AN ENCHANTING retreat set in private grounds which sweep down to the lake has won national acclaim for a Windermere couple, writes tourism reporter Nadia Jefferson-Brown.

Keith and Penelope Robinson's Lakeshore House is one of three finalists short-listed for the Best Bed & Breakfast Award 2002 as the English Tourism Council celebrates excellence within the industry.

The winner will be announced at a ceremony on April 23 at the Royal Opera House, London, along with the most outstanding visitor attractions, hotels, caravan parks and other successes.

"We are absolutely delighted," said Mr Robinson, a former chartered surveyor, whose wife admitted: "I was staggered.

I thought we had to be more traditional to get through."

The couple welcomed their first paying guests just two years ago after transforming part of their Ecclerigg home into three suites - named after Ruskin, Wordsworth and Beatrix Potter.

Each suite has its own access, breath-taking lake and mountain views, en-suite bedrooms, leather armchairs and footrests and a welcoming decanter of sherry.

A 'Lakeland' breakfast, using local produce, is served in Lakeshore's carpeted conservatory overlooking Windermere, where a swimming pool with its own waterfall takes centre stage.

A sauna is also available for guests, while the grounds feature an Astroturf for badminton or putting practice and a jetty on the lake.

Since opening, the spacious and stylishly-comfortable haven has been voted Best B&B in Cumbria 2001, and has featured in accommodation publications such as The Which? Hotel Guide 2002 under the Romantic Escapism banner.

"We tried to make it somewhere where we would like to stay ourselves," said Mrs Robinson, a mother-of-four, who stressed the importance of comfort and relaxation.

"We find people come up from London and are really exhausted, but when we see them the next morning they are different people.

They get lost in the views."

Mr Robinson said they were 'very lucky' to overlook such stunning scenery: "For people who haven't been to the Lake District before, they see the views and it flies the flag for Cumbria."