 Excellent meals both bar and restaurant. Really beautiful location. Friendly staff. Famous for their selection of home-made beers and lagers. (Micro-brewery on site.) Small village setting. Plenty of space for safe walking of dogs. Live music. Comfortable rooms, especially No 8. All dogs welcome, including some bedrooms. Perfect place to chill out. Early booking very essential. Perfect for getting away, surrounded by mountain scenery.
Lakes, Cakes and Automobiles
We’ve just had a week’s dog-friendly stay in Pepper Cottage located in Hawkshead near Ambleside in the Lake District. This is myself, my husband and our three Basset Hounds...Buddy-love (10), Peach (7) and Daisy (5). Pepper Cottage is fab, a two bedroomed single level cottage with slate flooring, large enclosed garden and huge dog bed! We visited many dog-friendly locations over the week. In fact I’d go as far to say dogs were encouraged let alone accepted! In Hawkshead itself, all the pubs and cafes allowed dogs plus to my amazement, most of the shops. On the first day we went to Derwent Water and took the Hounds on a lake cruiser where dogs travelled free. We enjoyed a 50 minute cruise around the lake. We also took the Hounds to Carlisle Castle being as we are English Heritage members who are notoriously dog-friendly at over 90% of their sites. The dogs were allowed everywhere in the castle apart from the cafe although there were seats outside and luckily the weather was kind. From here we went to Birdoswald Roman Fort Hadrian’s Wall where again, dogs were welcomed. On the way back we called into Lanercost Priory where the dogs were allowed everywhere including in the church. There was a dog-friendly seating area in the cafe called “Bark and Brew” however the extremely low tables were a huge temptation for the Hounds especially when cake appeared (and I’m not talking liver cake!). Buddy-love took a dive for it but luckily my reactions were quick enough to save the cake however the coffee took a tumble!  Hi Steve Have just discovered this amazing place to stay in the Lake District which your readers may find interesting I’m actually a trustee of the Field Studies Council ( a charity fostering outdoor education and enjoyment for all) and was at a meeting at Blencathra this weekend where I had a chance to look at the two self catering cottages which welcome dogs nestling at the foot of the mountain and are within walking distance of Threlkeld( 2 pubs) and short drive to Keswick The cottages have been beautifully upgraded for accommodation and adjoin the centre ( a converted TB hospital !) They have amazing views to Keswick and Helvellyn and the whole area is amazingly dog friendly ( with the caveat of many sheep and lambs !) and footpaths in every direction start from the door step The prices are really competitive and far more reasonable than most local cottages!! The field centre ( adjacent but not joined )doesn’t just cater for students learning about the outdoors but has a variety of offerings for adults and families with an environmental theme( walking ,natural history ,arts ,health and well being courses ...) - the staff are very friendly and welcoming there Here are some photos and the official website : https://www.golakes.co.uk/Keswick-Self-catering And here is the web address for the Field Studies Council for Blencathra https://www.field-studies-council.org/centres/blencathra.aspx And lastly the main website for the Field Studies Council with its real family holidays section since Blencathra is not the only site you can stay at ! There are 17 centres in the most iconic and beautiful places across the UK . All offer courses and mist accommodation.Not all are dog friendly (yet!) But it’s worth enquiring about ! https://www.field-studies-council.org/   |
