Lake District, United Kingdom

Linthwaite House

Price per night from$260.41

Price information

If you haven’t entered any dates, the rate shown is provided directly by the hotel and represents the cheapest double room (including tax) available in the next 60 days.

Prices have been converted from the hotel’s local currency (GBP206.25), via openexchangerates.org, using today’s exchange rate.

Style

Lord of the lake

Setting

Wordsworth’s garden

Wrapped in manicured gardens with views over Lake Windermere, Linthwaite House delivers 21st-century sophistication amid a rugged landscape. Rocky mountains and grassy fells – the sort eulogised by local poet William Wordsworth – loom beyond the lake, but this pocket of Edwardian domesticity lets you admire Nature at your leisure, sipping G&Ts as you watch Victorian steamers cruise across the lake. There’s nothing antiquated about the interiors, however, which have been swept into the present by bold patterns, fine fabrics and the owner’s personal art collection. Helmed by acclaimed chef Simon Rogan, restaurant Henrock offers a taste of the Lakes via Rogan's globe-trotting recipe book.

Smith Extra

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A box of locally-made sticky toffee chocolates

Facilities

Photos Linthwaite House facilities

Need to know

Rooms

Thirty-six, including eight suites.

Check–Out

11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.

Prices

Double rooms from £247.50, including tax at 20 per cent.

More details

Rates usually include breakfast. A menu full of classics made with locally sourced ingredients as well as fresh pastries and seasonal fruits make up breakfast.

At the hotel

Free WiFi throughout. In rooms: smart TV with Bose Soundbar, free bottled water, pod coffee machine, safe.

Our favourite rooms

Rooms with a view are well worth the extra spend, as you’ll be overlooking the manicured gardens or the lake. If you’re happy to splash, book one of the suites: one has a telescope for stargazing, another has a private hot tub with views across Windermere.

Packing tips

Pack poetry by Wordsworth or Coleridge, two of the Lake District’s most famous inhabitants. The region’s beauty fired their imaginations, and its expansive landscapes often shine through in their poems and writing.

Also

The public areas are wheelchair accessible, but there are no specially adapted rooms.

Pet‐friendly

Dogs can stay for a flat fee of £35, which gets them a bed and bowl. Only the Superior and Fell suites are dog-friendly rooms so availability is limited, and they’re only allowed in the room and on the grounds, not in the public areas. See more pet-friendly hotels in Lake District.

Children

Some rooms have sofabeds; children under four stay free, with a maximum of two children per room, and those aged 5–16 stay for £35 a night each, with a maximum of one child per room. Babysitting is from £15 an hour; two days’ notice is required.

Food and Drink

Photos Linthwaite House food and drink

Top Table

In summer, ask for a table outside – you’ll be able to smell the gardens in full bloom.

Dress Code

As you please. People come to the lakes to roam the dramatic landscape, so you’re not expected to pack your Sunday best. Although the restaurant does require smart casual.

Hotel restaurant

Henrock is helmed by all-star chef and restaurateur Simon Rogan, best known for his first Lake District sensation, L’Enclume. Henrock is a more informal affair but born of similar passions – not least Rogan’s commitment to using the finest produce he can get his hands on. Some of the organic fruits and greens come directly from ‘Our Farm’, Rogan’s own holding in the nearby Cartmel Valley. The menu leans towards sharing and small plates, which are underpinned by British ingredients and cooking but influenced by the chef’s travels around the world. If you’re looking for a dish to share, try the 30-day-aged Herdwick lamb, served with treacle-like date molasses.

Hotel bar

The cocktail menu at the Bar & Conservatory takes guests on a taste tour of Italy via the lakes. Whatever the season, settle by the window with a Windermere Spring, an exotic blend of saffron, lime juice, vanilla and orange syrup with Peychaud's bitter. The globe-trotting wine list includes Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines from the hotel’s sister properties in Franschhoek. They also serve several local brews, including Windermere Gold and Hawkshead lager, both of which are brewed in nearby Kendal.

Last orders

Henrock is open for dinner from 6pm to 9pm, Wednesday to Saturday (booking is essential). On Mondays and Tuesdays, the Bar & Conservatory is open for all-day dining.

Location

Photos Linthwaite House location
Address
Linthwaite House
Crook Rd, Bowness-on-Windermere, Windermere
Cumbria
LA23 3JA
United Kingdom

Linthwaite House is a country house hotel in the Lake District offering fine dining and Windermere views.

Planes

The closest airports are Manchester and Leeds Bradford; both are a two-hour drive from the hotel. The Smith24 team can arrange your flights and transfers; call day or night.

Trains

There are regular services to Oxenholme from London Euston, Manchester Piccadilly, Glasgow Central and Edinburgh Waverley. Once there, you can hop onto a regional service to Windermere.

Automobiles

A car will definitely come in handy, as this is England at its remote and mountainous best. The drive from London takes around five hours; from Manchester, you can usually do it in just under two. There’s onsite parking at the hotel, and Tesla drivers can hook up to one of three charging points.

Worth getting out of bed for

A region that inspired literary giants, the Lake District lays claim to some of the nation’s most stirring scenery. The first national park in Britain to win Unesco World Heritage status, it’s a place where a short walk can take you past lush meadows, snow-capped mountains and glassy lakes that are stained blood orange when the sun sets. Lake Windermere alone is over 10 miles long, so one of the best ways to see the area is from the water – Windermere Lake Cruises uses charming wooden vessels. If you fancy a challenge, take to the water on a paddle board instead. Walkers looking for a challenge can set their sights on Scafell Pike, England’s highest mountain. The climb doesn’t require any ropes or specialist kit, but it’s a steady slog and the weather can change on a dime, so make sure you’ve got supplies and a good waterproof. For a more gentle stroll, try the trails in Grizedale Forest. If walking’s a bit slow for your tastes, try one of the more pulse-raising activities offered at Rookin House in Penrith; quad biking, off-road driving and clay-pigeon shooting are just a few of the things on offer. If you’ve family in tow (or want to relive your childhood for an hour), make the short trip to Bowness-on-Windermere, home to the World of Beatrix Potter Attraction. Potter was another member of the Lake District literati, and the museum pays homage to her vivid creations and talent for children’s tales.

Local restaurants

Bowness-on-Windermere is arguably the foodie capital of the Lake District. If you’re in town and looking for caffeine fix or light lunch, stop in at the Country Hut (45 St Martins Square), which does a roaring trade in cakes, coffee, charcuterie boards and English ales. For lunch or dinner, try pint-sized Porto, which looks like a traditional pub from the outside but is in fact a modern, award-winning restaurant. The kitchen call on Cumbria’s best suppliers for their ingredients, so you can be sure you’ll be getting the taste of the Lakes. For dinner with a difference, try the town’s most famous resident, L’Enclume. Chef Simon Rogan was one of the pioneers of the locally-sourced movement, and he draws most of his ingredients from the restaurant's own farm in the Cartmell valley. The dishes are creative, delicate and stylishly presented, and gastronomes come from all over the country to try them: book well in advance.

Reviews

Photos Linthwaite House reviews

Anonymous review

Every hotel featured is visited personally by members of our team, given the Smith seal of approval, and then anonymously reviewed. As soon as our reviewers have returned from this country house hotel in the Lake District and unpacked their beer from nearby Hawkshead Brewery, a full account of their rural break will be with you. In the meantime, to whet your wanderlust, here's a quick peek inside Linthwaite House in the Lake District…

If you like your natural beauty mingled with Edwardian glamour and a dash of la dolce vita, then Linthwaite House is the one for you. Built at the turn of 20th century, the former country home sits astride a small hill that descends to the banks of Windermere, England’s largest lake, often dotted with sailing boats and Victorian-era steam cruisers. Mossy mountains and untamed woods beckon from the opposite shore, but the hotel is as well heeled as the shoes of the merchant it was built for. Mock-Tudor beams, mullioned windows and an ivy-clad façade ensure plenty of traditional character, but a top-to-tail refit introduced bold patterns and bright fabrics to the design scheme, bringing the interiors into the 21st century. Finished with bronze chandeliers and art from the owner’s own collection, stylish restaurant Stella has a menu by renowned TV chef Ritu Dalmia, who’s united her love for Italian cuisine with the best of Cumbria’s farms and fields.

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Price per night from $260.41