Far from the hurrying world, this former coaching Iinn stands amid Wordsworth’s northern Lakes.

Warm hospitality, centuries-old architecture and ‘beautiful countryside’ again delighted loyal fans of this ‘exceptionally good-value oasis of peace and tranquillity.’

‘A lovely place to stay,’ writes a reader in 2018, of this popular old inn. On the banks of the River Hodder, it has views to the Forest of Bowland.

For almost 120 years, the Baldry family have welcomed guests to their ancient farmhouse overlooking Lake Ullswater. ‘Wonderfully old-fashioned’ or ‘lost in time’, it’s a Marmite sort of hotel

A babbling brook etches a course past Louise Dinnes’s ‘good-value, thoroughly dependable’ Victorian pub-with-rooms, where visitors find ‘outstanding food’ and ‘welcoming, efficient service’.

An unpretentious, gabled Arts and Crafts country house has ‘tantalising’ views of Lake Windermere and Coniston Fells.

We hear a perennial chorus of approval from fans of Wendy and Simon Bennett’s family-friendly Victorian fantasy castle in the Eden valley, between Lake District and Yorkshire Dales.

‘Always a favourite’ of Guide friends in the north, Richard Rose’s 300-year-old pub-with-rooms is in ‘one of the prettiest villages in south Lakeland’. It is promoted to a full entry this year.

In a ‘superb position on the marine parade’, this ‘Art Deco wonder’ was restored to its former glory by the small English Lakes group.

Homely character, tumbling views and relaxed efficiency – the key elements of Sue and Peter Robinson’s Arts and Crafts house.

In the Lyth valley, Becky and Ash Dewar’s 16th-century hostelry is a village pub ‘with a modern twist’.

Gerald and Margo Smith have created a gourmet destination in a lonely pub at a crossroads just to the south of the Scottish moors,’ write Guide inspectors this year.

In the hip northern quarter, Mujtaba and Amelia Ranahas have alchemised a Victorian textile warehouse into a glamorous hotel with a cool cocktail bar.

A home-away-from-home mood permeates this ‘lively, friendly’ stone-built pub-with-rooms in a Ribble valley village.

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.

In the buzzing heart of the city, opposite the Philharmonic Hall, a Venetian palazzo facade conceals this contemporary hotel, ‘ideally placed’ for discovering the wonderful history and architecture.

‘Wonderfully old-fashioned’, the Read family’s traditional hotel ‘continues to tick all the right boxes’.

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

The sun and moon make their haste, but this 400-year-old inn near the river Lune remains a dependably restful spot for travellers, walkers and their dogs.

Buzzy design and imaginative French-inflected cooking attract visitors from near and far to Julie and Patrick Beaumé’s 17th-century coaching inn.

Craig Bancroft’s Victorian country house hotel in the Ribble valley has held a Michelin star since 1996, under former chef/director Nigel Haworth, and now Lisa Allen.

The views are ‘stunning’ from this privately owned, ivy-clad Victorian hunting lodge standing in large grounds above Lake Windermere, the panorama of fells stretching wide.

There are open fires here, and views of Skiddaw; the traditional chintz and prints are ‘part of the charm’, says a devotee in 2017.

‘Comfortable, warm and reliable,’ say readers this year, who stayed, on journeys north and south, at the Dunning family’s hotel with farm shop off the M6.