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.

In the Lune valley, between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales, this ‘comfortable hotel with modern, well-appointed bedrooms’ was Andrew Wildsmith’s first foray into the hospitality field.

‘Strongly endorsed by readers this year: ‘The exceptional ambience of this very fine English country house hotel reflects Richard Lee’s personal, multi-talented approach.’

‘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.

'A very special place.’ ‘Utterly charming.’ 'It’s not the Ritz, but you will feel like a lord.’ Lavish and frequent praise in 2019 for Wendy and Simon Bennett’s Victorian fantasy castle in the Eden valley.

In ‘one of the prettiest villages in south Lakeland’, Richard Rose’s former 18th-century coaching inn is firmly on Cumbria’s culinary map.

‘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.

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

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

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 glass of fizz and handmade brownies or truffles set the tone on arrival at Tim Mills and Michael Stephen’s boutique hotel atop the Roman city walls..

‘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.

Grand from every direction, this ‘very smart’ Grade II listed hotel (Bespoke Hotels) is ‘a very good place to stay, peopled with polite, cheerful staff’.

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

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,

Modern, personal accommodation is found minutes from Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach at this cheery hotel by the sea.

By an arched stone bridge, ‘an imposing edifice’ surrounded by gardens that sweep down to the River Leven, the Bardsley family’s ‘good-value’, child-friendly former 17th-century coaching house is a lively, welcoming spot.

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.