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WE heard it straight from the horse’s mouth – well, the horse’s owner – while supping Black Sheep beer at the Feversham Arms in Helmsley.
A red-hot tip for the 2.15 at nearby Thirsk racecourse.
So Gullible, I think the nag was called. I think it’s still running.
Never mind, we were onto a winner with Helmsley, on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors, with its ruined Norman castle and a high street full of charming tea rooms and quirky shops.
Back in the 17th century, the annual fair often descended into fist fights.
These days, the place is full of friendly folk. And none more so than in the two sister hotels, just 100 yards apart, either side of the Norman parish church.
The award-winning Feversham, a onetime coaching house, boasts that it is “famous for our welcome”. We couldn’t argue with that.
There was a heated outdoor swimming pool and Jacuzzi, while the Weathervane restaurant could pass as a stylish art gallery with its lavish paintings.
Dinner was a work of art itself, with my mackerel starter and duck main course. It was a different story, however, the following night, dining at the 500-year-old Black Swan Hotel, overlooking the market square.
The “48-day salt-aged cote de boeuf” steak was so huge we struggled to eat breakfast the next morning.
So two lovely hotels, ideally placed for visiting historic Rievaulx Abbey, or takng a steam train trip to the “Dracula” seaside town of Whitby, reputedly home of Britain’s best fish and chips, and half an hour from York.
Which would I recommend? If pressed, I’d stay at the Feversham, spend the morning in the spa and outdoor pool heated to 80F, then amble round the Black Swan for afternoon tea.
Prices start at £120 for a double room B&B at the Feversham (fevershamarmshotel.com). Double B&B at the Black Swan (blackswanhelmsley.co.uk) from £99.