William Wordsworth, John Ruskin and Renee Zellweger know a thing or two about Lakeland's classical beauty.

The old poet ventured out from Dove Cottage, in Grasmere, and Ruskin from his grand perch above Coniston - the Hollywood actress's love affair with the south lakes is more recently acquired.

For three weeks, while she filmed the biopic of Beatrix Potter, Miss Potter, she enjoyed the private luxury of The Lodge in the grounds of Holbeck Ghyll Country House Hotel. Each morning, she threw back the curtains on an extraordinary view of Windermere.

It is more than possible Zellweger simply fell for the hotel's quintessentially English charms. Holbeck Ghyll is the kind of place where you expect Peter Ustinov to walk into the drawing room and, adopting an absurd French accent, begin to identify the murderer. A fire is laid in the lobby at the slightest hint of a chill.

Holbeck Ghyll is hotel aristocracy in the Lake District.

The late 19th century building was once Lord Lonsdale's hunting lodge and only became a hotel in the 1970s. It was acquired in 1988 by its present proprietors, David and Patricia Nicholson, who have steadily built its reputation for comfort, fine foods and an extensive cellar. It won a Michelin star nine years ago and has kept it ever since.

The couple have been acquiring additional property, or converting outbuildings into luxurious rooms in the hotel's grounds for some years. Lowtherwood, an almost alpine cottage with four bedrooms and its own lounge and dining room and wonderful view over the valley is their latest, and most ambitious venture.

As Mr Nicholson explains, there are few discreet retreats, suitable for extended families and groups of friends where you can expect to be exclusively catered for by a Michelin-starred chef, and offered a similarly extensive wine list to the main hotel.

My weekend stay at Lowtherwood got off to a poor start with a nightmarish drive up the M6 through filthy weather. I arrived frazzled and overwrought but this began to fade away as soon as I pushed open the hotel's arts and crafts front door to be greeted by an open fire and the beaming proprietor.

I dined on cannelloni of crab and Cartmel Valley smoked salmon followed by roasted brill with soused vegetables, asparagus and white bean foam. The detox was completed with a midnight dip in Lowtherwood's hot tub under the stars. It was one of those moments when you lay back, look at the stars and feel grateful for an intelligible universe.

On Saturday morning Nick Fieldhouse, who runs KANKKU, Lakeland's off road specialists, led our party on an expedition through the national park, along 19th century trails leading to obscure quarries above Coniston, Little Langdale and Tiberthwaite. Nick, a water-skiing enthusiast, was a calming presence, as each of us took turns behind the wheel of a 4x4 monster.

"Gas, gas, gas".....he screamed at me as I threatened to stall his Land Rover half way up a boulder on a bend. There is something strangely satisfying about driving over rock formations which you would think twice about climbing on foot. It was, as Nick says, a different way of appreciating Lakeland's beauty.