Dog-friendly hotels in the Lake District: where your dog is properly welcome

The Lake District is one of the easiest places in England to holiday with a dog. Plenty of hotels and inns take dogs, and many of the best walks start from their doors. "Dog friendly" covers a wide range, though. At some places your dog can sit with you by the fire at dinner; at others it is limited to the bedroom and the garden.

Every hotel below says on its own website that dogs are welcome. Where the hotel publishes a fee, we give it (checked October 2026). Policies and charges change, dog rooms are limited everywhere, and most hotels ask you to declare your dog when you book, so always confirm before you travel. For more ideas, see our dog-friendly hub.

Grasmere and Ambleside

The Swan, Grasmere. An Inn Collection Group inn on the edge of Grasmere village. Its dog page says up to two dogs can stay with you for £15 per night, added when you book (checked October 2026), and there are dog-friendly areas inside the inn. From the door you can walk to Alcock Tarn or Easedale Tarn, both good dog walks with streams on the way.

Forest Side, Grasmere. A country house hotel with 43 acres of grounds and woodland on the edge of Grasmere. It takes up to two well-behaved dogs in a number of dog-friendly bedrooms, and dogs can join you in the lounge and bar. The one place they cannot go is the restaurant. The hotel's site does not publish a fee, so ask when you book.

Rothay Manor, Ambleside. A country house hotel in Ambleside. It welcomes dogs in selected rooms, including some courtyard rooms, suites and the garden suites, with direct access to the gardens. The charge is £25 per dog per night, with no extra charge after three nights (checked October 2026). Dogs can come into the drawing room and, for dinner, the Brathay Room, on leads and off the furniture. Loughrigg Fell starts from the edge of town.

A note on The Wordsworth. The Wordsworth Hotel in Grasmere is closed for a full refurbishment. Its owner, the Inn Collection Group, is taking bookings for stays from November 2026 but says an exact reopening date has not been confirmed. Check its dog policy once it reopens.

Windermere

Gilpin Hotel & Lake House. The hotel near Bowness says it has a selection of dog-friendly rooms. Its FAQ gives the charge as £30 per dog, per stay (checked October 2026). Dogs can join you at Gilpin Spice, but not at SOURCE during evening service.

Linthwaite House, Bowness. Dogs stay in dedicated dog-friendly rooms, with a maximum of one medium-sized dog or two small dogs per room. A surcharge applies and the hotel asks you to enquire when booking. Be clear about what you are getting: dogs are not allowed in the hotel's bar, lounges or restaurant, but are welcome on the terrace and in the grounds.

The Wild Boar, near Windermere. The English Lakes hotel says plainly that dogs are very welcome. They can settle in the bar and lounge areas, but they are not accommodated in the luxury rooms and are not allowed in the main Grill & Smokehouse restaurant. No fee is published on the page we checked.

The Swan Hotel & Spa, Newby Bridge. At the southern tip of Windermere. Its dog page lists dog-friendly rooms and cottages, up to two dogs per room, at £25 per dog per night (checked October 2026). Dogs are welcome everywhere in the hotel except the brasserie, function spaces, and the health club and spa, and they can eat with you in the Swan Inn. Dogs must be on a lead indoors and kept off beds and soft furnishings.

Keswick, Borrowdale and Bassenthwaite

Lodore Falls Hotel & Spa, Borrowdale. On the east side of Derwentwater, south of Keswick. Dogs can stay in most bedrooms and some suites, at £25 per dog per night, or £35 in the suites (checked October 2026). Dogs can join you for breakfast, lunch or dinner in the Side Lounge and the Conservatory, where space is limited, so book a table. They are not allowed in the two restaurants or in the Lake View Bar seating area.

Borrowdale Gates Hotel, Grange. A quieter country house hotel near Grange-in-Borrowdale. It takes up to two dogs per room at £18 per dog per night (checked October 2026), and not every room is dog-friendly, so call first. This one suits dogs that are happy to relax in the room: they are not permitted in any public areas, including the bar and the open-plan restaurant. Castle Crag starts from Grange.

Armathwaite Hall Hotel & Spa, Bassenthwaite. Dogs stay in ground-floor rooms that open onto the patio and garden, at £25 per dog per night, which includes a bed, cushion, treats and poo bags (checked October 2026). There is a maximum of two dogs per room. Clean, well-behaved dogs on a lead can use the Hall Lounge from 10am to 7pm, but not the Dining Room, The Grill or the spa. These rooms go quickly, so book early.

The Pheasant Inn, Bassenthwaite. Another Inn Collection Group property, which describes itself as exceptionally dog friendly. As at The Swan in Grasmere, up to two dogs can stay with you for £15 per night (checked October 2026).

Ullswater and Penrith

Inn on the Lake, Glenridding. The hotel allows dogs in 15 bedrooms at £25 per dog per night, added online when you book (checked October 2026). Dog beds and bowls are available on request. Dogs are welcome in reception, the Orangery and the Ramblers Bar, and you can eat any meal there with your dog, but not in the restaurant. The grounds run down to the lake, and the Ullswater steamers take dogs on a short lead for £1.50 each (checked October 2026), so a boat to Howtown and the shore path back to Glenridding is an easy day with no car.

Another Place, The Lake, Watermillock. The lakeside hotel charges £15 per night for the first dog and £5 for each additional dog, with a maximum of two per room (checked October 2026). Not all rooms take dogs. Dogs are welcome in The Living Space bar and restaurant and in The Glasshouse by the shore.

Askham Hall, near Penrith. Home of the Michelin-starred Allium. The family who run it say they love to welcome families and dogs. The site does not set out a fee or room policy, so ask when you book.

Langdale, Coniston and the Sawreys

Old Dungeon Ghyll, Great Langdale. The walkers' hotel at the head of the valley. Its FAQ says well-behaved dogs are welcome in the hotel and the Climbers Bar, and an additional charge applies for dogs in bedrooms; the amount is not published, so ask. It is the obvious base for the Langdale fells, and Stickle Tarn is a short drive down the valley.

The Tower Bank Arms, Near Sawrey. A village inn in the same small village as Beatrix Potter's Hill Top, with four bedrooms that it describes as dog friendly. It says well-behaved dogs are welcome. No fee is listed.

Kirkby Lonsdale

The Sun Inn, Kirkby Lonsdale. Just outside the National Park but a good base for the Lune valley. All its deluxe, superior and standard rooms take dogs, at £30 for one dog per stay or £40 for two (checked October 2026), and the bar and dining area are dog friendly. The short loop from Devil's Bridge to Ruskin's View starts nearby.

Good walks for dogs

Most of our walks allow dogs, but the fells are sheep country and many routes cross ground with livestock, so keep your dog on a lead around animals. Some easy favourites:

• Buttermere lake circuit: level, with a lakeshore tunnel and plenty of water.
• Loweswater and Holme Wood: flat and quiet, through oak woods.
• Elterwater to Skelwith Force: a level riverside path with no stiles.
• Friar's Crag and the Derwentwater shore: a short stroll from Keswick.
• Tarn Hows: an easy loop on a good path.
• Rydal Water and Rydal Cave: a longer half day with the cave as the reward.

Each walk page has its own dog notes, including stiles and livestock.

Before you go

• Declare your dog when you book. Almost every hotel above has a limited number of dog rooms and expects you to say so at booking.
• Check where dogs can eat. If you want your dog with you at dinner, pick a hotel with a dog-friendly lounge or bar dining area, such as Inn on the Lake, Lodore Falls, Rothay Manor or Another Place. At Borrowdale Gates and Linthwaite House, dogs stay out of the public rooms.
• House rules. Most hotels ask that dogs are not left alone in rooms, stay off beds and are kept on a lead indoors.
• Older guides. Some round-ups list hotels we could not confirm on the hotel's own website, or mix up the two Swans: The Swan in Grasmere and The Swan Hotel & Spa at Newby Bridge are different hotels with different owners and fees.
• Getting about. For walks, parking and car-free options, see our parking guide and car-free guide.