Howtown Hotel
For almost 120 years, the Baldry family have welcomed guests to their ancient farmhouse overlooking Lake Ullswater. More
Contact details
Hotel information
Bedrooms
15. 2 in annexe, plus 4 self-catering cottages.
Open
end of March–mid-Nov.
Facilities
3 lounges, TV room, 2 bars, dining room, tea room, Wi-Fi in cottages and tea room only, 2-acre grounds, 200 yds from lake (private foreshore, fishing), walking, sailing, climbing, riding, golf nearby, restaurant wheelchair accessible, toilet not adapted.
Background music
none.
Children
all ages welcomed.
Dogs
allowed in some bedrooms (£4 per night charge), not in public rooms.
Credit cards
Mastercard, Visa.
Prices
per person B&B £73, D,B&B £108.
Other reviews
Good Hotel Guide Review
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 (the kind of place where you might indeed expect Marmite along with the butter balls and heather honey, the tomato juice, the Rich Tea biscuits). ‘As soon as one steps through the door there is a cosy, comfortable feel.’ Small sitting rooms have ‘a good fire, china, paintings, fringed lamps’. Bedrooms have no lock or key, ‘no TV, no mobile signal or Wi-Fi’, just lovely views and quiet. Beds are conventionally dressed, bathrooms supplied with bars of Imperial Leather. Grandfather clocks say ‘Time for tea.’ A gong summons guests for an ‘excellent but never fancy’ four-course dinner, perhaps liver and bacon; trifle and ice cream – perfect for hungry fell walkers. ‘Chef Colin Akrigg joined from [the legendary] Sharrow Bay, where he worked in its glory years,’ says a local devotee. Beds are turned down, electric blankets switched on. ‘Everything is done just so,’ an inspector relates. ‘Tables are beautifully laid. It’s so retro it’s almost trendy.’ (Stephanie Thompson, and others)
- USA Today: 20 of Britain’s best hotels for walking
- Evening Standard: Six of the best hotels in the Lake District
- The Independent: Ten of Britain’s best hotels for walking
- MSN: Ten UK hotels for outdoor pursuits
Tourist attractions
Dalemain House
Tudor and medieval rooms, behind a Georgian façade.
Rookin House Farm
An equestrian activity centre.
The Lake District
The largest of the English National Parks and the second largest in the United Kingdom.
Guest comments