Hotels and Guest Houses, Restaurants

The Old Dungeon Ghyll hotel

Great Langdale, Ambleside, Cumbria LA22 9JY

Tel: 01539 437272

e-mail: olddungeonghyll1@btconnect.com

website: www.odg.co.uk

Visitors approaching the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel are treated to some magnificent views over the rugged scenery of the Great Langdale Valley and the stunning location is just the beginning of a truly memorable stay. This marvellous hotel was originally an inn with a farmhouse, which is the way it was run until 1949, and the oldest part is the middle section. Another part was added at a later date and the stables at the north end were converted into a dining room. The shippon at the other end became the Climbers Bar, where the old cow stalls still stand intact. In the Hikers Bar, real ales, of which there are at least four, are served in a charming and welcoming atmosphere.

The Old Dungeon Ghyll hotel has been attracting walkers, climbers, tourists and lovers of the great outdoors for 300 years and the latest owners Neil and Jane have been the proprietors for 25 years now. Neil, a keen fell runner, and Jane have continued to improve and develop this popular family hotel whilst keeping the rustic features and charm. The hotel's reputation has grown under their care and guests come from all over the world to the hotel, which takes its name from one of the most dramatic of the Lake District waterfalls, tumbling 60 feet down a nearby fell. Neil and Jane both cook and the hearty home made dishes on the bar and restaurant menus cater perfectly for appetites sharpened by the bracing surroundings.

Guest accommodation at the Old Dungeon Ghyll comprises 14 warm, comfortable bedrooms, most with en suites and some boasting four poster beds. The resident's lounge is a great place to relax, meet the other guests to swap stories and plan the next day's activities. The hotel is amply equipped; there is even a drying room to dry those wet clothes. In the days when charabancs brought visitors from Little Langdale over Blea Tarn Pass, they would stop at the top and blow the horn, one toot for every passenger needing a meal! Over the years, the hotel has become very popular with climbing clubs and a favourite venue for club dinners, attracting many of the big names in climbing, including Sir John Hunt, Joe Brown and Don Whillans. Clubs are still very welcome and the hotel is the start point of several walks and climbs, including the famous peaks of Crinkle Crags, Bowfell and the Langdale Pikes.

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