Latest News

For an entertaining insight into running a country house hotel, read Simon's blog: Life in a country castle

• Simon & Wendy Bennett are celebrating being voted 'Favourite British Hotel' by the readers of Alastair Sawday's Special Places to Stay guides.

• Well done Overwater Hall for winning England's North West Tourism''s Small Hotel of the Year Award. Next stop, the national Enjoy England Awards.

• Simon & Wendy Bennett at Augill Castle have been nominated as Indivudual Boutique Hotel of the Year for the second year in the British Travel Awards. They are up against such names as The Dorchester, Chewton Glen and Hotel du Vin. You can vote for Augill Castle here and maybe bag one of a pretty impressive line up of prizes too.

• Simon & Wendy Bennett's Augill Castle, in Cumbria's Upper Eden Valley, has been judged a finalist in this year's Cumbria Tourism Sustainable Tourism award. The nomination is the culmination of years of making little things count in the move towards turning a Victorian castle into a business fit for the 21st century and comes hot on the heels of the castle's success as EnjoyEngland's national Guest Accommodation of the Year last year.

• Congratulations to Stephen Bore, Angela & Adrian Hyde of Overwater Hall  near Keswick who have won Cumbria Tourism's Small Hotel of the Year award.

• Liam & Cath Berney of The Cottage in the Wood, Winlatter in The Lake District have won this year's Taste of Cumbria award for their superb food.

• Well done John, Christine, Barney & Zoe Cunliffe whose hotel Gilpin Lodge near Windermere in the heart of the English Lakes has been crowned EnjoyEngland's national Small Hotel of the Year. Well deserved!