33 of the best hotels in the Lake District

Times

7 days ago

Lakeland was, until relatively recently, one of the last bastions of those most British of institutions: the alarmingly floral B&B and the egregiously stuffy country house hotel. But those days are now gone, with top hoteliers and renowned designers moving in to establish their Cumbrian patch. The area still has its rugged, rural charm, but a posh bath, a pampering spa and hearty homegrown (and home-reared) produce for dinner all come as a welcome treat after a day of tramping the fells. Here are some of our favourites.
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This cluster of former farm buildings surrounded by drystone walls and rust-coloured fells has been transformed into a mix of self-catering cottages and rooms. The latter are kitted out with locally sourced wood and slate, skylights for stargazing, and lots of thoughtful touches such as a bespoke OS map of the area, a compass and posh bath goodies by Pure Lakes. Make sure you stay for supper; head chef Georgina Keighley-King's six-year stint at the Lake Road Kitchen in Ambleside attracted many a plaudit. You're a mile and a half north of Grasmere: a good spot for tackling lesser-known fell hikes, especially around Thirlmere and Wythburn, which marks the start of an alternative 'backside' route up the Lakes' big-name mountain, Helvellyn. If you're up for it, other summits such as Dollywaggon Pike, St Sunday Crag and Fairfield beckon too.theyan.co.uk
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This sprawling, turreted house overlooks the western shores of Windermere towards the distant summits of the Langdale Pikes. Built by the daughter of Manchester brewer Alfred Stopford, it's a showpiece of Victorian extravagance: pointy towers, stained-glass windows, gothic panelling, sprawling gardens and enough Arts and Crafts detailing to make William Morris green with envy. It would be a false economy not to go for a fell view here: windows frame the Langdale vistas like a Gainsborough painting. The restaurant is a refined affair, with expansive views over the lake. Don't miss afternoon tea and a spin aboard the hotel's gorgeous 1928 motor yacht, Albatros.
Read our full review of Langdale Chase
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This splendidly isolated spot on the wild shores of the reservoir of Haweswater, an underexplored corner of the eastern Lake District, is reminiscent of the Highlands in its epic barrenness. The hotel was built in the Thirties and its interiors give appropriate art deco nods, with rolltop baths, gilded lamps and brass fixtures. The wide, empty horizons are what makes this place special though, so ask for one of the reservoir-facing suites and book a table for dinner; the chef Mark Greenaway's menu is a mix of British classics, laced with the likes of dashi, haggis and dal. The following day, walk it off on Haweswater's fells; they're less trodden than most and you might spot red squirrels and birds of prey as you tramp the old Roman road over High Street and the quiet Mardale Valley.
Read our full review of Haweswater Hotel
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Borrowdale is a green, sheep-dotted dale at the southern end of Derwentwater, framed by fells, farms and woodland. You'll get the best views of the valley at this hotel, near the waterfalls where Wordsworth, Coleridge, Southey and their Romantic chums hung out in search of poetic inspiration. The hotel had a full refurb last year but the main remains the same and its excellent hydrotherapy spa, complete with a valley-facing infinity pool, is perfect for soothing tired limbs. Fell wanders are in store the following day; try the easy amble up Castle Crag, or for something longer, the tougher climbs up Glaramara or Great Gable, both uncrowded and accessible on foot from Borrowdale.
Read our full review of Lodore Falls
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One of the Lake District's original gastropubs, on a pretty hillside crossroads between Hawkshead, Ambleside and Coniston, near the beauty spot of Tarn Hows, the Drunken Duck remains a top spot for Sunday lunch. But it also offers cosy accommodation, decorated throughout with tasteful country style. The majority of the rooms are above the pub, and have fell views. But we much prefer the suites in the converted building across the courtyard, which are roomier, come with separate showers and rolltop tubs, and have capacious windows for looking out over the Lakeland landscape, too.
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This revamped Victorian manor in Wordsworth's home patch of Grasmere set among acres of woodland and gardens feels far from the Lakeland crowds. Bold fabrics, mounted stags' heads and kitschy chandeliers clash playfully with the house's austere and neo-gothic architecture, while in the restaurant there's a focus on using ingredients from within a ten-mile radius. In Grasmere, a 15-minute walk or a five-minute drive away, Wordsworth's former houses are a must-visit for romantics. Dove Cottage is the cosiest and has the excellent Wordsworth Museum next door. Rydal Mount is a much grander affair, and is where he spent more than four decades until his death in 1850.
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Strictly speaking, this isn't a hotel — it's more a collection of rooms spread around a village, on the sleepier south side of the Lakes. The region's most celebrated (and experimental) chef, Simon Rogan, has taken a page out of the Rick Stein playbook and turned Cartmel into his own fiefdom, with two Michelin-starred restaurants and a working farm to supply the ingredients. He's also developed a portfolio of properties. Some rooms are located beside the main restaurant, but there are others scattered in houses around the village: all simple, smart and quietly stylish. The real boon of staying here? You get first dibs on a table at the restaurants, where you'll get your culinary mind (and your bank balance) blown at the same time.
lenclume.co.uk
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Hotels abound around Windermere, but few command the cachet of Linthwaite House — one of the Lake District's longest-standing luxury hotels. Set on a hilltop a mile south of Bowness-on-Windermere, rooms here are all about understated style behind the hotel's gabled Edwardian exterior. Some feel traditional in golds, greys and creams; others, like the Lake-View and Loft suites, are more modern, with clean lines and contemporary hot tubs. The glass-roofed bar opens onto a swoon-worthy patio overlooking Windermere, while the Henrock restaurant is overseen by star chef Simon Rogan, the Lake District's answer to Heston Blumenthal.££ | SPA
The Gilpin is another of the classic Lake District hotels, originally Edwardian, and now reinvented as an unashamedly lavish boutique getaway. The main house has been overhauled to provide modern metropolitan-style rooms, augmented by a dozen standalone Scandi-style lodges in the grounds, clad in wood and glass, and all with their own private steam rooms and outdoor hot tubs. There is also a separate property, the Lake House, with six bedrooms sharing the use of a boathouse, spa and private pool. The hotel's main restaurant, Source, is Michelin-starred and run by Ollie Bridgwater, formerly of Heston's Fat Duck in Bray; a second eating option, Gilpin Spice, dabbles in pan-Asian flavours inspired by the spice trade.
Read our full review of Gilpin Hotel & Lake House
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Here's a secret worth sharing: the southern shores of the Lake District are the quietest. This is where you'll find Storrs Hall, an 18th-century Georgian building that peers out across Windermere and once hosted the likes of William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. There are 30 cosy rooms in the main house, most of which have lake views, though the show-stealers are six separate external suites that feel more like private lodges. Each comes with floor-to-ceiling windows and bubbling wood-fired Japanese hot tubs where you can soak with a coffee while watching red kites take flight over the still waters of the lake. Guests can enjoy relaxed British dining in the Bistro, or a more formal dinner in the Lake Edge Restaurant. The hotel also has its own boat, the Abigail Leah, a Thames Slipper built by Peter Freebody & Co, for private tours of the lake (from £340).£ | SPA | POOL
Despite its twee name and austere slate-fronted exterior, the Daffodil always impresses. The striking lobby and cheery decor make a pleasant contrast to the imposing, fortress-like Victorian façade: bedrooms are decorated with bold blocks of colour, sleek furniture and fun art prints that make them feel more city hotel than Lakeland heritage. The spa (complete with bubbling thermal pool) is a tempting addition, but it's the location that ultimately sells it: this is the only hotel near Grasmere with a proper lake-view location.
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The cosy Eltermere Inn takes a traditional country house approach. Located in the small village of Eltermere, between Ambleside and the Langdale Valley, it's a homely, old-fashioned kind of place. Floral fabrics, hefty beams, window seats and watercolours feature in the 13 rooms, which are named after local fells. Hearty dinners are served in the pub, complete with wooden pews and a roaring fire — and afternoon tea is served on the lawn on arrival, with views of Elterwater.
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At the northern end of Windermere, Ambleside is one of the most attractive Lake District towns, and the Waterhead makes the perfect base from which to explore. Spread over several stone-clad buildings set back from the shore of Lake Windermere, and yet just a short walk from town, around half the hotel's 41 rooms offer water views, but all share the same clutter-free, metropolitan styling. It's practical rather than plush — although guests are welcome to use the spa and leisure facilities at its sister property, Low Wood Bay.
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You're well off the beaten track at this whitewashed, 16th-century inn, tucked in along a quiet backroad from Windermere. It's worth the journey: the pub affords sweeping views over the Lyth Valley (famous for its damson plums), and the five charming, colourful rooms are full of wood-beamed, wonky-walled character. The best are the split-level suites, which feature sitting areas downstairs, mezzanine bedrooms, and wonderful little patios overlooking the valley; they're a bit of a squeeze, though, so there are also two self-catering cottages if you need more space. The pub has won awards for its food, too, to add to the inn's long list of brownie points.
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This imaginative house in Windermere town takes the bed and breakfast experience to a different level. The quirky name, Rum Doodle, comes from a fictionalised travelogue by W E Bowman (copies are provided in every room), and its rooms take their inspiration from characters and events in the book: think library-effect wallpaper, vintage map prints, battered valises, writing desks, binoculars and brass bedsteads. Right at the top is the Summit, a sumptuous attic suite with double skylights and a wooden sleigh bed. All in all, a thoroughly jolly jape.££
Ensconced in 67 acres of grounds overlooking the northern end of Windermere, this is one of the Lake District's top luxury hotels. Twelve sumptuous rooms (christened after Lakeland lakes) are divided between the original gabled Georgian building and a handful of cottages. All are subtly different, but offer grand Windermere views and a taste for deluxe trappings (Carrara marble bathrooms, walk-in showers, sunken bath tubs). Several also have private patios and hot tubs. The gardens are wonderful, and the restaurant is a treat: the finest of fine dining, with widescreen views of Windermere.
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Eco-friendly and elegant, this small hotel is in the middle of Grasmere, a village famous for its Wordsworth associations. The Victorian house has been impressively updated with a focus on sustainable materials such as reclaimed timber, clay-based paints and sheep's wool insulation. The 11 rooms are spacious, and all have their own quirks — from chunky wooden bed frames to little balconies overlooking the village square (the suite even has its own outdoor hot tub). Breakfast is served buffet-style in the house kitchen.££
This Ambleside favourite was given a post-pandemic revamp with a set of tempting suites in its Pavilion wing. The best of the bunch comes with a hot tub, while those with pooches should opt for a ground floor garden suite — one of which is accessible — to bag a private garden. Each of the suites is Instagram-ready with perfectly clashing colours and textures: all moss-green panelling, velvet mustard sofas and fringed cushions. Stays in the boutique Regency building opposite are cheaper but also appealing with good-size rooms and plush bathrooms. Book your spot at at the restaurant, which has three AA Rosettes, to tuck into a six-course tasting menu and sip on cocktails served in teapots. You're a ten-minute walk from Ambleside and a ten-minute drive from Hawksmoor and Grasmere.
Read our full review of Rothay Manor
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Ale aficionados make a beeline for this excellent pub, out in the sticks to the southwest of Keswick between the small lake of Loweswater and the Lorton Valley. It's also a super place to stay: rooms have been handsomely refurbished with wooden furniture and tasteful colour schemes, and many offer cracking vistas of Grasmoor and Mellbreak Fell. Most are above the main pub, with more in a nearby annexe. Best of all, you're far from the summer crowds here, allowing you to enjoy that pint of Loweswater Gold in blissful peace.£
Built as a country lodge for Lord Lonsdale in the 19th century, this Windermere mansion brims with Arts and Crafts detailing — from wood-panelled walls and stained-glass windows to William Morris wallpaper, tiled fireplaces and gleaming oak floors. The main reception rooms and communal areas are sumptuous, and while the bedrooms lack the same wow factor, they're comfortable in a relaxed, country house kind of way — note that some are in an annexe or detached cottages, so put any preferences in when booking. The oak-panelled dining room makes a fittingly grand setting for supper.£
No lake view here, but the pleasant gardens and attentive service of this small hotel on the edge of Windermere town make up for that. Slate-faced, double-gabled and fronted by lawns, the house is as pretty as a picture, and classically Victorian in style. The rooms have been tastefully modernised with plush fabrics, bold colours, pelmeted curtains and adventurous wallpapers. Some feature window seats, others ecclesiastical details or swish spa baths, and there's also a super-blingy Coach House Suite.£
This whitewashed inn offers a real hit of remoteness. It's on a narrow, no-through lane off the main road through Borrowdale en route to Honister Pass, and apart from a handful of other cottages near by, there's nothing around apart from fields and fells, which explains why it's popular with walkers. It's simply decorated, and better for it: 11 rooms feature wooden beams, white walls and little windows looking on to the hills (the best views are from the rear), while downstairs there's a residents' bar for a pint and a steak-and-ale pie. No frills, no fuss and no noise pollution, guaranteed.££
Always dreamt of staying at Hogwarts? This fabulous over-the-top folly might be as close as you get. Between the Lakes and the Dales, it was built for a wealthy Victorian solicitor and has all the neo-Gothic trappings: crenellations, turrets and towers, arches, leaded windows and terraced lawns. Rooms are similarly grandiose in size and in style. They range from copious to cavernous, and many have four-poster beds and an eclectic mix of antiques and upcycled furniture. Still a family home, it's an eccentric and somehow very English experience, and brilliant for kids: there's a playroom, a tiny cinema and acres of grounds to go wild in.£
From the outside, this looks like the quintessential Lakeland pub, and that's what you'll find inside too: a cosy bar with wooden beams, open fires, local ales on tap and a hearty smokehouse-style menu. However, the bedrooms are a surprise — all are individually designed, with the Feature and Luxury rooms offering deluxe touches ranging from copper bath tubs and canopied beds to Egyptian linen and rococo-style desks. And that's not all: outside, there are 72 acres of private woodland, a wildlife hide and even a private shooting range. Definitely not your average boar.
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For more than two decades, Andy and Chrissy Hill have run one of Grasmere's most popular bistros, the Jumble Room — but they also offer sophisticated B&B at their impressive house, a neo-gothic, castle-like villa on the Wray Estate, a favoured holiday spot for Beatrix Potter's family. There are only four rooms, but they're all enormous, and decorated with an offbeat sense of style that make them feel like suites in a boutique hotel: gilded mirrors, rococo furniture, velvet curtains, statement metal bath tubs and plenty of quirky decorative details. The Juniper House is the pick of the quartet, separate from the main house, with stunning views to boot. There's a two-night minimum stay.
randypike.co.uk
£££ | SPA | POOL
If it's Lakeland location you're looking for, this striking hotel offers one of the finest in the national par with 18 acres of grounds delivering grand views of Ullswater and the surrounding fells. It's pretty special inside too. Built around the shell of a Victorian hotel and given a swish contemporary makeover, it has stylish, luxurious rooms in a choice of classic or modern styles, along with fun treehouses and shepherds' huts for something a bit different. The main restaurant is great, and they've recently added a pub — the Brackenrigg Inn — as well as a light-filled lakeside glasshouse, perfect for lunch. Activities are a big part of the offering at Another Place: the activity school offers sessions in wild swimming, stand-up paddleboarding and kayaking, and the glass-walled infinity pool is a knockout.
another.place
Read our full review of Another PlaceRead our full review of the Brackenrigg Inn
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The pamper dial is cranked up to 11 at this indulgent spa hotel, in a prime location in Great Langdale, arguably the most dramatic of all the Lakeland valleys. This is, without a doubt, one of the plushest places to stay in the Lake District: clad in Lakeland slate and chunky timber, it looks like a posh ski hotel. Gigantic beds, an outdoor swimming pool heated by an open fire, mezzanine bedrooms, bifold doors opening onto private balconies, a 'thermal experience' spa — the Brimstone goes out of its way to spoil.
brimstonehotel.co.uk
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Built by the Lowther dynasty, the hereditary Earls of Lonsdale, this miniature castle near the under-explored Eden Valley offers a slice of feudal finery. It's actually a fortified medieval tower: blocky, crenellated and imposing, it's a striking structure, surrounded by private lawns, clipped hedges and a kitchen garden. The style is upmarket country house: rooms feature mullioned windows, floral patterns, canopied beds and quirky layouts (there are even a couple of oddball rooms in the old stable and tack room). Elsewhere, there's a book-lined library, an enormous drawing room, a great hall and a Michelin-starred restaurant in which to dine. Lordly stuff.
askhamhall.co.uk
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This Michelin-starred restaurant-with-rooms sits on a hillside between the market town of Keswick and Bassenthwaite Lake is half-hidden among the trees along the steep road to Whinlatter Forest. Many people come here just to eat — chef Jack Bond (previously of Restaurant Gordon Ramsay, Claridges and the Berkeley) has recently taken the helm — but it's a pleasant spot to overnight, too: five cosy cottage rooms feature brass bedsteads and oak furniture, but the more contemporary Mountain View and Treetops rooms are worth the extra splash.
thecottageinthewood.co.uk
Read our full review of the Cottage in the Wood
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On a hilltop between Hawkshead and Coniston, this veggie-friendly Victorian mansion is run by the owners of Ambleside's cinema and two of its best restaurants. It's a huge, rambling place, gloriously detached, filled with antiques and surrounded by private grounds. Rooms are simply but smartly furnished, and nearly all offer outlooks over the fells and the Vale of Esthwaite: they're also excellent value considering the space on offer. It's very eco-friendly too — heating comes from a biomass boiler, and the gardens are sustainably managed. Breakfasts are exclusively vegetarian, and delicious.
yewfield.co.uk
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This back-of-beyond inn is a Lakeland legend. Many early pioneers of British mountaineering used it as a base, and it remains a well-worn favourite with fellwalkers; the atmospheric Ritson's Bar is nearly always packed with walkers nursing pints after a day on the hills. The nine rooms in the old guest house are small and basically furnished, although there's more space in the nearby barn, which offers roomier self-catering apartments. But you're not staying here for luxury — it's the scenery you're buying. The inn sits at the eastern end of the wild, glacial lake of Wastwater, and England's highest hills (including the tallest of all, Scafell Pike) loom outside the door. It's also dog-friendly if you want to bring your pooch along.
wasdale.com
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Stone-clad and creeper-covered, this secluded hotel on Ullswater's eastern edge is defiantly old-fashioned. Faded prints and oil paintings line the walls, grandfather clocks tick away in the lounge, and bedrooms are a relic from a bygone age — brass knockers, pink wool blankets, wooden wardrobes and all. Some are en suite, others have bathrooms across the hall (soap is provided, but you must bring your own shampoo). Not to everyone's taste, certainly, but it all adds up to an endearingly quaint experience — and the outlook over Ullswater is utterly glorious. Better still, while high-speed internet is available in the hotel, it's preferred that guests don't use it in public rooms. Reservations are made by phone, with confirmation by post courtesy of the owner, Mrs Baldry, who's run the place for decades.
howtown-hotel.co.uk
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Here's another renowned dining pub that also offers delightful accommodation, with the added advantage of being only a short drive away from Windermere. The pub is in the quiet village of Crosthwaite, about six miles southeast of Bowness on Windermere. The nine rooms (named after former vicars from the village church) are handsome affairs, with original cruck beams, freestanding rolltop baths, Roberts radios and natural fabrics (a couple also have stylish, modern four-poster beds). The food is fantastic, but do ask to avoid any room with spillover noise — some rooms are situated above the pub's kitchen.
the-punchbowl.co.uk
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