Virginia House

Cumbria & the Lakes


The best of Ulverston's B&Bs, this Georgian townhouse is spread over three floors undergoing a slow programme of refurbishment. The eight rooms are simply furnished in a vaguely vintage way, with gilded mirrors and chintzy patterned wallpaper. Downstairs there's a surprise – a gin parlour and restaurant (tasting menu £70), with very decent food served by owner Craig Sherringham.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Cumbria & the Lakes attractions

1. Laurel & Hardy Museum

0.13 MILES

Founded by avid Laurel and Hardy collector Bill Cubin back in 1983, this madcap museum in Ulverston (the birthplace of Stan Laurel) has new premises…

2. Hoad Monument

0.77 MILES

Towering on a grassy hill above Ulverston, this tower commemorates the explorer Sir John Barrow (1764–1848), who helped map the Northwest Passage. The…

3. Holker Hall

4.62 MILES

Three miles east of Cartmel on the B5278, Holker Hall has been the family seat of the Cavendish family for nigh on four centuries. Though parts of it date…

4. Cartmel Priory

5.88 MILES

Cartmel's medieval priory is one of only a handful to have survived the ravages of the dissolution of the monasteries largely unscathed. Its most unusual…

5. Furness Abbey

6.17 MILES

Eight-and-a-half miles southwest of Ulverston, the rosy ruins of Furness Abbey are all that remain of one of northern England's largest and most powerful…

6. Lakeland Motor Museum

6.21 MILES

Two miles south of Newby Bridge on the A590, this museum houses a wonderful collection of antique cars: classic (Minis, Austin Healeys, MGs), sporty …

7. Fell Foot Park

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Located at the southern end of Windermere, 7 miles south of Bowness, this 7-hectare lakeside estate originally belonged to a manor house. It's now owned…

8. Lakes Aquarium

8.14 MILES

At the southern end of the lake near Newby Bridge, this aquarium explores a range of underwater habitats from tropical Africa through to Morecambe Bay…