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 Cumbria Lake District Hotels
You have to know your hotels in the Lake District: good ones need to be winkled out from the vast array of elderly, overpriced, over-chintzed places that abound in this area, especially around the most popular lakes. There is only a handful for which it would be worth making a special journey, were it not for the spectacular scenery and the renewed interest in Beatrix Potter and her world, thanks to the film Miss Potter starring Rene Zellweger and Ewan McGregor (go to www.visitmisspotter.com for specific Potter-related information from the Cumbrian Tourist Board). However, exceptional Lakeland boltholes do exist. The following suggestions include gracious waterside houses in glorious grounds, as well as simple, remote inns, perfect for walkers, plus a few fresh and contemporary newcomers. Those former icons of the British hotel industry, Sharrow Bay and Miller Howe, may be past their prime, but there is still memorable food and accommodation on offer in the Lake District, in some of the most beautiful locations in the entire country. The hotels are listed by price category, and their order bears no reflection on our preference.
 Reviews by Fiona Duncan |
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| Luxury: Traditional luxury in a classic Lakeland hotel |
| Location: Windermere; overlooking the lake |
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| Another superbly run hotel in a classic Lakeland house - ivy-clad with steep slate roofs, plus oak panelling and Art Nouveau stained glass -also close to Windermere, and also with a Michelin-starred kitchen. This is where Renée Zellweger and other cast members stayed while filming Miss Potter, and you can stay in the spoiling Beatrix Potter suite, with large private balcony and hot tub. A fine traditional hotel, slightly formal yet very relaxed. |
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| Luxury: Immaculate, spoiling country house hotel |
| Location: Windermere, on the Kendal-Bowness road |
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| The Lake District (here a peaceful hillside with moor beyond the boundary) will never have seemed so sybaritic as in this enveloping, highly professional, but always friendly hotel. Owner John Cunliffe's grandmother lived here for 40 years; nowadays it has deluxe bedrooms with superb bathrooms and, in the new suites, outdoor hot tubs, plus Michelin-starred food and highly attentive service. Prices to match: one for a treat. |
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| Mid Price: Old-charm mixed with contemporary elegance in an 18thC inn |
| Location: Crosthwaite; in the village next to the church |
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| Overlooking glorious Lyth Valley, this 18th-century inn perfectly combines old-world charm and contemporary elegance. All different, the bedrooms are romantic and traditional, though each has a flat screen TV and bathroom with under-floor heating and power shower, as well as deep roll-top bath. Superb local seasonal food is served in both the cosy bar and airy dining room. We also recommend its sister inn, the Drunken Duck at Barngate, Ambleside. |
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| Mid Price: Relaxed Edwardian style Lakeland hotel |
| Location: Windermere; overlooking the lake |
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| If Lake Windermere is where you'd like to be, consider this a less expensive alternative to Holbeck Ghyll. With superb views across landscaped grounds to the lake and the Old Man of Coniston beyond, Michael Bevans' hotel has Edwardian-style public rooms, including an enclosed veranda with views, satisfying food and comfortable rooms. Friendly service: you are on holiday, not on parade here. |
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| Mid Price: dinner, bed and breakfast |
| Location: Newlands; close to Derwentwater, 3 miles SW of Keswick |
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| This attractive Georgian house, more like a quiet home than a hotel, occupies a magical setting just a five-minute stroll from Derwentwater. In the capable hands of Eric and Irene Fell, the interior is fresh and elegant, with pastel colours, cut flowers, piles of books, maps for walkers, seven country house-style bedrooms and good food in the deep red, candlelit dining room. |
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| Mid Price: Originally an old coaching inn, full of character |
| Location: Five miles east of Cockermouth, in private grounds |
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| There are plenty of reminders of the old coaching inn that this long, low, black and white building once was, not least the charmingly old fashioned oak-panelled bar. Other welcoming sitting areas, one with a log fire, add to the cosiness. Bedrooms have been enlarged and modernised in the last few years, to create attractive, bright spaces in keeping with the essentially traditional feel of this much-loved northern Lakes hostelry. |
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| Inexpensive: Simple Lakeland inn next to Beatrix Potter's Hill Top |
| Location: Near Sawry, Hawkshead; next to Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's farm |
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| Next to National Trust-owned Hill Top, Beatrix Potter's former home, this recently furnished traditional 17th century Lakeland inn, which features in Jemima Puddleduck, makes a perfect setting for a comforting meal and a pint, and for staying in one of its three bedrooms, with brass beds and smart bedspreads. Excellent food and a warm welcome is guaranteed. |
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| Inexpensive: Wonderful old-fashioned, down-to-earth hotel |
| Location: Ullswater; on the Eastern shore, near Penrith |
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| Though it has no website (no phones or TVs in the rooms) we include this simple guesthouse for its old-fashioned honesty and popularity with walkers. In the same family for over 100 years, and run by Jacqui Baldry and her son David, it's a place where you step back in time. A gong is sounded for the hearty dinners, there are sensible bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, beds turned down, antiques, cut flowers and wonderful views. Open April-October. |
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| Inexpensive: Great food and a warm welcome in England's only mountain forest |
| Location: Keswick; high above the town in Whinlatter Forest |
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| Two features are especially praiseworthy at this excellent small hotel, a 17th century former coaching inn situated in England's only mountain forest, with magnificent views over Skiddaw; the warmth of welcome from Kath and Liam, and Liam's cooking. Rooms are cottagey and comfortable, and fellow guests, many of them walkers, soon start chatting or playing Scrabble in front of the fire in the cosy sitting room. |
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| Inexpensive: Famous climbing inn, spectacularly sited |
| Location: Wasdale Head, at end of a nine-mile road from nearest village |
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| England’s deepest lake, Wastwater, lies just below; its highest peak, Scafell Pike, towers above. The setting of this famous climber’s inn is bleak but magnificent, and the traditional interior, though fairly simple, is more comfortable than you might imagine. There is a panelled dining room, two bars adorned with a fine collection of climbing photographs, and a cosy, family-style sitting room. The food suits hearty appetites, especially the breakfasts. |
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