Must-see hotels in Cumbria & the Lakes

  • Halston Aparthotel

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    For a city-centre base, this complex of self-catering apartments really has to be the pick of places to stay in Carlisle. While not huge, the apartments…

  • Daffodil Hotel

    The Lake District

    Opened in 2012 this upscale hotel occupies a Victorian building, but the 78 rooms zing with modern style: swirly carpets, art prints and bold shades of…

  • Forest Side

    The Lake District

    For out-and-out-luxury, plump for this boutique beauty. Run by renowned hotelier Andrew Wildsmith, it's a design palace: chic interiors decorated with…

  • Wasdale Head Inn

    The Lake District

    A slice of hill-walking heritage here. Hunkering beneath the brooding bulk of Scafell Pike, this 19th-century hostelry is gloriously old-fashioned and…

  • Another Place, The Lake

    The Lake District

    Acquired by the owners of Cornwall's Watergate Bay Hotel, the former Rampsbeck Hotel has been reinvented as one of the Lakes' most luxurious, family…

  • Brimstone Hotel

    The Lake District

    This lavish complex on the Langdale Estate offers next-level luxury. The huge suites are more London-chic than Lakeland-cosy – mezzanine floors, sleek…

  • Black Sail YHA

    The Lake District

    A legendary place among Lakeland hikers, this marvellously remote backcountry hostel is marooned among the fells of Ennerdale along several long-distance…

  • Augill Castle

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    If you've always dreamed of staying in a bona fide British castle, this stately pile near Kirkby Stephen is definitely the place. All the trappings are…

  • Cottage in the Wood

    Keswick

    For a secluded indulgence, head for this out-of-the-way bolthole, on the road to Whinlatter Forest, in a completely modernised coaching inn. Elegant rooms…

  • Nanny Brow

    The Lake District

    There's a compelling reason to choose this premium B&B – and that's the knockout view. The whitewashed house sits on a crag with a top-drawer view down…

  • Rum Doodle

    The Lake District

    Named after a classic travel novel about a fictional mountain in the Himalayas, this B&B zings with imagination. Its rooms are themed after places and…

  • Willowbeck Lodge

    Cumbria & the Lakes

    If staying in the city centre isn't important, then this palatial B&B is the top choice in the city. The four rooms are huge, contemporary and plush, with…

  • Old Dungeon Ghyll

    The Lake District

    Affectionately known as the ODG, this inn is awash with Lakeland heritage: many famous walkers have stayed here, including Prince Charles and mountaineer…

  • Ambleside YHA

    The Lake District

    One of the YHA's flagship Lake District hostels, this huge lakeside house is a fave for activity holidays (everything from kayaking to ghyll scrambling)…

  • Buttermere YHA

    The Lake District

    Perched in a perfect position on the Honister–Buttermere road, this excellent slate-fronted hostel (once a hotel) has rooms looking out across the lake…

  • Langstrath Inn

    The Lake District

    This simple country inn makes one of the best little bases in Borrowdale. Its eight rooms are snug and simple, with crimson throws and the occasional roof…

  • Wasdale Hall YHA

    The Lake District

    This hostel on the shores of Wastwater has the kind of location you'd normally pay through the nose for. It's in a 19th-century mock-Tudor mansion that…

  • Eltermere Inn

    The Lake District

    This charming inn is one of Lakeland's loveliest backwater boltholes. Rooms are simple and classic, tastefully decorated in fawns and taupes with quirky…

  • Howe Keld

    Keswick

    This gold-standard B&B pulls out all the stops: goose-down duvets, slate-floored bathrooms, chic colours and locally made furniture. The best rooms have…

  • Gilpin Hotel

    The Lake District

    Windermere's B&Bs might be pushing up their rates to silly levels, but this famously posh country-house retreat shows them how it should be done. The…

  • Lyth Valley Country Inn

    The Lake District

    It's seven miles west of Kendal, but there's a reason to head out so far – this hotel sits in a gorgeous spot overlooking the little-visited Lyth Valley,…

  • Love Shack

    The Lake District

    Built on the site of a 1960s love shack (hence the name), this supercool, ecofriendly cabin is the brainchild of artists Karen Guthrie and Adam Sutherland…

  • Windermere YHA

    The Lake District

    Slightly misleadingly, the closest YHA to Windermere is actually about 1.5 miles from the lake, halfway between Troutbeck Bridge and Troutbeck village…

  • Randy Pike

    The Lake District

    Managed by the owners of Grasmere's Jumble Room restaurant, Andy and Chrissy Hill, this former hunting lodge feels more like a stay in the country with…

  • Langdale YHA

    The Lake District

    If you didn't know this was a hostel, you'd think it was a grand country hotel: vast, Victorian and set in private grounds with its own arboretum. Big…

  • Gables

    The Lake District

    One of Ambleside's best-value B&Bs, in a double-gabled house (hence the name) in a quiet spot overlooking the recreation ground. Spotty cushions and…

  • Yewfield

    The Lake District

    This rambling Victorian mansion is one of the best options around Hawkshead, although it's out of the way on the road to Coniston, near Tarn Hows. It's…

  • Glaramara Hotel

    The Lake District

    If your budget won't stretch to one of Borrowdale's plush country hotels, this great-value, activity-focused place makes a good alternative. The decor is…

  • Derwentwater Independent Hostel

    The Lake District

    Built as a 19th-century mansion, this grand Grade II–listed house is one of Britain's most architecturally ostentatious hostels. Previously YHA-owned, now…

  • Great Langdale Campsite

    The Lake District

    Quite possibly the most spectacularly positioned campsite in the Lake District, spread over grassy meadows overlooked by Langdale's fells. It gets crowded…

  • Rooms at the Apple Pie

    The Lake District

    Not content with making the best apple pie in town, the eponymous cafe has expanded its accommodation operations into a separate building next door. There…

  • Old Homestead

    The Lake District

    Byre is an old English dialect word meaning 'cowshed', but you certainly won't be roughing it with the animals at this lovely farm conversion. The rooms…

  • Lancrigg

    The Lake District

    Once owned by Arctic adventurer John Richardson, this handsome house half a mile along Easedale Rd has a wonderful location surrounded by hectares of…

  • 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…

  • The Hideaway

    The Lake District

    There's a fine range of rooms available at this much-recommended B&B in a former schoolmaster's house. There's a choice for all budgets, from Standard…

  • Jerichos

    The Lake District

    Extremely handy for Windermere Town, and with the added benefit of off-road parking, this friendly B&B is run by ex-restaurateur Chris Blaydes. Rooms are…

  • Stanley House

    The Lake District

    This turn-of-the-century house is halfway down the Eskdale valley, near Beckfoot station. It's a real home away from home: guests are given the run of the…

  • Borrowdale YHA

    The Lake District

    This friendly hostel makes a super, outdoorsy base for forays around Borrowdale. It's in a lovely spot next to a babbling brook, surrounded by gardens and…

  • Lookout

    Keswick

    The clue's in the name: this three-room B&B is all about the views – there's a panorama of fells filling every window. It's in a gabled 1920s house, but…

  • Queen's Head

    The Lake District

    Owned by Robinsons Brewery and comprehensively refurbished after a major fire, this old inn makes a tempting Troutbeck spot – with 10 snug rooms decorated…