The Black Bull

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 heaps of bookshops, a weekly farmers’ market, restaurants, and antiques.

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. Choose from any kind of breakfast, including vegan, sample inventive cooking by the fire in the cosy bar; the airy restaurant with floor-to-ceiling windows looks out onto the street.

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.