Reviews The White Hart Pub At Dartington

This far exceeded our expectations - we took 4 children aged 2-7 around the children’s trail which they absolutely loved. It’s the best children’s trail we’ve done, partly because of the gorgeous setting and partly because of the fun activities at each stop. We also had a delicious meal at the Green Table. Easy to get there without a car on the bus from Totnes station. Highly recommended.

Beautiful old buildings. There is an admission charge for the gardens. Cafe and bar available. Toilets outside. Gallery, cinema and arts venue. Plentiful parking. Payment by app.

A great place to walk around. Amazing huge trees, one dating back 1500 years. You can hear the sound of musical instruments coming from the open windows as you pass the buildings. The open air theater cut into the land forms a beautiful amphitheater with views down the valley.

We booked our wedding luncheon at Dartington Hall and stayed there for two nights. We couldn't have been more pleased! The wedding lunch was held in the Upper Solar Dining Room, a large wood pannelled room with rafters and an Adam fireplace. Leaded light windows afforded views to the lawns and across to the entrance. The service for lunch ran like clockwork. Beautifully cooked food and staff that were courteous, polite and simply 'good at their job'. The breaksfast menu was varied and cooked to perfection. No dried bacon and plasticy bread. However (!) The evening meal on the Saturday was a little of a surprise seeing as we had such good service on the Friday lunchtime as well as the evening. The trust had recently employed 17 and 18 yr olds who had never worked in hospitality before. This clearly showed due to the fact we waited over 20 minutes for a drink, prior to this we were told we couldnt have a table regardless of the fact we booked and we were staying there. After a brief chat with the manager the young man said we could be seated. At a sticky table with the previous diners used napkins. My husband spoke to a yound man and we waited again, for about 10 minutes for a drink. The Manager Alice was ran ragged. Trying to train staff who have no experience whatsover as well as run a busy eatery is no mean feat. The poor girl was in tears. We explained we were happy to wait and I even cleared tables of glasses as the inexperienced staff were letting them pile high. Alice held it together, she was a star. We were fed, watered and went back to our rooms content. ***Dartington Hall Trust please take this on board*****....Your manager Alice deserves a medal. Her experienced help had quit and had not arrived to work the agreed shift. She was left with a number of inexperienced staff who at times their manner was quite rude. She cannot be in 4 places at once and the way she held it together was commendable. You should be incredibly proud of her. She kept her head and explained to customers why orders were late. I feel its a shame that you cannot find staff that have at least a few months experience within hospitality. Pay more get better staff DONT expect one manager to train 4-5 inept, inexperienced kids to be up to scratch in 4 weeks when they only work a couple of shifts a week. You will lose your good staff when they feel they are not appreciated and they are let down by the very people they are employed by. Alice, if you read this...you are a star! x Ebby and Andy Biddiscombe (11th June 2021)

What a beautiful place, the chance to wake up and walk in breathtaking gardens or down to the river, watch the sun rise and the dusk fall, it was so restorative. Dartington Hall team are working hard to carry on around the covid restrictions, so if you stay it's worth remembering to help a bit, this is a historic establishment and needs to be protected and cherished for all the work they do in education and ecology. Do visit, be flexible and enjoy the fabulous peacefulness of Devon.