The Cow
Bucolic bovine beauty
Green and pleasant land
If we had hooves, we’d clap them together in joyful appreciation of The Cow: a friendly pub with rooms near Derby. Reasons to gather your herd and come here include: the best-of-British restaurant (which dishes up devilishly good flatbreads and small plates); the 12 romantic rooms (each with winsome views of the green and verdant countryside), and the snug-as-a-bug bar, where gin-lovers can get their fix – and then some. Farmyard-fabulous flourishes come courtesy of cow-themed artworks, striking lighting and statement furniture, including a hefty butcher’s block that's been reimagined as a table.
Facilities
Rooms
Twelve.
Checkout
11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
More Details
Rates are room-only, but you can buy breakfast at the hotel from £15 a head.
Free Internet Access
Pet Friendly
On-Site Restaurant
At the Hotel
Kitchen garden, free WiFi, on-site parking. In rooms: Nespresso machine, TV, WiFi, desk, minibar, free bottled water, tea- and coffee-making kit. Ground-floor rooms also have French doors leading to a private patio.
Our Favourite Rooms
Room 10 is in the eaves, with a huge bed and a bright and airy feel. We also fell for Room 3, which feels quiet and private, thanks to its tucked-away perch at the back of the inn.
Packing Tips
No need to lug your GHDs along – hair straighteners are provided.
Children
Leave the little 'uns at home.
Gallery
Food & Drink
Top Table
The obvious rules apply here: sit by the crackling fire when it’s chilly; out on the sun-kissed terrace when it’s not.
Dress Code
Walking boots and Barbour by day, and not much more formal by night. The locals don't dress up.
Hotel Restaurant
The seafood-centric menu may look to Cornwall's sunny coast, but its ingredients and produce are firmly northern. Ninety per cent of what goes on The Catch's plate is sourced fresh each morning from Cornish ports – Newlyn, Looe, Mevagissey, for example – with the remaining ten per cent made up of prime Derbyshire beef. Highlights from our visit include the creamy, cider chowder with hasselback potatoes and sweet pea purée, the soft shell crab with Asian slaw and jalapeño mayo and the flawless treacle tart (we’ll wager it’s the best you’ll ever have).
Hotel Bar
You’d expect a pub with rooms to know a thing or two about drinking, and the Cow doesn’t disappoint. Gin-lovers will be wooed by the stirling gin selection – no limp lemon slices, flat Schweppes or bottles of Gordon’s here. Be adventurous: try unfamiliar gins paired with flavour-matched garnishes and tonics. A stout selection of real ales and snuggle-inducing wood-burners keep things proudly British; the striking copper-topped bar is worthy of a toast alone.
Last Orders
Breakfast is served until 10.30am; dinner is dished up until 9pm.
Planes
Nottingham East Midlands airport is a 30-minute drive away. Let Smith24 sort your flights.
Trains
Derby station is just eight miles from the hotel, with services run by East Midlands Trains.
Automobiles
If you’re driving to the hotel via Derby city centre, follow the signs for Ashbourne A52. At the Markeaton island, take the A52, and follow this road for two miles; go straight through at the traffic lights. Take a left turn into Brun Lane, follow this to the T-junction and head right. After about 250 yards, turn left into Long Lane. Keep going for about a mile and a half, passing a number of right turns before Dalbury Lees is signposted left. Take this left turn and follow the road through the village: you’ll find the hotel on the left, alongside the village green; the Cow’s car park is adjacent to the hotel.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
Sip your way (semi-sensibly, at least) through the Cow’s impressive gin selection, snuggle up by the fire with a book and taste-test the hotel’s tempting array of flatbreads and small plates. Further afield, explore National Trust treasure in the shape of Kedleston Hall, catch an alfresco flick courtesy of Markeaton Park’s seasonal outdoor cinema, and go for a ramble around charming Chatsworth House and the surrounding Peak District National Park. Derby city isn't quite as good looking as its country surrounds, but it has charms of its own: wander the lively Cathedral Quarter, browse the paintings of lauded native son Joseph Wright at the Derby Museum & Art Gallery, then see what's happening at culture hub Quad or performance space Déda.
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. .
