AS we were driving to the Devonshire Arms, near Skipton, from our home near Darlington, I couldn’t help pondering the hotel’s name.

At first glance you would expect that ‘The Dev’ – as it is known in the area – should be somewhere down in the South-West of England.

But, as locals know, this gloriously welcoming country hotel is part of the 33,000- acre Devonshire Estate and should, as the staff will tell you, be known as the Derbyshire Arms.

Due to the original duke’s appalling handwriting, he was created Duke of Devonshire rather than Derbyshire, home of the family seat, Chatsworth.

History lessons aside, when we were shown to our room – the Garden Room – which is in the original 18th century coaching inn, the link to the ducal family becomes clear.

Not only is the current Duchess involved in the decor of every part of the hotel, the walls of our bedroom are hung with exquisite plant watercolours painted by Emma Tenant, the Duke’ s sister.

A quirky feature of our room, which boasted an impressively high four-poster, was a moveable set of wooden steps to allow guests to climb into bed more easily.

While the hotel has all the modern facilities you would expect from a luxury establishment, including free wifi, swimming pool and gym, the atmosphere is of country house splendour and effortless ease.

New arrivals are ushered through an impressive succession of high-ceilinged, traditionally furnished and welcoming rooms. One particular feature – suggesting that the Duke and Duchess don’t like feeling the cold – are stupendous roaring fires in the public rooms.

There is also a dog-friendly policy, which was demonstrated in the evening when we enjoyed pre-prandial drinks.

We were marvelling at the size and weight of the wine list – once named as one of the UK’s top ten – when a middle-aged couple with a very well-behaved black labrador came into the comfortable cocktail bar.

There is no doubt that one of the main attractions of the Devonshire Arms Hotel is the high quality food.

General manager Andrew Mackay, a proud Yorkshireman who clearly loves running such a prime piece of homeland real estate, reckons that his current head chef, Adam Smith, is destined for the very top.

No less a figure than Michel Roux Jr has said that Adam, who joined the Dev last July, “is definitely one to watch”.

Adam, still only 26, has been showered with awards, including Observer Young Chef of the Year in 2012 and Roux Scholar in the same year.

Ironically, he was on holiday the night we stayed, but the gastronomic show put on by his team was easily one of the most spectacular that either of us has seen.

The head waiter explained that, as special guests, we were going to be treated to a demonstration of culinary excellence – the Surprise Tasting Menu.

After we were ushered into the dining room, adorned with classical architectural drawings from the renowned Devonshire collection at Chatsworth, he produced a sealed envelope giving the details of all eight of the courses we would enjoy, but insisted we keep it sealed until the end of the evening.

This amazing meal began with potato veloute, consisting of smoked eel, apple and horseradish.

Like all the courses, they were served in an exquisitely artistic fashion and were full of flavour and different textures.

The second course was of confit organic salmon, with crab, apple and bergamot, followed by terrine of goose liver with rhubarb walnut and ginger bread.

Other courses included duck egg, cod, honey-glazed duck and two puddings.

The first was a green appleflavoured creme fraiche and honeycomb followed by a chocolate-coated ganache, with salted caramel and tonka beans (a South African delicacy).

To accompany this cornucopia of dishes, served in bite-sized portions, was an exquisite bottle of Frapppato Nerello Mascalese, a light red recommended by our extremely knowledgeable and amusing sommelier.

While the Burlington restaurant is a very good reason to stay at The Dev, the setting, just inside the Yorkshire Dales National Park and close to the River Wharfe, is stunning, particularly if you enjoy walking.

From the hotel it is possible, with stout shoes, to walk the half mile or so along the riverbank to the attractive riverside ruins of Bolton Abbey. Visitors can also pop into the impressive parish church.

The attractive stone-built market town of Skipton is only ten minutes drive from The Dev.

Visiting on market day is a strong recommendation, when the packed streets are lined with traders selling anything from endless varieties of cheese to Turkish delight.

Travel facts

  • Current offers at the Devonshire Arms include March Madness – £123 per room per night including breakfast for two people. Beauty and the Feast – £135 per person per night (£270 per room). The stay includes a one-hour spa treatment and dinner from the new a la carte menu in the Burlington restaurant.
  • Contact details: The Devonshire Arms Hotel and Spa, Bolton Abbey, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 6AJ. Tel 01756-710441 or e-mail res@thedevonshirearms.co.uk