Wheatsheaf Inn

The Lake District


A sister pub to the marvellous Mason's Arms near Windermere, this classic pub near the Lyth Valley has a great reputation for its grub. Dishes are pubby rather than gourmet, but tasty – go for a meaty or fishy 'oak plank' to share, or a hearty fish pie or 12-hour braised brisket. It's 5 miles southwest of Kendal.

The six rooms (£70 to £120) above the pub are small but pleasant; there's a fridge in the corridor with fresh milk and chilled water. It also runs the Lumley Fee Bunkhouse nearby (rooms £65 to £120, www.lumleyfeebunkhouse.co.uk), with five sharer rooms that are ideal for walkers.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby The Lake District attractions

1. Sizergh Castle

1.6 MILES

Three-and-a-half miles south of Kendal along the A591, this castle is the feudal seat of the Strickland family. Set around a pele tower, its finest asset…

2. Museum of Lakeland Life & Industry

2.74 MILES

Directly opposite Abbot Hall, this museum recreates various scenes from Lakeland life during the 18th and 19th centuries, including a farmhouse parlour, a…

3. Abbot Hall Art Gallery

2.77 MILES

Kendal's fine-art gallery houses one of the northwest's best collections of 18th- and 19th-century art. It's especially strong on portraiture and Lakeland…

4. Levens Hall

3.01 MILES

This Elizabethan manor is built around a mid-13th-century fortified pele tower, and fine Jacobean furniture litters its interior, although the real draw…

5. Kendal Museum

3.2 MILES

Founded in 1796 by the inveterate Victorian collector William Todhunter, this mixed-bag museum features everything from stuffed beasts and transfixed…

6. Blackwell House

5.81 MILES

Two miles south of Bowness on the B5360, Blackwell House is a glorious example of the 19th-century Arts and Crafts Movement, which championed handmade…

7. Fell Foot Park

6.47 MILES

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

6.5 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…