A walk across fells to a great pub: the Kirkstile Inn, Lake District

A walk with Lakeland views ends in a historic inn serving delicious food and its own beer

The Kirkstile Inn was first documented in 1549. Then a farm, it was sold by west Cumbria’s St Bees Priory after the dissolution of the monasteries. Today, it’s a pub with low-beamed ceilings and old fireplaces popular both with locals and tourists stopping for a post-walk meal and a pint from its own brewery.

The inn’s pull is impressive, given that the village in which it lies, Loweswater, named after the nearby lake, is home to just a couple of hundred people. Away from the tourist honeypots, the western side of the Lake District is an altogether more peaceful place.