Best budget hotels in the Lake District 2023

Undoubtedly alluring, deservedly popular, easily accessible (just off the M6) yet also – unsurprisingly – not the cheapest of destinations, the Lake District is the UK’s most-visited National Park. It contains some of the country’s most ravishing and soul-stirring landscapes: craggy fells, glistening lakes and timeless whitewashed villages. In recent years, many of its traditional inns have become gastropubs, B&Bs have gone ‘boutique’, and country house hotels have blossomed spas and Michelin-starred dining. So, how to find a wallet-friendly place to stay that isn’t a charmless shoebox with a dried-up breakfast offering?

Not so hard as you might imagine, if you bear in mind our guidelines. Want to be among the buzz? Consider the outskirts of towns rather than the centres. Not so bothered about shopping but still want views? Look at places towards the edges of the National Park, such as Eskdale, Ullswater or around the Lyth and Winster valleys. Do you need a lounge and 24-hour reception? The bar of an inn will provide all the company and local advice you need. Don’t dismiss glamping pods, either – we’ve found a couple (fully en-suite) with both views and on-site restaurants.

Location: Keswick

On the corner of Keswick’s Market Square, this former coaching inn is in the heart of one of the area’s most attractive towns with its jolly twice-weekly market, parks, Pencil Museum and fell-surrounded lake: Derwentwater. Take one of the traditional launches across the lake either to climb family-friendly Cat Bells, or stroll back along the lakeshore calling in at Lingholm Kitchen for tea and cakes from its on-site bakery. The inn’s quirkily shaped 18 bedrooms are neat and compact, with feature wallpapers, bespoke oak furniture and nice touches such as colourful tea-cosies and home-made biscuits.