Whenever I make expeditions outside of London, I try to ensure that wherever I’m visiting either has a literary link of some sort, or that the hotel in question has a well stocked library. And so, you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across The Lake District’s Another Place, The Lake Located in an area of outstanding natural beauty that has literary history seeping from its very core, it too is home to one of the most impressive hotel libraries I’ve come across, stocked with a combination of coffee table tomes, travel memoirs, and novels, all of which nod to the hotel’s stunning lakeside location, which overlooks the picture-perfect opalescence of Ullswater Lake.
Despite being one of The Lake District’s lesser known (and therefore less-visited) lakes, Ullswater is in fact the second largest after Windemere, and stands at an impressive nine miles long. Sitting amidst the some of the most scenic fells in Lakeland, it is also the setting for nineteenth-century poet William Wordsworth’s much-loved Daffodils. Another Place is set on the shores of Ullswater, and thus offers visitors unrivalled views of the lake, as well as an eighteen-acre plot of Lake District national parkland to explore.
We arrive on a blustery but bright Monday lunch-time, and after winding down a meandering road, flanked by the iridescent lake on one side, and Lakeland fells on the other, are immediately enchanted by the picturesque entrance to the hotel. Overlooking the scenic stretch of water, the generous-sized porch is filled with Joules wellington-boots and leads to a cosy reception, with the Rampsbeck restaurant on one side, and the library on the other.
The reception staff are welcoming and hospitable – happily suggesting local walks and expeditions – and after a quick cup of tea in the reception’s lounge area, we check in and are shown to the room we’ll be staying in for the next two nights. With spectacular views of the lake, our room also features its own living area – complete with sofa, chair and coffee table – tea and coffee-making facilities, cakes in the fridge, a stand alone bath tub and a large and luxurious double bed.
The library is undoubtedly the heart of the hotel for anyone with a penchant for books, and the focal point during our wintery stay is a roaring log fire that emits a smoky scent and casts a glow across the room with its golden embers. The sofas are sumptuous, draped with sheep skin blankets, and scattered with plump and pretty cushions, while the bookshelves are stacked high with books, many of which have literary links to the location of the hotel, including a hardback tome on the life of once-local author Beatrix Potter, as well as The Shepherd’s Life: A Tale of the Lake District, by James Rebanks. The library was curated with the waterfront locale in mind, and many of the literary offerings are set in the nearby area. The perfect place to relax morning , noon or night, it’s as idyllic after breakfast with a pot of tea and a book, as it is of an evening, when the sky outside is inky, and guests can enjoy a pre or post-dinner cocktail or glass of prosecco while enjoying one of the hotel’s many board games.
As well as a library, the hotel features a picturesque Swim Club that consists of a twenty-meter pool that makes the most of its lakeside location, with floor-to-ceiling windows that boast incredible views of the mountainous vistas, and both an outdoor hot tub and sauna, offering the perfect spots to relax after enjoying an afternoon on one of the ample nearby walking trails. And with the vast stretch of Ullswater just a stone’s throw from the hotel, guests can also take advantage of the wide and varied range of water activities should they so wish – from stand-up paddle boarding to wild water swimming, to kayaking and beyond.
With two onsite eateries – The Living Space and the Rampsbeck Restaurant – Another Place, The Lake is also a wonderful destination for foodies. While The Living Space offers hot and hearty meals including traditional fish and chips, doorstep sandwiches and plentiful bowls of fresh pasta, the restaurant is inspired by the region’s local produce, and on our second night we dined on a feast of crab and grapefruit, heritage tomato salad, poached cod, grilled stone bass and bitter chocolate fondant, before retiring to relax over a glass of wine in front of the library fire, while the wind outside howled loudly in the distance, making for an atmospheric and cosy night’s reading.
From the literary location to the welcoming staff, to the stylish bedrooms and the lavish library, Another Place, The Lake is unique in that it has something for everyone. Whether an adventure-seeker with a love for the great outdoors who wants to make the most of the many tracks and trails The Lake Districts is so renowned for, or a lover of all things literary whose idea of heaven is curling up by the fire with a book in hand, or someone in need of some spa-time and serious rest and relaxation, Another Place, The Lake truly has it all.
Useful information about Another Place Hotel
Address
Another Place, The Lake, Rampsbeck Grange, Watermillock, Penrith, Cumbria, CA11 0LP
Getting there
By train
The nearest train station is Penrith. Travelling by Virgin Trains the journey will take three hours from London Euston to Penrith North Lakes.
The hotel is a 15-20 minute taxi ride from the station.
By car
Another Place is a 10 minute drive from the M6. At junction 40 leave the motorway and head west on the A66. At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto A592. Follow the A592 until you reach a T-junction at the edge of Ullswater. Turn right towards Patterdale and Windermere. Continue on for one mile, you will find the hotel on your left.
By bus
The 508 Stagecoach Bus (Penrith – Patterdale) has a regular service from Penrith train station to Watermillock and takes about 30 minutes. This bus also stops at Pooley Bridge, Aira Force and Glenridding.
By plane
The nearest airports are Newcastle upon Tyne, Glasgow, Liverpool and Manchester.
Website
Price
Room prices start from approximately £150 per night..