The Sun Inn, Windermere

A roadside hotel the best part of a mile out on the main road towards Ambleside and in the small hamlet of Troutbeck Bridge, despite the sign describing it as "The Sun Hotel, Windermere". The architectural style is mixed, the building seemingly having been added to at various times, most recently an enclosed verandah at the front. Internally, the tiled foyer leads to an opened out interior, where an old fashioned look predominates: a reception desk has what appears to be an original stained glass pelmet. The bar, to the right on entering, is nothing special, having three hand pumps serving local ales, of which two were available on my pre-Christmas visit: Jennings Cumberland Ale and Hawkshead Windermere Pale. The latter was a new one to me, and a pleasant surprise in being neither completely bland nor overpoweringly floral, but a well balanced bitter, albeit a very pale one. A wood burning stove is the attraction to the left, where chunky pine tables are set up for dining, with wicker chairs. Old photos and engravings of Lakes scenes adorn the walls and the busy main road outside drowns out the piped music.