Housed in William Wordsworth's former office in the heart of Ambleside, The Old Stamp House is chef Ryan Blackburn's ode to Cumbria. He draws on the region's rich culinary heritage (from Herdwick lamb and Morecambe Bay shellfish to forgotten recipes and wild-foraged ingredients) to create a tasting menu that feels as rooted in the landscape as the fells themselves. 

Might sound like a cliché, but we’re always in for a freshly brewed flat white in a small, cosy spot. With outposts across the country, ASAP Coffee is our go-to for a cup (and generous chocolate-drizzled French toast or poached eggs with hollandaise when we’re feeling slightly cheekier) when in Ambleside.

Forget white-tablecloth theatrics. At Lake Road Kitchen, James Cross lets the ingredients do the talking, drawing on a career spent at Noma, Per Se and La Pergola to create tasting menus that are quietly brilliant rather than showy. You might even find yourself inspecting every hedgerow on tomorrow's walk, wondering what he would've done with it.

If the period details, wallpapers and fringed cushions across its 23 individually styled rooms aren’t enough to convince you to book a night or two at Rothay Manor Hotel, perhaps Rowan, the hotel’s award-winning restaurant, will. Expect seasonal dishes made with local produce, best enjoyed after a day wandering the Lakes.