Where to eat
Our closest pub is a mile up the road - the Cross Keys at Cautley Spout. The food is delightfully old fashioned and I believe all still cooked on an Aga. It is also a Temperance Inn which means it doesn’t serve alcohol, but it makes up for this by having the most extensive soft drinks menu I’ve ever seen! And you can take your own alcohol. The story behind the Temperance Inn goes back a couple of hundred years when apparently the landlord drowned saving a drunk patron who fell in the river. The family then vowed never to sell another drop. Then when the National Trust took it on they honoured this and the tradition continues to this day.
Slightly further afield, a 7 minute drive into Sedbergh, we have the Black Bull and the Dalesman. Both excellent pubs serving delicious food. The Dalesman isn’t dog friendly but the Black Bull is. The latter has a bar and a restaurant, depending on your needs, and I’ve often popped in for a coffee during the day when I’ve needed to work-from-home-not-at-home. They have a woodburning stove which is lit all winter long and makes it super cosy.
15 minutes in the other direction (north) is Ravenstonedale, a picturesque village boasting 3 pubs - the Fat Lamb, the King’s Head and the Black Swan. My local friend who is a food writer describes the latter as ‘swanky’ which is a pretty high praise if you ask me!
A little bit further in the same direction is the The Engine Shed (outskirts of Kirkby Stephen) which is a campsite with big barn selling absolutely delicious burgers. We’ve had some great summer evenings here with the kids running around outside (there’s a playground and toys) so it’s a great family friendly choice.
If you want to venture as far as Kendal (30 minute drive) you are absolutely spoilt for choice for restaurants, but if I had to pick two I’d go for Ramble or Comeda. Book for both as they are popular, and if you’re a bigger group or a family I’d say Comeda is slightly better suited just because it’s bigger. But both have delicious food and great atmosphere.