‘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. Sure – if home has claw-footed baths, turrets for wardrobes, an honesty bar packed with local ales and spirits, and stained-glass windows with wide countryside views. ‘A nice mix of castle and comfort’, with a ‘relaxed, welcoming atmosphere’, this is ‘no staid hotel’: ‘the down-to-earth owners make your stay very special’. Scattered with antiques, ‘comfortable bedrooms’ in the castle, former gatehouses and converted orangery are each ‘very different’ – book a room with a cast iron fireplace, or one with poetry on the ceiling. Weekend nights, ‘glorious dinners’ of local produce are served, house-party style, at shared tables (cold platters are available on other evenings). There are open fires, an Art Deco cinema (popcorn included), a library with games and dressing-up clothes for children. Outside, set off on wooded walks or take on the windswept fells beyond. ‘Simply first class.’ (Donna Harrison, Daniel McWilliams, Jan Hallam, Renee Cole, Debbie Dean)