There is a relaxed, timeless ambience at this grown-up 19th-century country house (Relais & Château), but things have moved on apace, with fine dining now at the very heart of the operation.

If you want a hotel with hi-tech wizardry and hot tubs, this place is not for you, but ‘if you are happy with traditional hospitality’ and ‘like to be cosseted, Howtown Hotel will do nicely’.

A 17th-century former coaching inn overlooking the Levens estuary is today a likeable, dog-friendly pub-with-rooms, offering homely bedrooms, some with balcony, casual bar meals, and dinner served by candlelight in the conservatory.

‘In a beautiful setting at the tip of Lake Windermere, overlooking the River Leven,’ this family-friendly hotel unveiled an extension in 2022.

‘A friendly, proper local pub bar, as well as a restaurant’, this 18th-century coaching inn at the heart of the Lowther Estate is set back from the A6, with a view of fields and grazing horses

Cosy, low-ceilinged and wood fire-warmed, this smartly refurbished 17th-century pub in the centre of a Lake District village is ‘friendly, fun and very convivial’.

With an enviable position on Windermere, this Georgian hall has a relaxed country house feel, with formal and casual dining options, and bedrooms ranging from family friendly to seriously swanky.