Golden Rule

You'll find the Golden Rule tucked away on Smithy Brow, the kind of place that feels like it's been there forever—because it basically has. This is where locals actually drink, not where tourists come to perform being in the Lake District. The bar's warm and unpretentious, the sort of spot where you can nurse a pint of Robinsons Dizzy Blonde or Lancaster Bomber and chat with whoever's next to you. It's the antidote to Ambleside's fancier end: real ale, real people, proper pub grub that doesn't cost the earth.