A four-star hotel in Ambleside is celebrating a year since its multi-million-pound refurbishment.

The Waterhead Inn's traditional slate building completed its transformation in time for the peak of the summer holidays.

The hotel is marking its first 12 months as a pub with rooms from The Inn Collection Group.

(Image: The Inn Collection Group)

Last year saw nearly 30,000 visitors enjoy a night in one of the inn's 56 bedrooms, while the kitchen served 39,000 plates of food.

Among guests' favourites were fish and chips - the clear winner accounting for almost 10 percent of meals served with 3,757 portions sold - followed by house burger and pies of the week with 2,981 and 2,239 orders respectively.

(Image: The Inn Collection Group)

Daryl Hardy, the general manager, said: “It’s been an incredible first year at The Waterhead Inn with so many people coming in for food, drink or to stay.

“The team have done a cracking job since reopening to make the most of the investment made into the inn and the consistent level of positive feedback is reward for what they are doing.

(Image: The Inn Collection Group)

“We were delighted to be one of The Inn Collection Group sites to pick up a 2024 Traveller’s Choice Award from Tripadvisor and we’ll be aiming to keep these standards high.

“We’re enjoying a good summer so far and hopefully those staying with us in the coming weeks are looking forward to their stay with confidence in what they are going to experience.”

The inn's attractively placed location, offering stunning views across Windermere’s Waterhead Bay, brought in an increased number of customers.

(Image: The Inn Collection Group)

Nearly 13,000 pints of Madri beer were pulled and Pinot Grigio came tops for wine lovers with 3,700 glasses served.

Observations from customers on sites like Tripadvisor, Booking.com, and Google resulted in top marks for service quality, the standard of refurbishment, and the views on offer.

The inn also donated £2,500 to local causes using its initiative 'Give Inn Back.'

In partnership with Wateredge Inn and The Temperance Inn, an additional £4,000 was donated to the Ambleside Christmas Lights fund and hosted a complimentary Christmas lunch for older members of the community.