warm welcome

An open fire and an open-arms welcome greet you as you enter the flag-floored, oak-beamed Queen's Head Hotel, in the English Lake District. New face or old flame, we offer you the same cosy reception. You'll feel instantly at ease amongst our real ales, genuine hospitality and food so local, so fresh and so full of flavour it's a revelation.

Our hotel has been part of picturesque Hawkshead since the sixteenth century. It was around when William Wordsworth attended the local grammar school. You can still see the desk where he carved his name - he was nifty with a penknife rather than a pen in his early days.

We were serving when Beatrix Potter, who lived just up the road, wrote, painted and reared her beloved Herdwick sheep. Her husband, William Heelis, was the local solicitor in the village and his old offices, now The Beatrix Potter Gallery, are full of her wonderful illustrations.

Surrounded by fells and forests, a stone's throw from Esthwaite Water, close to Lake Windermere, and centrally positioned to explore the whole of the Lakes, our hotel offers every element of the perfect break.