The Old Well Inn

Well placed in Bernard Castle Hotel very tired but clean. Nice bar and good Indian food. Very good breakfast , freshly cooked

I was staggered to see the gap in reality between the photos on this website and what I experienced when I was there. I've attached a handful of photos to ilustrate just a few of the problems and hope they prompt someone to take some action. The positive news first - it is in a great location and just a few minutes walk from Bowes Museum and the Castle. The one staff member who was on duty (check in/bar when I arrived and breakfast the next morning) could not have been more polite and friendly and she was obviously covering a lot of roles and working hard. At £80 B&B it was reasonably priced for a tourist town. But .... the room. It stank of what seemed like old cigarette smoke and was, without doubt, the worst smelling room I have ever stayed in. Having dropped my bag off quickly, I noticed a strong smell and assumed it was just some dust/must and opened the window before I went out. But when I returned a couple of hours later it was the same, and spending more time in the room it really stuck in my throat and nose and was horrible and very powerful and was like being a room of smoke and sweat. Even though it was just after 8pm the pub/hotel was closed and I couldn't find any staff so decided I had to deal with it. There was a fan in the room, but that was covered with what looked like a couple of years of thick dust and dirt and took 20 mins to wash and clean so I could at least blow the air around which helped slightly. Then I looked properly at the windows which were filthy, on the inside as well as out. The extractor fan in the windowless bathroom was almost invisible because of the dust and dirt, the carpet looked and felt dirty, there was a lot of mould in the shower and a dirty hole where the trap should be and the shower floor felt slimy and looked dirty. The bed seemed clean but I took the precaution of dressing as well, despite it being a warm night, and that included socks the whole time I was in the room as I didn't trust the carpet. There were numerous other dirt problems which suggested it gets a quick hoover but is rarely deep cleaned. Breakfast was very small but well cooked, although the non-hot option seemed to only consist of lots of packets of cornflakes. The common areas and furniture are very very tired, dirty, and creaking and while this is obviously a pub hotel in a very old building, and that is, or should be part of it's charm, it doesn't look as though it has had a refurbishment for decades. And the age does not excuse the dirt and smell. Maybe the owners are short of cash? Maybe they simply don't care as the vast majority of people will probably only be there for a night of tourism, but this was a very unpleasant and depressing experience and one I would never want to repeat. The sad part is that the Bowes Museum is wonderful and the rest of the small town very friendly and interesting but my lasting memory will be the smell of the room.

Very nice on the whole but facilities require attention. Very old building with lovely atmosphere. Dogs made very welcome. Interesting menu in the inn, had lovely spicy samosas then a naanza, which is a combination naan and pizza with a choice of toppings.