Linthwaite House Hotel

Linthwaite is a longstanding Lake District hotel that has reinvented itself in recent years by ridding itself of formality and old-fashioned decor. It now offers a mix of classic and contemporary: sumptuous rooms in the main house, the best of which offer widescreen views over Windermere, along with timber-clad Fell Suites that feel more minimalist and modern.

The restaurant, Henrock is a huge selling-point: it’s overseen by star chef Simon Rogan, known for his experimental cooking (his flagship restaurant in Cartmel, L’Enclume, recently won its third Michelin star). The gardens are gorgeous, and offer fun surprises such as an outdoor chess set and a boules pitch. Various trails wind around the grounds, and the hotel even has its own tarn complete with wooden rowboats.

Linthwaite’s location is hard to better: it sits on a quiet hill above Windermere, offering an uninterrupted vista of the lake and the fells beyond. If you do feel able to tear yourself away, Windermere and Ambleside are both on your doorstep, with Grasmere, Coniston and the valley Great Langdale a little further afield.