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Around eight miles to the west of Bury St Edmunds, Barrow is a thriving but thoroughly rural Suffolk village, with an ancient church, village green, a small handful of shops and two pubs, one of which – The Weeping Willow – is one of the village's oldest buildings, dating back to the 16th century. It's recently been restored and expanded by Chestnut, and is all the better for it, with its oak-beamed interior restored as a properly 21st-century country inn. It's still a cosy, pubby sort of place, but the kitchen is much more focused on serving great food, with rooms if you want to stay over.
First the food, which has a little bit of everything, from sharing boards and bars snacks – think Suffolk charcuterie or a mezze platter, arancini and Scotch eggs – followed by steaks, burgers and more adventurous fare, all based on local East Anglian ingredients. Everywhere is child- and dog-friendly and they have a dedicated kid's menu.
As for the rooms, these are located in a set of seven brand-new lodges behind the pub and garden – beautifully imagined contemporary spaces decorated in a rustic modern style with a palette that reflects the rural setting. Divided between 'Good', 'Best' and 'Best Family', each lodge has its own parking space with an electric charger available upon request. The Good lodges come with a king-size bed and a sofa bed, making them suitable for up to four guests; they also have a desk and workspace, good WiFi, tea- and coffee-making facilities (including an Illy machine) and en-suite bathrooms complete with both a bathtub and a rainfall shower and Bramley toiletries. The Best lodges have all the above but also benefit from a wood-fired hot tub outside, and both categories are dog-friendly. Finally, Best Family lodges come with both a king-size bed and built-in bunk beds, meaning they can sleep up to a family of five, but they only have a walk-in rainfall shower (no bath) – although one is designated as 'accessible'.
Barrow itself is a good base for nearby Bury St Edmunds and the rest of inland Suffolk, and also for Newmarket and its races in the opposite direction. It's also not a million miles away from Thetford Forest just to the north, where you can walk and cycle to your heart's content and also visit activity attractions like Go Ape.
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Reviews
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Rated ★★★★★ over 4 reviews
★★★★★
A lovely night away
My partner and I spent the night here last night and absolutely loved our stay. We stayed in one of the new lodges and did the ‘dinner, bed and breakfast’ deal. The lodge was so lovely, it was clean, cozy, comfortable and we loved how it has been decorated and fitted out to a really high standard. We both had a great nights sleep and felt relaxed the whole time we were there. The bar and restaurant area had a good atmosphere and a great view of the garden on not such a sunny day! The food was absolutely delicious, I had the chicken Caesar croquette and the gnocchi and my partner had the scotch egg and lamb rump. We also had a cooked breakfast this morning which was really good. The staff were very friendly and helpful throughout our stay. We didn’t bring our dog, but I wish we had! Both the restaurant/bar and the lodges are dog-friendly. The only thing with the dogs is that the areas at the back of the lodges aren’t enclosed, so dogs would probably need to stay on a lead if you needed to let them out. I would thoroughly recommend The Weeping Willow as both a place to stay and to eat, we hope to visit again in the future.
★★★★★
Fantastic accommodation
Whilst only a one night stop over this place is beautiful. The accommodation is fantastic. It truly was like a home from home. The staff here are wonderful, very pleasant and welcoming.
★★★★★
Very impressed
We had a wonderful 2-night stay and were very impressed with the new lodges. Breakfast was absolutely perfect and we enjoyed an eve meal too. A bit pricey but it was a special treat and we certainly enjoyed it. A special mention to the lovely staff. Everyone was friendly and happy. The waitressing team, cooks, cleaner, the lad watering the plants, everyone spoke and were very pleasant and made our stay a really enjoyable one. We felt looked after and will definitely return to the Weeping Willow. A quick mention we took our dog too. Even he was looked after with a bed, bowl and a ball. The whole pub is dog-friendly which is what we wanted.
★★★★★
Fabulous
Stayed in one of the fabulous new lodges for 2 nights. We have an elderly Labrador so needed accommodation at ground level with no stairs. This was perfect. Plenty of local walks from the door too. Also loved the food in the restaurant and the friendly, efficient staff were very helpful.
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