A POPULAR and well-respected hotel in Windermere has recently been the host to the Earl of Wessex and the competitors of a prestigious competition.

Lindeth Howe Hotel, located on Longtail Hill in Bowness-on-Windermere, was visited by the HRH The Earl of Wessex and Forfar KG GCVO who attended a dinner at the Hotel.

Hosted by Sir Norman and Lady Stoller, the event was to celebrate the Champions’ challenge 100 which forms part of the activity to mark the centenary of HRH The Duke of Edinburgh and ensure his legacy in The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award.

The highly rated hotel was graced with the presence of its guests on September 27.

Stephen Broughton, MD of Lindeth Howe and Mountain Goat Tours, said that 'it was a privilege to be part of the Awards Scheme and even the Lake District weather smiled on the group giving them spectacular views as well as a sense of achievement.'

General Manager Tony Holden said: “This was the first time we had members of the royal family here, yet we have had a lot of MBE and OBEs stay with us. We’ve also had a lot of Sirs and quite a lot of important people.

“It was an honour to meet the Earl and we had a lovely evening with many of the guests staying later into the evening with good conversation and champagne.

“We have done our best to build a good reputation and we have a good group of people working with us.

“I have been here for sixteen years, and our deputy manager has been here for ten. Some have stayed as long as twenty. A key to our success is keeping hold of our very skilled staff.

“The regulars we have enjoy seeing the same faces and we learn what the customer wants.

“We generally take in guests from within a two-and-a-half-hour radius of us and we saw a lot of international business particularly from Japan.

“The present owners bought it in 1998 and before this it was ran as a bed and breakfast.

“Since then, we had added an extension and created the larger hotel you see today.

“Over the last four years we have done a complete revamp and improved every aspect of our service.”