With its towers and battlements this Victorian-folly castle, in 15 acres of grounds, looks imposing yet 'you actually feel like it is your castle'.

This ‘splendid old inn’ in a market town between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales deftly mixes historic charm – beams, crackling fires and exposed stonework – with an updated, modern touch.

Beyond a tree-lined drive, this Victorian villa, home to a small country house hotel, is in the safe hands of new owners Simon and Kate Hustler.

Welcoming owners ensure guests’ dogs feel at home at their country house B&B, an elegant retreat in the Eden valley, with well-appointed bedrooms in the main house and coach house, and first-class breakfasts.

With its indulgent bedrooms, Michelin-starred dining, attentive staff and guaranteed privacy, many look to Gilpin as the ultimate in Lakeland luxury.

They're serious about their food at this idyllic manor house hotel on the outskirts of Ambleside, with walks from the door and superb facilities for both humans and their four-legged friends.

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.

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

To find a gem in a quiet corner of the visitor-thronged Lake District is not easy, but this smart village inn in the lovely Lyth valley is, as one reader reports, ‘always a favourite’.

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.

The humble setting of this former coaching inn, half a mile from the Scottish border, belies its chic bedrooms and creative cooking.

Refreshingly different from some of the more traditional Lake District offerings, this contemporary hotel is in a beautiful setting overlooking Grasmere.

‘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