Old Coach House At The Golden Lion

United Kingdom , Cumbria and Lake District
BISHOP AUCKLAND, 12 Market Place St Johns Chapel
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46 reviews shown

10/10

Exceptional

06 May 2026

Stephanie

Excellent service from the staff, couldn’t have been more helpful organising taxis for us. Well stocked bar,

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

26 Oct 2025

Caroline

Very good

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

09 Oct 2025

Katie

Welcomed warmly for a 1 night stay

10/10

Exceptional

30 Sep 2025

Anthony

A great B & B at a country pub

Only had time to stay one night, but wish it was longer. Excellent little country hotel, good value, good meals and great hospitality. Nice walks locally and not far from some various attractions.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Sep 2025

Geoff

Good value breakfast, just order what you want night before. Found food was very good. Room and bed comfortable. Very clean. Usb in room. There are some steps up to the room so check with if you have trouble getting up stairs.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Sep 2025

Coast2Coast in September

Booked as part of a Coast2Coast ride and staying in The Old Coach House added to the fun. A bike-friendly local. The staff were great and a good atmosphere in the bar.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

05 Jul 2025

Michaela

Pity pub wasn’t open

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jun 2025

Rob

Ideal single apartment adjacent to a busy local in a wonderful St John’s Chapel, Weardale location..with very close proximity to the ‘top of the world’ (Noah’s View Point)
Road across to Teesdale.
Good pub food and a couple of real ales…
Just what was needed after a long drive!

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

08 Jun 2025

Joe

Amazing little find.

This place was amazing, the owners were so friendly, we had a warm welcome and they made sure we was happy at every turn, the food in the Adjacent pub was fantastic value, we had a steak that was very tasty and tried the curry's that were on offer, the breakfast was delicious and plentyful, the room was modern, clean and the bed extremely comfortable, and all thats before you venture out and enjoy the views, just a short drive away your in the middle of the Pennies and can drive for miles without even seeing another car, can not recommend this place enough. Also a Co.op in the village for all your bedroom snacks.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 Apr 2025

Verified traveler

Excellent friendly service.

10/10

Exceptional

12 Sep 2024

Sarah

Amazing place. Quiet area. Connected to a local wonderful pub. Very friendly owner and staff. Excellent food too

Self

10/10

Exceptional

11 Sep 2024

DEREK

Great place

One night business stop over .
Fast check in
Lovely chilli con carne and a few beers .
Cracking pub .
Accommodation 10/10 .
Everything you could ask for .
Would stay again .
10/10

Business

8/10

Excellent

26 Aug 2024

Andrew

Friendly atmosphere .Quiet and safe area. Problem with heating in room which i reported .Clealiness and food excellent Thank you

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

20 Jul 2024

Alice

Fantastic people running the place. Extremely obliging friendly and kind. Food good too

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Jul 2024

annette

We had a warm welcome room was very clean and comfortable bed would deffo return here for longer next visit

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jul 2024

Kenneth

Its quaintness. Staff very very friendly and easy to communicate with. Excellent food - simple but nice to eat.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

08 May 2024

Richard

Fantastic Stay

Probably the best place I’ve stayed in a long time. The food at the pub is first class and home cooked, non of the usual pub clone food. The room was immaculate and very comfortable, bed was great and the shower was fantastic. Thoroughly recommend this place, I’ll be back.

Business

8/10

Excellent

20 Oct 2023

David

Self contained pleasant helpful staff good food safe parking

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

14 Sep 2023

Darran

Very clean and tidy. Staff were very freindly and gave a great service

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

30 May 2023

Adrian

Lovely

From booking in to departure we( myself & Wife) had a great break.Lovely area, friendly helpful staff, tasty breakfast and comfortable bed in a stylish room. Dog friendly as well. We would love to return.

Partner

4/10

Poor

20 May 2022

Verified traveler

Fair but needs to. Fix issues.

Friendly staff. Nice pub.

Room:
No hot water in evening or morning.
Window. Was broken and did not shut.
No Breakfast even though it said it was provided on the site.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

25 Apr 2022

Norman

Great location near an AONB, ideal for cyclists, walkers and anyone wanting to visit this beautiful part of the country. The landlord and friendly staff were the best part of the stay and although it had a limited menu the pub food and bar service was great. The Landlord did his best showing us to the room, which was very clean and a good size, whilst running the bar on his own; unfortunately the accommodation is clearly being updated and renovated and the work in places is average and unfinished. The main door to the room had a broken handle and only basic Yale lock to secure the door, whereas the en-suite had no lock or catch to keep the door closed. Bed was described as a king size, it wasn’t. Taking everything into consideration the stay was OK but overpriced for what we had.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

28 Aug 2021

Alison

Lovely rural stopover

Lovely rural stopover on our way to Scotland. We stayed in the Old Coach House which was clean and comfortable, and staff were friendly and helpful.

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

27 Aug 2021

Michael

A good stroke of unexpected luck

Very prompt friendly and efficient book in even though staff were preparing for a busy night, room immaculate and clean all new bathroom. The drive to and from the hotel was breathtaking especially if you head for Carlisle like I did. Thanks for having me I hope to visit again. Best wishes Michael

Self

8/10

Excellent

18 Aug 2021

Alain

Nice place to stay

Check-in is at 3pm, but the pub doesn't open until 5pm during the week. Phoned the number in the window and the landlord was with me in a few minutes, so no problem. Big car park and parked my bike round the back where the steps to the appt were. Nice small appt with single bed. Bathroom could do with a bit of TLC (I was nervous touching the shower curtain as it looked flimsy) and couldn't figure out the heating. Nice sofas and TV, fridge, microwave etc. Pretty quiet as well. Evening food was fine, and breakfast freshly cooked to set me up for the day. Would stop here again.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

01 Aug 2021

Verified traveler

The room was newly built and there were touches of decorating in progress but it didn’t detract from the comfort and convenience of the amenities.
Neat en suite walk in shower and convenient basin and loo.
Really friendly and helpful owners and staff, excellent dinner and cooked breakfast. My wife wanted muesli and they apologised that they had none. By morning there was an open pack of Muesli on the table, someone had brought it from home!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jun 2021

Elliot

Great stay for work!

Good stay while workkng away!

Business

6/10

Pleasant

22 Oct 2020

Verified traveler

Room for improvement

I do not like to give less than great reviews but this wasn't a great stay sadly. The living area had a mix of furniture in it so much so it was more like a store area. It gave it a less than homely feel. The bed was a low quality mattress and frame that squeaked. I arrived and there was no hot water which had been fixed but not checked which meant I had to sit and wait for an hour whilst it was sorted. There was room for improvement with cleaning and overall finish of fittings too. Overall, it just lacked care in my opinion which makes me so sad to say.

Self

10/10

Exceptional

15 Sep 2020

Grant

Really enjoyed our stay , brilliant staff, clean room, food in the pub was excellent and really good value , couldnt ask for more really

Leisure Pet

10/10

Exceptional

15 Aug 2020

Tony

Friendly. Clean
Highly recommend
Arrived late and they fed and watered us !

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

16 Jul 2019

Verified traveler

Everyone very helpful. Good food. Very clean. Quiet location

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

19 May 2019

gabe

One night stay

Easy to find and parking was simple. Tyrone was super friendly and helpful. The room was clean and comfortable. His restaurant and bar are great and there is a nice little cafe next door which was perfect for a quick breakfast. We would stay again.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

11 Apr 2019

PETER

weardale trip

super quiet and good company at hotel.

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

22 Dec 2018

David

Excellent accommodation, good food & good hosts

Partner

8/10

Excellent

23 Oct 2018

Iain

Nice country pub

Nice base for exploring a fabulous area. Owner Tyrone is very pleasant and helpful. Pub serves good reasonably priced food

Family

8/10

Excellent

17 Oct 2018

Marco

Nice apartment in Weardale

The hotel is located in stunning Weardale, in the small, quiet village of St Johns Chapel - my favourite in the valley. Take literally ten steps from the hotel and you will be immersed in the most stunning countryside, with easy access to a myriad on walks up the Dales. By car, the North Pennines AONB, upper Teesdale and the High Force waterfall, the mining museums at Killhope and Neanthed are all within easy reach. The apartment I stayed in (Hayloft) is ideal for a solo visitor, can probably accomodate two and has all the facilities required for a comfortable stay. Only exception was the lack of reliable Wi-fi (signal too weak), which the owners should really address asap, also given that phone signal is also weak.

10/10

Exceptional

03 Jul 2018

David

The Hayloft is great for a solo stay. Super breakfast and food at the Pub. Ideal location with so much in the area.

10/10

Exceptional

20 Feb 2018

Con

Great walking area

Went to stay for my birthday, had a great time. Went for a lovely walk into the hills. Will definitely be going again. Really friendly management.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

24 Aug 2017

Michael

Don't miss the sausages

Room was good and the breakfast was delicious. The best sausage I have ever tasted.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

01 Aug 2017

Bryan

Good on the whole. Bunk beds was a shock

When booking make sure of the type of beds booked. We ended up with bunk beds. Not real good for middle sixty year olds. But the hotel was great. Good food and drinks at very reasonable prices. And the room though small was clean and adequate. The wifi was only available in the bar area and was not available in the eating area.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

05 Sep 2016

Michael

Hosts who care!

While cycling the C2C route, I booked the Golden Lion, not sure what time I would arrive. As it turned out, a tough day in the saddle meant that I was running late, but by letting Glen and Carol know my ETA (which turned out to be around 20.30), they were still able to feed me (with a sumptuous pie/mash and veg dinner, followed by cheesecake/cream) which was MUCH needed to revive energy levels! I even had my own table reserved in the busy, warm and friendly pub....it was quizz night!
My accommodation for the night was a lovely flat at the rear of the pub, which was just perfect for me; lovely to have a bath, a comfortable sofa to lounge out and watch some telly and of course, a good nights sleep.
Due to some unfortunate family circumstances Glen and Carol were not able to provide me with their usual breakfast the next morning, but Glen had already phoned me the week before to let me know, and had put a Plan B in place; upon retiring to bed the night before, I was given a wonderful Continental Breakfast tray, all of which was stored overnight in the flat's kitchenette.
Thoroughly enjoyed my stay with Glen and Carol (and their regulars!), who where very attentive and considerate, especially when you consider that they were in the midst of some personal grief; if Glen hadn't already informed me, you wouldn't have known. Great hosts, and really appreciated the way they went 'above and beyond' to deal with my late arrival; great hosts, and would definitely return.

8/10

Excellent

22 Aug 2016

Verified traveler

Lovely hotel

A very nice hotel in a lovely village.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

22 Jul 2016

Maureen

Excellent Guest House in northern Pennines

We traveled to the North of England for a wedding, and booked into this hotel for a saturday night stay over. Everything surpassed our expectations and we had a very good time.

10/10

Exceptional

18 Jul 2016

Maureen

Excellent hotel and excellent location

A very relaxing weekend break. The hotel accommodated our request to check in late. We enjoyed the surrounding countryside

8/10

Excellent

28 May 2018

Verified traveler

Seemed there is no WIFI in the room.

Family

8/10

Excellent

21 Sep 2017

Johan

was meer een appartement

Keurige ontvangst door de aardige eigenaar. I.v.m. omstandigheden was de pub gesloten wat ik jammer vond. Eigenaar heeft wel een maaltijd voor me gemaakt. Kamer was een appartement en was prima