The Arches Larklands, Ravensworth

We had a lovely stay at The Arches over the New Year period, with some caveats read full review for details. The house itself is absolutely gorgeous comfortably furnished, warm, wellequipped and spacious. The view out of the window of the castle is stunning and it's a great jumpingoff point to explore this part of the world. The communication in the leadup to the stay was excellent and we found the house clean and beautifully decorated. A little extra signage on the track up would've helped us find it sooner, but it didn't really cause us any problems. The reason for the loss of a star is the inaccuracy of the Sykes listing. The property is in the middle of a working farm and 'there may be animal noise' doesn't really cover it the cages of barking collies a few meters away and the crowing cockerels kept us all awake throughout the night. There are chickens and cats roaming free, which was a problem for our dog. We specifically asked Sykes via the web chat whether there was an enclosed garden and they said yes, which turned out to be false. Ultimately, if we had known it was a farm stay ON the farm, not next to it as the listing explicitly states with animals roaming the property and the farm family across the courtyard, we wouldn't have booked it as it wasn't really suitable for our circumstances.

Another lovely stay for us at 'The Arches'. Great to be surrounded by animals again on the tasteful furnishings inside and the wide variety of them on the farm outside! The place is furnished to a high standard & had even had some areas refreshed since last year! and works very well all being on one level as we have a variety of ages in our party. A generous welcome pack awaited us on arrival too many thanks to our hosts.

This was probably the best family 3 generations aged 572 holiday we have had. The Arches contained everything on could need and the location was superb if you don't mind early morning cockrells and other farm noises. Nearby pubs are recommended we chose the Shoulder of Mutton and visitor attractions like Richmond Castle are not far. Friendly horses and sheep kept the young ones entertained when onsite.Good hiking though footpaths not well marked.

The Arches holiday barn was beautiful, the owners Suzanne and Graham had thought of everything it is one of the best equipped properties we have ever stayed in . The comfort and decor were beautiful I particularly love the animal theme with the sheep and I am going to buy the highland cow twigg head absolutely love it . The only negative is the noise from the farm dogs in the morning and the amount of cats that are roaming about as we have a dog that hates cats . If we didnt have a dog it wouldnt have been a problem as we love animals . It would have been nice to have had somewhere to sit out with our dogs not on a lead but we couldnt because of the farm dogs and the track directly outside . We did enjoy our holiday and love the Yorkshire Dales.

Beautiful barn conversion. Immaculate threw out. It had everything you needed. We did Christmas in January. Owners communicated really well would not hesitate to recommend. Beautiful.

The Arches is a fabulous holiday let. Suzanne and Graham have done a superb restoration and refurbishment of barns that are linked to a working farm. The interior is welcoming and tasteful with an incredibly well equipped kitchen and dining area. Plenty of room for 5 adults, who were welcomed with bread, milk, butter & biscuits, and our dog who was welcomed with a water bowl and treats. The farm has dogs, sheep, cows, chickens and cats so lots of animal related noise but also lots of cuteness with chicks and kittens running about. Suzanne was so helpful with the last bit of directions through the farm and emailed to make sure everything was ok when we arrived, and included a mobile number should we need it. We highly recommend The Arches. It's a rural sometimes noisey retreat in a beautiful area of North Yorkshire.

Lovely spacious comfortable place beautifully decorated and equipped with everything we needed. Since we were out of the way of shops it was lovely to see a nice big fridge and freezer.

Larklands is a beautiful place to stay. High up on the hills of Yorkshire the views are wonderful and it is set in a small and peaceful village with great pub and fantastic farm shop close by. The barn itself was spacious and beautifully decorated throughout. It's high ceilings make it feel really special and the living room kitchen and dining area create a really sociable area great to come home to after a long day out. The working farm next door gave us the opportunity to see hens scratching around and a new litter of kittens too! The owners were incredibly welcoming and were there for us if we needed them but in fact everything was so good we didn't need to message except to say what a great time we having!! This was our second time visiting Larklands and with the fresh new decor it was even nicer than the first time. I would definitely recommend staying there.

Beautiful converted barn, very tastefully furnished and decorated and very comfortable. Kitchen was very well equipped and there is a plentiful supply of books, games, throws etc. Lovely setting on the farm with lambs, sheep, chickens and cats. The only thing we didnt like were the barking dogs which woke my mum up every night.

We have had an amazing holiday at The Arches it really will be top of our list of Happy places to visit again very soon. The Arches is so spacious but cosy at the same time. We are a family of 6 adults and a 21 month old toddler also we have 3 border terriers but we all had our own space to chill and unwind. The decor and soft furnishings are amazing and of the highest quality. The kitchen is so well equipped with the bonus of a washing machine, dish washer and large fridge with a large freezer. All of our beds were so comfy and it was lovely to be awakened by the cockerels morning singing. The farmers and their family included us as they went about their daily work, we and loved seeing all the farm animals especially the puppies and the piglets not forgetting the sheep chickens cockerels sheepdogs and cats. The Arches is absolutely spectacular and we cant fault it at all we have all arrived home with lots of ideas for home decor although ours wont look a patch on The Arches as the beams and other original features are amazing. The perfect find for us. An excellent base to visit the Yorkshire National Park, Richmond, Harrogate,Barnard Castle , Layburn, Hawes and The Lakes. Thank you to the owners Angela and Graham for having us stay and being so approachable and contactable it was much appreciated. So if your thinking of booking dont hesitate as you wont be disappointed please leave space for us to return though. The Best Family xx

Absolutely loved at stay at the barn! It had everything you needed! Thanks again Kerry sharples

The property was fantastic, can't fault it at all, however if its a peaceful quiet time you're after you might be disappointed. It's based on a farm with cockerals waking you up in the early hours of the morning, also they have dogs that they train there which are forever barking early morning too. When advertised you think it's the whole property but it's only one wing which is ample but you're been overlooked from the people that live there and vice versa. In the 'courtyard' there is an old car parked there which I can only presume it's to house the chickenscats that are around. Not for us I'm afraid, very disappointed, cottage fantastic, location not so.

The Arches is a fabulous property in which to base your holiday, beautifully decorated and furnished and equipped with everything you could possibly need. The kitchen is spacious and has everything you need to make a family evening meal or just breakfast if you are eating out. Situated on a working farm there are lots of farm animals and birds to meet and the views across the countryside are stunning. A great place to explore North Yorkshire from. We will definitely be booking again.

We thoroughly enjoyed our week staying at The Arches. A beautifully renovated property set in picturesque countryside and farmland. The kitchen was very well equipped and all the beds were very comfortable. We loved watching the chickens, cats and sheep from the window and the farmers were very friendly and gave us some eggs and field mushrooms. Just a short stroll to the local pub which served delicious home cooked food. Ravensworth a perfect location for many local historical sites and attractions. Some minor issues there were only 6 forks in the cutlery drawer but we were 7 guests. The rugs in the ensuite bedroom slid around on the carpet and maybe consider a larger dining table.

Excellent accommodation, spotless and very comfortable

This has to be the most beautiful cottage ever . ....well equipped with everything you could possibly need ...spotlessly clean and beautifully decorated.The Farmer and his wife were very friendly. We had some amazing walks with the dogs visiting Easby,Richmond,Reeth to name a few. I would love to return there again .

A lovely, spacious property in countryside near a ruined castle. The property is wellequipped, light and very comfortable.