Willowbeck Lodge

Very pleasant room, wonderful welcome. Dining room fairly utilitarian but food good and decent wine selection but slightly on the pricy side. Great location and service made up for that. Breakfast good, but the self service juice etc wasn’t obvious and wasn’t pointed out to us. We only stayed one night and it is very handy for JN 43 on the M6, but it looks as lovely choice for a few days close to the lakes.

We came here to celebrate our 21st wedding anniversary, a lovely surprise organised by my husband. It took us just under two hours to drive from Edinburgh, and it was absolutely worth the trip. The B&B was spotlessly clean, cosy and welcoming. Everyone we met greeted us with a smile, creating such a warm and friendly atmosphere that you rarely find in larger hotels, which can sometimes feel a bit impersonal. I absolutely adore this kind of family-run place. I’m lactose intolerant, and both breakfast and dinner were handled with great care. The chef was incredibly thoughtful. I even learned for the first time that sausages can contain milk. At first, I thought they’d simply forgotten mine, but it turned out they were making sure they were safe for me to eat. Thank you for a wonderful stay. We’ll definitely be back again. One funny moment: my husband told me there were otters in the pond, but they’re shy and only come out at night. So I found myself hiding behind the curtains in the early hours, hoping to catch a glimpse. Sadly, no luck this time.

We recently stayed at Willowbeck Lodge for one night, on two occasions ten days apart, once on our way to Scotland and the other on the return journey. On both visits we enjoyed the same high standards of hospitality. Our room was clean, spacious and very comfortable providing a restful night’s sleep after long journeys. Breakfast was very good with a wide choice and served in the attractive bar area. We also had dinner in Fini’s Restaurant, on the ground floor, on both occasions and thoroughly enjoyed our meals (I have reviewed this separately under Restaurants).|We will certainly make a return visit to Willowbeck Lodge next time we are travelling through the area. Being only 1¼ miles from Junction 43 of the M6, near Carlisle, makes it so convenient, and its setting amongst the trees by a wildlife pond makes it such a calm place to spend the night.

Omg what a hidden gem this place is. I've only just checked in and already happy to write a 5 star review! The place is an artists dream, I sat and painted by the pond & relaxation was perfect. Our room is right next to reception, hardly any noise so far and very happy to hear the bar shuts at 10pm which is ideal for sleep! The room is done to an extremely high standard, nice to see a portable mirror for us lady's who need light for make up the next day. There's a double shower which is actually a double shower, two shower heads! A little terrace where you can sit too. A privacy screen between the reception and room would be a great addition as it would define it as a separate area. Food was nice and well labeled for allergies. Not a huge choice but a quality choice on the menu. Staff are lovely, very polite and professional. Drinks are fairly priced. Food tasted very good, I had scallops which are tricky to get right and they were perfectly cooked, top marks to the chef, they've absolutely got good experience. We're planning on a return visit and bring the kids next time. Lovely stay :)

Great Hotel, lovely setting, nice rooms, excellent food, good service. We arranged a get-together with some of our friends to celebrate my wife’s birthday. We chose Willowbeck because it was more-or-less halfway between us and looked promising - and we were not disappointed. It’s a splendid hotel in a lovely setting. The rooms were clean and comfortable, and the food was superb. But beyond that was the welcome and service provided by owner/manager Andrew who, from the very beginning, made every effort to make sure that we were well looked-after and content. Let’s come again.!

OK wouldn't stay again. Serviced its purpose location wise. We didn't realise that the bar was open to the public so the noise can be a bit much when People are drinking on the patio. Very hot rooms however we could not open the windows due to noise Quite expensive relative to the size of the room. Clean and tidy. Breakfast there is a very limited menu.

Excellent stay at Willowbeck Lodge. Great room, with a lovely bathroom and immaculately clean. As former 5 star Guesthouse owners, we can appreciate the effort that goes in to providing a service that looks effortless to guests! A lovely evening meal from an uncomplicated and simple menu, a refreshing change from pages and pages of not so great choices. The scallop starter was a particular hit. We're staying again later in the year. Thoroughly recommended!

What a beautiful little hotel. So tranquil and yet so close to the M6 and Carlisle city centre. We loved everything about the place. The room was huge and the bed very comfortable. The only downside, if you could call it that, was the breakfast. We were told on arrival that the inclusive breakfast was a continental - if we wanted a full English cooked breakfast it was a further £15 per head on top of the price we'd already paid. At almost £200 for the room, I found this to be a bit cheeky, especially given that I never noticed anything on the website mentioning the fact that it was only a continental breakfast when booking it, nor since returning home and scrutinising it further. I don't mind paying for things, but the price already seemed to reflect more than we were given. The continental breakfast was OK, cereal, fruit juices, a few croissants, some platters of cold meat and cheese, and you were offered toast if you wanted it. I enjoyed what I had, I just felt a bit cheated. It certainly wouldn't stop me going back if I was ever in the area again though.