A POPULAR pub in a beautiful corner of South Lakeland has been singled out as one of the leading pubs in the country.

The Masons Arms, Cartmel Fell, has been named North West Pub of the Year in the Good Pub Guide 2012.

It is run by John and Diane Taylor, who took over eight years ago and have created the perfect traditional country pub serving real ales and good food.

John said: “We are delighted to have won the award, we feel quite surprised and honoured really.

“We have put in quite a lot of hard work so it is nice to be recognised by the industry.”

Diane added: “This award is that it is about the pub itself. Food is very important to us but this celebrates our traditional pub image which is obviously under threat in the current climate.”

The pub, one of 28 from Cumbria in the guide, also has self-catering cottages and apartments. It is one of a declining number of pubs in the trade to be bucking the trend, with visitor numbers increasing.

“We do seem to be getting busier than we used to be,” said John. “Over the last seven years, we have had continual growth year on year.”

A Good Pub Guide spokesman said that as well as the real ales and good food on offer, the pub’s win was also due to its atmosphere and location.

“The pub itself is a favourite with many of our readers and the main bar has plenty of character, with low black beams in the bowed ceiling and country chairs and plain wooden tables on polished flagstones,” said the spokesman.

John said the team would keep striving to do its best in the future: “Looking forward we will try to carry on doing the right thing at the right time with the prospect of difficult times ahead for everybody in the pub trade in the next few years.”