The Wheatsheaf Inn
Chic coaching inn
Northleach market town
Rustic charmer The Wheatsheaf Inn hotel in the Cotswolds brings the trad British coaching inn bang up to date, with stylish design, and tasty regional food and beer. Once weary wayfarers called in at this 17th-century bolthole to refuel and recuperate. Now you can do the same, provided Kate Moss' posse hasn't got there first.
Facilities
Rooms
14.
Checkout
11am. Earliest check-in, 3pm. Both are flexible subject to availability.
More Details
Rates usually include a Continental breakfast with à la carte hot dishes (not included for room-only bookings).
Also
The Wheatsheaf Inn would make a swell spot for a reception dinner, with bespoke banquets including whole hogs for a rollicking rural send-off. Guests at Cotswolds-fan Kate Moss' nuptials bedded down here, and it would also be stylish for a stag or hen do. If you're planning a smaller special evening, ask the hotel to have a bottle of champagne waiting in your room.
Pet Friendly
At the Hotel
Snug/TV room, private dining room, poker room, wine cellar, board games, free WiFi throughout, gardens. In rooms: Bramley bath products.
Our Favourite Rooms
Once a piggery, Boutique Room 9 flaunts high ceilings and original stone walls, and Bigger Boutique Room 1 boasts a blissful freestanding bath. For garden access, opt for feminine Bigger Boutique Room 11. A few of the rooms have the bath tub or shower at the end of the bed; ask when booking if you'd rather have an ensuite. Tip: if you're lugging lots of luggage, ask for a room with a wardrobe or chest of drawers – they don't all have them.
Packing Tips
Shooting – of the real and clay-pigeon variety – is up for grabs near this rustic retreat, and if you bring your own rifle there's a gun cabinet for storing it safely. Pack country clobber for hearty walks.
Also
Throughout the year, the hotel shows big rugby, tennis and cricket matches live on the telly in the snug.
Children
Welcome. Baby cots (free), or a limited number of fold-out Z-beds for under-17s (£25 a night) are available on request. Babysitting with Rocking Horse Nannies can be arranged, a week's notice is advised.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
Park yourself at a cosy table beside the long banquette for top people-watching. The private dining room, which seats 18–20, is pretty magical, should you be in party mode.
Dress Code
Informal gastropub gear, but a tad of tweed will tally with the hunting, shooting and fishing crowd.
Hotel Restaurant
Chunky wooden tables and leather-backed chairs tempt you to linger in the Inn's inviting dining room, where paintings of historic Brit tobacco barons add to the olde worlde feel. By contrast, German artist Sebastian Krüger's pop art portrait of Kate Moss factors in the funk. Nosh by chef Peter McAllister is rustic and regional, with seasonal produce the star in a daily-changing menu; we're partial to the signature Colchester rock oysters and 'marathon pud'. The full cooked English breakfast is a must, and is available until 10am. Make dinner reservations when booking – the restaurant is packed every night.
Hotel Bar
Beside the dining room, the Wheatsheaf Inn's convivial bar is a relaxed affair, popular with loyal locals. As well as a changing roster of regional beers, there's delicious Dunkertons organic cider on tap. The staff also mix killer cocktails:. miss the mean Bellinis at your peril. Expect a backing track of Pavarotti in the morning, segueing to Johnny Cash come the afternoon.
Last Orders
Lunch in the restaurant is served from noon–3pm; bar snacks from 3pm–6pm; and dinner from 6pm–9.30pm (10pm on Fridays and Saturdays). The pub pulls pints until 11pm, and the back-garden bar keeps the same hours.
Room Service
None – but the restaurant should keep you pleasantly full.
Planes
Fly into London's Heathrow Airport (www.heathrowairport.com) – from here it's about a 90-minute drive to the hotel. Gatwick Airport (www.gatwickairport.com) is just over a two-hour drive away. Recommended local firm Rainbow Taxis (+44 (0)1285 740 070) would be happy to pick you up and whisk you to the Wheatsheaf.
Trains
The nearest train stations are Kemble and Kingham, reached in under an hour and a half from London Paddington (www.nationalrail.co.uk), and Cheltenham Spa, which takes two hours and 15 minutes, with connections from most major UK cities. All three are about a 25-minute drive away.
Automobiles
A two-hour drive north-west of London, Northleach is just off the A40 between Cheltenham and Burford. Parking behind the hotel garden is free.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Active country pursuits abound here, from walking to cycling, horseriding, tennis, rock climbing, golf, exceptional fishing and watersports (at the Cotswold Water Park on South Cerney Lakes), all of which can be organised by your hosts. For riding, trot to Talland School of Equitation, near Cirencester, or Bourton Vale Equestrian Centre. Clay-pigeon and game shooting are a blast, too, with sessions for all levels and regular competitions to test the best. Try Ian Coley Shooting School, near Cheltenham, or one of the private estates recommended by the Wheatsheaf crew.
History buffs can check out various stately piles within an hour's drive, including Sudeley Castle and Blenheim Palace, or ask the hotel team to arrange private tours of one of the glam gardens in the area. Northleach is also brilliantly placed for missions to the heritage-toting, grey-stone Cotswolds towns of Chipping Campden, Stow-on-the-Wold, Bourton-on-the-Water and Moreton-in-Marsh. Cheltenham's Everyman Theatre should amuse the thespians.
Closer to home, the Wheatshelf keeps up a busy calender of wine, beer, cocktail and champagne tastings, dining deals and sports events, as well as celebrating everything from New Year's Eve to Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night. If you'd rather just relax, laid-back types can luxuriate in the landscaped beer garden, where Cotswolds-green picnic tables, striped deck chairs, sunloungers and a tiny walled nook for sneaky pints beckon.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
