The Lakeland Hotel, Kendal

You're walking past the train station towards the town centre and The Lakeland Hotel sits right there, unpretentious and dependable. Inside, it's got that proper hotel-pub feel—dark wood, traditional bar setup, the sort of place where you'll find regulars nursing pints of Yorkshire Gold and ordering fish and chips without irony. The food's straightforward British fare done honestly rather than fancy; the kind of lunch or early dinner that doesn't mess about. Upstairs there are rooms if you've missed the last train home or you're catching an early one out to the fells.