The Scottish Mail on Sunday

Need a hip hotel? Walk this way

- BROWNBER HALL Cumbria T. D. Isacke

TAKE two Londoners with a love of hiking and climbing, one top former designer for a cool hotel chain (Soho House), one mid-Victorian country house, plus a beautiful setting amid the Howgill Fells and what do you get? A hip eight-room hideaway run with style and panache.

The two Londoners in question are Peter and Amanda Jaques-Walker, who left their full-time jobs in London (barrister Amanda still commutes two days a week for her work), to buy Brownber Hall in 2016. They did it up with the help of Amanda’s sister Nina, and have been quietly gaining a reputation for being perhaps Britain’s hippest hotel for walkers.

The lounge areas come with Moroccan rugs, Indian coffee tables, Thai lampstands and a ‘sofa from Hackney’ – much of the furniture was picked up on the couple’s travels. The art and photograph­y throughout is modern and well chosen – Peter studied photograph­y at the Royal College of Art. And shelves are full of local maps and interestin­g walking books from around the globe. When we ask about a suitable walk, Peter rattles off a few with enthusiasm.

One of the best is from the front door. Cross the gravel terrace and you enter a lane leading to a disused railway track that has been converted into a walking path. From the comfort of Brownber, it’s not long before you’re winding your way through rolling hills in all their splendour.

The USP: This is climber chic. Forget wet socks on radiators (there’s a dry room in the basement) or lumpy sofas that have seen better days. Think more a slick private club.

The rooms: A whitewashe­d and minimalist look is broken by carefully selected antiques, reupholste­red armchairs and arty old black-and-white pictures. The best rooms face the front. Television­s come with easy-to-use Netflix, espresso machines, 100 Acres toiletries, and beds with wrought-iron frames. The sound of silence in the morning, with light bathing the front of the house on a good day, is worth the room rate alone.

The food: Pizzas, salads and boards of antipasti are served from Thursday to Sunday. At Brownber, though, breakfasts are king. A full fry-up with local sausages, bacon, poached eggs, chunky black pudding, beans and wild mushrooms is a treat. And the coffee is top-notch.

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