Guests are assured of ‘friendliness and an outstanding welcome’ from second-generation owners Christopher and Andrea Varley at this ‘lovely hotel in the heart of quiet countryside’.

‘The valley in which this inn sits seems to me one of the loveliest places on earth; from the back of the inn, the views of fells, river and parkland landscape are just about perfect. And the stillness at night is magical.’

For more than a century, the Baldry family’s ancient farmhouse has stood in this remote, ‘very special setting’, where the ‘fantastic views’ reach over the garden and the sheep-dotted fields to the fells beyond.

‘Warm and friendly’, and ‘good value’ to boot, Louise Dinnes’s Victorian pub-with-rooms stands in a conservation village surrounded by a national parkland of windswept fells.

‘It’s a home away from home,’ chorus fans in 2017 of the Bennett family’s ‘stunning, well-preserved’ 19th-century pile striking a pose in rambling grounds in the Eden valley.

There’s a ‘homely atmosphere’ and ‘a sense of cosy welcome’ at this unpretentious, gabled Edwardian country house overlooking Lake Windermere and Coniston Fells.

‘What a glorious setting.’ For more than 300 years, fell walkers and climbers have sought the views and comforts from this unpretentious, dog-friendly inn at the head of the Great Langdale valley.

‘Well located for exploring the city’, this contemporary hotel opposite the Philharmonic Hall basks in the buzz of the vibrant cultural quarter.

‘Good beer’, ‘excellent food’, ‘nice bedrooms’ and a ‘relaxing ambience’ win admirers at Richard Rose’s ‘fantastic’ 300-year-old inn in the bucolic Lyth valley.

‘Old fashioned, but none the worse for that’, the Read family’s traditional hotel enjoys a loyal following.

Families are ‘warmly welcomed’ at this early Victorian country house, ‘ideally positioned’ for exploring the Catbells and Borrowdale valley.

A meander from the River Lune, this 17th-century inn by the old churchyard in the historic market town reserves a special welcome for walkers and their dogs.

Close to the famous Cavern Club, this Beatles-themed hotel is a must for fans of the Fab Four.

On the banks of the River Wyre, Julie and Patrick Beaumé’s refurbished 17th-century coaching inn surprises with its voguish bedrooms and imaginative, French-inflected cooking.

In open farmland in the Yorkshire Dales national park, Graham and Fiona Lappin’s luxurious B&B in a massively restored cattle barn is a haven for walkers and devotees of a good cuppa.

In the rural Ribble valley, this extended Victorian manor house has basked in Michelin stardom under chef/co-owner Nigel Haworth for more than 20 years.

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.

‘There’s a feeling of complete well-being about the place,’ write Guide readers in 2017 of the Dunning family’s hotel and upmarket farm shop just off the M6.

‘A good place to stay.’ In a central location close to the cathedral and the ancient city walls, this ‘very smart’ Grade II listed hotel (Bespoke Hotels) has luxury to spare.

There are sun loungers and a hammock in the walled garden of this suburban Victorian town house, plus many other peaceful spots to sit and relax in.

‘A lively spot’, this ‘friendly’ stone-built pub-with-rooms (Thwaites Inns of Character) sits in a rural village in the Ribble valley.

Let the hillside setting and leafy copses around this Victorian country house capture the imagination – they inspired Beatrice Potter to pen the adventures of her many woodland creatures.

Andy Baker’s modern B&B on the Fylde coast stands within walking distance of shops, restaurants and the sea.