Smallwood House Hotel
Eighteen minutes from Windermere Golf Club, this late 19th-century Westmoreland slate house retains its Victorian charm. Its 12 guest rooms have baths or showers, under-floor heating and televisions. Two have views of nearby Wansfell, and one has a four-poster bed. Room prices include a choice continental, cold or freshly cooked full English breakfasts. Dogs are welcome, and dog lovers can arrange their stays to coincide with the annual Lake District and Rydal Sheep Dog Trials held nearby.
The hotel has a licensed bar where guests can have a pre-dinner drink before heading out to one of Ambleside's many restaurants. The Glass House, in a restored 15th-century mill just a three-minute walk from Smallwood, serves traditional British and continental cuisine.
Smallwood House Hotel
Compston Road
Ambleside
Cumbria LA22 9DJ
Untied Kingdom
011 (+44) 015 3943 2330
smallwoodhotel.co.uk
Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel
Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, 30 minutes northwest of Windermere Golf Club, will arrange tee times for qualified golfers. The hotel, dating to the 1700s, welcomes clean well-behaved dogs. This basic but Charming Great Langdale Valley accommodation has 13 guest rooms with antique furnishings, but just four have their own bath facilities. The hotel's location is out of cell phone range. Board games in the lounge have supplanted television.
The lounges' other attractions are an open log fire and a constant supply of fresh tea, coffee and cake. Room prices include full English breakfast. The hotel bar offers lunch and dinner, and the dining room offers a five-course prix fixe evening meal for guests with prior booking. Hikers can request packed lunches.
Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel
Great Langdale
Ambleside, LA22 9JY
United Kingdom
011 (+44) 015 3943 7272
odg.co.uk
Elder Grove
A five-minute stroll from Ambleside's center, the Elder Grove Bed & Breakfast welcomes dogs for an additional fee. They can't be left unattended in the guest rooms and aren't permitted in the hotel's public areas. Elder Grove provides free passes to Langdale Country Club, with tennis courts, a heated pool, fitness center and other leisure facilities.
Two spacious Ambleside and fells-view guest rooms have relaxing warm decor, one traditional with a half-tester bed and the other contemporary. Each has its own bath and shower, television, free Wi-Fi and designer toiletries. The hotel lounge has a television with DVD player and PlayStation, board games and puzzles. Breakfast, served in the dining room, includes homemade breads and preserves.
Elder Grove
Lake Road
Ambleside
Cumbria LA22 0DB
011 (+44) 015 3943 2504
eldergrove.co.uk
About The Author
Judy Wolfe has owned her own freelance writing business since 2006. She is a professional florist, holds a certificate in advanced floral design and had her Valentine's Day floral design published in "Super Floral Retailing." She is a travel writer for Chincoteague Island Vacations, MyGermanCity and Berlin Dude. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in literature from California State Polytechnic Univeristy in Pomona.
