White Swan Inn

This is a no-nonsense, stout, Yorkshire coaching inn in a prime position overlooking Pickering’s market place - it can be quite an experience to reach the hotel’s car park on market days! - that offers a very warm, friendly welcome. The main part of the building has kept its traditional, coaching-inn style with low-ceilinged rooms and creaky floorboards: a small snug and an even tinier bar downstairs and, upstairs, a pleasing warren of corridors leading to the bedrooms. These 'Vintage' rooms are charmingly traditional with simple, cottagey furniture, creamy walls and perhaps a pretty wallpaper or brightly coloured armchair to add freshness. The best overlook the market place. For more seclusion, opt for the 'Hideaway' rooms in converted outbuildings at the rear which have more contemporary styling - soothing colours and natural materials - and smart bathrooms. Their stone-flagged floors look attractive - and are perfect if you are bringing a dog - but may not suit people who like soft carpets under bare feet first thing in the morning! The dining room at the rear of the hotel is smart yet relaxed and offers handsome portions of honest, Yorkshire cooking, skilfully done but without fuss and with plenty of local sourcing - especially meat from the famous Ginger Pig farmer-butcher in the nearby Moors’ village of Levisham. There’s a tiny patio garden plus a lovely open-raftered sitting room, in a converted barn-type building, with huge sofas and an honesty bar - both exclusively for hotel guests. A relaxed and very friendly base - which will keep you well-fed - for exploring the North York Moors.

Why do people love staying in your hotel?
We are a Traditional 16th Century coaching in offering the ultimate in luxury dining and relaxation. It is the fusion of real Yorkshire hospitality and home comfort which makes The White Swan so special.
Our award winning restaurant is one of just two venues outside London to be supplied by the famous Ginger Pig butchery, where the meat is farmed just 7 miles away.

Our bedrooms are excellent. You’ll find upholstered bedheads, delicious linen, Osborne & Little fabrics, the bathrooms are sparkling with robes and Bath House toiletries. Our Hideaway rooms are bigger and come in a contemporary style.

We converted an old hay barn into a luxurious residents lounge called The Bothy, it has big sink into sofas, a roaring log burning stove, lots of magazines newspapers, a flat screen TV with free DVDs to choose from and complementary tea and coffee. This room is available to residents 24 hours a day. It is perfect for groups meeting for pre and post dinner drinks.

The location.

What is there to do in the area?
The hotel is perfectly located on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors and is surrounded by magnificent scenery.

The walled city of York is just 45 minute drive away and the stunning coastline is a short drive away were people can explore the historic cobbled streets of Whitby or stroll along the beach at Sandsend.

Pickering is home to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. With its magnificent steam engines, pretty rural stations and smartly uniformed staff, a ride on the North Yorkshire Moors railway is a must.

There are a whole host of celebrated stately homes and gardens on the doorstep of the hotel including Yorkshire’s finest historic estate, Castle Howard, which has been declared ‘One of the Worl’s Top Ten Greatest Mansions and Grand Houses’ by Lonely Planet. Others include The Walled Garden at Scampston – a stunning contemporary garden created by the internationally acclaimed Piet Oudolf, Sledmere House and Gardens and Nunninton Hall.

What kind of breakfast do you offer?
Breakfast is served in the restaurant from 7.45am-10am Monday – Saturday and 8.30am-10.30am Sundays.

Breakfast includes a buffet with cereals, homemade muesli, fresh fruits, yogurts and freshly baked croissants. Cooked breakfasts are all cooked to order and also include choices such as a Traditional ‘Ginger Pig’ Yorkshire Breakfast, kippers, kedgeree, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. There is tea, coffee, freshly squeezed orange or grapefruit juices and toast.

Early breakfast can be arranged with prior notice or alternatively a breakfast tray can be arranged the night before.

Do you offer other meals? And can you recommend good places to eat out locally?
The restaurant at The White Swan creates a warm and welcoming atmosphere for both casual and more formal dining. With a roaring log fire and beautiful flagstone floors, the restaurant is cosy, warm and intimate in the winter and cool, restful and relaxing in the summer. Lunch and dinner are served in the restaurant to residents and non-residents alike.

Head chef, Darren Clemmit, has been at The White Swan for nearly 25 years and along with his team, focuses on fresh, modern food without following fads. The White Swan philosophy on food is to keep it simple, get the best ingredients from as near as is practical and do very little to them. The kitchen team are dedicated to finding local suppliers and working in close partnership with them to source the freshest and highest quality ingredients.

We are proud to be in partnership with Ginger Pig. They farm rare breed animals just a couple of miles up the road from Pickering. Supplying only six restaurants in the whole country, The White Swan is proudly one of the two outside of London.

We also have a great little deli and cafe right next door to the hotel. The team at Feast create and sell wonderful local dishes & specialities from North Yorkshire, along with a whole host of other goodies. There is always Ginger Pig sausages & bacon for sale there and if there is anything else you would like to order from the farm we can usually have that ready for you within twenty four hours. A picnics for North Yorkshire adventures can also be arranged and prepared quickly and easily.

There are a few other restaurants in Pickering - 3 Indian restaurants an Italian and a Cantonese in the town but naturally we recommend people dine with us!

Which are your most popular room types, and why?
Our rooms are equally popular as we offer something for everyone ...

Vintage Rooms - Situated in the main hotel, the Vintage Rooms each have their own theme and come in all different shapes and sizes. Each bedroom is dressed with plump cushions, the finest bed linen and carefully chosen antique furniture for the ultimate in comfort, style and relaxation.
Hideaway Rooms - the Hideaway Rooms were converted from an old stable block and are set away from the main hotel in the open courtyard, offering complete seclusion and privacy. Featuring York stone flooring which is heated from underneath, sumptuous rugs, digital flat LCD flat screen TV with DVD player, a well stocked mini bar and state of the art bathrooms, the Hideaway rooms offer the ultimate in luxury.
The Treat Rooms - For total extravagance, the Treat Rooms come with super king size beds and each have their own individual feature such as a separate sitting room or a double wet room with a TV that can be watched from the bath. The state of the art bathrooms come complete with fluffy robes and luxurious Bath House toiletries.

What message would you like to give Hotel Guru readers?
The White Swan Inn is exactly what a traditional family run Inn should be.... simple, luxurious and welcoming.