At an isolated crossroads with uninterrupted views across the border to the Scottish hills, this former coaching inn combines a wild rural feel with unexpected luxury. Gerald and Margo Smith have injected style and warmth – slate floors, tweedy fabrics and modern art – into a traditional pub without losing its character. Bedrooms, some in the adjoining converted barn, others up a swanky glass-sided staircase, are contemporary-country, with tartan throws and headboards, rustic wooden cladding and a designer bathroom. The flowers, robes, shortbread, coffee machines and Roberts radios are ‘sweet additions to a wonderfully appointed room with stunning views’. After a flurry of kitchen changes, stability has come in the form of Chris Archer, with Cottage in the Wood, Braithwaite, pedigree (see entry). Dishes such as Cartmel Valley venison with celeriac and wild mushroom, or halibut with gnocchi, use produce from the Smiths’ kitchen garden at Netherby Hall. ‘Delicious’ breakfasts, served by ‘friendly and attentive’ staff, include omelettes and ‘perfectly cooked poached eggs’. 
‘A luxurious gem in a rural setting.’ (Suzi Swain, and others)