Hotel berhampiran Bamford Edge, Hope Valley

Myself and my 2 sons on our annual walking trip

We were visiting Hathersage and decided to have some lunch here for the first time. When we walked in, we waited at the front desk to be seated as there was no staff around. A staff member walked right past us after a few minutes and didn't even acknowledge us and continued doing whatever she was doing. A quick comment saying someone would be with us shortly would have been good. After about 5 or so minutes a different staff member turned up and took us to a table. We weren't asked where we would like to sit even though the place was fairly empty, the whole atmosphere appeared frosty for some reason. It took ages for a staff member to actually deliver our drinks before we had even ordered our meal. After being seated for some time, the 'supervisor/manager' walked into our area looked directly at us and said nothing. In other places they usually check in that all is ok. There was a larger party sat next to us who had ordered after us and I could overhear them saying how bad it was that the food was taking so long and were going to ask someone ( thought it was just us waiting ages). The food was very average and not something I would ever order again. The triple cooked chips I actually left most of them as they didn't taste fresh at all and were quite hard inside not as a triple cooked chip that I have ever tasted in countless restaurants. The brisket burger was good but the bun it came in was too hard and wasn't very appetising. The staff we dealt with, came across as if we were an inconvenience and for most of the time the young women were in the far corner chit chatting between themselves depsite customers clearly needing assistance at their table. We asked for the bill and promptly paid. Upon leaving, the supervisor/manager was stood in the reception area in clear sight of us, saw us leaving and again did not even acknowledge us or say goodbye. If the supervisor/ manager can't be polite then I now understand why the rest of the staff were like they were. I absolutely wouldn't return and pay for average food and really poor service. It's a shame as the restaurant area itself looked great and on paper the food sounded amazing.

Wonderful Sunday lunch, traditional roast dinners, pork, beef, and chicken. All were presented well and all tasted wonderful. Sylvia hosted our party and she was very attentive and friendly. The pub was lovely, a traditional countryside pub with a friendly atmosphere. Great food and a great experience.

This isn't our first stay at a YHA but our first visit here. While it doesn't have the bells and whistles of York, for example, it was a brilliant stay. The staff were exceptionally friendly, knowledgeable and always willing to help. The menu at York, for example, is more of a wish list. When ordering you always start by asking what they have available. However, here the food was delicious and always available. The ordering was easy and the time to come to table super quick, with any delays relayed to us before we ordered. Our room was clean but definitely needed a repaint and some fixing up (it was very tired) but it was super-clean and everything worked well. We had a few tiny issues and all of these dealt with very quickly. There were lots of maps providing details of the area and walks for all abilities. We met some lovely people here as well. The only issue was with connectivity - we had none - despite our best efforts. We were here to go climbing. However, we will be back to better explore the area as it so well situated in the Peaks. A real find.