The Lake District is known for many things – craggy fells, glinting lakes, tumbling waterfalls, Peter Rabbit and red squirrels – but it is not generally thought of as a spa destination. You go there to indulge in the scenery, often from a lake cruise or from a fell-top, not usually to indulge the body (other than with food…).
Think again. Several hotels have cottoned on to the fact that the sublime scenery can be equally enjoyed from a hot tub or, even better, an outdoor hydrotherapy pool. And that a massage and a sauna might be just the thing fell-walkers crave after a long day on the hills.
Certainly Lake District spa hotels take full advantage of their location with, amongst other treats, outdoor Finnish saunas, cocktails in fell-view infinity pools, and glass-fronted treatment rooms high above a forest-ringed private lake.
Best spa hotels in the Lake District
At a glance
1. Gilpin Hotel and Lake House, Crook, near Windermere
This hotel offers not just one but two spas, depending in which part of the hotel grounds you’re staying. The main hotel, built around an Edwardian country house and three miles from the eastern shores of Windermere, offers a small and discreet two-treatment-room spa (couples only) with a hidden roof-top garden with hot tub. Meanwhile, Lake House, a re-built fishing lodge a mile away down a twisty road, also offers two treatment rooms. The latter are tucked amongst woodland and with views of the private lake through its floor-to-ceiling windows. Dotted amongst the trees are a couple of hot tubs, plus there’s an indoor pool.
For utter indulgence (and this is a very sybaritic hotel) opt for one of the spa suites – stand-alone glass-and-timber chalets – in the grounds of the main house where you can have treatments in your own room. Like most of the bedrooms, these also have private hot tubs. Throw in a choice of two restaurants (one Michelin-starred) and you’ll want for nothing – other than a decent bank balance.
Address: Crook Road, Windermere LA23 3NE
2. Lakeside Hotel, Newby Bridge
