Fantastic food and very nice staff - we ended up eating there two nights in a row.

Boot, Lake District (near Hard Knott pass)

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It is in the perfect spot for taking on the Buttermere Circuit or the gentler option of walking around the lake. It’s a small and friendly site with great views and is away from the road so nice and quiet, bar the lambs whose barring might wake you up early doors. Get your revenge on them by tucking into the delicious spring lamb, the best thing on the menu at the Bridge Inn just two minutes from the site. It’s a hikers' pub with a garden and good selection of ales.

017687 70222 , www.lakedistrictcamping.co.uk, £5pp

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If you want to flee the twee and get a real taste for the open country, this is the place: a traditional cosy pub with stone floors and open fires between Kendal and Bowness. We didn't try the food, which is meant to be good, as we got stuck into the beers, particularly the local Coniston Bluebird, and Theakston's Best Bitter. Very friendly and full of locals when we went.

Crook, Kendal LA8 8LA
Tel: 01539 821351
www.lakes-online.co.uk/info/food_drink/03.htm

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This is one of those country pubs where, upon first entering after a long day's hike, you wonder whether you've mistakenly barged into someone's front room. Sure enough, you do have to keep the house rules in mind: live music only (no jukebox); make an effort to chat with the regulars; and number one, real ales only. Anyone asking for a lager top or a snowball or something will be greeted with a disdainful stare that could dry up Lake Coniston...

But play the game at this very independent family-run venue and your reward will be a fine selection of beers at rock-bottom prices and a genuinely hospitable local atmosphere, where the folks know everything about the area and will give you far more tips than this site ever can. Lastly - if you're lucky - beyond the usual bar meals at lunchtime, plates of free pub nosh have been known to come out from time to time to help soak up the ale.

Foxfield, Broughton-in-Furness, Cumbria, LA20 6BX
Tel: 01229 716238
Off the A5092 or opposite Foxfield station
www.princeofwalesfoxfield.co.uk

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Fantastic pub for lunch after a hard morning's hike - the ploughman's lunch plus a pint of Black Sheep or Riggwelter, both glorious darker ales from the Masham brewery, sets you up for the rest of the day. The bar is to be found in the converted stables, the white-washed walls and horse brasses don't attempt to hide the humble beginnings of the place, far from it, the bar is a cosy and even on busy weekends, often a fairly quiet spot to have a meal or just a drink. Dog friendly too, we've taken ours into the bar without problems, or there are tables outside if your pooch is wary of other people. Decidely a locals' pub, it is nonetheless a friendly place to escape from the hordes of tourists around Beatrix Potter's house in near Sawrey. Having never stayed in the hotel I can't comment but if the bar is anything to go by it should be great!

Far Sawrey, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 0LQ
Telephone: 01539 443425
www.sawreyhotel.co.uk/

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A truly excellent high quality restaurant in one of the best and most interesting large villages/small towns in the southern Lakes.

Three pubs in the village itself, one (the Manor) has the best selection of beer in the county, another (Old King's Head) has the best pub food in the area, and the third (the Black Cock) has its own unique character.

Broughton-in-Furness on the A595, at the head of the estuary of Wordsworth's river, the Duddon.

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A Lakeland institution and a top spot to drink in the stunning views as well as the local ale. You might need to book to eat in the restaurant, but the pub grub is top notch – I’d recommend the ploughman’s, stuffed full of local produce.

Barngates, Ambleside LA22 0NG
Tel: 01539 436 347
www.drunkenduckinn.co.uk/

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A small island just off the coast of Barrow-in-Furness, the small island of Piel still has the remains of medieval fortifications that once protected the harbour. Admittedly, Piel is small, but it does offer a few items of interest - the remains of a red stone castle, which is fun to climb on and walk through; a nice stroll along the shore among the sea grasses and the shore birds; and a visit to the King of Piel, who runs the pub.We had a great time, in a low-key, understated kind of way.

A few boat rides from Barrow-in-Furness:
website.lineone.net/~carolscarr/

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