Inn on the Square Hotel

Market Square, Keswick

It’s a four-star first for the sleepy market town of Keswick, in the Lake District. Fresh air seekers headed to the north lakes will enjoy seriously good food at this revamped hotel – an elegant coach house from the 1800s – now a clever mix of laid- back Cumbrian country style and Scandi touches like Danish designer lamps and pale wooden furniture.
Opt for a cosy Herdwick room, where beady-eyed sheep watch over you as you sleep (from a canvas scene above your bed). The more spacious Town rooms look out over the square to the slopes of mighty Skiddaw. Chargrilled, oak-smoked rump steaks with peppercorn and whisky sauce or tasty glazed chops and truffled mac ’n’ cheese are the must-orders for dinner at the excellent Brossen Steakhouse, where you can watch chefs get their grill on. RR. Doubles from £106, innonthesquare.co.uk