One of the Lake District’s most iconic hotels, with breathtaking views of Lake Windermere itself, recently went through a £1.7m refurbishment – so we went to see what the new-look The Ro Hotel is like.
The national park is just a hop, skip and a jump from Manchester, making for a great bank holiday getaway in one of the world’s most outstandingly beautiful destinations.
The Ro Hotel itself sits high on a hill in Bowness-on-Windermere, just a stone’s throw away from the bustling town centre.
Once known as The Hydro, dating back to 1881, this grand Victorian building has been welcoming visitors for 142 years and is one of Windermere’s oldest hotels. It was purchased by Lake Merritt Hospitality in April 2019 and has since undergone a £1.7 million refurbishment.
The welcome is warm and friendly, with the Ro Hotel known for its inclusive hospitality and care. Our room is grand, with high ceilings and an outdoor balcony space overlooking the lake. It’s a gloomy day when we visit, making the view moody and dramatic, the sprawling hills looking like sleeping giants in the clouds.
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The refurbished hotel has been decorated with a sophisticated elegance that is both comforting and luxurious. The beds are large and adorned with cloud-like pillows and snuggly duvets.
We had used the opportunity to visit one of Windermere’s local spas, an additional treat for my Mum on her birthday, and one of several fantastic options for things to do in the local town.
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After settling into our hotel and a quick change, we headed to the colourful hotel restaurant, The Lacu. A small but grand space, beautifully decorated and home to a cherry blossom tree to dine next to.
The bar at The Ro HotelCauliflower cheese at The Ro HotelInside The Ro Hotel’s restaurant spaceThe Ro Hotel recently underwent a huge refurbishment
The menu is simple and relaxed, with local ingredients being at the heart of each dish. They have a three course set menu for £35 per person in the evening, alongside the a la carte. There’s something for everyone, with Muncaster crab and smoked salmon salad, fluffy and indulgent twice baked cheese souffle and Cumbrian chicken breast with pancetta on a bed of buttery smooth mash. We opted for a bit of everything, including a scrumptious cauli cheese with a stretchy cheese pull to die for.
The Ro Bar has a number of classic cocktails to enjoy, or if you fancy stretching your legs, the town is just a few minutes walk down the hill with a number of great bars and pubs to choose from. We weren’t up for partying, so went back to our room for an early night.
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There was a large family group on our floor at the time of visiting, but we wouldn’t have known as our space was so peaceful. We woke to another moody morning outside, but to be able to step out of our room onto our private balcony and look at that view was priceless.
Breakfast is an all you can eat buffet afair, with both hot and cold options to suit every taste. They even provided me with my own veggie sausages, which is always a plus in my books. I recommend getting to breakfast early though – the restaurant isn’t huge and most people’s stays include breakfast, so some found it tricky to find somewhere to sit. If you don’t mind waiting though, then enjoy that lie-in in your big, plush bed that you probably wouldn’t want to leave anyway.
The Ro Hotel really is open to everyone, with families and four legged friends all welcome here. So if you are looking for your next break with your partner, your family, or even just for yourself, make sure you put Ro Hotel on your list.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Travel & Tourism
This Manchester suburb has just been named one of the UK’s ‘happiest’ places to live in 2024
Thomas Melia
An annual poll has named the Manchester suburb of Didsbury spot among 70 locations said to be the ‘happiest’ places to live in the UK.
Greater Manchester has got lots to say for itself, especially with its diverse and unique cultural landscapes, as well as various vibrant communities, so it comes as no surprise that one of our beautiful suburbs has been voted in a list of the UK’s happiest places to live for this year.
The survey included submissions from 5,000 people and there’s a lot of love being shown to the neighbouring areas of Yorkshire like Doncaster, Bingley, and Harrogate – the lattermost placed in second in the entire country.
But, ranking 62nd out of a possible 70 places, the distinct and vibrant area of Didsbury has been noticed by Furniturebox as one of the ‘happiest’ places to live in the UK.
Credit: The Manc Group
The results took into consideration good state schools, affordable housing, as well as accessibility to pubs, bars, restaurants, independent shops, retailers and more.
With multiple parks, walking destinations, and top-notch travel links with Bee Network trams and buses easily taking you back into the city centre and out to other boroughs, East, West and Didsbury Village all remain some of the most sought-after areas in the region.
There’s a whole host of indie retailers to enjoy, especially on the likes of the main high street and Burton Road, which effectively serves as its own cultural district, home to vintage clothing shops like Steranko, tailored styling opticians Fox Brothers and much more.
Burton Rd also boasts countless fantastic food and drink spots like The Great Kathmandu, SANTÉ, Volta and Proove Pizza, just to name a few; we’ve spent plenty of time just on this stretch of Didsbury alone.
If you’ve spent even a little time in Dids, you’ll know there’s plenty going on and it’s certainly one our happiest places in all of Greater Manchester and therefore the UK.
You can also enjoy the famous ‘Didsbury Dozen’ right on your doorstep.
Elsewhere, and somewhat unsurprisingly, Shakespeare’s ever-romanticised hometown of Stratford-Upon-Avon once again reigned supreme at the top of this list.
That being said, it’s refreshing to see that these locations weren’t entirely related to wealth and similar factors, the survey took affordability into careful consideration.
Cheshire was destined for success with its cracking views and grand properties, as the North West county made waves for the region managing to place in fifth position, holding up against Falmouth in Cornwall which placed in sixth.
Although not nabbing that all-important top spot, Didsbury is carrying the flag for 0161 and showing what all know to be true: Northerners do it best.
A Greater Manchester town could be set to get a train station for the first time in 60 years
Emily Sergeant
It’s been a whopping six decades, but the residents of one local town could soon be able to hop on a train out of there.
That’s because a planning application for a brand-new £32 million station in Golborne – which would connect the Greater Manchester town, in the Wigan borough, to the rail network for the first time in more than 60 years – has been submitted to Wigan Council, meaning connectivity is finally one step closer to becoming reality.
In case you didn’t know, Golborne currently has no direct bus, train, or tram services to Manchester, and Leigh is the biggest town in England without a rail station, while the wider area is the largest and most-populous area in Greater Manchester not connected to the rail network.
The milestone aims to boost access to jobs and opportunities for people in the town and the wider Wigan borough.
NEWS: Greater Manchester on track with plan for first new rail station in over 20 years. 🚉
✅ 90%+ public consultation support for Golborne station in Wigan ✅ Planning application in to @WiganCouncil ✅ Local area improvements and walking and cycling links
According to Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), the Golborne station scheme forms part of a wider ambition to bring eight commuter lines into the Bee Network by 2028 – of which “significant investment” has been put into.
The application includes plans for a new accessible two-platform rail station, including step-free access throughout with a footbridge across the tracks and lifts to both platforms, a new hourly service between Wigan and Manchester Victoria, and onwards to Stalybridge, an improved town centre car park, and also new walking and cycling links to the town centre.
The submitting of the proposals comes after nearly 3,000 people had their say on the station earlier this year, with more than 90% of respondents supporting the plans.
A CGI of what the proposed new Golborne station could look like, if plans are approved / Credit: TfGM
If the plans are approved by Wigan Council, work on the site should begin in 2026, according to TfGM, with the new station scheduled to open in 2027.
Mayor Andy Burnham called the submitting of the proposals a “transformative step” for the region.
“It has taken a huge effort to get us to this point,” he explained. “But we have finally reached a major milestone on the journey to reconnect Golborne to the rail network for the first time in over 60 years.
“The proposal is based on extremely sound evidence and huge progress has been made with a planning application being submitted and overwhelming support from local residents.”
Kristen MacGregor-Houlston -
26th May 2023 
