This smartly refurbished 17th-century coaching inn has an easy-going atmosphere. Off the main street so it’s a stroll to all the town’s attractions including a weekly farmers’ market and antique shops. Nina and James are very hands-on and passionate about provenance – from Herdwick blankets to locally roasted artisan coffee. Nina bakes the breakfast bread and pastries, they do their own smoking and curing and there’s a little kitchen garden at the back. Sample inventive cooking by the fire in the cosy bar, or in the airy restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows. Sedbergh is one of the UK’s three book towns – even the bus shelter has a selection. The Dales Way footpath leaves from your door and you can reach the Howgill Fells in ten minutes; Kendal and Windermere are just under half-an-hour’s drive away.