Lake District - one night reasonable accomodation required
 

Hi,
Planning on stopping in the lake district for one night enroute from London to Scotland and was wondering if there were any recommendations for accomodation for one night - £25-35pppn. Somewhere scenic would be nice - preferably overlooking a lake. Also have half a day to spend in the area/village so any recommendations for things to see/drive through. Understand this is terribly short but this trip is about the Scottish highlands.
Thanks all,
Alok

Hey Alok,

We stayed at the High Fold Guest House in Troutbeck during our stay in 2007. We stayed in the Kirkstone room, and the owners were extremely helpful and friendly. Very clean, and the breakfast was great - lovely view from the breakfast room. I just checked the website, and I believe they have some rooms for 35 pounds pppn.

We really loved the area - it's a pretty small village with just two pubs(The Mortal Man, and Queen's Head). Both of the pubs are great, but I really loved the food at the Queen's Head. Troutbeck was just a 2 minute drive to Windermere - we loved that we were away from the crowds, but still within easy distance to a larger town.

Here's the website: www.highfoldbedandbreakfast.co.uk

You can also check reviews at tripadvisor.com

thanks Anna,
unfortunately needed a place for the night of the 22nd and it seems sold out.
best regards,
alok

Have a look at http://www.bestofthelakes.com/, lovely studio rooms with a great breakfast. They have a late availability page so you can check and see if they have a vacancy.

try www.laterooms.com but depending on season, a lot of places have a minimum of 2 nights booking, so you might find it easier to book a nearby Travel Inn or Lodge.

The Mortal Man, by the way, has now closed and the owner is in court on charges of credit card fraud! A colleague of mine went there for a weekend last December - and was charged again on his credit card about a month later. There started to be lots of similar reports on Trip Advisor and eventually it was reported to the police and trading standards, who reckoned there had been many complaints!

Update - just found out that the Mortal Man has now re-opened under new ownership and is undergoing refurbishment.

The three b&bs listed here are all great choices http://www.womenrepublic.co.uk/travel/cumbria/guest.htm . If I had to choose I would go for the West Vale Country House in Ambleside. But at nearly £100 a night for a double, it's quite a bit out of your price bracket.

You want one night - and are just driving through enroute to Scotland. You will have absolutely no time in the Lakes. I forget from your other thread - aren't you traveling this month? If so, you will probably have a really REALLY tough time finding a place that will book just a Saturday night in the middle of August -- and have rooms available.

I'd give up on the idea of the Lakes and just pick a motorway Travel Lodge or some such . . . .

No B&B or guesthouse will let you book just one night on a Saturday, esp in peak month like August, unless they have a late cancellation or an odd night free (e.g. someone is staying from Mon to Frida, and another from Sunday onwards). Go to http://www.golakes.co.uk/accommodation/ and look for any odd vacancy. Then phone (don't try to book online, as the system will almost certainly reject one-night stay at weekends) and ask.
Bigger hotels are usually more open to one-night stay (if they have a room). But I was in the Lakes over a weekend last month and there was very little accommodation available - just about everywhere had a sign up 'No vacancy'.
If you just want a pit stop, try a hotel in Carlisle. There are several business-type hotels that allow one-night stay, from around £50 a room B&B, such as Swallow Hotel.

The B&B I posted has both studios free on August 22nd according to their late availability page.

You could try this terrific B&B and see if they have a room -
http://www.denehurst-guesthouse.co.uk/index.html

It's in Windermere, we had a few nights there last year and would say it's one of the best B&Bs we've ever stayed in. Very comfortable, friendly and helpful owners, good breakfast with a choice of food. We'd stay there again. Might be worth a phone call or email.

Kay

hetismij,

Have you stayed at the Fellside Studios? I also came across that link about a year ago and it seemed really nice, and I loved that it was in Troutbeck.

"<i>Also have half a day to spend in the area/village</i>"

Maybe I misunderstood - aren't you driving up from London and going on to Skye the next day? Of course, where you start from in London will make a difference - but it will be at least a 5 hour drive to Windermere - more likely 6+ hours.

Yes Anna I have stayed there. My nephew got married in the Lake district and we rented one studio and my brother the other. It was excellent. very nice breakfast - you choose the night before what you want, and when you want it and it is brought to your room. There is also a small kitchenette so you can cook something up yourself if you want to.
We had the back studio (studio1) and sat outside for our breakfast. It was really lovely and I highly recommend it. Some great walks from there too - they have some laminated sheets with different walks you can take.

thanks everyone - checked all of these places and no availability including in the studios. will keep trying i guess.
cheers

I just checked www.laterooms.com for you (normally a good bet for last minute panics like this). Unfortunately virtually everything in the prime locations seems to be either sold out or imposing a 2-night or 4-night minimum stay. Not that surprising - this is peak season for the Lakes and many of these places will have been booked up for months.

I did find 1-night availability for the 22nd at:-
- Westmorland Hotel Near Orton, Penrith
- The Patterdale Hotel, Patterdale, Cumbria
- Ravenscroft Bed and Breakfast, Lake Road, Windermere

There are probably a few more options, but not many. My advice would be to get on www.laterooms.com ASAP and just take the first available place you can get.