‘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. Its ethos is traditional ‘and not the worse for that’, says one regular visitor. ‘The welcome and friendliness of the staff and owners are outstanding,’ say others. An inviting lounge has a blazing log fire. Bedrooms have pine furniture, perhaps floral wallpaper, beams or a fine outlook; some have been updated since last year; a noisy boiler replaced. ‘Room 12 was a good size with modern bathroom.’ Especially appreciated was a book on ‘the magic and mystery of the Lake District’. In the panelled Georgian dining room, chef Gordon Topp’s ‘daily-changing and varied’ five-course menus include such locally sourced dishes as roast sirloin of Cumbrian beef on creamed potato, red onion marmalade, Burgundy wine jus. ‘We liked the option to have as few as two courses or as many as five, and a well-chosen wine list that allows guests to order house wine not only by the glass or bottle but also in litre and half-litre carafes.’ Breakfast is ‘excellent’. ‘You soon realise why guests return year after year.’ (B and JH)