (you have to try their Old Fashioned cocktail, even my wife who would swear at the mention of whiskey was blown away - I had several cough cough)… our accommodation was perfect, exactly what we thought it would be. Very clean and spacious - it was a treat! The service and staff are top-notch… clearly they all care about what they do and what it means for this place - honestly, everyone was on-point, friendly and caring… we will definitely be coming back one day!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Jun 2023

Dorothy

What a stunning property and area! I loved my stay and will definitely be back. The friendly and helpful staff were all wonderful and the grounds are breathtaking!
I loved staying here!
Lorraine

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

17 Mar 2023

Georgina

Noisy rooms, not worth the price

Booked a room that said courtyard but all 3 sash-windows were directly on the street with a lot of noise coming through from the road. Bus stops directly outside of these so kept having to shut curtains and lighting in room was quite dark also.
Floor creaky, lots of noise from pub below. Really wasn’t a comfortable stay at all and decided to just leave a day early and go stay somewhere else.

Breakfast wasn’t amazing and overpriced for what you got. 1 sausage and 1 rasher of bacon seemed very stingy for a full English breakfast that you have to pay for as an extra.

I won’t be staying again

Business

4/10

Poor

13 Feb 2023

Pauline

The room was beautiful, the staff had no idea.

The restaurant staff argued with us and had no information about the food on the menu.
We ate in the restaurant once (with our invited guests) and decided we would have breakfast lunch and dinner elsewhere.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Jan 2023

Megan

Great little overnight stay

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here - the service is great and the pub is a great little place for a drink plus plenty of lovely walks around including box hill if you fancy the steep climb! We also can’t recommend the food highly enough. We stayed New Year’s Eve and dined in the restaurant which was amazing. Our standard double room, whilst a little on the small side, was fine for a night, incredibly comfortable and the bathroom was lovely with the roll top bath. And a Nespresso machine in the room :)

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Oct 2022

Annabel

Fab stay

Amazing stay. Beautiful room, lovely staff.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

22 Sep 2022

NORA

Wonderful property, excellent staff

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Jul 2022

Pauline

A three night stay!

I stayed at the Running Horses with two friends ...we each had our own room. I found the bed very comfortable and the room was clean and pleasant. I was surprised that the room however wasn't refreshed on a daily basis which was something I have never expereinced before. I wasn't that concerned about this but would have appreciated fresh water / clean glasses and mugs. The staff were all lovely and very friendly and the food was of excellent quality. Unfortunately, due to the age of the building it wasn't that soundproof and one night was particularly noisy at midnight with people returning to their rooms. However, we did overall have a wonderful stay and loved the atmosphere of the Running Horses which is clearly also a very much a locals pub too!

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jun 2022

Tal

I was made to feel very welcome. Which was so nice when travelling on your own. The food was fantastic and I was so grateful for my special breakfast. 😀

Business_and_leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

31 Jan 2022

Liz

Everything about it was great except I had booked a room with a roll top bath. On arrival I was told the 2 rooms with baths had extended their stay and knocked my booking into a room with a shower. Very disappointing as I had specifically spoken to the manager about my requirements. They could have let me know in advance and I would have booked elsewhere. The manager was nice and did his best to recompense us with champagne!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jan 2022

Miss

Perfect

We recently stayed at here for a business trip.

All the staff were welcoming and friendly, amazing food and the comfiest beds after a long day of work!!

Business

10/10

Exceptional

29 Nov 2021

Katherine

Such a lovely pub, the evening meal was lovely, the setting is a quintessential English village, with fantastic Box Hill on its doorstep.

Room was newly decorated and Richard was so helpful

Leisure Friends

8/10

Excellent

15 Nov 2021

Recommended

Lovely pub,!lovely room and stay, very nice evening menu and what we had was excellent. Only slight gripe was the breakfast disappointment- very slow, full English should be a staple item but no bacon on site - you would think someone would know that when it ran out the day before! Offered to give extra sausage but didn’t, and beans missed off. Other than that would stay again as very comfortable stay and welcome was great.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

14 Nov 2021

Joanne

Fab stay

Fab stay at the Running Horses Gatehouse.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jul 2021

Stephanie

Lovely Rooms

This pub and hotel is right next to Box Hill, so were easily able to explore the park. The manager stored our luggage because we arrived quite early. The room was beautiful and although we faced the road and the outdoor seating of the pub was below us, everything was quiet by 11pm. Lots of amenities in the room and a large bathroom. The only issue during our stay was a staffing shortage so we had to have pizza delivered (we had no car to eat elsewhere). The walls are thin, so be aware that you will hear the rooms next to you :)

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

05 Jul 2021

Verified traveler

Beautiful rooms and pub with a really comfy bed. We loved the location too. However, nobody told us that the pub kitchen wasn’t open before our arrival and there was nowhere serving food without needing to drive there, but they were happy for us to get a takeaway. Not a huge problem but not great.
The breakfast was tasty but there was a loud TV on in the bar and the man serving the breakfast refused to turn it off as ‘it was for the other customers’….. we were the only people there the whole time we had breakfast.
The room did not have the promised bath tub but just a shower. That was again, totally ok but not great.
We found it a bit expensive for a place so unfriendly but definitely very pretty and a decent night’s sleep.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

18 Jun 2021

Just off the track.

Very pleasant quiet stay with friendly staff. Good advice on the best beer to drink ! It's an old building so the stairs are a good sobriety test Which we just about passed. Excellent breakfast. Would stay again.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Oct 2020

Verified traveler

Friendly staff and clean place. looks exactly like the pictures.
Great location in the country side and connected to explore the surrounding. Nice rustic pub downstairs.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

15 Oct 2020

Ray

Nice hotel, very comfortable bed and excellent food. It is an old building that is need of some work, but the issues were cosmetic for the most part and didn’t affect comfort.
The only real negative is that parking is on the road which is narrow and in normal busy times would be very limited.

Friends_and_family Partner

6/10

Pleasant

15 Oct 2020

Morgan

It is a historic building. Because of this, it is quite drafty, the radiator whined, the window leaked in the rain, floors creaked, towel warmer didn't work, and the walls were thin enough that I could hear every word of conversations in the next room. It was charming though.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

29 Sep 2020

Sarah

My room was lovely and very clean. Fabulous bathroom & spacious bedroom. Ask for the Goodwood Room. The Running Horses made sure that I felt comfortable and cared for during my stay.
Fabulous breakfast - I thoroughly recommend the avocado on toast.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Sep 2020

Sarah

Lovely spacious bedrooms and extremely clean. Staff were friendly and Covid careful.

Friends_and_family Family

6/10

Pleasant

03 Sep 2020

Ryan

The pub was lovely, great food and drinks
But my room had no heating or hot water

Business

6/10

Pleasant

29 Aug 2020

peter

You needed more lights in the room quite dark room
Shower head needed sorting out
Food needed to be better every time we ordered stuff including drinks they ran out

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

28 Aug 2020

Verified traveler

Disappointing stay

Originally furnished and decorated to a good spec, but suffers from lack of maintenance and attention to detail. Reactive rather than proactive approach. Service and restaurant slow. Staff pleasant and cheerful. reasonable quality of food, repetition of specials and menu rather limited

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Aug 2020

Nathan

reat stay

Lovely room anf great staff

Business

10/10

Exceptional

02 Mar 2020

Nigel

Great food, rooms and service

Very pleasant staff, nice rooms and great food and restaurant service
I will definitely be back again

Business

10/10

Exceptional

20 Feb 2020

Dave

Staff were brilliant, food was excellent room was clean and tidy, great place to stay

Business

10/10

Exceptional

17 Feb 2020

Verified traveler

Staff were helpful and friendly. Particularly with my food allergy

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

14 Feb 2020

Paul

One night stay

Very welcoming people, great character comfortable rooms.

Business

10/10

Exceptional

12 Dec 2019

Verified traveler

Lovely hidden gem and great food too

A bit of a hidden gem, good sized room, well furnished and some lovely touches.
Food was superb, some real ales on the bar, friendly and helpful team.
All together - couldn't have wanted more (unless free) :-).

Business