Inn on the Square, Keswick, Cumbria: hotel review

This smart new hotel in the Lake District offers a good night’s sleep, but bling furnishings, slow service and added costs take the shine off a stay here

With its tea rooms and Berghaus-clad tourists, Keswick may not strike you as a destination for anyone fond of boozy late nights. But Mark Webster, manager at Inn on the Square (IOTS) insists it’s a party town, with its pubs packed at weekends. I’m there on a Wednesday and watch the local craft beer outpost, Bar Es, fill up at 11pm.

If the generally twee, tweedy Lake District is changing, 34-bedroom IOTS, from the Lake District Hotels group, is hoping to be at the forefront of that. Walkers are still the core audience, and IOTS is all set up for them: it’s dog-friendly, with a drying room for boots.