Hotel review: Another Place, Ullswater, Lake District

There was a moment during our stay at Another Place that my wife and I have already started harking back to in the kind of moist-eyed and nostalgic way not normally associated with something that happened only a few weeks ago. It happened around 6.30 in the evening, a time usually characterised by the borderline chaos of teatime and bathtime.

That night, however, things were different. With our four and five-year-olds happily fed and watered by the early evening kids’ supper, we ferried them the few yards to an out-building that doubled as the kids’ club, where upon they excitedly disappeared into a veritable wonderland of toys, activities and games, all supervised by a delightful group of Ofsted-registered childminders.

Scarcely able to believe our luck, my wife and I returned to the main hotel and spent the next three hours enjoying the bounteous delights of the bar and the Rampsbeck restaurant, an experience somehow made all the more relaxing and special by the knowledge were happily enjoying themselves only a few yards away. 

And this is the thing about Another Place. There are child-friendly hotels, and there are hotels better suited to couples and adults. Somehow, this Georgian hotel on the shores of Ullswater in the Lake District manages to be both.  

If you’re unfamiliar with Ullswater, it’s the lake that most casual visitors to this part of the world tend to ignore in favour of Windermere or Coniston. In fact, as Alfred Wainwright wistfully put it, it is “that loveliest of lakes, curving gracefully into the far distance”. Take a trip on an Ullswater Steamer boat for conclusive evidence of that, whatever the weather.

But the less crowded nature of this part of the Lakes only enhances the experience. The setting is utterly gorgeous, and Another Place makes great use of its natural assets, with sailing, stand-up paddle-boarding, kayaking and wild swimming all on offer. The day’s activities are chalked up on a blackboard in reception. 

Inside the hotel – formerly the more traditional Rampsbeck hotel before a multi-million-pound revamp in 2017 – there’s a relaxed and homely air, with plentiful sofas and a variety of spaces to fit the moment, from the more casual Living Room where food and drink are served all day, a kind of slower-paced drawing room for board games, reading or quaffing a quiet drink, and the more formal dining room where our evening meal and breakfast – check the waffle machine! – was hosted.

Two new wings have upped the bedroom count to 40 – our family suite (with historic view) was ideally designed with a short corridor separating the grown-up room from the kids’ bunk beds – and in between there’s a stunning 65ft indoor pool, together with spa, sauna, outdoor hot tub and gym (no kids before 9am if you want a more peaceful dip). 

The glass walls – one of so many details that make Another Place such a special place – ensure you can watch Ullswater gracefully curving all day long.

Another Place, The Lake, Watermillock, Ullswater, Penrith CA11 0LP.

More photos from Another Place: