The friendliest pub in Ambleside is the Golden Rule, Smithy Brow (tel. 01539/432257), named for the brass yardstick mounted over the bar. Its country-hunt theme features comfortable leather furniture and cast-iron tables. You can step into one side room and throw darts, or go into the other for a quiet, contemplative pint. Behind the bar, a small but colorful garden provides a serene setting in warm weather. There's inexpensive pub grub if you get hungry.
Located 5km (3 miles) west of town, off the A593 in Little Langdale, Three Shires (tel. 01539/437215), a stone-built pub in the Three Shires Inn with a stripped timber-and-flagstone interior, offers stunning views of the valley and wooded hills. You can get good pub grub here, as well as a pint of Black Sheep Bitter, Ruddles County, or Webster's Yorkshire. Malt whiskies are well represented.
