The Inn at Whitewell

There are ‘superb’ rooms, ‘attentive’ staff and ‘cream-tea scones just as they should be’ at this ‘comfortable’, well-loved country hotel above the Forest of Bowland. ‘I hope it never changes,’ says a return visitor this year. The River Hodder rushes past the garden; within the 18th-century inn and romantically restored coach house, choose one of the ‘impressive’ bedrooms in which to lay your head. (Ask for a room with a restored Victorian cabinet bath in the ‘enormous’ bathroom – ‘perhaps not for the faint-of-heart, but uniquely characterful’.) ‘Our beautiful room had an excellent view over the river to the valley. A bonus: the comfortable sofa by the peat fire, so we could toast our toes.’ ‘Everything is pretty near perfect’ in the dining room, where long-serving chef Jamie Cadman’s modern dishes, perhaps venison carpaccio or whole roasted poussin, use plenty of local meat and game. ‘I had the lamb shank, and they were happy to serve alternative vegetables to those listed on the menu.’ Hungry for something more casual? In the bar, ‘the famous fish pie never disappoints’. (Mike Craddock, Lynn Wildgoose)