The Cartford Inn - Hotel and Restaurant

A truly beautiful restaurant with gorgeous décor and a wonderfully warm, relaxed atmosphere. From the moment you arrive, you can tell it’s somewhere special. The location is perfect, with stunning views overlooking the river that make the whole dining experience feel even more memorable. The food is consistently outstanding — every dish is clearly prepared with great care and attention to detail. Everything we’ve tried has been delicious, and the quality never disappoints. What really completes the experience is the service. The staff are impeccable: friendly, attentive, and genuinely welcoming without ever being intrusive. They make you feel valued as a guest and add to the overall charm of the place. A fantastic restaurant that we always look forward to visiting. Thank you for such a consistently wonderful experience.

We had an overnight stay at The Cartford Inn for a birthday celebration and loved it. It was easy to reach from the M6 yet has a lovely village feel. We stayed in Robin's Nest which was interesting, it has a beautiful view over the river which sadly due to the weather we didn't quite get the benefit of but in between the downpours we did the circular walk which definitely blew a few cobwebs off. We had possibly the best Sunday roast I've ever had (pork belly) and a very good breakfast. The staff were a credit to the business; very friendly and helpful. The hotel is cosy and very quirky, it feels that a lot of love has gone into the decor choice rather than a corporate styling. We were kindly allowed to see a couple of empty rooms before we left and if we are able to visit again I would opt for a room in the hotel rather than the nests. The penthouse is on my wish list, it is absolutely beautiful.

We came here for a birthday lunch. 2x afternoon teas and 3x orders from the normal menu. The food was amazing. The service was excellent. The place is so clean. Very quirky decor. The staff were fantastic with my children. We loved it. I would highly recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Amazing shop and art gallery on site too 😍

Beautiful comfortable quirky rooms. Plenty of parking available. Great food & drink, fabulously talented attentive young staff, thanks to Sam for looking after us so well. Shout out to Jess who really knows her stuff! Log burner in the restaurant. Great toiletries. Love the swing seat & record player & records in our room! 100% recommend!

A beautiful place with great staff. The food was good, we had the rump of beef roast. Presentation was great, chef is very talented however was a veneer for small portion size and low quality beef. Got a tightfisted vibe from the management rather than lack of skill on the chefs part. At £26, i’m happy to pay a little bit more for a nice meal but its got to have the quality produce and portion size to back it up. Which, at the end of the day is what you’re paying for, the presentation being supplementary.

Absolutely loved my stay here. The room was spotless, comfortable, and stylish. Staff were friendly, helpful, and made everything effortless. Great location, great atmosphere. Highly recommended! Fantastic dining experience. Delicious food, beautiful presentation, and excellent service. The atmosphere is warm and elegant. A must-try, whether you're staying at the hotel or not.

Myself and my husband got married this August. To celebrate the night before, we had organised a meal at the Cartford Inn for about 30 of us. We hired their private room for our mini event & to say it was perfect would be an understatement. The room was decorated beautifully, the staff were so friendly, helpful and welcoming, and the food was utterly DELICIOUS. It was honestly every part as beautiful & special as our wedding day itself. We all stayed the night & it was just perfect. We’ve decided to make it an annual tradition to come on our anniversary! A magical place!!!

What a fantastic evening. A poignant occasion for us! 30 years to the day since we met in the Cartford. We have seen many changes over the years. We really love the decor/decorations both inside and out.Julie’s creativity adds a great ambience to this unique inn. Patrick and chefs have created a wonderful menu.The fillet steak was the best that I’ve ever eaten!Thanks too to all the staff who were very welcoming and attentive.

This restaurant had one of the most creative menus one can see and beautiful decor. I ordered the venison sausage which was a little dry for me if it balanced well with the fruit sauce that accompanied it.

This pub was like a homey fairytale. Overlooking the river, it's got quaint little alcoves and picture-perfect corners with light fixtures and benches. The inside is completely decorated in mushrooms from top to bottom, and if you stay on the grounds you can choose from modern cabins or the look of the inn itself. It's such a lovely property and I look forward to exploring more in the future. For dinner, we ordered the seafood platter to start, which comes with all sorts of crustaceans and fish. For our starters, we selected the Jacobs ladder, skate cheeks, and scallops. All were quite delicious. For the mains, we ordered the fish pie, duck breast, and venison. Heavenly fish pie and the other mains were done so well. We finished off with the house dessert and a banana dish. Perfect end to the meal I must say! Highly recommend dropping by if you're in the area.

I had two nights available when I recently came to visit family in the UK, and after my last meal a year ago - booked both nights here. Yes, its is that good. You leave wondering what this, or that, or oohh, that could or would have tasted like. At decent if not very reasonable prices, a nice winelist, lovely pub area, rural setting and fantastic menu that consistently delivers - I will consistently visit whenever I come 'home'. What a great bistro pub/restaurant. A little gem in Lancashire.

A total wow. Says Michelin. Says Sawdays. Says me! 5 nights was a solid amount of time to sample the food and hospitality. Freshly baked croissants in the morning. Elegant, locally-sourced dinners (try the oxtail!). Beautiful, locally made art everywhere. Roaring fire for dinner. Charm-packed Christmas decorations from floor to ceiling. REN bath products. Giddy Kipper - an ale brewed just for Cartford! River views. So many special details. And an element of magic. Sipping a beer at the bar one night, I happened to meet a a glassblower and learned that all of the handblown mushrooms were his. I later learned that the breakfast server is the photographer whose images adorn both the bedrooms and ground floor. The best home away from home is a home that's also a home for the locals. The Inn was originally a 17th century coaching inn - the decor is the perfect mix of old school vs. some wildly contemporary pieces. Assuming you have a car, this is an amazing launch pad to explore Lancaster, Garstang, coastal beach towns, etc. I survived without a car, but taxis added up quickly and the bus schedule was a bit of a challenge to figure out.

Gastropub with accommodation, located by a toll bridge over the River Wyre in the village of Little Eccleston. Comfortable and stylish interior, designed by someone who has a real interest in mushrooms. Although the Cartford is very popular, I've found the quality of the food to be extremely labile, sometimes very good, often just okay, and once totally inedible. But I have friends who eat there regularly and love it. I've had bar staff chat to each other while serving me with more-than-averagely-expensive wine, a waiter sniffily claiming raw broccolli was 'al dente', and half an hour before closing time one Sunday, when we were the last group in the pub, we found the pub being closed up around us and we were refused the tea and coffee we requested. It's a shame because I want to like The Cartford - I've been going there in all it's incarnations since I was at school. It is currently having a major extension and makeover, so perhaps when that opens ....? I'd love to have the same experience of the pub that my friends seem to have. I'll keep you posted.