Country PubLive Music
The Blacksmiths Arms
££·Ambleside
A character-packed pub where traditional Lakeland hospitality meets regular live music sessions. The perfect blend of excellent local ales, hearty mountain food, and authentic atmosphere.
Pubs
Traditional pubs and country inns
The Blacksmiths Arms
££·Ambleside
Traditional PubHidden Gem
The Hole in t' Wall
££·Bowness
Bowness's best-kept secret, tucked away from the tourist trail with exceptional local ales and unfussy traditional cooking. A proper Lakeland local where conversation flows as freely as the beer.
Traditional PubDog Friendly
The King's Head Inn
££·Keswick
A wonderfully weathered coaching inn where muddy boots are welcomed and local ales flow freely. The perfect post-fell refuge with crackling fires and hearty Cumberland fare.
Traditional BritishHistoric Inn
The Kings Arms Hotel
££·Cartmel
A 500-year-old coaching inn in the historic village of Cartmel. Famous for its traditional atmosphere and connection to the nearby priory.
GastropubLocal Legend
The Watermill Inn
££·Windermere
A converted 17th-century mill where the water wheel still turns and exceptional pub grub meets craft brewing excellence. This atmospheric gem perfectly captures Lakeland's industrial heritage.
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GastropubOwn Brewery
The Drunken Duck Inn
£££·Barngates·Barngates
Fell-top inn brewing its own Barngates ales with jaw-dropping views across to the Langdale Pikes. A Lakes institution.
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Traditional
The Strickland Arms
££·Sizergh·Sizergh
A cracking National Trust estate pub next to Sizergh Castle. Honest ales, homemade pies and a lovely garden.
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Gastropub & InnLake District Legend
The Drunken Duck
£££·Barngates, Ambleside·Windermere
A legendary Lake District inn with its own microbrewery, set in a spectacular hillside position between Ambleside and Hawkshead. The food is excellent, the beer is brewed on-site, and the views are breathtaking.
Country Pub
The Masons Arms
££·Cartmel Fell·Cartmel Fell
Perched on Strawberry Bank with views over the Winster Valley that justify the winding single-track approach.
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Traditional
The Kings Head
££·Thirlspot·Thirlspot
A 17th-century Helvellyn-side inn that has been reviving weary walkers with ale and hearty food for centuries.
Gastropub & InnScott's Favourite
The Punch Bowl
£££·Crosthwaite·Windermere
A 17th-century coaching inn in the Lyth Valley, owned by Richard English. The food is refined but unfussy, the rooms are beautifully appointed, and the setting in the quiet valley below Windermere is idyllic.
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GastropubBest Views
The Mortal Man
££·Troutbeck·Troutbeck
Troutbeck's beloved inn with arguably the finest beer-garden panorama in the Lake District. Worth it for the view alone.
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Traditional InnMarket Town Gem
The Sun Inn
££·Kirkby Lonsdale·Oxenholme
A proper market town inn overlooking Kirkby Lonsdale's historic main street. Excellent cask ales, hearty food, characterful rooms, and a location that's the perfect base for exploring the western Lakes.
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TraditionalOwn Brewery
The Kirkstile Inn
££·Loweswater·Loweswater
A remote gem between Crummock Water and Loweswater, brewing its own Cumbrian Legendary Ales. Quintessential fell-country pub.
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Country Inn
The Langstrath
££·Stonethwaite·Stonethwaite
Tucked into Borrowdale's quietest corner, this tiny country inn is the perfect post-walk pint stop with genuine warmth.
TraditionalCommunity Owned
The Old Crown
£·Hesket Newmarket·Hesket Newmarket
A community-owned co-operative pub serving Hesket Newmarket Brewery ales. It doesn't get more local than this.
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Traditional
The Mill Inn
£·Mungrisdale·Mungrisdale
A whitewashed Lakeland inn beneath Blencathra, serving cask ales and proper pub food to grateful fell-runners.
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Traditional
The Boot Inn
£·Boot·Boot
A friendly Eskdale local at the foot of Scafell Pike, perfectly placed for a post-summit pint and pie.
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TraditionalHeritage
The Wasdale Head Inn
££·Wasdale·Wasdale
England's most dramatically located pub, ringed by the highest fells and steeped in climbing history.
Traditional
The Britannia Inn
££·Elterwater·Elterwater
Elterwater's village green pub is a Langdale classic - real ales on the terrace with the Pikes as your backdrop.
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Traditional
The Unicorn Inn
£·Ambleside·Ambleside
A proper Ambleside local that doesn't try to be anything it isn't - good beer, good craic, good value.
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Traditional
The Royal Oak
£·Braithwaite·Braithwaite
Braithwaite's heart and soul, with Coledale Horseshoe views from the garden and Jennings ales on tap.
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TraditionalLocal Legend
The Golden Rule
£·Ambleside·Ambleside
No food, no music, no pretence. Ambleside's no-nonsense Robinsons pub is a perfect pint in its purest form.
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Traditional
The Dog and Gun
£·Keswick·Keswick
A proper Keswick town-centre local with well-kept ales and the kind of atmosphere that keeps regulars coming back.
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Gastropub
The George and Dragon
££·Clifton·Clifton
Lowther Estate coaching inn with a kitchen garden that feeds a menu of properly sourced, beautifully executed pub food.
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TraditionalHeritage
Hole in't Wall
£·Bowness·Bowness
Bowness's oldest pub, dating back to 1612. Low ceilings, real fires and a sense of history you can feel in the flagstones.
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Country InnHeritage
The Pheasant Inn
££·Bassenthwaite·Bassenthwaite
A 500-year-old fell-foot inn that hasn't changed a bit where it matters - the bar is a masterclass in traditional Lakeland hospitality.
Ale House16 Cask Ales
The Watermill
£·Ings·Ings
Sixteen real ales on tap at any given time, plus its own Blackbeck Brewery. A paradise for the cask-ale faithful.
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Brewery TaproomBrewery
Hawkshead Brewery Beer Hall
£·Staveley·Staveley
Staveley's buzzing brewery taproom pours the full Hawkshead range fresh from the source. The beer garden is superb.
TraditionalOwn Brewery
The Black Bull
£·Coniston·Coniston
Home of Coniston Brewing Co and their legendary Bluebird Bitter. A proper village local with world-class ales.
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TraditionalBeatrix Potter
The Tower Bank Arms
££·Near Sawrey·Near Sawrey
The pub immortalised in Beatrix Potter illustrations, next door to Hill Top. A charming National Trust village local.
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TraditionalOwn Brewery
The Queens Head
££·Tirril·Tirril
A stone-flagged, beam-ceilinged coaching inn near Ullswater with its own Tirril Brewery ales. Properly old-school.
Gastropub
The Eagle and Child
££·Staveley·Staveley
A stylishly refurbished Staveley inn that balances contemporary comfort with the soul of a proper village pub.
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Traditional
The Burnside
£·Bowness·Bowness
Bowness's most reliable pub for real ales and honest grub, with a terrace for watching the world wander past.
Brewery PubOwn Brewery
Bitter End
£·Cockermouth·Cockermouth
Cockermouth's microbrewery pub serves its own ales in a cosy, unpretentious setting. The brewery tours are worth booking.
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Country Inn
The Oddfellows Arms
£·Caldbeck·Caldbeck
A peaceful Back o Skiddaw village pub that rewards the effort of finding it with well-kept ales and genuine hospitality.
Traditional
The Horse and Farrier
££·Dacre·Dacre
A friendly Ullswater-area inn with good ale selection and a menu built around proper Cumbrian produce.
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Craft Bar
The Yan
£·Grasmere·Grasmere
Grasmere's modern micropub brings craft beer culture to the heart of the central Lakes. Small, friendly and well-curated.
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Brewery InnOwn Brewery
The Wild Boar Inn
££·Windermere·Windermere
Woodland inn with its own microbrewery producing cracking ales. The smoky bar is one of Windermere's best-kept secrets.
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Gastropub
Tweedies Bar
££·Grasmere·Grasmere
A lively Grasmere gastropub with a strong craft-beer selection and a kitchen that takes pub food seriously.
Traditional
The Twa Dogs
£·Keswick·Keswick
Named after Burns' poem, this Keswick favourite is a buzzy, dog-friendly hub with rotating guest ales.
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Traditional
The Wainwright Inn
££·Chapel Stile·Chapel Stile
A Langdale valley stalwart named after the great man himself - solid ales, hearty food and a walkers welcome.
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Traditional
The Sun Inn Coniston
£·Coniston·Coniston
A 16th-century Coniston inn with Donald Campbell memorabilia on the walls and proper Lakeland character throughout.
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Traditional
The Cavendish Arms
££·Cartmel·Cartmel
Cartmel's village pub sits in the shadow of the Priory and pours excellent local ales in a properly atmospheric setting.
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Brewery TaproomBrewery
The Beer Hall at Hawkshead
£·Staveley·Staveley
The full Hawkshead range plus seasonal specials, poured in a vibrant modern taproom. Staveley's craft-beer destination.
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GastropubOwn Brewery
The Brown Horse
££·Winster·Winster
A Winster Valley inn with its own microbrewery and a terrific wine list. One of south Lakeland's best-kept secrets.