Best spa hotels in the Lake District: Country house charm, boutique appeal and Scandi style

Every year, some 15 million people pitch up to explore the craggy fells and gleaming mountain tarns of the Lake District National Park. But this place – once just a collection of remote Cumberland counties, bordered by the Irish Sea and the Pennines – didn’t even get its name until 1730.

Ever since the romantic poets arrived in the 19th century, Lakeland (as it’s known by locals) has been a cultural phenomenon, beloved by Wordsworth, Coleridge, Ransome and Beatrix Potter, who lived and wrote in the Lakes. Now a Unesco World Heritage Site, it’s as popular as ever, meaning you’ll need a restful spot to kick back in and escape the crowds with a soothing spa session.

The best hotels in the Lake District are:

Neighbourhood: Grasmere

With candle lanterns, fibre-optic lighting, brushed concrete walls and pops of abstract art, the spa at The Daffodil – on the shores of Grasmere, across the road from Wordsworth’s Dove Cottage – is modern and slinky. At its centre is a bubbly thermal pool enclaved by a sauna, steam room and tepidarium. The treatment menu is comprehensive – including mud Rasul treatments, regenerative massages and botanical facials using Germaine de Capuccini products. Rooms here are crisp and contemporary and most come with staggering lake or valley views.

Read our full review of The Daffodil Hotel and Spa

Price: Doubles from £163

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Neighbourhood: Grasmere

Rothay is a homely hotel, strictly for grown-ups, where wholesome wellness goes hand in hand with a floor-to-ceiling windows kind of luxury. The intimate, light-filled spa comes with views across the fells…