The Ravensworth Adults Only

About this stay

The Ravensworth Adults Only is a 4-star hotel in Windermere, England, rated 4.5 out of 5 across 92 guest reviews.

The Ravensworth Adults Only is a solid 4-star pick in Windermere, England — comfortable rooms and a base that keeps central Windermere close.

Book The Ravensworth Adults Only through app.impt.io at the same live rate you would find anywhere else, with free cancellation on most rooms. Every completed booking funds one verified tonne of carbon removal — paid from the standard commission the hotel already covers, never added to your bill.

What adults-only actually gets you here

The Ravensworth takes its name and its age policy seriously: no children, which on a bank holiday in Windermere is worth more than any amount of chintz. It stands on Ambleside Road at the north end of the village, where the houses thin out towards Orrest Head and the road starts to climb — close enough to walk to dinner, far enough that you are not listening to the last bus. The 4.5 score across 92 reviews is a small sample but a consistent one, and the facilities list is deliberately short: free Wi-Fi, free parking, luggage storage, a terrace and step-free access.

That short list tells you what sort of place it is. This is a quiet, comfortable base rather than a hotel with a spa, a pool and a restaurant — which is fine, because Windermere and Bowness have both within a short walk or drive. The free parking is a real advantage: village parking is scarce and time-limited, and anyone who has circled Bowness on a Saturday in August will tell you so. The accessible entrance and level access are also worth noting if either of you has mobility trouble, though it is worth confirming with the property which rooms are step-free before booking.

Windermere and Bowness without children in tow

The pleasure of an adults-only break in the Lakes is that you can do things at your own pace. Orrest Head, the hill above the village, is a twenty-minute climb from the door and gives the view that started Wainwright's guidebook career — Windermere laid out below, the Coniston fells behind. At the other end of the day, the walk down to Bowness for dinner takes about twenty minutes, and a taxi back up the hill is short and cheap.

On the water, the Windermere Lake Cruises leave from Bowness pier: the round-the-islands trip, the run up to Ambleside and Waterhead, or the full length to Lakeside with the steam railway connection. Self-drive motorboats and rowing boats can be hired at Bowness Bay, which is the best-value hour on the lake if the weather is kind. For a special dinner, the restaurants around Bowness and the out-of-town country-house kitchens towards Crook and Troutbeck are the places to aim for — book at least a week ahead for a weekend.

For culture, Blackwell, the Baillie Scott arts and crafts house above Bowness, is superb and rarely crowded; the Windermere Jetty Museum is a good wet-afternoon stop; and Grasmere, Rydal Mount and Dove Cottage are fifteen minutes up the A591. Hill walkers have Orrest Head, School Knott, Wansfell from Troutbeck, and the Fairfield and Kentmere rounds on the doorstep — plus Helvellyn and the Langdale Pikes within half an hour's drive.

Getting here

Windermere station is a mile away, with direct trains from Oxenholme on the West Coast Main Line, and the 599 bus runs past the door towards Bowness, Ambleside and Grasmere. Coming by car, the A591 from junction 36 of the M6 is the usual route; the A592 over Kirkstone is spectacular but not for a first visit in the dark. Parking at the hotel removes the biggest single irritation of a Lakes break.

When to come, and how long

May, June and September are the best months for two adults travelling without school holidays to work around: dry-ish weather, quieter roads, and the fells at their best. July and August are crowded and expensive, though the evenings are long; October half-term aside, autumn is good value and often clear. December and January are cheap and atmospheric, with the fireside trade well in evidence.

Two nights is the minimum for a lake trip, three is better — one day on the water, one on the fells, one wandering. Midweek rates here are usually well below weekend ones, and the adults-only policy makes this a sensible choice for a quiet anniversary or a walking weekend without the summer family traffic.

Facilities

• Free Wifi
• Free car parking
• Luggage storage
• Terrace
• Wheelchair accessible

Location

Ambleside Rd Windermere, Windermere, United Kingdom.

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