‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.’
So says the introduction to the breakfast menu at Rothay Manor hotel in Ambleside, in the heart of the Unesco-listed Lake District National Park at the northern end of lake Windermere.
‘Enjoy a delicious tempting spread at the table before delighting in your chosen dish from the To Order section,’ the menu continues.
My chum and I were grateful this was not hyperbole. We needed a tempting spread to fuel our pedal-powered assaults up two of Britain’s most outrageous and gruelling hill climbs – nearby Wrynose Pass and Hardknott Pass. And a tempting spread was exactly what foodie-haven Rothay Manor hotel delivered – I’d even venture that spread could be swapped for ‘banquet’.
I find the standard of breakfast is a signifier of overall quality. A good one means you’re in a hotel taking a holistic approach to the guest experience, as it’s easy to overlook.
Ted checked into Rothay Manor hotel (above) in Ambleside, a historical gem that dates back to 1823
Ambleside is located in the heart of the Unesco-listed Lake District National Park
LOVELY THINGS TO DO IN THE LAKES
Take a boat trip on Windermere. Visit www.windermere-lakecruises.co.uk.
See Ambleside’s fairytale Bridge House – an impossibly cute and curious 17th-century building that stands over a river called Stock Beck.
Dine at Ambleside’s Michelin-star restaurant The Old Stamp House – the best restaurant in the world, according to Tripadvisor.
Grab lunch at Ambleside’s Tacos del Sol, a tiny eatery that offers astonishingly good Mexican street food.
Visit idyllic Grasmere – which shares its name with the adjacent lake. Poet William Wordsworth’s grave is here. He lived in Grasmere, at Dove Cottage, and wrote some of his greatest poems there.
Enjoy tea and ice cream at the waterside Faeryland Grasmere cafe, which offers dreamy views across lake Grasmere.
Rothay Manor goes down the path taken by some of the finest hotels I’ve stayed in – distributing certain key items on the table as standard to save you the hassle of fetching them or requesting them.
Here the waiting staff delivered croissants, toast, melon, and yoghurt with nuts and fruit in an arresting little earthenware bowl before taking my order for porridge and kippers with poached egg.
My menu eyes were a little bit too big for my stomach and I couldn’t quite conquer the spread, but I was at least ready nutritionally to tackle the ridiculous 33 per cent gradients of Hardknott Pass. These, however, defeated me, just as the breakfast did.
One of the luxury suites in the recently launched ‘Pavilion’ annexe. Ted’s room was similar to this
Ted’s room had a classy rain-showered-equipped en-suite with a touch of the Brooklyn about it (above)
Rothay Manor has a three-AA-Rosette restaurant (above). This is also where breakfast is served
Luckily, we had the ultimate spot to recover in – our Rothay quarters. A plush twin-bed suite in the recently launched ‘Pavilion’ annexe, which is mere yards from the main reception.
Rothay Manor became a hotel in 1936, having been owned at one point by Sir George Mills McKay, a Sheriff of London, and built as a home in 1823 by wealthy Liverpool merchant John Crosfield. The main building features an eye-catching cast-iron balcony, which was apparently conceived by his wife, who was inspired by architecture she was fond of in her home country of France.
‘The Pavilion’, which harbours eight luxury suites, has a Scandi-chic look on the outside that contrasts with the Grade II-listed Miss Marple-esque main house – but it doesn’t clash.
Our spacious, well-appointed homely chamber enticed with rich upholstery, sumptuous bed sheets, work-of-art cushions, a giant wicker lampshade and a classy rain-showered-equipped en-suite with a touch of the Brooklyn about it.
Lashings of lovely green-hued wood-panelling completed the picture.
It’s a ravishing room that costs from around £450 B&B per night. Book it and you won’t feel short-changed.
Rothay Manor’s foodie credentials were rubber-stamped by a first-rate evening meal in its lauded three-AA-Rosette restaurant, which doubles as the breakfast venue.
Beforehand we enjoyed an aperitif on the garden terrace – me an English Wiston Estate rose, chum a G&T – and marvelled at the beautiful oasis-like garden, which is big enough for a couple more manor houses.
In the market for an aperitif? There’s a small bar adjacent to the main dining room
Victorian-esque decor abounds, with floral wallpaper and elegant furniture
The interior has a time-capsule feel, but not in a fusty way. Rothay Manor became a hotel in 1936, having been owned at one point by Sir George Mills McKay, a Sheriff of London
Rothay Manor was built as a home in 1823 by wealthy Liverpool merchant John Crosfield
Ted was impressed with his restaurant meal. Pictured left – the Japanese milk loaf with miso butter. Pictured right – ‘beautifully cooked’ pork with pak choi
Breakfast yoghurt with nuts and fruit served ‘in an arresting little earthenware bowl’
The only fly in the ointment is that the busy A539 forms a triangle around the hotel grounds, so there is a bit of traffic noise when outside, but it’s not intrusive and a perimeter wall forms a visual shield.
Inside there’s a lounge and bar adjacent to the restaurant and gracious, Victorian-esque décor abounds, with floral wallpaper and elegant furniture giving the interior a time-capsule feel, but not in a fusty way.
The food is generally very good indeed, and the service prompt and chirpy.
Highlights of our a la carte meal included Japanese milk loaf with miso butter; quail with wild garlic and beautifully cooked pork with pak choi.
The Bridge House in Ambleside, above, is a captivating highlight of the town
This stunning image looks south down lake Windermere from Ambleside’s pier
My chum was not entirely enamoured by the charring on his monkfish, but we both agreed that the wines for the pairing we opted for were superb (if a little mismatched), with a Californian Qupe Chardonnay from the Santa Maria Valley and a Burgundy pinot noir with a satisfying fruit hit by producer Jean-Rene Nudant being two of the standouts.
There was also a splendid cheeseboard presented with passion by our waiter that left me concurring with the AA judges that the dining scenario at Rothay Manor is most impressive and worthy of a journey in its own right, whether dinner, lunch or breakfast is on the agenda.
Throw in a pleasingly boutique-y vibe that permeates the interiors and you have a refined hotel worthy of being counted as one of several top-class properties available to Lake District visitors.
A beautiful hotel in one of the country’s most beautiful landscapes.
TRAVEL FACTS
Ted was hosted by Rothay Manor hotel, where rooms cost from around £220 per night. Visit www.rothaymanor.co.uk.
PROS: Luxurious, eye-catching bedrooms; friendly service; impressive food from dawn to dusk; splendid garden; handy location for exploring the Lake District.
CONS: Some traffic noise from the nearby A road.
Rating out of five: ****
Avanti West Coast
Ted used Avanti West Coast to reach the Lake District from London with his bike, travelling between London Euston and Oxenholme Lake District. Visit www.avantiwestcoast.co.uk.
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