Broughton Craggs looked so promising: a lovely old building overlooking beautiful grounds. Sadly, neither the interior nor the good were of the same standard.

The hotel, which changed hands a few years ago, relies heavily on weddings for its business, judging by all the photos of smiling newly-weds in the lobby. The decor looks very tired and paint was peeling of both of the doors in our room.

The hotel website boasts that the food offered by the hotel is locally sourced, though it seemed very ordinary to me. The breakfast was certainly big, though most of it appeared to have come out of a packet.

The bar was also very disappointing: glasses of red wine were served from screw-top mini-bottles and there was only one type of (low-grade) port. And to cap it all, the bar closes at 11 p.m. -- even on Saturday nights!

The staff were friendly, but I'm afraid that just not enough, even in this beautiful part of the country.

We enjoyed the carvery and had a good overnight stay. The service and the food were excellent, for both the evening meal and the good breakfast. The bedroom and bathroom were spacious, though there was no shampoo provided. It was calm and peaceful and enjoyed stunning views towards the Western fells.

The hotel was very quiet due to the snow and recent flooding so we were upgraded to the best rooms. Staff were friendly and helpful, even printing maps to direct us to the few usable bridges in the area. Good selection of breakfasts, ours were delicious.