Monday 19 October 2009

The Place To Stay in Lancashire


As I was being driven from Preston to Clitheroe this morning (oh, the style of this new job!) we passed a hamlet on the A59. A sign loomed a hundred yards ahead. Black writing upon a white background, it appeared to say "BROWN LEAVES COUNTRY". The 'the' and the 'hotel' were in a smaller font. Is that a joke, I asked my Lancastrian companion. No, he replied, it's a real hotel. I can't be entirely sure he got my drift.

Sadly, I couldn't get the mobile phone into picture mode soon enough, so the pictorial evidence above comes from their website.

The rooms start at £45 a night and no, I don't plan a visit. And yes, we do have entrepreneurs near the Pennine grouse moors with eight figures to invest.

With my current output drier than the Sahara, any post will just have to do. But it's nice thought, is it not?

17 comments:

Electro-Kevin said...

They probably do a perfectly agreeable English breakfast.

Sen. C.R.O'Blene said...

I can just imagine you, struggling to extricate the mobile from the tweeds, only to realise it had been turned off, and anyway, there was no signal, being miles from anywhere...

What do they do in spring I ask myself!

William Gruff said...

There's a very good chippy in Clitheroe.

What were you doing in Preston?

William Gruff said...

PS: The level of my commercial acumen can be measured on a scale ending at the first joint of a very short little finger but had I eight figures to invest I'd give the North West the 'blow-by', in a very short manner.

William Gruff said...

PPS: Have you ever been to The Inn at Whitewell?

Elby the Beserk said...

Clitheroe. Everyone should go there once. And never again.

Once sixteen, we were all sent out to work during school holidays. Until I happily fetched up at Robinsons Brewery in Stockport, where I had a turn up and start work arrangement until the union got in there, I did a variety of jobs.

One, sourced via Manpower, involved selling orders for bags of potatoes to the good housewives of Clitheroe. It was February, pissing down with rain and a howling gale. Untold riches to be made, at 2 shillings per bag ordered. We started in the dark and finished in the dark.

I came home with two shillings.

Suffice it to say, I didn't return. and haven't been back to Clitheroe since, nor have any intentions of doing so.

Anonymous said...

I've often looked on this rather odd establishment en route to taking parents / mother-in-law to Rudding Park in Harrogate (arguably the finest hotel in Britain, as service goes) or with fellow guns en route to Ripley Castle, whilst staying at The Boar's Head.

I've often wondered wondered why annyone would want to stay there.

Still, it's not all bad in this neck of the woods.

The Saturday after next, I will be having an agreeable lunch a few miles up the road at Northcote Manor to celebrate Lakelander Snr's 84th birthday.

I've never been there before. I'll let you all know how it works out!

Savonarola said...

Current output(blog) dry?

Trust there is an inverse relationship to quantity/quality of posts and the sign up rate of the 'eight figure' prospects you are hunting down up north.

Philipa said...

It is definitely a nice thought, Idle.

Actually I'd love to see some more pics from your travels, wherever that may be; Geneva, Dubai, Clitheroe? And you've reminded me to find my camera too, or at least work out how to use the one on my phone :-/

Philipa said...

Dear Idle, you have been to the middle east have you not? Do you have any pics you can share?

idle said...

I have been to the middle east many times.

Don't remember ever taking a picture. Most of what I was watching was available on racingpost.co.uk, or at leat the finishes....

I'm afraid that when it comes to photography, I am more of a thoroughbred and vineyard man than an archeology man....

Trubes said...

Did you manage to visit The Inn at Whitewell, near Clitheroe, by chance Idle?
It's one of my favourite Inns' for a short break.

If only Brown would leave Britain, preferably in a space craft, plus taking all his Socialist cretins with him...
Oh how I wish!
Hope you are enjoying your new job.

Di.x

Philipa said...

Yes Idle, I can see you are a thoroughbred man ;-)

I'm the thoroughbred type myself - tall, slightly built and highly strung, a tendancy to injury especially muscle strain and whilst I can achieve great strides I need careful handling.

Boris Johnson asked recently if people would shoot a banker or an MP? Definitely an MP, Idle, definitely an MP. An impertinent question: How fat is your bonus? Row boat or yacht?

Tuscan Tony said...

I'm an entrepreneur with 3 igures to invest - do I make the cut?

150 yards from your Hill on the afternoon on the 9th November, just so you know.

Vinogirl said...

That's funny!

I like Clitheroe, did a week long geography field trip there for my O'level...chippy at bottom of hill in town was good :)

lilith said...

I thought I'd already commented on this rather splendidly named hotel..a classic.

Anonymous said...

Update

Had lunch at Northcote Manor today.

The short version of the story is:

"Don't"