lake district hotels

[redcrx]

Can anyone recommend nice hotels in the Lakes.
My siblings and i are planning on paying for my parents to have a long weekend away for their wedding anniversary and i know they want to go to the lakes. They have also mention Warner holidays but I cant see any in that area.
The web is full of hotel listings but id like some personal recommendations if possible. Budget isnt too great but want something decent rather than just a cheap B&B. Probably looking in region of £100-£170 a night

[TheOtherHalf]

We stayed at the Middle Ruddings Hotel in Braithwaite near Keswick for my husbands 60th birthday. They did a special deal for 3 nights and a special price to include evening meal, although I would pay the full price anyway for the EM as they are fab. All food is locally sourced. We used to camp at a nearby site and used to go there regularly for a meal at the end of the day and always said we would stay there one day, so we did. And we would again. We looked at a lot of different hotels and still found this one to be the best value. They have a website you can look at.
Good luck

[TheOtherHalf]

If you jts wanted a B & B. Weve also stayed at a little place in Keswick, called No 10 and you can easily walk into the town. Lovely hotel and very reasonable and again food is excellent and hotelier is a lovely lady. I would also recommend that one.

[crisgal]

my favourite hotel is The Old Dungeon Ghyll in the Langdales.
Literally breathtaking scenery all around you.
No tv or radio - just comfy beds and wonderful food.
You never know who you might bump into there - the last time we went, Nigel Kennedy gave an impromptu performance in the walker's bar!
My husband was gobsmacked when he left his straddy=wotsit violin, worth thousands, on the bar all night!!
http://www.odg.co.uk/home/index.cfm?id=1

[crisgal]

if that's a bit out of it, you can't go wrong with The Red Lion at Grasmere. It has the advantage of being in the centre of the village, which is flat -unusual for the lakes!
http://www.grasmerere...u-20KcCFUFC4Qod_CUrCQ

[redcrx]

thanks both of you. Im not sure theyd want to be in middle of nowhere, they are not huge fans of walking so would like to be able to do more than just hiking. The hotels do look lovely though so i have bookmarked a couple.

[TheOtherHalf]

The hotel NO 10 in Keswick is not in the middle of nowhere. The town centre is about 5 mins away and theres lots to do there, even the theatre which is called The Theatre on the Lake have some fab productions on and the shops in Keswick are lovely and plenty of hiking neary if you do want it. Its a very central place to stay with bus trips going all over the Lakes

[ethandron]

totally agree about keswick, it's one of the nicest towns in the lakes but as it's further north it doesn't ever seem to get as full with day trippers as those further south.

[barb1314]

We stayed here http://www.drunkenduckinn.co.uk/ It's in Ambleside and is fantastic. There are only a few rooms but they are really lovely. The food in the bar and restaurant is out of this world. Loved it. Very near to the town so not too isolated. (It's more of a restaurant with rooms rather than a hotel)

[DTCwordfan]

Originally I am from the Lakes.

I would recommend these two - this one is owned by a guy who was the chief 'butler' of number 10.

http://www.gilpinlodg...e-House-Tariff-22.cfm

And then there is the Drunken Duck known locally as the D-Feck. Originally it was called the Travellers Rest and a woman was walking back from Hawkshead having bought ducks in the market. She left them out in the back while she went in for her gin. When she came out, they were all collapsed and appeared dead, until one of their beaks opened and out came this beer bubble. Apparently, there had been a leaking barrel and the ducks had partaken of the brew. Hence the 'new' name for the pub! Lovely location near Tarns How,,,,,,

http://www.drunkenduckinn.co.uk/tariff.htm

[DTCwordfan]

The Gilpin is just outside Bowness and Windermere on the old main road to Kendal that comes up from the Ferry - very close to the Golf Club (known as the Mountain Goat Course)......Again excellent food like the D-Feck and plenty of good eating houses nearby.......

[DTCwordfan]

By the way the No 10, I refer to, is Downing Street.....

[redcrx]

oooh all of these are gorgeous!
thanks all

[barb1314]

Hi DT,great minds and all that!

[PipinHull]

Drunken Duck is lovely but it's not VERY near the town is it? Assume you mean Ambleside. I recall it being a good few miles out of town, no shops or anything around it. We got a taxi from Ambleside.

[DTCwordfan]

Its only about 4 miles and even closer to Hawkshead which is a really nice village - to the south of Hawkshead, there is the Beatrix Potter house at Hill Top, well worth a visit. And just behind the DD, there is Tarn Hows, one of the archetypal views of the Lakes. The Gilpin is about a similar distance from the centres of Bowness/Windermere, but feels closer.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/main/w-hilltop
http://www.visitcumbria.com/amb/tarn-hows.htm

[DTCwordfan]

barb - the old DD used to be a wonderful old country pub serving Theakstons. We went skating a numbe rof times on the tarn at the back of the pub, and now part of their garden.....and they ignored the licensing laws then. Also had a mate from Uni who couldnt really drink - poor guy had three weaknesses - (i) a lack of capacity for booze (ii) no sense of musicall timing (so imagine pub games like Harry Twitter - he would be "out for the count" within 45 minutes of starting a game and (iii) the inability to say no to booze - was his undoing later in life.

Anyway he came and stayed with us and we wnt off to the DD, my elder sister driving. 4 pints of Old Peculiar later (and they served a mighty fine pint that slid down the gullet like cream) and we returned home. My mother thought that we students needed 4 meals a day and she was out in the kitchen - my old man was in the sitting room and Andrew sat down on the sofa, only to slide like a lifeboat straight under the coffee table........... They didnt mind as he was a very nice guy - when sober!

[jd_1984]

http://www.lake-house.co.uk/

http://www.gilpinlodge.co.uk/

http://www.rothaygarden.com/

http://www.linthwaite.com/

I would not reccommend anywhere that I havent stayed myself. I am happy to suggest the above, although there are so many great spots to choose from in the Lakes.

[DTCwordfan]

Whats your implication jd - that folk haven't visited these establishments before making a recommendation- think that may be a bit rich, wot!

[jd_1984]

Oh god no, not at all. It was a general comment informing redcrx that I have stayed at these places and really enjoyed the stay. Sometimes recomendations are made on hearsay, but it wasnt my intention to suggest that was going on here.

[DTCwordfan]

ok then and you are right on that.

I know precisely where the Linthwaite is - we used to be a Kendal/Windermere family and had one of Bowness's major locations/businesses....never stayed there though but I understand it has a good reputation. Personally, I wouldn't want to be in the town of Windermere or Bowness.

The Rothay Garden I am just trying to recall what it was called - there risks confusion as there is another Rothay in Ambleside, the Rothay Manor which used to be very nice and close to a star Michelin. I see it is still owned by the Nixon family......I haven't stayed there, but it may be worth considering if some ABer can endorse it - it is a great location at the head of the lake and just on the junction to go up the Langdale Valley. In truth there is a host of good establishments in the area!

Personally I prefer the area further east and on the far side of the M6 - around Kirkby Stephen and Hawes where you get into James Heriot country - not so many tourists..... The Black Swan at Ravenstonedale used to be very nice and with wholesome food.