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Askham Hall
Penrith, Cumbria
With a Michelin-starred restaurant, Grade II listed garden, 17th-century pele tower and French drawing room, Askham Hall sounds as if it might be very formal; not a bit of it.
Good Hotel Guide Review
The hotel experts at the Good Hotel Guide
With a Michelin-starred restaurant, Grade II listed garden, 17th-century pele tower and French drawing room, Askham Hall sounds as if it might be very formal; not a bit of it. The ancestral home of the Lowthers, now a restaurant-with-rooms, is relaxed and unpretentious with dogs and children mingling among family heirlooms, books and modern art. One drawing room has doors to a classic English country-house garden. 'A warm welcome and relaxed elegance,' reports one reader. 'Absolutely fantastic. Great food, lovely situation,' concludes another. Main house bedrooms – some with leaded windows and fireplace – mix antiques with modern pieces, while those in the courtyard have a rustic style. Quirky shapes can mean unconventional layouts, and a walk-in shower in the bedroom surprised one couple – though some other bathrooms have a roll-top bath. The tasting menu's 'outstanding food', with produce from the kitchen garden, might include Cornish crab with lobster and lovage, and Lowther red deer with elderberry sauce. Book dinner ahead, advises one reader. A 'very good breakfast' delighted one guest with 'an excellent kipper!' (Liz and David Phillips, and others)
Hotel Details
Address
Askham, Penrith, Cumbria, CA10 2PF, England
Telephone
Bedroom
19. 2 suitable for wheelchair user.
Openings
all year excl. Christmas and Jan, restaurant closed Sun/Mon.
Background Music
in reception rooms in evening.
Children
all ages welcomed, no charge for cots, family rooms, no under-10s in restaurant in evening.
Dogs
allowed (£15 a night, welcome pack), not in restaurant, on lead in grounds.
Prices
B&B doubles from £180. Tasting menu £125.
Facilities
2 drawing rooms, snug, 2 dining rooms (veg menu), in-room TV, civil wedding licence, 12-acre grounds, outdoor swimming pool, hot tub, function facilities, EV charging, restaurant wheelchair accessible, adapted toilet.
Location
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