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.

With the arrival of Michelin-starred chef Hrishikesh Desai, this smart country house hotel in beautiful, leafy grounds has become a top foodie destination.

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'.

Lakeland luxury at its finest comes courtesy of Gilpin, with its Michelin-starred dining, private hot tubs in the majority of its indulgent rooms and attentive staff. Its flagship rooms are extravagantly large glass-cube spa suites that extend over a pond and offer private garden, spa room and circular bath.

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 offers 'top-notch food', 'great service' and country-style bedrooms.

In a market town between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, this pub with rooms deftly mixes historic charm – beams, crackling fires and exposed stonework – with an updated, modern touch.

Occupying a Georgian house and new annexe wings with private shorefront on Ullswater, this is an entirely child-friendly, dog-friendly 'lifestyle' hotel for those who love the great outdoors.

The River Rothay runs past the back garden of this small country house hotel with attractive individually styled bedrooms and a choice of dining options.

'A charming place', this B&B and events venue has plenty of space, with bedrooms in a 19th-century house and coach house, three lounges, well-stocked kitchen and extensive grounds.

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.

In a Lyth valley village on the edge of the Lake District, Becky and Ash Dewar have transformed a 16th-century hostelry into an 'always welcoming' village pub. The beamed bar in the former 16th-century hostelry has cask ales, craft beers and cocktails made with locally produced spirits.

Hipping Hall will be closing permanently on the 24th July 2023. Between the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District – and just ten minutes from the M6 – Hipping Hall is a surprising foodie find with understated yet luxurious bedrooms, spacious gardens and a relaxed atmosphere.

Away from the Lake District's hot spots, in quiet Lorton Vale north of Buttermere, this whitewashed farmhouse B&B mixes rustic authenticity with modern comforts.

Book well ahead to stay at this luxury restaurant-with-rooms, in a centuries-old hall, where reverence for terroir, traceability and sustainability are at the heart of Mark Birchall's modern cuisine.

A 'superbly positioned Art Deco wonder', the former railway hotel overlooking the sand flats of Morecambe Bay was restored to its iconic glory by the English Lakes group.

Just a short walk from the tourist honeypot of Grasmere, an extended Victorian country house in wooded gardens, on the River Rothay, set against a backdrop of fells, is now in the ownership of Bespoke Hotels.

Beyond its imposing colonnade and Tudor revival upper storeys, this grand Victorian hotel balances superb service with friendliness, traditionally styled with more contemporary rooms, brasserie fare with refined dining.

The River Eden loops past this red-sandstone mansion, topped with a cupola, on a wooded estate.

In the buzzy Georgian quarter, a Victorian carriage works has been reimagined as a hotel, with industrial-chic style, spa, minimalist bedrooms and modern British menus.