The pastel headboards and colourful accents around the rooms are reason enough for us to keep coming back to The Penns after wandering around Windermere. Add a long bubble bath in its sage-coloured tub, and we’re sold on this self-check-in boutique hotel.

Base, helmed by Lisa and Rob Berry, is a pizzeria serving Neapolitan pizza to a hungry host of locals. A slow-rising, 48-hour-fermented dough is topped with fior di latte and a range of toppings before being thrown into a roaring wood-fired oven. A delicious taste of Italy, much closer to the English fells.

Follow the spice route without leaving the Lake District at Gilpin Spice, where an open kitchen serves bold Pan-Asian plates inspired by the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Japan and China. The colourful interiors match the menu’s energy, while different ways to dine – from the chefs’ counter to the private dining room – make it one for sharing.

As with many local British institutions, no arts and crafts house is quite complete without a shop and tearoom. Blackwell is no exception. This 1901-built home, designed by architect Mackay Hugh Baillie Scott, now plays host to a rotating programme of contemporary exhibitions while nodding to the Arts and Crafts Movement of the late nineteenth century. End your tour with a cup of Earl Grey and a cheese scone on the outdoor terrace, weather permitting.