The Drunken Duck Inn

Stunning setting

Worn carpet on landing, restaurant fan buzzing under floor with industrial kitchen chimney by the window…

This place has become a chic boutique hotel and restaurant, no longer a true Lakes inn. Looks like the interior designer had a field day with the decor and books/ornaments. Food too expensive for an inn in the Lakes - I don’t doubt the quality but felt I was being told to eat healthily and fashionably with pretentious menus and ingredients. No welcoming lounge. To be fair, the bedroom was very comfortable and couldn’t fault the staff.

The whole approach, as described above.

Location is great. We have visited in the past and decided to night-stop for a treat. It is a wonderful place to stop for a drink and watch the world go by.

We are getting older and have reduced mobility. We were disappointed to find so little to help those with mobility needs. The receptionist kindly carried our overnight bags upstairs and pointed out the 'shortcut' to the dining area, we were reluctant to use this route as there were no bannisters on the stairway. The bedroom was warm and comfortable and the bathroom had a large impressive bathtub. Unfortunately, there were no guard rails to assist entry and exit We enjoyed a drink sitting outside, but I was disappointed that traditional beers had been replaced by heavily 'citrussed' Brewdog- style makes I changed to a beer labelled 'traditional bitter' only to find it had a strong Citrus aftertaste. The dinner menu puzzled us as it seemed to reflect extremes of taste. The majority of offerings were 'vegetarian ' but the alternatives were 'game'. The whole menu seemed to be based on the use of cabbage. I had the venison which was very good. My wife, who is not a fan of game had a choice of venison or wood pigeon, so opted for a celeriac and hazelnut 'Kiev', which was bland The puddings were very nice but the whole meal was expensive for what it contained. The breakfast broke away from what I would regard as Cumbrian fare to offer beef and potato hash, which was bland and unattractive to look at The sourdough toast and jam were very nice - fortunately. This was a disappointing stay that failed to provide a good value proposition. I would be challenged to select a dinner from the menu if we had stayed two nights.

Fantastic location and charm

No shower in room

Lovely place run by Lovely people.