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    The Lake District

    Me and the missus are going away for a short break in the Lake District after we get married in March, ahead of our "proper" honeymoon later in the year.

    We've booked into what looks like a really nice place in Windermere and what I'm after here is some suggestions for good places to eat out nearby. Does anyone know the area and can suggest some places?

    What with it being a special occasion and everything, we're not looking to do it on a budget necessarily, so the main criterion is great food. All suggestions welcome.

    #2
    The Lake District

    Sharrow Bay.

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      #3
      The Lake District

      Congratulations in advance. Afraid the only Cumbria eatery I can recommend is (independently owned) Tebay services. At least by comparison with its M6 chain competitors.

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        #4
        The Lake District

        Cheers, Dunc.

        That looks lovely, GO. As a supplementary question, if we were to go somewhere that's a bit away from Windermere, as that place seems to be, are local taxi services generally pretty reliable?

        We'll have a car to get around in but I'd like to be able to have wine over dinner without worrying about the drive home.

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          #5
          The Lake District

          Are you in Windermere town?

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            #6
            The Lake District

            Yeah.

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              #7
              The Lake District

              You should be ok for cabs then, there'll be a couple of companies. If you're out and about on a Friday or Saturday, I'd advise you to book them in advance.

              Sharrow's a bit of a trek from Windermere; I'll see if my brother's knows of any good places closer to you.

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                #8
                The Lake District

                Excellent. Thanks, GO.

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                  #9
                  The Lake District

                  Windermere itself has mostly hotel restaurants and a couple of pubs doing food, which can be very pricey, but Bowness on Windermere (half a mile down the hill) has a plethora of small restaurants, everything from Thai and Chinese to Italian and French. It's like Covent Garden by a lake. Don't go right down to the lakeside, though, stay up the hill a bit, where the main shops and pubs are, that's where you'll fnid all the eateries.

                  They're all still quite pricey-ish (you're looking at £12 for a main course) but you are over 50 miles away from any alternatives, so I suppose they can get away with it. Some of them don't open out of season until 7 o'clock in the evening, it's worth scouting them during the day to check where you might want to go back to. Also lots of them are "hidden" down little side streets, don't just stick to the main road from Windermere to the lake, but head off down the little cobbled streets on either side for a look around. Like I said, the whole place is only about 1/4 of a mile square, it reminds me a great deal of the Neal's Yard area in WC2.

                  I would imagine road taxis are quite dear, but if you jump on one of the lake cruise ferries and treat that as your taxi, there are a couple of very nice pub/restaurants in Ambleside (at the top end of the lake) which are actually on the lakeside. The main lakeside pub at Bowness has a great location but feels a bit like a Wetherspoons, with similar decor. Not really romantic.

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                    #10
                    The Lake District

                    Not this B&B, is it Hof?

                    http://www.eurobookings.com/windermere-hotels-gb/westbury-house.html?label=gg_en_bh_130253-united-kingdom-windermere-westbury-house&gclid=CMLUoNTYnZgCFUsa3godNDP0lA

                    It was excellent.

                    Take the bus to Conniston (via Hawskhead, I think). You can get off and take a boat trip to Brantwood (Ruskin's House), then the boat back to the pier and then walk to Conniston.

                    The bus trip to Keswick is stunning as well, and the town is supposed to be nice.

                    We had no car and didn't find it a problem. Don't know how good buses are at night, but you could eat in Windermere, Bowness (walkable) or Ambleside (would be OK in a taxi).

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                      #11
                      The Lake District

                      I stayed here in November and had a wonderful weekend.

                      If you've got a car, you must do the drive up to Penrith then across to Keswick and back down through Grasmere and Ambleside.

                      Take a good camera.

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                        #12
                        The Lake District

                        I really recommend Tebay services, their Farm shop sells some cracking local products, if you want to bring back a souvenir from Cumbria. They have a very yummy range of cold pies.

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                          #13
                          The Lake District

                          "Cumbria", heh. You must take at least one opportunity to impress the locals with your knowledge that Cumbria and "Cymru" are effectively the same word.

                          But don't accuse any of them of being Welsh.

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                            #14
                            The Lake District

                            My little brother has said that his area of expertise is more round the Penrith area these days, but apparently Miller Howe used to be worth while, and The Glass House has a good reputation these days.

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                              #15
                              The Lake District

                              Can't they call it Cumberland again?

                              That's what the minor county cricket team are called.

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                                #16
                                The Lake District

                                They can't because it includes Westmorland and parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire.

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                                  #17
                                  The Lake District

                                  I didn't know Yorkshire lost a bit to Cumbria.

                                  Westmoreland, what a name. We need to have a thread where you and I just say old county names, Tim.

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                                    #18
                                    The Lake District

                                    Haddingtonshire.

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                                      #19
                                      The Lake District

                                      The Drunken Duck, a few miles out of Ambleside should be on your shortlist.

                                      One nice pub in Bowness is the Hole in t'Wall, usually has a couple of guest ales on tap if you like that sort of thing - and as fine a collection of stuffed critters on the walls as any pub I've ever been in.

                                      Final recommendation is a repeat one, Stuart Clarke's excellent Homes of Football shop/museum is open Thursdays to Mondays 11am to 4pm at Lake Road, Ambleside details here.

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                                        #20
                                        The Lake District

                                        Excellent - thanks a lot GO and everyone else.

                                        And no, we're not staying there, Tubs - we're staying somewhere called the Windermere Suites, which I'd link to except their site appears to be down at the moment.

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                                          #21
                                          The Lake District

                                          Make sure you get some Cumberland Sausage inside you.

                                          No, not like that.

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                                            #22
                                            The Lake District

                                            Tubby Isaacs wrote:
                                            Westmoreland, what a name. We need to have a thread where you and I just say old county names, Tim
                                            Contae Aontroim reporting for duty, Sorr.

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                                              #23
                                              The Lake District

                                              Elterwater

                                              Between Ambleside and Coniston

                                              Very peaceful and with a fantastic proper pub - The Britannia Inn.

                                              Enjoy

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