Roll up for a window on the Lakes
PERCHED high on a terrace above Bowness-on-Windermere, The Ro is a grand Victorian building that has been welcoming visitors to the Lake District for well over a century.
Its best rooms command sweeping views from end to end of the longest lake in England and beyond to the mountains that offer something for everyone, from the casual stroller to the serious climber.
It’s a five-minute walk downhill into the centre of the town with its busy shops – plenty specialising in the outdoor gear essential for exploring the lakes – and a World Of Beatrix Potter attraction to entertain younger visitors.
Another five minutes brings you to the lake shore where a ‘steamer’ or launch will take you cruising north to the pretty town of Ambleside, south to Fell Foot with its watersports centre, or round the islands that dot Windermere.
A ten-minute car ferry across the lake puts you on the road towards Coniston and an hour’s drive will get you to the wilder western lakes set amid the higher peaks.
This all makes The Ro a comfortable base for exploring the largest and most-visited national park in England. Once known as the Hydro, a revamp has swept away any lingering formality and given the public spaces of this imposing building a functional, unfussy, modern feel. It is backed by friendly staff who offer a warm welcome and plentiful advice on where to go and what to see.
Rooms range from cosy to spacious, if you choose a suite for the whole family. Regardless of size, they all offer good wi-fi, a work desk and a large flat-screen TV.
Our lake-view room with a balcony for a scenic sundowner was ideal for a couple, the en suite had an excellent shower, there was bags of space and a wonderfully comfortable bed. Who needs artwork on the walls when the landscape offers such variety and grandeur?
The restaurant is practical and comfortable rather than selfconsciously luxurious, but the food would grace far grander surroundings. Ingredients are local wherever possible and the main courses are special. A shank of Cumbrian lamb with caramelised shallots and a red wine jus was melt-in-the-mouth succulent, while breast of chicken with a mushroom and smoked pancetta sauce was similarly delicious.
When it came to desserts, an orange posset with Yorkshire rhubarb was good enough to eat two nights running, though the sticky toffee pudding ran it close.
The wine list is comprehensive and there’s a busy bar that stocks umpteen kinds of gin. The buffet breakfast covers the whole range from cereal or continental to black pudding, sausage and bacon. If you feel the need to add a bit of culture to the healthy outdoor activity, it’s a short drive to William Wordsworth’s home Dove Cottage overlooking tranquil Grasmere. The ferry is a good shortcut to Beatrix Potter’s beloved farmhouse at Hill Top and on to Coniston. Here, the eclectic Ruskin Museum celebrates the life and works of John Ruskin, the Victorian artist and critic.
It has a wing devoted to the record-breaking feats of Sir Donald Campbell, who was killed in 1967 when his 300mph boat Bluebird somersaulted on Coniston Water, and also displays one of the original sailing dinghies that inspired Arthur Ransome’s muchloved children’s stories of Swallows And Amazons that celebrate life in the Lake District.