The Forest Side, Grasmere, Lake District

Set back from the A591 north-south route through the central Lakes, and on the outskirts of Grasmere, it's easy to reach but largely shielded from both traffic and tourist bustle. Grasmere village is a five-minute walk across fields, while popular locations such as Coniston, Windermere and Keswick are within a 30-minute drive. You're in Wordsworth country - Dove Cottage, Rydal Mount, and the world-famous Grasmere gingerbread shop are within easy reach.

By car: 1 hour 40 minutes from Manchester, 3 hours from Edinburgh and just over 5 hours from London. There is free parking on-site.

By train: trains run from Manchester Piccadilly (just over 1 hour), London Euston (3 hours) and Edinburgh (2 hours) to Oxenholme Lake District station. The hotel is a 40-minute taxi ride from the station. Book trains to Oxenholme.

The bold Victorian mansion has been skilfully transformed into a contemporary restaurant with rooms without losing its grandeur. Cool and airy, with a soft grey palette, velvet-upholstered chairs, pops of colour in cushions, and a magnificent wallpaper in the bar, it's very grown-up with occasional ferns, artful twiggy arrangements and platters of fruit.

This place is as much for active outdoors-lovers as greedy foodies. Guests are given a booklet of recommended walks from the hotel, and there's drying room for when they return. Or they can wander the 43 acres of garden and woodland, including the kitchen garden. Equally, they can enjoy the garden views from the comfort of the snazzy bar - with log-burner and sitting-room.

• Restaurant

• Bar

• Terrace

• Pet-friendly
• Free parking
• Free Wi-Fi

Bedrooms are quietly elegant with soft, shimmery colours of dove-grey, pale aqua and sky-blue, large panelled headboards, Zoffany wallpapers, Gustavian-style furniture and minimal ornaments. The gauzy half-canopy over the bed is a simple touch of luxury. Bathrooms - all with bath and shower - are sleek, modern and understated with limestone tiling.

Room types: Cosy, Superb, Master, Accessible & Dog Friendly Rooms

Key amenities: ensuite bathroom with Bramley toiletries, Harrison Spinks beds

The tasting menu-only dinners are all about terroir with the majority of ingredients from a 10-mile radius, and most of the fruit, herbs and vegetables from the kitchen garden. Dishes combine flavours to startling effect - lobster with kohlrabi and nasturtium, pickled walnut salad with slow-cooked egg yolk - relying on pure flavours. Start with a leisurely house cocktail, and don't skip the petits fours.

Forest Side: one Michelin star, four AA Rosettes. Inventive fine dining, local ingredients (often foraged or grown on-site). Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Four or eight course tasting menus.