The Best Hotels and B&Bs to Book in Carlisle, Cumbria

Dating back to 1905, the Crown & Mitre blends Edwardian grandeur – including a real log fire and a sweeping staircase – with all mod cons. History buffs, take note – the hotel is built on the site of the Crown & Mitre coffee house, which played a role in the Jacobite rising of 1745. The landlord at the time gave shelter to rebels entering the city.

As you’d expect from a hotel housed in a former General Post Office building, the Halston in Carlisle delivers. The slick, Scandi-style rooms at this aparthotel come with a kitchen and living area, with chef-quality meals available for you to heat up. If that’s not enough, there are two fine restaurants on-site – Penny Blue, with its sharing platters, and Bartons Yard, a great spot for a leisurely brunch or afternoon tea.

Everything at Willowbeck Lodge in Carlisle is designed to get you closer to nature. The hotel is surrounded by a lush garden, while its restaurant is in a spacious conservatory overlooking a pond. The comfy rooms, with Egyptian cotton bedding, are all named after trees in the garden – Willow, Ash, Beech, Oak, Hazel, Maple and Larch – while the Lodge’s eco credentials are boosted by an electric vehicle charging point.

The Crown Hotel, in the lovely village of Wetheral, offers a typical English countryside experience. Stay in a cottage, have a meal at the Conservatory restaurant overlooking the garden, or head down to Walton’s Bar, the hotel’s very own traditional village pub. Then, take in some of England’s most popular tourist sights by visiting nearby Carlisle and Hadrian’s Wall.

Historic Dalston Hall has seen a lot over the last 500 years, from secret love inscriptions to smoke signals sent from its impressive pele tower. The Grade II-listed building retained all its historic charm after being turned into a hotel, with a high-vaulted ceiling and stained glass windows in the East Tower room, and a bathroom and bedroom on different levels in the West Tower.

The family-run Warwick Lodge, in Carlisle, subscribes to the notion that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Eat like the locals by tucking into a legendary Cumbrian breakfast of sausages, bacon, egg, mushrooms and tomatoes. The hotel’s quiet, convenient location – on a road five minutes off the M6 – makes it ideal for exploring the Cumbrian and Borders countryside.

In the heart of Carlisle, Brooklyn House is a perfect spot for exploring the city. Drop by the Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery for its Natural History Dome, head over to the 14th-century Guildhall Museum, or give the kids a day they’ll never forget among the alpacas, donkeys and reindeer of Walby Farm Park. And don’t forget your rod and bait – the New Mills Trout Fishing Park is just round the corner.

High above the gorgeous Eden Valley, about halfway between Carlisle and Penrith, Heather Glen Country House is your gateway to the staggeringly beautiful Lake District. Rooms have striking interiors, including floral wallpaper and golden throw pillows. You can also stay in the self-catering Silverdell Cottage, where the views from the kitchen sink are so amazing, you’ll be volunteering to do the washing up.

The friendliest of village inns in the Eden Valley, the thoroughly English-sounding Fox and Pheasant offers a cosy place to stay and a fantastic place to eat. Some of the rooms come with stunning views of the River Eden. Get a real taste of local cuisine at the restaurant by ordering the steak and ale pie, Cumberland sausage, or a bowl of home-made soup.