A SEVENTEENTH century Lake District coaching inn and a collection of de luxe city townhouses are among the latest Cumbrian properties to be awarded Superior Quality status.

The Queen's Hotel at Troutbeck reopened in April 2017 following a £2 million refurbishment. Almost three years earlier, a fire had torn through the historic property with its four-poster bar and mayor's parlour.

Owned by Robinsons Brewery, the picturesque pub features ten en-suite bedrooms named after Lakeland fells such as Great Gable and Skiddaw.

In Carlisle, the six luxurious Halston Townhouses have also gained the Superior Quality accolade from Cumbrian Tourism's Quality Cumbria accreditation scheme. This follows a major development on the site of the city's former Lonsdale cinema.

Dominique Harrison, co-owner of the townhouses and the Halston Aparthotel, said the properties offered "home-from-home comfort and effortless style for guests staying one night, a week or a month".

Also meeting the Superior Quality benchmark were:

- The Sally, a former Victorian coaching inn at Irthington, near Carlisle, which has been transformed into a warm, contemporary establishment with five smart rooms

- The Westwood, a B&B with a view at Cockermouth

- and Whitbarrow Farmhouse Apartments, Penrith, providing luxury self-catering in a converted farmhouse, with outdoor hot tubs.

Superior Quality status has now been bestowed on a total of 14 properties in Cumbria.

Assessors look for "the best of the best" in the overall product, information available to the consumer, the level of service, and the property's distinctiveness.