In all things in life there are peaks of excellence, which cannot be reasonably challenged. Such is Sharrow Bay, standing on the south shore of Ullswater and looking straight up the middle stretch of that wonderful extent of water to the Helvellyn range and the surrounding Cumbrian Fells.

Sharrow Bay was once likened to an oasis cocooned from the world and all its troubles. Started in 1948 by Brian Sack and Francis Coulson it quickly acquired a reputation for nothing but the best, to the point where nowadays few would quibble with the oft-cited claim that Sharrow Bay has no equal in the world.

This has been very much due to the special skills and intuition that Brian and Francis, now longer with us, were able to bring to almost every aspect of the hotel's affairs. Nor have they been remote and scarcely an evening passed without one or both of them being on hand to welcome and spend time with guests. Of such simple and genuine gestures is success born.

There are no airs and graces at Sharrow Bay; there is just understated comfort, attention to detail, and good taste in abundance. A phalanx of awards, the most recent an RAC Gold Ribbon in 2000, bear testimony to what makes Sharrow Bay one of the Great Experiences. Show me the man who was disappointed by a visit there and I will show you a man who has no further use for life.

Dinner is at eight, not before and certainly not after. The range of breads, which are freely circulated throughout the meal, are imaginative and plentiful. Cooking is traditional English with minimal variations. Desserts are friendly to the palate if not to the waistline and icky sticky toffee sponge generates the sort of memories upon which one dwells when the morale needs a boost. And for those specialists with long memories the Savoury is alive and well at Sharrow Bay. On a slightly different note the breakfasts are legendary.

Sommelier James Payne's wines are diverse, fairly priced and over 20 of them are available by the glass.

One would be forgiven for supposing that such excellence was beyond the means of all but the seriously rich. Rest easy, prices compare favourably with other country house hotels and you really have no excuse for not taking your nearest and dearest there at the earliest opportunity, always provided you can get a booking.