Forest Side Hotel
Quietly grand country house. Original Victorian bones meet a considered, unfussy interior — Zoffany fabrics, Herdwick wool carpet, handmade Harrison Spinks beds. Smart-casual atmosphere. Not stiff, not showy.
Book the Two Night Stay & Savour package to experience both the 4-course and 8-course tasting menus on successive evenings — it's the best way to fully explore Paul Leonard's cooking
Why It Matters
Holds a Michelin Star, Michelin Green Star (for sustainability), 5 AA Rosettes, a Michelin Key hotel designation, and was named AA Hotel of the Year 2023/24. The kitchen grows 90% of its ingredients within 10 miles of the hotel, with its own kitchen garden, foraging programme, and charcuterie operation.
A Victorian Gothic mansion built in 1853, Forest Side sits on 43 acres of woodland and fell above the village of Grasmere. The restaurant is the headline act — a Michelin Star, Michelin Green Star, and 5 AA Rosettes — but the 20 rooms hold their own: calm, generously appointed, and designed with real care. It's a hotel that earns its reputation without making a fuss about it.
Where You'll Stay
5 room types available
Accessible Stay Rooms
Rooms designed for guests with accessibility needs. Same commitment to quality finishes and thoughtful detail as the rest of the property.
Cosy
Eight rooms. Compact and snug by design — the smallest category at Forest Side, but finished to exactly the same standard as the rest. Interiors by designer James Mackie: Zoffany wall coverings and fabrics, deep-pile Herdwick wool carpet by Wools of Cumbria, and handmade Harrison Spinks Westmorland beds. Bathrooms have Farrow & Ball finishes, natural limestone tiles, and Bramley bath and body products. Good for solo travellers or couples who want the Forest Side experience without paying for space they won't use.
Dog Friendly Rooms
Dedicated dog-friendly rooms that come with proper amenities for four-legged guests: a dog bed, food and water bowls, and treats waiting on arrival. Same quality finishes as the standard room grades. Dogs are genuinely welcomed here rather than merely tolerated.
Master
Five rooms. The best Forest Side has to offer. Separate sitting areas, double-ended freestanding baths, brilliant showers, and unrivalled views over the Lake District grounds and surrounding landscape. The bathrooms alone are worth the upgrade — automated lighting, Farrow & Ball finishes, and natural limestone throughout. Custom Harrison Spinks beds, Zoffany fabrics, and Herdwick carpet complete the picture. This is the room you book for a significant occasion.
Superb
Seven rooms. Larger than the Cosy grade, with views over the hotel grounds adding a real sense of place. Same James Mackie-designed interiors throughout: Zoffany fabrics, Harrison Spinks beds, Herdwick carpet, and Bramley products. Bathrooms are sumptuously appointed with Farrow & Ball wall coverings and natural limestone tiles. The step up in size makes evenings in the room feel noticeably more comfortable.
The Property
Eat & Drink
3 venues on property
Restaurant
Spa & Wellness
Treatment Menu
On Property
How you'll actually spend your days.
The Lake District fells are on the doorstep. Grasmere village and Dove Cottage are a 20-minute walk along the Old Coffin Trail. Wordsworth's Rydal Mount and Grasmere lake are all within easy reach on foot or by car.
43 acres of woodland, restored Victorian gardens, and a fellside to roam freely. The grounds include a Victorian fernery (being gradually restored), a limestone monolith stone circle folly, and an active kitchen garden. Spot roe deer and red squirrels on the fellside.
The working kitchen garden supplies the restaurant and grows over 100 varieties of vegetables and 25 types of herbs, plus edible flowers and micro-greens. Guests can explore it at leisure. Two full-time gardeners manage the site.
The hotel's own fellside is home to a herd of roe deer and red squirrels. Early mornings are the best time to spot them from the grounds. Native wildflowers — foxgloves, wood sorrel, common sorrel — also populate the slopes.
The sommelier team at Forest Side curates matched wine flights for both the 4-course and 8-course tasting menus. Pairings include both classic and off-piste selections — expect Georgian orange wines and other less-common varietals alongside familiar choices.
Amenities & Practical Info
The details that matter for planning.
A log-fire lounge with deep velvet couches — the kind of room you sink into after a long walk and don't leave for hours.
Complimentary WiFi throughout the property.
A full Cumbrian breakfast served daily 8am–10am, included with Dinner, Bed & Breakfast packages. Also available as a standalone. Includes Full English/Irish, vegetarian, and vegan options.
The hotel takes exclusive use bookings for weddings and private events. An intimate, whole-property setting in the Lake District.
Experience and monetary vouchers available to purchase directly through the hotel website.
Room service available for meals.
An outdoor terrace overlooking the hotel grounds — a good spot for afternoon drinks in warmer months.
Dedicated dog-friendly rooms with dog bed, bowls, and treats provided. Pets welcomed throughout the grounds. One of the more genuinely dog-friendly luxury properties in the Lake District.
Ample free private parking on the hotel grounds. A car is effectively essential for exploring the wider Lake District.
No swimming pool on-site.
No on-site gym and no known partnership with a nearby fitness facility.
BUILD YOUR FOREST SIDE HOTEL PLAN
Rooms, dining, spa, and resort experiences — organized into one trip plan.
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