New Lake District hospitality business snaps up Cumbria's Ryebeck hotel

The Ryebeck hotel in Windermere, Cumbria, has been sold to new hospitality business Lake District Limited off a guide price of £3m.

The 29-bedroom country house hotel, which was put on the market in May this year, previously belonged to the Wildsmith family.

They also own the Forest Side in Grasmere and Hipping Hall hotel in Lancashire, which has been on the market since the closure of the site in July this year.

Tucked away in five acres of landscaped grounds and overlooking Lake Windermere, the Ryebeck features a 60-cover restaurant, a residents’ bar and conservatory area, parking for 50 cars and a detached cottage with five ensuite bedrooms.

The Wildsmith family acquired the property in 2004, when it was still known as Fayrer Garden hotel. It was run under management until its closure at the end of 2021.

Lake District Limited has redeveloped hotels in London and the north of England but said it was attracted by the Ryebeck’s location in the "tourist hotspot" of Cumbria.

The business said it would undetake an extensive refurbishment of the site.

A spokesperson for the company said: “We’re really excited to be starting our next hospitality business in the Lake District by taking on the Ryebeck hotel.”

Andrew Wildsmith added: “It’s great to welcome a new player into the Cumbria hotel market, we’re sure that the team’s wealth of experience in managing hotels will help to return The Ryebeck hotel to its former glory. We look forward to seeing how the business develops.”

Julian Troup, head of UK Hotels Agency at Colliers, which completed the sale, said the property attracted “significant interest from a diverse range of buyers”, which resulted in a bidding process.