The Lion and the Lamb

Had a takeaway from here tonight, the chips were burnt, looked like they'd been refried from lunch time. The thick batter on the fish was soggy. The pizzas we ordered were both burnt on the bottom and the bbq sauce on the chicken was so strong it was awful. Waste of time picking it up and definitely waste of money as most of it went in the bin.

If you read any of my reviews you'll know that the USB count in a hotel room is a key success factor for me. Not only to charge your phone, but if you are a motorbike rider, you need them to charge up your helment, sat nav, heated jacket, god knows what else. On this single factor, The Lion and The Lamb has reached the pinnacle of success. My room had 6 USB sockets, and eight 3 pin plug outlets! Hands down, in my many years of travel, this is now the Gold standard for all other places to aspire to. My room was modestly sized, but clean and warm. Good well stocked beverage tray, not skimped upon, and refreshed each morning. I was in room 6, which had a velux ceiling window, but not a wall window. I was barely in it, but if you were there for a few days, you might want to ask for a different room. They have had to set up a temporary breakfast arrangement due to a local fire, but actually it worked better for me. Its self service, bread, yoghurt, juice, spreads, fruit and cereal. Tea and Coffee obviously. I ate elsewhere in the evening, but the bar was doing a healthy business when I passed through. Its a lively bar too, if you head to bed early, bring some ear plugs perhaps. Guinness Zero was appreciated.

Gastropub with accommodation. We went here for a late lunch after all other eateries were found to be closed – strange for a village full of them and billed as the hub for tourists to the Western Lakes – Gosforth is always busy, is actually inside the Lake District National Park, and we were there in late summer. Nice décor – “ultra-mod”, with a large bar area and cubicles for privacy open to the pool table in the middle. Usual pub food, with generous portions, but nothing special as regards taste or being appetising. No parking nearby. OK for food if there is nowhere to go! We’ve seen worse.

The room was clean however bed was very uncomfortable as were the pillows. Room very small with a small door handle to use for hanging. No window except for a small Velux that is impossible to open. Pub below full of loud men appearing to be shouting at one and other so loud it’s as though they were in my room. Walls are paper thin can hear those adjacent to me having sexual relations and those to the side snoring. Very loud dance music being played into the early hours preventing a restful sleep. This would not be as bad if this were a weekend, however it is not and I was on a business trip. Tip - It is not the fault of the hotel, however situated next to it is a burned down shop. This must have occurred recently, however this means that there is not shop close by so take things you might have considered purchasing whilst there :)

The good points: The staff are friendly and helpful and you can see they want to do a good job. The rooms are clean, well decorated and have plenty of power points. Things that could be better: Comfier beds and pillows. Somewhere in the shower rooms to store toiletries rather than on the floor. More storage for clothes. No breakfast - just a voucher for the shop. It would be better to knock some money off the price and just say they don't provide breakfast. Things that aren't good: The food - pretty much everything is deep fried and forget it if you are veggie or just want something wholesome and healthy. One of the menu items is called Tits 'N' ****. Really? I find that pretty offensive. Noise levels - from outside with traffic and from the pub across the road, ending late at night and starting again from 4am. And from inside the hotel, again starting from early in the morning - from around 4/4.30am. And I could hear the person in the next room snoring!!! For an odd night it's ok, but I think it would be a struggle if staying frequently or for a few nights. To be honest my score would be 2 if it wasn't for the cleanliness of the rooms and friendliness of the staff, whihc can mkae up for a lot. It feels like a drinkers' pub that has rooms upstairs rather than a hotel.

Stopped for dinner. Wish we hadn’t. Food was terrible and overpriced. Chips cooked in oil well past its best. Infact, the vast majority of the food was greasy and looked like it had seen nothing but the deep fat fryer. I could go on about the sticky floors etc but I’ll just leave it as AVOID.