Arkengarthdale once echoed to the sounds of lead mining; now tourists come to enjoy its peace and beautiful scenery. Jenny Needham books into an inn with rooms at the heart of the dale

THE Charles Bathurst Inn, in Arkengarthdale, has a number of claims to fame. The Bay City Rollers once played there. Vinny Jones drops in occasionally for a bite. As, during the shooting season, do lords, earls and barons (and their gun dogs).

But one of the most remarkable things about the inn is that it is still thriving when so many other rural watering holes have gone to the wall. After all, the CB, which sits by the roadside near Langthwaite, in Arkengarthdale, is not even in a village.

When we arrived at just before 7pm on a freezing cold night, the car park was full.

Inside, a busy bar echoed to the sound of animated conversation. At one end, the locals, shared laptop open, were putting the world to rights; at the other, weekend visitors were settling in for an evening of conviviality and good food, before repairing for the night to one of inn's 19 comfortable rooms.

Charles and Stacy Cody reopened the CB in 1996.

Charles was originally from Thirsk and worked in air traffic control for the RAF, after which he became interested in cooking. Stacy worked in PR and hails from Suffolk. They were living in Healaugh, a hamlet just a mile west of Reeth, when the CB came on the market.

"The area was crying out for a decent eating place and accommodation, so we decided to give it a go, " says Stacy.

The inn had been left empty and derelict for two years after the previous owners went bust.

Local builders Blenkirons, from Reeth, rebuilt and refurbished it, and since then, the building has got bigger and bigger.

The original six bedrooms were increased to nine, then in 1999, ten more were added. Later, half of the old function room was turned into the "terrace room", in which weddings, birthdays, dinner parties and conferences are held, and the old pub's transformation into a fashionable "inn with rooms" was complete.

Originally the CB was an "inn with stables".

Its name comes from Charles Bathurst, lord of the manor, the man who owned it when lead mining was at its peak.

The estate had been sold in 1656 to his father, Oliver Cromwell's physician Dr John Bathurst. The Bathhursts' town house was the King's Head, in Richmond.

Nowadays, when it comes to ale and vittles, at the CB, provenance is key. Beer comes from the Theakstons and Black Sheep breweries in Masham, and also Rudgate brewery, near York, and the wine is supplied by wine merchants Firth and Co, of Newton-le-Willows.

The majority of the meat comes from Hammonds, of Bainbridge, and the beef is from local farmers J Allison and Sons from Cogden Hall.

Fruit and veg comes from The Good life, at Hawes, and fresh fish is delivered six days a week by Hodgson's of Hartlepool, a byword for piscatorial quality.

All these local ingredients are knocked into shape by head chef Gareth Bottomley and CB owner Charles, who is still very much involved in the day-to-day cooking.

The mouthwatering menu is chalked on a mirror by the roaring fire, and includes food for both hearty and more minimal appetites.

Dishes includes pan-fried pigeon breast with mushroom fricassee (£6.50); seabass with smoked salmon and Thai noodles (£14.50); roast loin of venison with crispy haggis and root vegetable mash (£16.95); and a choice of four local cheeses (£7.25).

All the staff at the CB are efficient and friendly, without standing on ceremony. My husband surmised correctly that there were a number of farmers' daughters working there.

Manager Debbie Woods is a farmer's daughter - "and Beverley and Ellie, " she adds, "and there are also a couple of farmers' wives and gamekeepers' wives".

Not surprising, since the days of lead mining are long gone and farming and shooting now keep the dale going.

"We have a number of grouse moors on our doorstep and have shooting parties staying from August until December, " says Debbie. Walkers pop in to slake their thirst and sate their appetites, and the many holiday cottages in the area provide more custom.

A sign of a good pub is the number of locals who regularly use it and the CB has a loyal cohort, who use the inn as a base for their pool and darts teams.

"It's great to have the local and tourist mix, " says Debbie. "Visitors like to chat to locals at the bar - they have a wealth of knowledge about the area, which guests like."

Many visitors are not only here for the beer, but for the beautiful countryside that surrounds the CB. Today, this is a peaceful, pastoral landscape, so it's hard to believe the scene that would have met visitors to the dale 200 years ago when lead mining was at its height.

Walk over the hills of Swaledale and Arkengarthdale today and the relics of this industry, such as spoil heaps and smelting mills, are everywhere.

The miners, too, would have slaked their thirst at the local pub. Deservedly so, after a hard shift in the mines, though many alcohol-fuelled disputes have been recorded from those times.

Thankfully, times have changed and on the evening we stayed, fine ale, good food and a very comfortable bed were the order of the day. In the morning we awoke to a heavy fall of snow and the thought occurred: this really wouldn't be a bad place to be snowed in.

Travel Facts

The Charles Bathurst Inn, Arkengarthdale, Richmond, North Yo rkshire, DL11 6EN. Tel: 0174 8884567. Website: cbinn.co.uk.

The CB's sister pub is the Punch Bowl, in Low Row, Swaledale, which was bought by the Codys in 2006. Tel: 01748-884567.

The Codys also took over the running of the King's Arms, Askrigg, last year. Tel: 01969-650113.