10 beautiful boltholes in the Lake District for when hotels reopen
It is easy to see why poets, writers and artists have been moved to capture the beauty of the Lake District on page and canvas. This national park has an intoxicating beauty – in the drama of its peaks, its great lakes reflecting its big, unpredictable skies, the green and gold of its fellsides, its rushing becks, and meandering drystone walls.
After this winter of confinement, the Lake District offers everything we have missed most: that sense of space, of nature on a grand scale, the natural highs of mountains and serenity of the lakes. Its food scene is flourishing. And now that we have become a nation of walkers, where better to take our new lockdown hobby to new heights?
Storrs Hall, Lake Windermere
This Georgian mansion-house hotel is set in 17 acres of verdant gardens on a shore of Lake Windermere itself. Both William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter came here on social occasions, and the sense of occasion continues today, in the formal dining room and at afternoon tea, accompanied by the tinkling of the baby grand. The 30 bedrooms in the main house are classic in style, while six new contemporary Lakeside Suites, dotted in woodland beside the water, allow for a more spatially distanced escape.
Rooms from £410; storrshall.com
Another Place, Ullswater
Another Place is the sibling property (as the name suggests) of Watergate Bay in Cornwall, and the same brand of innovation is at work at their Ullswater-side bolthole. The original Georgian House has been sensitively updated with contemporary additions, and the result is a departure from most Lake District hotels in its fearlessly contemporary interior, its absence of mocha sateen in the 40 bedrooms, its more casual vibe in the various spaces for lounging, eating and drinking. There’s a Swim Club spa here too, with treatment rooms and a 20-metre pool with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the lake, where the hotel has its own jetty – perfect for a wilder kind of swim.
Rooms from £255; another.place
The Samling, Lake Windermere
Usually you have to climb a mountain to get such sensational views of Lake Windermere; but at The Samling you only have to climb into the hot tub (glass of champagne in hand optional). The location is stunning, high above the lake and in sight of Old Man Coniston. Everything here is geared around the views, from the terrace for al fresco afternoon tea to the glass-walled restaurant which uses ingredients sourced from the hotel’s own 67 acres – a rambling estate of woodland and ornamental gardens, little pathways wending this way and that down the hillside towards Windermere.
Rooms from £490; thesamlinghotel.co.uk
The Forest Side, Grasmere
The dark stone exterior of this fairytale gothic mansion near Grasmere hides a fantastically modern interior, bold with statement wallpapers and jewel coloured velvets. But it’s The Forest Side’s food, rather than wallpaper, that draws visitors from across the country – head chef Paul Leonard has won the restaurant a Michelin star with his pretty dishes and endlessly inventive ways with vegetables (more than 80 per cent of which come from the kitchen garden).
Rooms from £259; forestside.com
Laura Ashley Hotel The Belsfield, Lake Windermere
A cream cake of a Victorian Italianate mansion, Laura Ashley Hotel The Belsfield sits beside Lake Windermere in Bowness, so that from the lawn you can watch daytrippers piling onto the lake cruisers as you sip your afternoon tea. Dressed top to toe in Laura Ashley prints and textiles, its interiors are quiet, country-house classic, and there’s a homely feel to its drawing rooms and library. Fewer than half of them have lake views – but post-lockdown, who wants to spend much time in their room, anyway? The good news is that with 62 rooms there’s still lots of availability for May and June.
Rooms from £292; lauraashleyhotels.com
Holbeck Ghyll, Lake Windermere
Once the hunting lodge of Lord Lonsdale, Holbeck Ghyll makes a homely retreat half a mile away from Lake Windermere. The gabled Arts & Crafts house retains much of its 19th-century detailing in the public areas – oak panelling, stained glass, tiled fireplaces with log fires in colder months – while more recent additions include a small spa and outdoor hot tub. The restaurant, rich and cosy with William Morris fabrics, really goes to town on its tasting menus.
Rooms from £162; holbeckghyll.com
Linthwaite House, Lake Windermere
L’Enclume may be fully booked for months, but you can still taste the essence of Simon Rogan’s superb cooking – and the ingredients from his Cartmel farm – in his restaurant at Linthwaite House. The Edwardian mock-Tudor house sits on a hilltop with a fabulous view of Windermere from the vast terrace and gardens – within which is a croquet lawn, boules pitch and the hotel’s own private tarn, where guests can fish or take out rowing boats. Rooms are pale and modern; the most peaceful and private are six standalone chalet-type suites in the grounds.
Rooms from £360; linthwaitehouse.com
The Swan Hotel & Spa, Newby Bridge
Sitting pretty beside Newby Bridge, which arches over the serene, green River Leven, the Swan Hotel & Spa is a 17th-century coaching inn with a modern outlook, staffed by cheery locals. Besides its ace location for walkers, at the southern end of Windermere, there’s lots to do on-site – a tiny Espa spa, a playroom with pool table for kids, adventure playground. Its 54 rooms have been done up in recent years with exuberant fabrics and wallpapers. The riverbank terrace is exactly where you want to be at the end of a day’s walking, local ale in hand.
Rooms from £120; swanhotel.com
Queens Head, Troutbeck
Set into a fellside overlooking Troutbeck Valley, this 17th-century coaching inn is one of the best pubs for food in the Lake District, dishing up hearty pub grub done well. Upstairs are 10 lovely restful rooms (eight of them dog-friendly), recently decorated in calm, muted tones between exposed oak beams, and named after the region’s iconic fells which surround it – with walks starting from the front door.
Rooms from £155; queensheadtroutbeck.pub
The Langdale, Great Langdale
The slate lodges that make up the Langdale Hotel are scattered among the forest of a former gunpowder factory estate-turned country resort. This is bang in the heart of the ‘real’ Lake District, set in nature on the edge of Great Langdale Beck, and close to the Langdale Pikes and the Old Man of Coniston. Inside, the lodges are cool, contemporary and very comfortable, and as they’re standalone they offer space and privacy. There’s a restaurant, but the big hit here is the spa complex, complete with pools, saunas, gym and treatment rooms for serious post-pandemic pampering.
Rooms from £148.50; langdale.co.uk
All availability was checked directly through the hotels' websites and was correct at the time of publishing.
For more inspiration on where to stay this summer, see our guide to the best hotels in the Lake District
