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The Brackenrigg Inn had been on our list for quite a while, ever since I saw Another Place, The Lake featured on Interior Design Masters. We ended up staying at The Brackenrigg Inn with access to Another Place facilities, which ended up being a huge part of what made this Lake District stay feel so special.
If you fancy having a look for yourself, you can check prices for Brackenrigg Inn here.
Update August 2026: Since our stay, Brackenrigg Inn has changed the arrangements for access to the Swim Club at Another Place. At the time of writing, Swim Club access is charged separately at £40 per person, per day. This was included when we originally stayed, so do check the latest terms before booking.
From the lake views and stylish room to the indoor pool, open water swimming and a very good breakfast the next morning, this was one of those stays that felt like a proper treat without quite the same price tag as a main hotel stay. Here’s my honest Brackenrigg Inn review, including what we loved, what was mixed and whether I’d recommend booking it.
Where is The Brackenrigg Inn?
On the banks of Ullswater, in Watermillock, Lake District. Brackenrigg Inn is just a short walk up the hill from Another Place, that you will find near Aira Force waterfalls, around 4 minutes from Pooley Bridge and around 10 from Glenridding.
Why we booked The Brackenrigg Inn
NWFA’ followers will know that we regularly visit the Lake District and Ullswater in particular. We have driven past Another Place loads of times and originally intended on staying for my 50th. After finding out that The Brackenrigg Inn had been updated, thoroughly enjoying our Sunday roast last time we visited, and then discovering we could also use the facilities at Another Place, we knew we had to give it a go.
Our stay cost us £245 on a Saturday night in May 2026 and felt great value. This included use of Another Place facilities and breakfast at The Brackenrigg Inn. Another Place is only a 5 minute walk from The Brackenrigg, with a pedestrian safe walkway from the pub to the hotel complex. The only time you are near the busy Ullswater road (A592) is to cross over.
What Brackenrigg Inn is like
There’s no denying that The Brackenrigg was in need of renovation before its upgrade. They now have a really lovely country pub feel and it’s great to see it so busy for evening meals. They’ve also got bigger plans for the site, including a children’s play area, more accommodation and the return of their microbrewery.
There is outside seating both at the front and rear of the pub – The seating at the front gets very popular and is great for seeing the world go by but the rear outdoor seating is great for relaxing in the summer. You also can’t beat the roaring log fire in the winter though – we were mesmerised!
Communication before you arrive is excellent. Clear checking in instructions so we knew exactly what to expect. Be careful if you are booking a meal at The Brackenrigg online though – just make sure you definitely get confirmation that your booking has gone through. We had to do it twice.
Our room at Brackenrigg Inn
There are seven en-suite rooms available at the pub – single, double or even a 2 double bedroom family suite. All but one room looks onto Ullswater (the back bedroom looks over the fields which is lovely but not a patch on the view of the lake).
Our double room was decorated in a country-style – we loved the little seating area by the window to watch the activity on the lake. Another fab little touch were the Tunnocks teacakes left for us too.
With The Brackenrigg being a country pub, you can hear people coming and going to their rooms but don’t hear much from actually inside the rooms.
Food at Brackenrigg Inn
We’ve eaten a few times already at The Brackenrigg Inn. It’s around a 20 minute walk downhill from where we have previously stayed at The Quiet Site (but beware, its a steep walk uphill home!)
They have themed evenings on Wednesdays (Pie Night) and Thursday (Curry Night) and live music on Fridays.
Evening meal
The menu is typical for a country pub feel with a small selection of starters (soup, nachos, salt & chilli chicken) and hearty main courses. We opted to go straight for the main course, going for the lamb rump (27.50) and Steak Pie (£23). Sadly, the rump had been overcooked and was the last one available so I had to swap to the vegan sweet potato, chickpea and spinach curry (£18.50).
Our meals were fine – Mr C’s wasn’t the biggest portion ever but did taste good and my curry was okay but could have been slightly more exciting. The key lime pie (£8.50) for the dessert special was fabulous though! Light and flaky pastry and tarty lime filling served with vegan vanilla ice cream.
Breakfast
Service at breakfast was relaxed and friendly with just another couple eating at the same time. We had the choice of where to sit so obviously went for a window seat – you can’t miss out on that view for a minute!
I really enjoyed my full English breakfast (12.95) – honestly one of the tastiest breakfasts I’ve had in ages. Mr C opted for the scrambled eggs on sourdough toast (8.95), which he regretted when he saw mine. Tea, Coffee and fruit juice is also available but slightly disappointing to only be able to have one cuppa included in your breakfast. They obviously don’t know how much tea we are capable of drinking!
Using Another Place as a Brackenrigg guest
We had planned on using the facilities at Another Place after we had checked in to our Brackenrigg room but we arrived in the Lake District much earlier than planned (just after 11am). Another Place were absolutely fine about us using their facilities straightaway without checking in, even giving us a short tour of the ground floor.
Brackenrigg guests get access to all hotel facilities including Swim Club, Kids’ Zone and restaurants. We felt totally immersed at Another Place and it was absolutely no hardship to make the 5 minute walk up the road to bed. Another Place does offer free parking but really you would likely already be there by the time you got in the car and out of the car park. There is also an outdoor sauna and hot tub available in the grounds to use for an additional fee.
The pool, lake and spa areas
As it was such a sunny day, Mr C took full advantage of open water swimming in Ullswater Lake from the private lakeshore. I chickened out as usual, choosing instead to sit in the sun with my book. Utter bliss and great entertainment watching a group of hotel guests having their first paddle boarding lesson. A bench would make it even more perfect, but luckily the grass was dry.
Afterwards, we headed to the indoor pool, where the view of the countryside was stunning. The staff were lovely, again showing us around.
There are private unisex changing rooms and free lockers. We loved the iced water available poolside and also the loungers by the pool. Mr C made good use of the sauna but you couldn’t drag me away from that view so I stayed in the pool. We actually had the pool to ourselves when we were there but families started arriving as we headed to the changing rooms.
There are so many little touches everywhere that really show the thought that has been put into the design – like the door handles being at the top of the doors so little children cannot escape.
We would definitely go back to Another Place even if it was just to use the pool. This would make a perfect escape for groups of friends.
Lunch and drinks at Another Place
We stayed for lunch on the terrace after our swim and were so glad we did. It did help that it was a gloriously sunny Saturday so everyone seems relaxed and happy.
We shared a seafood platter (£25), which was bigger than we anticipated. The seafood fishcake was huge and so tasty. Mr C loved the mackerel pate (I found it a little too salty but devoured the super fresh prawns). We added a portion of fries (£6) which was plenty for us both.
The rest of the menu was a good selection of burgers, sandwiches, salads and steaks or you could just go for nibbles with your drinks. Allergens are catered for and we noticed plenty of children enjoying their food too, so good for all the family.
Lunch is served from 12pm to 3pm.
We returned to the comfy sofas in Another Place bar after our evening meal at The Brackenrigg and had a lovely evening. Drinks are fairly steep though – a large glass of Malbec was around £12. There was a family party in one of the side rooms but other bar guests were not made to feel awkward at all (in fact one of the family members invited us to join them!)
A few practical things to consider before you book
- Check-in at The Brackenrigg Inn from 3pm – Check-out by 11am.
- All rooms are dog-friendly, additional dog charges apply.
- The pub closes around 10.30pm but you have a key to the pub to let yourself in after hours. This was honestly one of the highlights of our stay, so quirky to let yourself into an empty, dark pub! (We are presuming they have CCTV).
- all rooms are en-suite
- Free parking is available
- EV charging is available at Another Place.
What we loved
- The stunning Ullswater views – Have I said this enough in this review?
- Access to Another Place – We WILL be back!
- The pool and lakeside setting – It was a lovely sunny weekend but I can imagine Another Place, like The Brackenrigg, is super cosy in the winter too.
- The stylish room – perfect for a romantic break or walking holiday.
Is Brackenrigg Inn worth it?
Yes — especially if you love the look of Another Place but cannot quite justify staying there, or just prefer the idea of a country pub stay with hotel perks thrown in. For us, the real magic of this stay was getting the best of both worlds: a stylish and comfortable room at Brackenrigg, then lake access, pool time and drinks at Another Place. I’d happily go backend highly recommend if you are interested in having a taster of Another Place too.
For us, this ended up being one of those stays that felt more special than we expected. Brackenrigg Inn gave us a lovely room, a very good breakfast and a relaxed country pub feel, while access to Another Place made the whole break feel like much more of a treat.
Tempted? You can check availability for Brackenrigg Inn here.
If you’re visiting Ullswater in spring, you might also like my guide to where to see lambs in the North West.
