Places to Stay With a Bar in Lake District

Nine places to stay in the Lake District on BritStays list a bar on site. That's a small set, but a useful one: it covers everything from a hotel with a spa to a campsite with a swimming pool, and it tells you quite a lot about what a bar actually means in this part of the world.

What a bar on site really buys you here

In the Lakes, an on-site bar is mostly about not having to drive after a long day on the fells. It also tends to come bundled with other things. Across these nine stays, four also have a restaurant, four have a gift shop, four are near a bus stop, two have a cafe and two have a spa. Only five list WiFi, so if you need to work or stream in the evening, check that before you book rather than assuming.

Parking is listed at just three of the nine. That matters more than it sounds in a region where roadside space is scarce, so if you're arriving by car, make parking a question you ask directly.

Hotels, caravan parks and campsites

The split is five hotels, two caravanning sites and two campsites. The hotels are where you'll find the fuller package: Rothay Garden and Brimstone Hotel both list a spa, bar and restaurant, which suits a slower trip built around food, swimming and one walk a day. The Lancrigg Hotel pairs its bar with disabled access and WiFi. Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel in Great Langdale lists bar, restaurant and WiFi — a classic walkers' set-up where the bar is the evening.

The camping and caravanning end is more varied than you might expect. Greenhowe Caravan Park has a bar, cafe and playground. Shepherd's View Caravan Site in Torver lists a bar, gift shop and parking. The Old Post Office Campsite at Holmrook has a swimming pool alongside its bar and restaurant. Seatoller Farm keeps things simple with a bar, takeaway food and toilets.

Choosing an area

Three of the nine are listed simply under Lake District, with two in Grasmere and one each in Holmrook, Torver, Great Langdale and Gosforth. In practice that gives you a few distinct kinds of trip:

• Village-based and sociable: Grasmere, with Rothay Garden and The Lancrigg Hotel, suits couples and anyone who wants shops, cafes and a short stroll home after dinner. Allan Bank is a Grasmere name worth looking up while you're planning.
• Walking first: Great Langdale and Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel for high-fell days, with Torver and Shepherd's View Caravan Site as a quieter alternative.
• Western Lakes: Holmrook and Gosforth, where The Old Post Office Campsite and The Kellbank sit, put you on the quieter side of the region, handy for Wast Water, Scafell Pike, Muncaster Castle and Eskdale Mill.

Families, couples and dog owners

For families, the playground at Greenhowe Caravan Park and the swimming pool at The Old Post Office Campsite are the obvious draws — a bar on site is far more useful when there's somewhere for children to burn off energy nearby. Couples are better served by the spa hotels, Rothay Garden and Brimstone Hotel. If accessibility is a factor, The Lancrigg Hotel is the one in this set that lists disabled access.

Dog owners should be aware that none of these nine stays lists dog-friendly facilities on BritStays. That doesn't necessarily mean dogs aren't welcome — bars and campsites often are — but it does mean you should contact the stay and get it confirmed in writing before you book anything non-refundable.

What to do once you're there

Scafell Pike and Wast Water are the big draws, and both reward an early start. For castle and heritage days, there's Muncaster Castle and Dalton Castle, while Allan Bank gives you something quieter and indoors. Rainy days are well covered by museums: Keswick Museum & Art Gallery, West Cumberland Railway Museum, The Retro Zone, Eskdale Mill, Judges' Lodgings Museum and the Laurel and Hardy Museum. Knox Wood Wildlife Centre and The Lakes Aqua Park are the ones to keep in reserve for families with restless afternoons.

When to book

With only nine bar stays across the whole region, availability tightens fast. Aim to book hotel rooms — particularly the spa hotels and Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel — several months ahead for school holidays, bank holidays and any weekend between late spring and early autumn. Campsites and caravan parks open up later but still sell out for August and half term.

Practical points to settle before you pay: whether parking is included, whether WiFi exists at all, what hours the bar and any restaurant actually keep out of season, and whether the bus stop nearby is served often enough to be useful. Ring and ask; it takes five minutes and saves a wasted drive.