Eco hotel review: Beck Hall

February 9, 2026

In the tiny village of Malham and at the start of many walking routes, you find England’s first vegan hotel. What started with a focus on dog-friendly accommodation in the Yorkshire Dales has grown into a place that benefits all animals. Aside from being fully plant-based, I think Beck Hall also qualifies as an eco hotel. There isn’t much to find about sustainability measures on the hotel’s website. As soon as you arrive, though, the efforts to minimise impact on the planet become clear. Dan and I stayed for 2 nights, as my friends gave me a voucher for my birthday (best gift ever!).

The interior of the hotel restaurant. A string of fairy lights covers the glass wall to the left. In the front is a row of small square tables with 2 chairs, whereas in the back there are 4-person booths tucked against the wall.

A bed of creamy polenta with red bean sauce, spring greens and parsnip crisps on top. The plate has high edges and is a pinkish-red colour. In the background there are glasses on the table, including a raspberry cider.

A low-lit photo of a plate with potato gratin, creamy spinach and a pud.

The rooms

Beck Hall has 20 rooms, divided over 3 room types to choose from. The oldest part of this boutique hotel dates back to 1705. The rooms in the old cottage are called ‘historic rooms’. ‘Superior rooms’ in the newer building have a sofa and better views compared to ‘classic rooms’. Whichever you choose, antique furniture and items that remind of the adventurous first owner in the 1930s adorn all rooms. Nowadays, a vegan family owns the hotel. The room we stayed in was cozy and comfortable.

Aside from bedrooms, there is a really cute living room referred to as a the ‘snug’. Located next to the restaurant, there are big lounge chairs and sofas, ideal for reading and plotting walking routes. Throughout our stay, different people were occupying the chairs next to the warm, open fire at all times!

Part of a bedroom with sage green paneled walls. The white sheets on the bed are crumpled. A painting of a hilly green-brown landscape hangs above the bed. To the left, there is a nightstand with a lamp. On the wall to the left is a white-framed mirror.

A cozy room with Christmas garlands, an open fire on the bottom left, wooden herringbone floor and big leather chairs in front of a window.

Green details

I always take it as a good sign when the toilet paper is from Who Gives A Crap (or a similar brand). It shows that the owners have thought about sustainability beyond energy-efficiency. Upon arrival, guests are handed a small insulated bottle with oatmilk for tea and coffee in the room. A thoughtful gesture, in my opinion! Of course you can request a refill, and the reusable small bottles avoid waste or needing a fridge in every room. My favourite detail were the Booja Booja truffles on the desk in our room when we arrived. Despite the massive growth of this vegan truffle brand, they continue manufacturing everything in Norfolk and are a certified Living Wage employer.

Embedded in nature

The location of Beck Hall is perfect for anyone who wants to venture out into the Yorkshire Dales. It’s right on the edge of many paths. Malhalm Cove and Janet’s Foss are a mere 20 minutes away on foot. Because Malhalm lies in a valley next to some hills, there are both easy and harder hiking options. To get to the hotel entrance, you have to cross a little footbridge that passes over a stream. With its stone walls and green roof, Beck Hall really blends into its surroundings. The only not-so traditional (but still great) feature are the solar panels on the roof.

The dog-friendliness really makes sense given the great walking opportunities around Beck Hall. Outside the entrance, there is a ‘stick library’ where dog parents can take and leave good sticks to play with, which I thought was cute. Although I’m not a dog person, the dogs we came across in the hotel/restaurant were no bother at all. They were well-behaved and probably sleepy after running around outside.

A stream in between a hill with stone walls and a grassy field. On the right, there are stepping stones leading to a wooden gate.

A small footbridge with a railing on the left crossing a fast flowing stream. There are trees with autumn foliage in the background.

Malhalm cove: a tall stone wall with some trees and rocks in front of it on green grass.

The vegan restaurant

The highlight of staying in an eco-friendly, vegan hotel like Beck Hall is of course the food! And it certainly did not disappoint. The menu changes with the seasons, so in November we had warm winter bowls for dinner. On the first day, I had a wild mushroom dish with polenta and butterbeans whilst Dan tried the lasagna. It was so good, we had dinner at Beck Hall on the second evening, as well. I then tried a plant-based chicken and leek pud that came with the best potato-celeriac gratin. Dan opted for the Indian Thali, another winner. I was also pleased to find many good non-alcoholic options on the drinks menu. Some of the staff in the restaurant are people who would otherwise face barriers to employment, and they were all very friendly.

Breakfast is included with any stay, but the restaurant is open to everyone at all times of day. For a very reasonable price, you get to choose 1 breakfast dish and help yourself to the buffet. We both had a full English breakfast on one day and avocado toast with cured carrot on the other. The buffet included pain au chocolat, danish pastries, sourdough toast, chia pudding, oats, different plant milks and fruit. Heaven!

A terra cotta colour plate with a vegan English breakfast containing (counterclockwise) black pudding with mushrooms, 2 hash browns, 2 sausages, tofu scramble, a tiny bowl of beans and a tomato with pesto in the middle.

Deals

As said, breakfast is included by default. You can also book an overnight stay which includes dinner, but I actually found this to be more expensive. Unless you go for a full 3-course meal, it probably makes more sense to pay for food at the bar. As far as I know, there are no other deals or packages. Even without money-saving deals, Beck Hall is extremely popular as the first vegan boutique hotel in England and for its supreme location.

Conclusion

If you are into vegan food and want to support a family-run plant-based business, you definitely need to book at stay. Because Beck Hall is such a beloved eco hotel, you will need to book several months in advance. Especially weekend stays frequently sell out. But for good reasons, because it really is a unique place with amazing food and surroundings. Even while we were there, Dan and I were already talking about returning to Beck Hall in the future!

* This post is not sponsored or endorsed by Beck Hall in any way.