Mary Mount Hotel, Borrowdale, Keswick

We had a very pleasant stay here with our dog. The accommodation was in the "bungalow", which was very clean, comfortable and cosy. As we had our dog with us we ate our evening meals in the bar area, which was also extremely cosy with a roaring log fire and was exceptionally comfortable. The food was of a high standard and represented good value for money. Tirril Old Faithful was the only real beer on the pumps. However, it was kept and served very well. The staff were friendly and very helpful. In the mornings we chose to have our breakfast in the lounge area as opposed to the dining room, and by doing this we were able to take our dog to breakfast with us, service was of the same high standard. On our departure we made a further reservation for next year.

Easily missed if you're driving along the twisty and narrow road to Borrowdale, but keep a sharp eye out for the sign that says non-residents, walkers and families are "most welcome". The building is an odd looking, low-slung affair dating back a hundred years or more, with dormer windows and a more modern flat-roofed extension on the lake side. This latter houses the dining room and has the effect of putting the bar in the heart of the building rather than giving it the lake view it must originally have had. Once found, down a corridor to the right of the entrance, the bar is a very pleasant room clad in what may well be original wood panelling. It's quite a small room, with a few low chairs huddled together around the open log fire. At the bar itself, which is of the same light-coloured wood, are a few high chairs. There are a couple of hand pumps, with just Tirril Old Faithful on at the time of my visit. The room is cosy, with the low ceiling made to feel even lower because of the intricate repeated pattern in its plaster. The only natural light comes from the dining room's windows - the bar has a serving hatch facing that room, but the two rooms do not interconnect. There are the usual board games and books that any Lake District hotel worth its salt provides for guests marooned by the weather and I thought this would make a pleasant place to while away an hour or two until conditions improve outside.

Official site of Mary Mount Hotel - www.marymounthotel.co.uk

Official site of Mary Mount Hotel - www.marymounthotel.co.uk