Morning at Hazel Bank Country House and Hotel
The Lake District has inspired some of England’s most beloved poets and authors, including William Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter. I never imagined that world still existed in the 21st century, but I found it in Rothswaite in Borrowdale, at Hazel Bank Country House Hotel where the views are majestic, the quiet is positively 19th century, and the songbirds are out in force. The stone house was built in the mid-Nineteenth Century and features in a novel by Sir Hugh Walpole, who was a regular guest. There are seven beautifully appointed en suite rooms. We stayed in the Helvellyn Room which overlooks the back lawn and a trailhead that leads into the eastern woods and up the mountain.
There are several hikes/walks that begin right at the hotel, ranging from easy to difficult depending on your choice of terrain. The nearest lake is Derwent Water, a three-mile walk from Hazel Bank.
When you return from your outing you can look forward to a preprandial drink and appetizers in the lounge, followed by a four-course Michelin-star-worthy dinner in the small dining room, prepared by Donna MacRae and Masterchef Darren Comish. The menu changes daily.
Gary and Donna MacRae
The proprietors, Donna and Gary MacRae are local-born. Donna was born and raised in a house just a mile away. Her mother was also an innkeeper and still helps out at Hazel Bank. It’s a four-acre property and as story-book beautiful as you could wish for, with babbling brooks on either side of the house and an ancient stone bridge at the bottom of the drive.
When we visited in the fall of 2019, my wife and I were the only Americans in residence. The others were all British and all returning guests. One couple had been returning every year for over twenty years. Guests often book next year’s stay as they’re leaving, so be sure to book well in advance.
One note of caution: if you’re planning on driving around the area, keep in mind that these English country roads are exceedingly narrow and offer no shoulders. With rock walls on one side and oncoming traffic on the 
other, there’s very little room for error. I’ve driven thousands of kilometers around Ireland and England, and I have to admit these Lake District roads scared the willies out of me. To be sure, there isn’t much traffic to contend with. You can stand in the middle of the road for several minutes without seeing a car. Most locals and visitors take the local buses, which run on a strict schedule to and fro from Keswick. But therein lies the problem — the buses take up more than a lane’s worth of space!
Hazel Bank is open during the pandemic and operating under strict government guidelines to ensure the safety of guests.
Hazel Bank Country House Hotel
Borrowdale, Keswick, CA12 5XB
info@hazelbankhotel.co.uk
017687 77248