Welcome to the Izaak Walton Country House Hotel
Izaak Walton Country House Hotel
Haddon-Room-scaled
Fine dining in the Haddon Restaurant
Fine dining in the Haddon Restaurant
Thorpe Cloud from the hotel gardens
Thorpe Cloud from the hotel gardens
Thorpe Cloud from the hotel gardens
Stepping Stones Wedding
We are licensed for weddings and civil ceremonies
Licensed for weddings and civil ceremonies
izaak walton hotel, garden, thorpe cloud copy
The Peak District on your doorstep
The Peak District on your doorstep
previous arrow
next arrow

Welcome To The Izaak Walton Country House Hotel Ashbourne In The Famous Dovedale Valley

A Country House Hotel steeped in history near Ashbourne, Derbyshire with wonderful views and in a great location for exploring the surrounding Peak District National Park and beyond. The Izaak Walton has welcomed notable writers, poets, and artists since Georgian Regency and Victorian times.

Situated between the picturesque villages of Ilam and Thorpe in the Derbyshire Peaks and near the foot of Thorpe Cloud, the Izaak Walton Hotel is an AA rated 3 star, 2 Rosette 17th Century Country House Hotel offering wooden beams, open fires, comfortable bedrooms and views of outstanding natural beauty.

Named after the Staffordshire born author of “The Compleat Angler” who fished the local waters of the River Dove, our privately owned and operated hotel is an idyllic setting with modern facilities offering a unique combination of warm hospitality, tranquillity and tradition, whilst maintaining high standards of service.

We have 38 well-appointed ensuite bedrooms, the majority of which have wonderful views over the hotel gardens and the outstanding surrounding countryside.

Our 2 AA Rosette awarded Haddon Restaurant is the pride of The Izaak Walton Country House Hotel and is recommended as a top fine dining restaurant in Derbyshire. With breath-taking views of the Dovedale Valley and creative interpretations on traditional dishes the Haddon Restaurant is the place to dine in style. We also offer less formal dining in our cosy Dovedale Bar and Lounge set within the walls of the original 17th Century Inn.

The Poet Laureate Alfred Tennyson visited Dovedale frequently and features in our guestbook. Lord Byron said of Dovedale “There are things in Derbyshire as noble as in Greece or Switzerland” - John Ruskin declared the valley “An alluring first lesson in all that is beautiful” - and J W Turner immortalised Ilam Rock in watercolour in 1794.

The importance of Dovedale as a socially noteworthy historic holiday spot features in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” in conversation between Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy, and is again mentioned in Charlotte Brontë’s “Jane Eyre”. In more recent times the hotel hosted senior members of the royal family and celebrity guests of The Duke of Rutland when participating in the charity event “It’s a Royal Knockout” at neighbouring Alton Towers.

Originally part of the Duke of Rutland’s estate, the hotel still provides guests with equipment and exclusive permits for fishing the neighbouring waters of the privately owned stretch of river - renowned for Trout, Grayling, Carp, Perch, Pike, Bream, and many more. The hotel also has an access route direct to the famous Dovedale Stepping Stones from within its grounds. Our proximity to Alton Towers, Wild Park Paintball - Shooting & Archery & Quad Biking, The Tissington Trail, and Carsington Water Watersports, ensure plenty of activities for an active stay, as well as some of England’s Finest Stately Homes and Gardens within easy reach.

We look forward to welcoming you for an ideally positioned getaway.

Hotel Breaks & Offers

Including
 
STAY 4+ NIGHTS & SAVE 15%
 
20% DISCOUNT ON A STAY OF 6 NIGHTS OR MORE
 

Book Direct For Best Rates - Guaranteed

The cheapest rates and latest offers can only be found by booking directly with the hotel! So book your stay today!

Save money by booking directly via this website or by calling the hotel reception team on 01335 350981.

DINE

Whether you're looking for 2 Rosette dining or a fabulous meal in our cosy bar, our chefs are proud to offer a quality dining experience for you with fabulous dishes freshly cooked and delivered by our wonderful team. Book a table with us online.

STAY

Stay in stunning surroundings, whether you're looking for a relaxing escape or a base for exploring the incredible Peak District then the Izaak Walton Country House Hotel is the place for you. The best rates are always available by booking with us directly, online or by telephone.

EVENTS

Birthday's, anniverseries, christenings, wakes, baby showers, whatever the occasion our friendly and professional team will be on hand to make your event perfect. Please call to discuss your requirements and one of our team will be delighted to help.

MEET

We have 5 meeting rooms, our largest room is able to seat up to 130 delegates or guests whilst our smaller rooms can accommodate 6 - 30 delegates in a boardroom style layout

WEDDINGS

An unparalleled backdrop for your perfect wedding. Our hotel, set in the most amazing countryside and our professional, friendly and attentive team to make your day special.

AWARDS

TripAdvisor travelers choice, AA 2 Rosette and many other awards. We are focused on delivering excellence at the AA 3 star Izaak Walton Country House Hotel.

 

So Much to see and do

Perfect for Special Interest Groups
Fishing-on-the-River-Dove
Ideal For Activities
previous arrow
next arrow

Typical Customer Reviews

Excellent hotel and service by staff, lovely views and location and extremely good value for money.

We stayed here for 2 nights in Room 14 and this was the second time we have been here. An excellent Hotel and location, with extremely good staff, always welcoming and giving an excellent service. Room 14 is our favourite room in this Hotel. We booked directly and reserved this room. Very comfortable and lovely views. The breakfast is exceptionally good as well. This hotel was one of 12 we stayed in on a 24 day driving tour of England and Scotland where we stayed in 12 hotels/ Guest Houses. This Hotel we rated overall 9.5/10 for both its quality and value for money, compared to other hotels that were charging 2/3 times more per night. Beautiful location in the southern part of the Peake District.

Tripadvisor – Aug 2023

Baby shower afternoon tea

I went to a Baby Shower at the Izaak Walton last Saturday and it was just lovely from start to finish.We had a private room which meant we could relax. The Afternoon tea was just amazing thank you so much to Dan The service was excellent, nothing was too much trouble. That was thanks to Ryan and his team. Would definitely recommend this hotel Beautiful located as well

Tripadvisor – Aug 2023

Jewel in the Peak District

Stopped here for lunch. Venison pie was amazing as was the garlic mushrooms from the bar menu.
Staff could not have been better. Excellent friendly service.
Definitely will look to stay here if I’m back in the area. Everything you would expect from a classic quality hotel.

Tripadvisor – Aug 2023

Lovely Stay

Although the hotel is dated,we loved our 2 night stay, had a lovely spacious room,with fantastic views. The room was spotless,breakfast was very good,with additional extras highlighted on menu,food was great,the breakfast staff were very,polite and friendly. The evening meal,was amazing quality and terrific value, enhanced by Jane the server who is an absolute credit to the hotel,polite,efficient,friendly an expert in customer contact. Lots of walking opportunities highlighted in reception,the walks have been put together by staff ,I believe and can be scanned,also in reception,lots of leaflets with things to do in the area. So all in all a very enjoyable stay,throughout our 2 night stay all staff spoke and acknowledged us when we walked past.

Tripadvisor – July 2023

Travelers-Choice-Award_2023
TRIPADVISOR SAYS WE ARE IN THE TOP 10% OF HOTELS WORLDWIDE

Sign Up to our Newsletter

AA-HOT-HOT-3STAR-SILVER
AA-2-Rosette-2024 (6)
AA-BreakfastAward-2024