ROSEBERRY Topping may be commonly described as “the Matterhorn of Cleveland” but, when we were kids, it was our Everest. From where we lived on the industrial side of the Eston Hills, it would be a major expedition. We’d climb up past the Nab, and down past the pigsties, before crossing the busy road and heading for the crooked peak of Roseberry.

After a rest at “base camp”, we’d make the climb and consider ourselves to be kings of the world by the time we stood, triumphant, on the peak. They were happy days remembered when I took my mum and daughter for lunch at The King’s Head Inn, which nestles in the shadow of Roseberry Topping, in the village of Newton under Roseberry, near Great Ayton.

It must be one of the most picturesque locations for a pub anywhere in the North-East, and it makes the most of a spectacular backdrop with beautiful floral arrangements in the beer garden.

The interior is pleasing on the eye too.

Refurbished earlier this year, it is lighter, more airy, than before, with attractive decor, plush carpets and a log-burner.

A splendid pint of Elder Statesman ale confirmed it to be my kind of pub.

Our strategy was to leave room for desserts, so we skipped starters and picked our mains. My daughter, Hannah plumped, for the chicken with white wine, tarragon and cream, served with fondant potato and baby vegetables. “The sauce-to-chicken ratio could have been better,” was her only criticism, but then she’s a girl who likes her sauce to be properly saucy.

My dear old mum played it safe with vegetarian quiche, served with home-made chips and salad. “Lovely,” she declared though, to be fair, she’s easy to please.

I went for the steak and ale pie, with home-made chips, garden peas and gravy.

The best steak and ale pie I’ve ever tasted was in a place called the Middle Ruddings Hotel, at Braithwaite, in the Lake District, and this one pushed it close.

The Middle Ruddings sits beneath Skiddaw so perhaps there’s something about steak and ale pie and glorious mountains.

On to the dessert menu, which appears to me to be missing a trick. If I owned The King’s Head, I’d be making a play of various “toppings” which could complement good old Roseberry.

There wasn’t a topping in sight, but the triple chocolate fudge cake, warmed and served with vanilla ice cream, went down very well with Hannah, while my mum enjoyed the meringue nest with strawberries and coulis.

I threw caution to the wind and topped it all off with a knickerbocker glory, which soared to a mountainous peak and proved too hard to conquer in one go.

The question I always ask on eating out excursions is, “Would I go back?” and the answer, as far as The King’s Head is concerned, is an easy yes. It is a nice, friendly, comfortable pub, in a beautiful setting, serving decent, value-for-money pub grub. Little wonder it’s so popular with walkers. The £47.50 bed and breakfast offer, based on two people sharing a twin or double room, is worthy of note.

Our bill, with drinks, came to just over £50 which seemed perfectly reasonable for an enjoyable afternoon.

Like mountains, pubs have their ups and downs – but The King’s Head is going through a bit of a high.

Food Facts
The King’s Head Inn,
The Green, Newton under
Roseberry, Great Ayton,
Cleveland, TS9 6QR.
Telephone: 01642-722318.
Email: info@kingsheadinn.co.uk

Food: 3/5  
Value: 3/5
Service: 4/5
Ambience: 3/5