Please note our writer visited the Lake District prior to the coronavirus pandemic
Sometimes, when your lungs are bursting with fresh air and your head spinning with stunning views, you want the welcome embrace of a pub rather than the stiffer handshake of a hotel. You may want a decent bed – certainly bags of hot water – an interesting (but not fancy) menu and a good laugh (and preferably local ales) in the bar. The Lake District’s inns have been quietly doing this for years, recently upping the food quality; less pubby, more interesting. They ooze atmosphere; some quietly stylish, others cheerfully well-worn. The best are often on quiet back roads that take a bit of finding, and all are a happy mix of guests and locals. Here’s our pick of the best pubs with rooms in the Lake District.
The Drunken Duck Inn & Restaurant
Lake District, Cumbria, England
Originally a farmhouse, this cream-rendered building has been a pub for most of its 300-plus years. The current owners took over in the late 1970s turning it into one of the area’s first gastropubs, but it retains a sense of a country inn mixed with a quirky contemporary style: faded rugs on oak floors, pale-washed beams hung with hops, leather tub chairs and carved wood settles, wood-burning stoves and a slate-topped bar, and every wall crammed with prints, cartoons and period photographs. No two rooms are identical, though the overall feel is similar with perhaps a panelled feature wall, and a mix of vintage and contemporary furnishings.
From
£
100
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
Kirkstile Inn
Lake District, Cumbria, England
A typical Lakeland coaching inn, all whitewashed walls and black window mouldings. It dates back to the 1600s and is deceptively large, stretching back from the road along on a grassy river bank. Inside, beamed ceilings, exposed-stone or creamy plaster walls, solid wood tables and red-cushioned settles feature throughout. There’s a series of cosy bar areas, a decent fire, a smart dining room and plenty of horse brasses, copper kettles and sepia photographs of countryside activities. Outdoorsy types are well catered for with cycle storage, a drying room, and maps and guides to borrow. Staff are hard-working and efficient with a friendly, down-to-earth approach.
From
£
117
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
The Punch Bowl Inn
Lake District, Cumbria, England
The Punch Bowl Inn is situated on the back road between Kendal and Windermere, in the Lyth valley. It’s well off-the-beaten-tourist-track in an area of soft green valleys and damson orchards which is beautifully peaceful. With its slate and cream render, covered in climbing roses, it mixes a cottagey feel with contemporary freshness. Floors are flagged or stripped wood and scattered with faded rugs; ceilings are low and beamed, and draped with dried hops; walls are sludgy Farrow and Ball and hung with hunting scenes; thick curtains spill onto the floor and cushions crowd window seats.
From
£
135
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
The Black Bull
Lake District, Cumbria, England
This deceptively large, 17th-century coaching inn had become down-at-heel until James Ratcliffe and partner Nina Matsunaga gave it a radical facelift. Public areas are a clever re-working of a traditional pub, with wooden floors, red banquette seating and wood-burning stoves, but with a light, modern touch. The dark-oak staircase with blood-red carpets and blackened dado panelling leads to two floors of rooms in a pleasing warren of landings and corridors. Behind the dark doors, bedrooms are a cool mix of polished rustic – wool carpets, handwoven blankets and panelled walls – and a hint of Zen with clean-lined furniture, monochrome palette and a calming style.
From
£
125
per night
George and Dragon
Penrith, Cumbria, England
This gastropub on the northern edge of the Lake District has a well-deserved reputation for its excellent, locally sourced food. Much of the produce coming from the owners’ family farms (rare-breed pigs, shorthorn cattle) and the kitchen garden at nearby Askham Hall. It’s stylish and skilful; perhaps twice-baked cheese soufflé to start followed by local lamb with wild garlic gnocchi. It’s also perfect for an active getaway: packed lunches, walking packs, bicycle storage and dog welcome packs, including treats and recommended walks. The 11 rooms are decorated in a fresh country style with cream or eau-de-nil walls, crewel-work headboards and faux-fur throws.
From
£
105
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
The Plough at Lupton
Lupton, Cumbria, England
From the outside, this pale-rendered building, with its stone mullions, looks like any other Victorian roadside hostelry. Step inside and the bar’s low-beamed ceiling and thick walls indicate it has an old core that’s been much extended. Its designery rustic-casual good looks also make clear this is not a drinkers’ bar but one for eating and relaxing. Plain wooden tables, mismatched chairs, and leather and velvet sofas are set against chic-grey walls, oak floors and wood-burning stoves in vast stone fireplaces. The six rooms, including three large suites, are very different but all have the same effortless country-contemporary elegance.
From
£
110
per night
Rates provided by
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The Masons Arms
Cartmel Fell, Lake District, England
Although only three miles from the southern end of Lake Windermere, this is a little-visited area of the Lakes, on the back road to Kendal and with sweeping views over the gentle Winster Valley. Inside, it’s all a pub should be with low-beamed ceilings, flagged or wooden floors, open fires and a series of small snugs furnished with mis-matched chairs, wooden settles and scrubbed tables, and creamy walls crammed with mirrors and hunting prints. All rooms have a simple, contemporary-rustic style of stripped-wood floors, chunky wooden furniture, tartan throws and curtains, and battered leather chairs.
From
£
114
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
The Queens Head Hotel
Troutbeck, Cumbria, England
This listed 17th-century coaching inn is a classic Lakeland building of slate, white-washed walls and black window mouldings. A landmark in the area, it suffered a disastrous fire in 2014 but reopened three years later after a meticulous restoration. It’s classy, yet still retains its pubby credentials: light-oak flooring and furnishings, exposed beams and stone walls, a jolly mix of plaids and fun touches such as wallpaper depicting flying ducks, stuffed fish and OS-maps. The attention to detail and meticulous workmanship in the 10 rooms, together with a real sense of place in the décor, outshines many a smart four-star hotel. Floors and furniture are bespoke light oak, walls are dove-grey; open beams and exposed-stone walls remind of the building’s age.
From
£
99
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
The Mortal Man
Lake District, Cumbria, England
Half-way up Troutbeck Valley, in the one-road village of the same name, this pub benefits from glorious views down to Lake Windermere and the soft fells. It feels remote, yet is still close to many of the central Lakes hotspots. The hotel is geared to lovers of the outdoors; there are maps to borrow, walking routes from the pub, a drying room and dogs are welcomed for £10 per night. There’s no sitting room but, as the bar is a series of little snugs – each with an open fire – there’s usually a quiet corner. The star feature is the huge, grass-terraced beer garden with dreamy views.
From
£
64
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
Lyth Valley Country Inn
Crosthwaite, Cumbria, England
From the outside, this destination foodie pub looks unprepossessing: a hefty-looking building in off-white pebbledash and with UPVC windows. Step through the chunky oak door, however, and it’s clear that considerable money and a clever eye have been at work to create a smart, rustic pub, with a dash of shabby country house. There are flagged and wooden floors, exposed-brick walls and reclaimed oak panelling, chunky oak tables around the bar, mismatched, polished-wood tables and comfortable chairs in the dining-room. A sprinkling of antiques, plus horsey and hunting pictures and the odd stag’s head give it a country-house quirkiness.
From
£
108
per night
Rates provided by
Booking.com
Wasdale Head Inn
Lake District, Cumbria, England
This solid cream-and-black building has been a landmark at the head of Wasdale since the early 18th century, first as a farm and then as an inn welcoming weary walkers. It’s resolutely traditional, slightly shabby, with patterned carpets, a scattering of heavy oak antique furniture and a wood-panelled dining room. Outdoorsy types are well catered for with a drying room, packed lunches, maps to borrow and a shop in the barn opposite with clothing and gear for every eventuality. The main public bar is popular but you can retreat to a small, cosy residents’ bar (with piano if you feel inspired). There’s also a riverside terrace, ideal for ice-cold beers after a long walk.
From
£
118
per night
This article was originally published by Telegraph.co.uk. Read the original article here.