On the one hand, you can sit here and enjoy delights such as black pudding in batter, camembert and bacon tart, lovely Ploughman’s with local cheese and home-made bread, unctuous steak pie in mouth-watering gravy – all of which graced our table recently , all of it washed down with a splendid selection of well-kept beers – whilst enjoying glorious, atmospheric views of the surrounding scenery. This was very much the case on the misty, breezy day when we visited, accompanied by friends (who had booked a table) and after a bracing walk around the nearby lake. The only problem is, it doesn’t matter how great your food tastes and how tall the mountain is that looms over your veranda, as long as your attitude to your paying customers is that they’re a tiresome chore. That’s the kind of experience that sours the taste-buds rather quickly and makes one elect for a sandwich and a thermos for the next stroll. The scowling, distracted snob who served our well-behaved and initially appreciative party (and who I think might actually have been the owner) at the Kirkstile wore a face like a smacked bottom throughout our, er, “hospitality experience”; he made us feel as if he wished he was (or we were) somewhere else – which is, of course, where we’ll be headed next time we’re in the vicinity. The walk was wonderful, the food was lovely; but our “host” – and his blunt, brusque colleague (I want to say “accomplice,” actually) who took our order and came with the bill – made me wonder, as I sometimes do in certain UK establishments, how far people can miss the mark when it comes to “service” without actually changing careers. Or do they think the food and location is “enough,” that their customers are somehow “lucky” to be there? (Boy, do I have news for this lot, especially in the current climate.) Anyway, I can’t help feeling the staff we encountered would be happier doing something else; a move which might also allow visitors to enjoy the food and the setting without wanting to make some kind of protest – hence this negative review, the sort I wouldn’t normally bother to write: only, on this particular occasion, my sense is that the sullen “service” here spoiled things for my friends (our vicarious “hosts” for the day out) to some degree. For balance and fairness, our overall experience – the total thing, the walk, the company and the food – netted out to be pretty good; and the admittedly crowded place seemed packed with happy punters, generally. The all-important human interaction with our “hosts,” though; well, that’s another story, and I’ll simply conclude with the old saying that you can complete for yourselves; you know, the one that starts, “If you can’t stand the heat...”

I came across the Kirkstile Inn almost by accident. I was on a walking holiday, based near Cockermouth, and had decided to spend the day near Loweswater. Nearing the end of my walk I called in for a drink. They had a really good selection of Real Ales, some of which are brewed on the premises. I sat out in the garden, enjoying chatting to other walkers, enjoying the scenery, and oh yes, the beer.
I called back there and had a meal as they had looked so appetising. The meal was very good. My only disappointment was the salad. It was very small. However, the beer came up trumps again. I would recommend this Inn, and I will certainly be calling back there this summer.

We had an amazing week here and found it to be an ideal base to explore the Lakes District.

The pub's hosts were welcoming and the place has a cosy friendly feel to it. Lots of character in the building and the bar whilst small was great and exactly how you would imagine a village pub to be.

There is a real feel of isolation at the Kirkstile Inn, surrounded by fields and narrow roads leading off in all directions. In fact the only other building in the village was the church across the lane. A very quiet location.

We stayed in the newly renovated 3 bedroom 2 bathroom house attached to the Inn which we understand was lived in until recently by the Inn's owners. There were four of us and there was plenty of room. The house has a well laid out kitchen, big lounge with a flatscreen TV and the main bedroom upstairs has a big ensuite.

The views in any direction are stunning and whilst we had to deal with a week of rain during our stay, it still has a magical quality, seeing the mountains outside your window shrouded in mist. certainly not something we see from our bedroom window in Australia.

The menu at the pub was extensive and reasonably priced and the bar has a wide choice of ales and lagers. There are also lots of local artefacts on the walls and the whole place exudes age and grace without going over the top.

We would love to come back again.

Loweswater is a wonderful part of the world, fantastic scenery and indeed where I proposed to my now wife. There is a great loop walk round the reservoir and there is no better place to end up than The Kirkstile Inn. Fantastic ales (Loweswater Gold, you can buy your own Keg!) and very welcoming people.

Fully recommend and we go back at least once a year, wish we could more!