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'.

Outside Grasmere's village centre, this period property boasts original Victorian features alongside boutique decor in the bedrooms.

A 'sprawling, traditional building in a beautiful setting' at the tip of Windermere, this family and dog-friendly hotel has easy access to lake-based activities as well as a spa.

The Gloriana of Robin Hutson's Pig hotel collection, this Grade I-listed Elizabethan beauty in the peaceful Otter valley has the expected shabby-chic interiors, with French antiques, Zoffany fabrics and portraits of bewigged bigwigs, bedrooms decorated in restful pastels, a 25-mile menu making clever use of produce from the kitchen garden, and wood-fired flatbreads served outside a restored folly.

At the heart of Wordsworth country, this Victorian Gothic mansion in 43 acres is home to a cool, super-luxury hotel, where chef Paul Leonard draws inspiration from the Lakeland landscape to compose Michelin-starred menus using produce from the walled kitchen garden and Cumbria's abundant larder.

Once home to naturalist and cartographer Joseph Flintoft, this Victorian gentleman's residence on the lower slopes of Skiddaw is a family owned and run hotel with bedrooms mixing traditional and contemporary style, a menu of classic and more contemporary dishes, and great walks from the doorstep.