Close to the northernmost of the Lakes, under Wythop Woods in the shadow of Skiddaw, this 300-year-old coaching inn, managed by Matthew Wylie, is ‘a very special place, say fans’.

'In a lovely location in quiet countryside’, Christopher and Andrea Varley’s 400-year-old manor house stands in wooded grounds with views across the Vale of Cartmel.

‘Our very special place, where we love to enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the countryside,’ writes a reader this year, signing off with a smiley emoji.

‘In a beautiful setting, with valley and fell views all around’, this country house, built for the daughter of a Liverpool ship owner, retains the leisured ambiance of its Edwardian past.

An anniversary in 2020, and a valediction: a century after this Victorian private house first opened to paying guests, and 13 years after they took over, Glynis and Simon Wood are preparing to retire.

In the once lawless Debatable Lands, Gerald and Margo Smith have brought order to a former coaching inn-turned-contemporary hotel.

By the water’s edge, watching the tide race in at Robert Lyons and Lesley Wheeler’s pub-with-rooms is a thrilling sight.

‘Marvellous stay.’ The Read family’s ‘wonderfully old-fashioned’ hotel draws back regular guests for the ‘wonderful food and very friendly staff’.

'Glorious fell views’, ‘excellent food’ and ‘capable, obliging staff’ are found at this family-friendly spot on the lower slopes of Skiddaw.

‘Once we had found our way round the one-way streets of Kirkby Lonsdale, we were shown up to a lovely corner room overlooking an alleyway and the church.’ Praise this year from readers for Iain and Jenny Black’s 400-year-old inn in a market town between the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales.

Ideally placed for exploring the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales, Paul Spencer's laid-back inn sprawls comfortably on the road to Lupton.

‘Kevin and Nicki Winsland, with their daughters Charlotte and Bex, have created a hotel of great charm and warmth.’ Readers enthuse over a stay at this small Victorian country house with gardens running down to the River Rothay, in a village forever associated with Wordsworth.

At the foot of the Howgill fells in the far western Dales, Graham and Fiona Lappin’s B&B is surrounded by glorious scenery. A welcome retreat, guests are served cakes, pastries and sandwiches on arrival; connoisseurs will appreciate the selection of 12 different loose leaf teas.

A cream tea on arrival and a hot tub in the grounds are among the pleasures that make Hazel Thompson’s B&B, in fans’ eyes, ‘the best in the Lakes’.

‘How wonderful it would be if many service areas (and indeed motorway hotels) could be like this one.’

‘Simply awesome,' writes a reader this year, about this 'fabulous' hotel on wooded slopes overlooking Grasmere.

‘This will become our stop-over of choice on the way to west Scotland.’ A full entry this year for Alison and Andi Sambrook's ‘small, unpretentious hotel’ opposite the green in a village bypassed by the A66.

Enfolded within verdant gardens, an 18th-century country house with ‘stunning views’ across to the Langdale Pikes.

A gabled Arts and Crafts country house in extensive grounds with ‘tantalising’ views of Lake Windermere and Coniston Fells.

Fell walkers, climbers – including some of Britain’s greatest mountaineers – and sleepy travellers have sought this unpretentious, dog-friendly inn, in a ‘glorious setting’, for more than 300 years.

On a wonderfully scenic perch above Windermere, Tracey Robinson and Joanna Harbottle’s 19th-century stone-and-slate country house is a ‘very welcoming’ retreat.

The verdant surrounds of this Victorian country house above Lake Windermere make an inspiring setting,

Roman history doesn’t come much closer than at Liam McNulty and Lauren Harrison’s rustic B&B.

Hugged by wooded grounds, the peaceful atmosphere, broad views and walks from the doorstep draw guests back to this comfortable Lakeland hotel.