Ambleside Manor Rothay Road Ambleside 12th - 15th January 2020

Ambleside Manor is a lovely vegetarian Victorian country guest house, set in two acres of grounds, ideally situated within easy walking distance of Ambleside town centre.

Its location ensures it is quiet and peaceful, even though the busy main road runs right past the front gate, but set back from the road in large gardens, there is no traffic noise.

We stayed in room seven, an airy space full of light from the big bay window, home to two comfy chairs to relax, read the paper and have a cup of tea.   There is a separate seating area, in a small alcove to the left of the bed, plenty of storage space, a tea tray, a good sized television and roomy bathroom. 

A guest computer with free wi-fi is available on the landing, as well as a communal fridge with jugs to take soya or oat milk to your room, although I brought some of my favourite Alpro oat milk.

A small bar drinks menu is available, with a nice selection of wines and beers, mostly vegan and clearly labelled.

Breakfast is served in the beautiful dining room, with its marble fireplace, wood panelling, high ceilings and decorative windows, a lovely place to start your day in the Lakes.   There is a continental help yourself breakfast section, then hot dishes like porridge, full breakfast and specials of the day to choose from.  

I have included photos of some of our breakfast options during the stay, which set us up for the day and was delicious, well cooked and presented.

There is a lovely guest lounge to the right of the front door, with a big fire place, board games, comfy chairs, books and magazines to read and I like there is no television, so it remains a quiet space.  

There is also a small conservatory to the front of the building, used for serving breakfast and will be lovely on summer days.   In the front porch you can leave wet umbrellas and leave your boots to dry out, as well as picking up information leaflets about the local area.

I love Ambleside Manor, it is ideally located, just far enough out of town to avoid the hustle bustle of the busy centre, yet close enough to walk into at night for a bite to eat.   The bus station is a five minute walk, if you want to leave the driving to someone else, with regular services to Grasmere, Bowness, Windermere and Coniston.  

We returned in February 2023 and this time stayed in room four to the rear of the building, is dog friendly and has patio doors from the bedroom leading onto a small sitting out area, which will be brilliantly on warm sunny days.