In the middle of a grey and wet Lake District, the charming Cragwood Country House is a warm and…read morebeckoning beacon. Check-in is friendly and efficient, and the rooms are spacious. The hotel has two parts, one old and one new. The older portion of the house is decidedly more charming--unsurprisingly!--yet the newer side is equally warm and comfortable, if not as lovely.
Enjoy beautiful views out on to manicured gardens, the countryside, and the lake from your room and from all the main gathering spaces in the old house. Two well-stocked bars will serve up a tasty Hendricks and cucumber, or just about anything else you might fancy, along with crunchy bar snacks. But don't fill up--dinner is their pièce de résistance.
Menus are dispersed and orders are placed over drinks and canapés, which might include mini pesto cream tarts and mackerel rillettes on brown bread, in front of a raging fire. One evening, our table's chosen starters included seared scallops and a goat's cheese and red onion flan, followed by an asparagus and cauliflower soup. Mains included pan roasted salmon, seared corn fed duck breast, and a lamb rump steak cooked to perfection, all rounded out with tasty accompaniments including roasted carrots, potatoes dauphinoise, inter alia. The fresh bread basket and chilled butter was overly tempting. Dessert was between perennial favorites such as tiramisu and a decadent chocolate brownie, to local delights such as sticky toffee pudding and a cheese platter. I opted for the latter, and was thoroughly impressed with the variety--and the quantity!
The meal is topped off with french press pots of coffee and homemade chocolates.
The beds are spacious and comfortable and the grounds offer short walks (nearby) and the location affords long walks, hikes, and treks in the vicinity. And then, there's always Beatrix Potter's house...
Charming, indeed. And I highly recommend this comfortable, cozy English countryside getaway.