Stay at The Ferry House

Peaceful break from London
A lovely peaceful overnight stay to escape London...it took us just under an hour to drive. We really enjoyed ourselves: the food was gorgeous and locally sourced, the rooms really comfortable and the staff very friendly. A stunning location over the marshes to the estuary. We walked along the side of the saltmarsh for a couple of hours on the Sunday morning and saw a marsh harrier and egret. We definitely returned home very relaxed.

jenbM1969Cl , Nov,25

A beautiful country escape with stunning walks and great food
We stayed for the weekend and were so well looked after. There's a stunning waterside walk that leads to the edge of Elmley Nature reserve which was peaceful and idyllic. Their ethos of keeping food local and excellent quality is in everything they do, down to their cosy firesides and locally sourced beers and wines. The room itself was beautiful and the staff couldn't do enough to help. We got married here a couple of years ago and the people and the place are just as wonderful as we remember.

majamat23 , Nov,25

We stayed overnight here and loved it! There was a wedding taking place, which we were warned about in advance, but didn’t disturb our stay. We loved walking around the area birdwatching and enjoyed their locally sourced drinks and snacks on offer. All the staff were really lovely, even offering us blankets for outside as the evening cooled.

Lotte , Apr, 25

The Ferry House sits pretty and comfortable in a stunning location. Enjoyable one night away walking.
We are big walkers and love a remote spot so The Ferry House was ideal for a little break just under an hour from where we live in the busy South East of England.
The pub sits pretty and comfortably in the landscape and has outdoor seating overlooking the Swale. Inside is welcoming. There was a wedding on so it was pretty busy and buzzing by noon on Saturday. The location is stunning: wild and windswept with amazing views of the marshes, mudflats and river Swale. Lungs full of salty air and the occasional evocative bird call echoing around the big airy skies had us feeling refreshed and relaxed in no time.
We were able to check in early and could walk straight from the door. We took the longer, circular route over the Swale Nature Reserve and out to Shellness Hamlet on day one (met no one at all, just as we like it), with a linear route the next day towards Elmley Nature Reserve, on a new part of the King Charles III coastal route - so new it isn't even marked on the OS maps yet (equally quiet). The weather was kind and the wind was warm, so the walks were gorgeous. I imagine in the winter it can be pretty bone chilling, so come prepared if you are having a winter break and want a walk.
We dined at 7.15 and we were impressed overall with the food. The menu is not your standard pub grub, definitely elevated, with some unusual items to choose from. We managed 3 courses each before falling into a tired heap in room 8 in the Coach House. It was clean and modern, with an excellent shower. As a hot sleeper, I appreciated the fan provided. We could hear the wedding party music, but I wasn't disturbed by it very much.
Breakfast was cooked to order and very good. I always appreciate well cooked scrambled egg, which sounds a simple thing but so many places over cook it. We also managed a small lunch after our Sunday walk (even though it was Sunday Roast day, we were able to have just two starters which caused no problems). We were surprised and happy to see we had a 15% reduction to the bill, which must be because they recognised us as having stayed with them the night before. We liked the non-alcoholic mocktails at £5 each.
I would love to go back anytime and hope to experience a blustery, cosy wintery stay next.

We stayed for one Saturday night on August 30th, 2025.

kathykate23 , Sept, 25