SCAFELL HOTEL, LAKE DISTRICT

Location, location, location – and rather nice digs, too.

If Trail were going to have a field office, it would probably be in Rosthwaite. The reason? Access to just about every major mountain group in the central and western Lakes. And at the centre of it all, this rather splendid establishment. Right in the throat of Borrowdale, you have everything from the Scafells to Cat Bells accessible from the doorstep – via a scintillating hillwalk, obviously – this is, perhaps, the ultimate base camp. Comprising a swish hotel, a separate block of rooms, an AA awardwinning à la carte restauraunt and a proper little pub that serves decent beer and hearty food, the hotel is situated seven miles from Keswick, two miles from the south shore of Derwent Water and a mere mile from what most consider the end of the road in Borrowdale.

With 23 rooms, halls resplendent with mountain art, the whole place is surrounded by knobbly fellsides, The Cumbria Way runs past the door, you’ve got Keswick nearby (but not too close) if you need anything, and there isn’t a sniff of phone signal (which may be a good thing or bad thing, depending on your point of view.)

And out of the taps comes what the locals call ‘Borrowdale Gin’ – freshly filtered, cool, clear water, straight from the fells. Cheers!