I came to Cherry Holme for my post-chemotherapy challenge of climbing Helvellyn. Cherry Holme was, admittedly, not my first choice because of the price; I was hoping to stay somewhere less costly, but there was a wedding in the village that weekend and the options for rooms are about 4 inns & B&Bs. I am SO GLAD the other places I called were full. Cherry Holme, and the hosts Michael and Kathleen, were perfect in every way.

The rooms at the Inn are beautiful. Lovely polished furniture in rooms large enough to be comfortable in (some Americans may not agree that the rooms are large, but they were perfect for myself in one room, and my couple-friend in another). Each room has a beautiful modern bathroom that looked to me to be straight out of Scandinavia - sleek and modern. No trickling shower pressure here! Our rooms also had large flat-screen tvs, although I have to admit I never touched the remote. I was there for hiking and sleeping and eating and pretty much nothing else.

We were lucky to be in the village during the weekend of the Glenridding Festival. This was a small, exciting, local fair, complete with a competition between the volunteer fire department (Michael, our host, was one of them) and the volunteer mountain rescue. We watched the FD put forth their best effort, but in the end, the awards went to the mountain rescue. I'm sure that contest was rigged!

I have to say something special about Michael and Kathleen. When I booked our rooms, I warned Michael that two of the three of us were vegan. His response was "what is a vegan?" And despite his expression that they would "do their best", they were already well-suited to cater to vegans - and vegans with additional special diets, as well. While Phil chowed down on the typical, meat-filled English Breakfast, Debbie and I got equally-filling bowls of sugar-free muesli with loads of fresh fruit, and wonderfully delicious plates of hot baked beans, mushrooms, and tomatoes (pronounced, of course, to-mah-toes). Having not known what a vegan was, they were already set up to cater to the most restrictive of us! We did stop in Keswick to buy some almond milk in order to be able to have some tea with milk, but Michael had offered to get some soy milk for us.

One final shout-out about food was that when we asked Kathleen if she would cook some quinoa for us as our lunchtime meal to carry on the hikes, she was happy to oblige - and did so twice for us. Again, even though they had never heard of quinoa before. My hope is that they tried it and are now eating it regularly - it is so good for you!

All-in-all, I have stayed in many B&Bs in England and this rates about the highest of all those I can remember. Even the Pitchfords' children were lovely - the boy caught me on my way out the door one morning to hand me a leaflet with the times of the lake steamers because he heard our plans to take the steamer to How Town and walk back (we did). One evening, I headed downstairs to talk to my friends in the ground floor room, and I could hear someone playing beautifully on the piano. I caught Michael at the piano, his children by his side. :-)

Normally when i travel to the lake district I like to stay in Grasmere because my goal is always to visit Dove Cottage, among other things - but I think when I next return I will stay in Glenridding again. It is the perfect place to really and truly get away from it all and just focus on rest and recovery.

And we DID get to the top of Helvellyn and Swirral and Striding Edge - almost 3 months after my last chemotherapy treatment!

We really enjoyed our short break at Cherry Holme, the room we had was beautifully furnished with a superb view over Ullswater. The ensuite was spacious and well stocked with towels and good quality toileteries. There was a very comprehesive breakfast menu which definitely gave you an incentive to get out and walk it off in the gorgeous areas around Ullswater. Close enough to Glenridding to stroll in for an evening meal. Mike and Kathy had a relaxed efficiency which made our stay very enjoyable. We will definitely return.

A real touch of luxury in the Lakes. Wonderful service, superb breakfast, and a sauna to warm you up after a miserable day in the wind and rain.

My girlfriend and I stayed at Cherry Holme in July when we were visiting Glenridding for a friend's wedding, which was being held at the Inn on the Lake, a minute's walk from the front door of this B & B. All I can say is that I am very glad we stayed here. The rooms were clean and very well furnished, and we got a beautiful lake Ullswater view as well. Breakfast was fantastic; yoghurt, fruit, cereal, juice, tea/coffee not to mention the full English breakfast, cooked to order! The proprietors found the perfect balance between being helpful without being overbearing, and could offer great advice on places to go walking, things to do, and good places for food. Even better was that they would have the sauna up to heat in time for your arrival back from the fells, the best way to relax after climbing Helvellyn.

I would definitely stay here again, and would recommend Cherry Holme to any friends planning a visit to the lakes.