Travel & Tourism

The beautiful Lake District boutique hotel that’s been named one of the UK’s best

That spa is stunning.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 2nd December 2023

A beautiful boutique hotel in the Lake District has just been named one of the top three in the UK – and it’s easy to see why.

Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, near Windermere, is one of only two properties in the north of the country to make the top 10 in the prestigious list.

The stunning hotel and spa has just 39 rooms, including its staggering spa suites, which are build on top of a natural pond with their own stone-built hot tubs on the decking.

It’s also home to two renowned restaurants – Michelin-star SOURCE, which has Ollie Bridgwater as executive chef, and Gilpin Spice.

And now the Gilpin Hotel & Lake House has landed itself in third place in the Top 50 Boutique Hotels. Quite the accolade.

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It’s climbed nine places since last year, and was beaten only by The Newt in Somerset and Lime Wood in Lyndhurst.

The team at the Gilpin says its new ranking in the list is down its ongoing renovations and improvements, which have included a new Spa Space at Gilpin Hotel, a Vertical Farm, more Spa Suites and the appointment of two new chefs.

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Hot Tub At the Lake House. Credit: Denise Creely
Hot Tub At the Lake House. Credit: Denise Creely
The Gilpin Lake House.
The Gilpin Lake House. Credit: Ben Barden Photography Ltd. 2009

The hotel is operated by Barney and Zoë Cunliffe, who worked alongside Barney’s parents John and Christine until their deaths in 2020 and 2022 respectively.

The Top 50 Boutique Hotels is curated by and voted on by leading industry experts, hoteliers, travel writers and influencers.

Barney and Zoë said: “We are so very proud to be in this year’s list, and chuffed to bits to be so highly placed.

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“We’ve worked together as a family and team for 35 years to create Gilpin, and it has always been our aim to create a luxurious sanctuary – one that is filled with love and laughter, without any pretentiousness.

“We want our guests to feel at home here, to feel loved, and we hope that that is what our guests feel.

“It’s with great sadness that we can’t celebrate this award with Mum and Dad, but we know that they would be absolutely delighted. As always, we would like to say a massive thank you to Team Gilpin, who all work so hard and with incredible passion. Thank you.”

SOURCE restaurant at the Gilpin Hotel.
SOURCE restaurant at the Gilpin Hotel. Credit: Supplied

Gilpin Hotel & Lake House executive chef Ollie said: “Being named in a list like this gives credence to everything we have been trying to achieve at SOURCE at Gilpin Hotel over the past year, with the restaurant offering an extra dimension to the wider Gilpin experience.

“People come to Gilpin to get away from everything and when they visit SOURCE they’re looking for a sense of occasion as well as the food and wine, so we hope to live up to that ideal.”

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Also featuring on the Top 50 Boutique Hotels list in the north west were Another Place in Ullswater, Moor Hall in Lancashire, Hotel Gotham in Manchester, Rothay Manor in Ambleside, and The Samling Hotel in the Lake District.

The full list from 1 to 50, including special awards for food and drink and best service is available to view here.

You can find out more about Gilpin Hotel & Lake House and book a room here.

The Top 50 Boutique Hotels 2023 list in full

  • The Newt, Somerset
  • Lime Wood, Lyndhurst
  • Gilpin Hotel & Lake House, Windermere
  • Heckfield Place, Hook
  • Padstow Townhouse, Padstow
  • The Pig at Bridge Place, Kent
  • Lympstone Manor, Exmouth
  • Grantley Hall, Ripon
  • Beaverbrook, Leatherhead
  • Hambleton Hall, Oakham
  • Dormy House Hotel, Broadway
  • Hampton Manor, Hampton In Arden
  • Grove of Narberth, Narberth
  • The Idle Rocks, St Mawes
  • Another Place, Ullswater
  • Boys Hall, Ashford
  • Artist Residence Bristol, Bristol
  • The Mandrake, London
  • The Fife Arms, Braemer
  • Foyers Lodge, Scotland
  • Great Fosters, Egham
  • Middleton Lodge, Ripon
  • Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms, Lancashire
  • The Zetter Marylebone, London
  • Yorebridge House, YorK
  • The Gallivant, Rye
  • The Wild Rabbit, Kingham
  • Estelle Manor, North Leigh
  • Hotel Gotham, Manchester
  • Links House at Royal Dornoch, Dornoch
  • Palé Hall, Bala, Wales
  • Scarlet Hotel, Cornwall
  • Hotel Tresanton, Tresanton
  • Henrietta Hotel, London
  • Lochgreen House Hotel & Spa, Troon
  • The Harper, Holt
  • The Pig on the Beach, Swanage
  • Rothay Manor, Ambleside
  • Number One Bruton, Somerset
  • Nomad, London
  • The Mitre, Hampton Court
  • The Samling Hotel, Lake District
  • House of Gods, Edinburgh
  • The Retreat at Elcot Park, Newbury
  • Farlam Hall Hotel & Restaurant, Brampton
  • Glebe House, Devon
  • Le Manoir aux Quat’saisons, Oxford
  • At the Chapel, Bruton
  • Henry’s Townhouse, Marylebone, London
  • Titchwell Manor, Brancaster

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Travel & Tourism

Avanti West Coast staff set to strike on major days over festive period

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Avanti West Coast staff are set to strike on some major days over the festive period, it has been announced.

Train managers who are members of the RMT Union will stage industrial action on New Year’s Eve and 2 January 2025 after “overwhelmingly rejecting” the train company’s “inadequate proposals” on rest day working arrangements.

On top of this, strikes will also go ahead on Sundays between 12 January and 25 May too.

According to the union, up to 400 members are involved in the dispute with Avanti, and 83% of those voted against a suggested deal.

Strikes were previously planned for 22, 23, and 29 December as well, but they were suspended last week after a suggested agreement was put to a referendum of RMT members.

Avanti West Coast staff are set to strike on several major days over the festive period / Credit: Avanti West Coast

“Our members have resoundingly rejected Avanti’s latest offers in two referendums,” explained an RMT spokesperson. “Sustained strike action is now the only way to focus management’s minds on reaching a negotiated settlement with the union.”

In case you weren’t familiar, Avanti’s West Coast Main Line operates six routes along the west of the UK, including from London Euston to Manchester Piccadilly, as well as services from London to other major cities such as to Blackpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Holyhead, Wrexham, and Liverpool.

Avanti has warned its customers that the strikes will likely cause “significant disruption” on the West Coast Main Line.

The train operator took to X to assure that its plans will be confirmed “as soon as possible”.

“The RMT union has announced strike action affecting Avanti West Coast on 31 December and 2 January, along with all Sundays from 12 January to 25 May 2025,” the statement reads on X.

“We’re looking at how this industrial action will impact our services and we’ll confirm our plans as soon as possible.”

An Avanti West Coast spokesperson also added in response to the industrial action being called yesterday: “We’re disappointed our train managers who are RMT members have voted to decline the very reasonable, revised offer made to them to resolve the rest day working dispute and avoid inconveniencing our customers.

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“We remain open to working with the RMT to resolve the dispute.”

Featured Image – Avanti West Coast

Travel & Tourism

New ‘B Plates’ introduced so drivers can identify themselves as being bad at parking

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

New ‘B Plates’ have been introduced so drivers who are bad at parking can identify themselves for all to see.

Consider yourself good at parking? Well, that’s bold of you to claim… because for a lot of us, we wouldn’t be so confident to say that, and it turns out we’re not alone either, as some new research has revealed that 48% of drivers think they could benefit from more training or assistance with their parking manoeuvres.

The new B plates – with the ‘B’ standing for ‘bad parking’ – are designed to be attached to a vehicle so you can apologise to other motorists for your lack of parking prowess.

On top of the 48% of bad parkers, the research by Scrap Car Comparison found that a further one in six (17%) say they have experienced stress or worry about having to park their car, while a third of drivers (30%) say they spend extra time searching for a parking bay with free spaces either side.

New ‘B Plates’ have been introduced so drivers can identify themselves as being bad at parking / Credit: Supplied

74% of new drivers aged between 17 and 24 say they could benefit from more guidance in lessons.

Overall, one in four motorists (23%) claim that they weren’t taught well enough when it came to parking maneuverers, according to the research.

It’s hoped that the new B Plate stickers will encourage drivers to ‘own’ their parking pitfalls, the company says, as well as seek the additional guidance required to gain more confidence behind the wheel. 

48% of drivers think they could benefit from more training with their parking manoeuvres / Credit: Supplied

“Just like a P plate enables new drivers to ask for patience from other road users, our B plates will give people the chance to hold their hands up, say sorry and ask for forgiveness, if they know their parking leaves a lot to be desired,” explained David Kottaun, who is the Operations Manager at Scrap Car Comparison.

“We hope the plates also serve as encouragement for drivers to seek additional parking guidance to build up their confidence.”

Want to get your hands on one then?

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Scrap Car Comparison are offering a limited number of B plate stickers to interested drivers for free if you fill out the ‘register interest’ on its website here, and then based on interest levels, they will be made more widely available in 2025.

Featured Image – Supplied

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