My parents visited me in the UK this summer for the first time since I moved abroad nearly 3 years ago! One of the places we wanted to go was the Lake District, one of my favorite places in the entire country. We wanted accommodation that was comfortable and cozy, in a rural (hopefully scenic) location, that offered a good breakfast, and that wasn’t insanely expensive. We found Ellas Crag Guest House online and WOW! Did they ever live up to our expectations!!

This is one of the nicest places I’ve stayed in the Lake District and now my top recommendation for where to stay in the Lake District if you have your own transport. Here is my full review of Ellas Crag Guest House!

Location

Ellas Crag Guest House is located in Newlands Valley, about two miles south of Braithwaite. The location is stunning—nestled right in the valley, you have phenomenal views everywhere. You will need your own car to get here. But there is a fantastic pub, the Swinside Inn, less than a 5-minute drive away. Braithwaite is about a 5-10-minute drive (depending on how many cars you see on the road!) and they have a village shop and another few pubs. Keswick is 15 minutes away by car, and they’ll have anything you need to buy there. It’s also an incredibly scenic 20-minute drive to Buttermere.

One of my favorite things about Ellas Crag Guest House was how convenient it was to do the Catbells hike. You can literally start the hike from the front door! Altogether, it took us 3 hours to do this walk. I also loved that for the entire hike you could see Ellas Crag Guest House basically the whole time! You can’t beat that!

The view from their patio out front is pretty phenomenal. I definitely recommend watching the sunset one evening here.

Rooms

There aren’t very many rooms at Ellas Crag Guest House—they only have three rooms. All the rooms are ensuite with either a bath or shower. Adam and I stayed in Causey Pike, and my parents stayed in the slightly bigger Catbells room. I don’t know if photos can do it justice, but THE VIEW! Honestly waking up and looking out the window was one of my favorite experiences of the trip.

You can tell that Causey Pike is on the small side, but only because I saw my parents room! The bathroom in the Causey Pike room isn’t huge, but it was clean, and the shower worked great. (Water pressure is always important to me after a long day walking outdoors!) The views from the bedroom windows were just phenomenal.

The rooms are equipped with a TV, hairdryer, nice cozy towels, and toiletries. Our bed was so comfortable, and the pillows made you never want to get out of bed. It’s almost a shame that we didn’t spend very much time there!

Breakfast

Rarely does a breakfast get its own category for an accommodation review. But Ellas Crag Guest House breakfast just isn’t normal. You order your breakfast the evening before, and pick a time to have it served the next morning. There’s tea and coffee as well as fruit juices. They have fresh fruit out with yogurt, or just a few varieties of cereal to start (they can also make porridge as well). The full English breakfast was excellent, but I also had a cheese and mushroom omelette which was amazing too. Breakfast comes with toast.

The breakfast was seriously one of the best I’ve had anywhere. I had a lot of food in the morning, and didn’t get hungry until the late afternoon most days! The breakfast alone is reason enough to stay here.

Amenities

Ellas Crag Guest House has plenty of amenities to make your stay the most enjoyable. Outside of the rooms, there is a small coffee/tea station so you can make a drink at all times of the day. The wifi works great throughout the property. They also have a huge library and plenty of DVDs in the lounge. If you’re in need of a map or a guidebook, you’ll be able to find it and have a browse here!

I also loved the two chairs facing the valley, where I watched the sunset both nights I was there. They also have two couches and guests are more than welcome to use the lounge to hang out. Ellas Crag Guest House also has picnic tables/chairs outside if you’d like to enjoy the peace and quiet outdoors.

Staff

This is a small place, and the guest house is occupied by the owners, Ed and Jane. They were both very nice and welcoming—it’s impossible to not feel like you’re at home here! Jane was particularly helpful in recommending pubs and the best way to start the Catbells walk. She also brought us flapjack on our arrival, which was delicious and such a nice touch. They are a wealth of information about the local area and I’m confident they could answer any questions you might have.

Verdict: Would I Return?

Absolutely. Not only would I return, I would recommend it to each and every person who reads this blog to book this place as well. It is quite possibly my favorite place I’ve stayed in the Lake District yet! That’s how nice this place was. No matter what kind of trip to the Lakes you’re doing, Ellas Crag Guest House would be an excellent place to stay. The value for money is excellent here. Considering how amazing the views were and how tasty the breakfast was, I thought it would have been a lot more expensive. The location is just perfect for exploring the Lake District.

If you’re visiting the Lake District (and you should!!!), I do recommend having a car to get around. There is a good bus system to get you around, but it would be very tricky to get to Ellas Crag Guest House without a car. If you are coming by public transportation, I’d book train tickets well in advance (I always use Trainline). The nearest airport to the Lake District is Manchester Airport—I use Skyscanner to find the best deals. Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more.

You can find Ellas Crag Guest House on Booking.com here, but it’s a better price to book direct through their website. They will contact you direct to take a deposit. Note there is a two-night minimum stay, which is a three-night minimum stay over bank holiday weekends. This was such an amazing place to stay!

I was not compensated in any way for this stay—my opinions are always my own.

Check out my other posts on the Lake District:

The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide To England’s Lake District

Hiking Scafell Pike: England’s Highest Mountain

The Lake District: Keswick And Beyond

Hiking Up Helvellyn In The Lake District

Hiking The Old Man Of Coniston In The Lake District

Have you ever stayed anywhere in the Lake District before?!