The English Lake District Hotel With 11 Golf Courses Within 30 Minutes, Including Delightful Windermere

Crooklands Hotel in Cumbria.

The golf

Windermere: par 67, 5,122 yards

Cumbria's only entry in Golf Monthly's UK&I Top 100 course rankings lies in the north-west of the county on the coast at Silloth on Solway.

But there is much more hugely enjoyable golf to savour throughout the county, including several beauties in the southern half. Laid out on rolling, and at times, rocky terrain a couple of miles from Bowness, Windermere is a particularly beautiful place to play.

Challenging beyond its yardage, Windermere enjoys a delightful setting (Image credit: Windermere Golf Club)

Don’t be fooled by the scorecard for there are some strong tests here, such as the rollercoaster 4th, which makes a mockery of its modest 380 yards, and the 17th and 18th on the final climb, an ascent that begins on the 16th, the course’s solitary par 5.

Looking towards the clubhouse and Lake District fells beyond at Windermere Golf Club (Image credit: Windermere Golf Club)

My notes for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th read simply “tough”, “real chance” and “very tough” and that is the beauty of this lovely course – interspersed among the challenges are genuine chances to score via potentially drivable par 4s like that 3rd hole plus the 9th and 11th.

Above all, any round here is enormous fun with views to die for.

The signature par-3 8th at Windermere Golf Club plays to a steep-fronted green (Image credit: Windermere Golf Club)

The hotel

Crooklands

Crooklands, on the A65 close to the major south Cumbria routes of the M6 and A590, is the perfect base for golf trips to this area. It’s a family business under new ownership, with both the inn and bedrooms extensively refurbished in recent years.

The spacious bedrooms at Crooklands have been extensively refurbished in recent years (Image credit: Crooklands Hotel)

It cleverly mixes the feel of an old Cumbrian inn with the modern amenities and accommodation many are looking for, with comfortable, spacious rooms, a lively and friendly bar, and dining either in the older-style inn or more modern dining room with its contemporary decor. There are six dog-friendly rooms, too.

The contemporary dining room is one of two excellent places to eat at Crooklands (Image credit: Crooklands Hotel)

Best deal

There are 11 courses within 30 minutes of Crooklands: Kirkby Lonsdale, Windermere, Carus Green, Bentham, Silverdale, Kendal, Casterton, Ulverston, Lancaster, Morecambe and Heysham.

Ulverston is another of the 11 courses within 30 minutes of Crooklands (Image credit: Ulverston Golf Club)

Stay and play at Crooklands with Golf Lake District (golflakedistrict.co.uk) on a one-night B&B package with rounds at Windermere and Kirkby Lonsdale from £214.99pp based on two sharing on a Friday or Saturday night.

Sunday night B&B packages start from £189.99pp based on two sharing to include two rounds from a choice of Kirkby Lonsdale, Silverdale and Bentham. Tailor-made packages are available to suit all budgets, golfing abilities and tastes.

(Prices correct at time of publication in January 2026)