No newspaper is infallible, not even the Guardian. Occasionally, a special property slips under our radar. But we're not too proud to put right an oversight, and tell you about Hawksdale Lodge, a mere – ahem! – three years after it opened.
How did we miss this handsome Victorian pile and its two-room B&B? You could argue that it's in the "wrong" bit of Cumbria: just south of Carlisle, outside the Lakes proper. Yet, the Cumbrian Way and the Reivers coast-to-coast cycle path are on its doorstep, almost literally. Hadrian's Wall and the fells are nearby. The area hardly lacks attractions. The view alone is worth a detour. Owners Lorraine and Martyn Russell welcome me with tea and home-baked cake on a sunny terrace, whose manicured gardens fall away to seemingly endless, lush countryside and, in the distance, the Pennines and Dumfriesshire. It's quite something.
As are the enormous rooms. They've been dressed with a mature, English drawing-room restraint, and (OK, the grand furniture is reproduction) at some expense. The carpet is so thick you could lose your keys in it. Minor niggles (over the Wi-Fi code) and quibbles (fixed-head shower; tiny, wrapped soap and stingy-looking miniature toiletries), are far outweighed by good things: homemade biscuits, fresh milk, luxurious bedding, a DAB radio/iPod dock. Not to mention the property's architectural features, namely its beautifully-tiled entrance hall.
TV is an optional extra. The set is tucked away in the cupboard. I could happily forgo Corrie, pull up an armchair, and marvel at that view, but duty calls. I head out, slogging a bit across rutted fields, to Dalston village. The centre, with its handful of shops, cafes and the livelier of two pubs, the Blue Bell, is a mile further on, but first I stop at the Bridge End Inn. It's a pub that prides itself on its real, homemade food. Which is great. Unlike my fish and chips (£7.50). A lacklustre fillet arrives in a thick and, inside, mushy, undercooked batter, which tastes predominantly of frying oil. The chips were proper, fat fingers, my pint of Clark's Westgate Gold (£2.90) fine, but the lingering aftertaste was one of disappointment.
Breakfast was far better. Lorraine has scoured the local villages for the best artisan bread, bacon and an exceptional Cumberland sausage - powerfully porky and not overly spicy. Coupled with eggs from her own chickens, it produces a fine full-English. I could have done without the light classical soundtrack though. Strong tea and silence are preferable at breakfast. Lorraine can also provide evening meals (£13-£25 a head), which may well be your best option, locally. On a clear summer's evening, why tear yourself away from that view?
• Accommodation was provided by Hawksdale Lodge. Train travel between Manchester and Carlisle was provided by First TransPennine Express (tpexpress.co.uk). For more information on Cumbria, visit golakes.co.uk
