Soak up the Lakes
WHETHER you want an active break, a romantic getaway or buckets of ale, here’s our pick of where to rest your head in the beautiful Lake District.
Wasdale Inn Best for walkers
You can’t mistake this place – there’s INN painted in giant letters on its side. It gives a proper welcome too, with a series of snug lounges to cosy up in. There are major hints that you’re in great walking country – the hallways are lined with vintage climbing gear.
Wasdale is near Scafell Pike but even if you are only heading out for a stroll, you’ll want to hurry back for bangers and mash or a meal in the posh restaurant. Plus a well-earned pint. It doesn’t overcharge for single travellers either. GET IN: Doubles for £118, with breakfast, £59 for singles. wasdale.com, 01946 726 229.
Wild Boar Inn Best for activities
Walking. The Lake District is famous for it. But this hotel near Bowness has a heap of other things to make your trip memorable.
As well as whisky tasting and clay pigeon shooting in the hotel’s woodland, Smokey Jo can teach you how to smoke salmon and meat and how to build a smoker from a filing cabinet. GET IN: Doubles from £149, with breakfast and dinner. englishlakes.co.uk, 01539 445 225.
Langdale Best for a spa
You will have a whole estate to play in here. Langdale also has luxury lodges but there is a hotel at its heart – and a serious spa.
We’re not talking a couple of treatment rooms and whale music either. Langdale’s includes a full-sized indoor swimming pool, extensive fitness area and spa that uses Elemis and Anne Semonin products.
There’s also a restaurant and a pub in the estate that specialises in local brews, including Eden Gold ale. GET IN: Rooms from £135, with breakfast. langdale.co.uk, 01539 438 014.
Daffodil Hotel Best for budget luxury
Normally you’d be spending a small fortune to stay at the Daffodil, a boutique hotel in Grasmere. But this month and next, rooms are just under £100 a night.
Summer is peak period but the hotel’s spa is being renovated. It was damaged by the winter floods. Even so, all the other smart elements are in place, with a terrace overlooking the lake and designer bedrooms. GET IN: Doubles from £99, with breakfast. daffodilhotel.co.uk, 01539 463 550.
Kirkstile Inn Best for real ale
This is a proper Lakeland pub with its own microbrewery. Found between Loweswater and Crummock Water and not far from Buttermere, it’s slightly off the tourist track and all the better for it.
Staying here means you can enjoy the award-winning brews, modestly called Cumbrian Legendary Ales, at your leisure.
Then tuck into good solid pub grub before heading upstairs to one of the 11 bedrooms, including a self-contained family suite. Bliss. GETG IN: Rooms from £105, with breakfast. ki kirkstile.com, 01900 85219.
Lyzzick Hall Best for families
FamilyFa run, this country house hotel near KeswickKe is a real gem.
The restaurant wins rave reviews too. There’s no menu for kids, instead, chefs will cook whatever they fancy, while adults feast on lo locally sourced meat and veg from the hotel’s ow own garden. The owners provide toys and, best of all, there’s a lovely indoor swimming pool. GETG IN: Doubles from £160, with breakfast. ly lyzzickhall.co.uk, 017687 72277.
Lakeside Hotel Best for setting
Not many hotels in the Lake District are actually on the water, but this one lives up to its name.
On Windermere itself, there’s a gorgeous lawn leading to a jetty and the hotel keeps its own rowing boat for guests.
It’s all about oldfashioned hospitality and nd there are two restaurants, nts, a swimming pool and a spa.pa
The Bowness Ferry is a short stroll away, as is the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway. Children will love feeding the ducks each morning. GET IN: Rooms from £170, including breakfast. lakesidehotel.co.uk, 01539 530 001.
Drunken Duck Inn Best for romance
A former coaching inn, this friendly hotel near Ambleside offers plenty of romance without charging a fortune. Go for the Garden Room, which, separated from the hotel across a courtyard,co has a roll top bath, beamed ceilings gs andan kingsize bed. There is a bar for casual dining butbu also a posh restaurant with a tasting menu. TablesTa are booked up weeks ahead. GETG IN: Rooms from £105, with afternoon tea andan breakfast. drunkenduckinn.co.uk,dr 01539 436 347.
TheT Samling Best for celebrities
Nicole Kidman, the Beckhams and nd Stella McCartney have all holed up in this Georgian mansion.
Near Ambleside, it’s the most private of all Lake District hotels – there are 60 acres of gardens to get lost in. No spa, although there is a hot tub.
A new chef is set to pep things up even more and the rooms and suites – there are only 11 in all – are l luxurious,i stuffedt ff d with ith antiquesti and d modernd art.t Plus there are open fires for chillier nights. GET IN: Rooms from £220 a night, with breakfast. thesamlinghotel.co.uk, 01539 431 922.
Low Wood Bay Best for watersports
With the new Swallows and Amazons film coming out this autumn, this hotel on Windermere allows you to take to the water in style. Ther There’s tuition in everything from dinghy sailin sailing to windsurfing, with waterskiing and flyboarding for adrenalin junkies. The hotel is family-friendly with go goody-bags for kids and splash times in th the indoor swimming pool. GETGE IN: Rooms from £99, not including bre breakfast. engli englishlakes.co.uk, 01539 445 225.