Sawrey House

Pros +

• Having never visited the Lake District before we had no experience of the best location & best accommodation. Fortunately we chose Sawrey House Hotel in Near Sawrey, mainly because it looked superb, the rooms looked great, it was well priced & wasnt dog friendly (No offence dog lovers). Hotelier David Bulmer was the perfect host and made us feel very welcome. The hotel is beautiful & the surrounding area is a quiet unspoilt part of the Lake District. It was a perfect location as a basis to explore the various key locations, including Grasmere, Ambleside, Coniston, Derwent Water, Esthwaite Water, Bassenthwaite Lake & Tarn Hows etc, away from the overcrowded Windermere & Bowness. Even better, the hotel is immediately beside Beatrix Potters Hilltop Farm, where she wrote many of her books. The evidence of her inspiration was all around the Sawrey Hotel, with bunnies, squirrels, pheasants and much more wildlife visiting the garden each day. Breakfast in the hotel was made to order, and we filled in our selection from the menu in advance each day. The quality & presentation of the food was superb! The hotel doesnt currently offer lunch or evening meals, but does offer afternoon tea & charcuterie boards. However, there are loads of restaurants nearby (our favourites were Billys in Hawkshead on 5 mins drive away) and the Boardwalk Bar & Grill in Windermere, which can be accessed via a 10min ferry trip (with car) from nearby Ferry House to Ferry Nab. (6.50 per car or free for Blue Badge Holders) Our favourite spot by the water was at the south end of Esthwaite Water, only 2mins drive (15mins walk) from the hotel. The hotel is a boutique b&b so it is quirky and doesnt have all the mod-cons but that adds to its charm. Overall we enjoyed a fabulous stay & were blessed with 4 days of sunshine which I understand is a rarity in the Lake District!!