George and Dragon, Clifton

We're incredibly excited to welcome back head chef Paul Mckinnon.

Paul was the head chef at the George and Dragon when Charles, Marie-Louisa and Lady Caroline purchased the pub and first opened the doors in 2008. He stayed with us until 2013 after helping open the kitchen garden cafe at Askham Hall.

In the time he's been away from the company he's worked with Terry Laybourne at 21 Hospitality. He's also worked at the Lakes Distillery. Paul was involved with food development for Westmorland and Gloucester Services and has been helping the Langstaff County Inn at Borrowdale.

We're grateful to have him back in the company. We look forward to sharing our new food offering with you all, watch this space because change is coming.

Cumberland and Westmorland Herald | Cumbria Tourism | Cumbria Crack

We're recruiting! 📩

We still have some job vacancies for front of house and bar work. 🍴🍻

Part of the Ciel Hotels Group, The George & Dragon is a cosy village inn with bedrooms ideally located on the A6 in Clifton, we pride ourselves in offering an exceptional stay and dining experience.

If you’re interested in joining us, please email us with a copy of your CV.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01768 865 381

We look forward to hearing from you

Evening light on St. Sunday and Fairfield.

A great walk setting off from Patterdale and zig-zagging up the slopes of Black Crag above Glenamara Park and onto the summit of Birks before ascending to The Cape and the peak of St Sunday. From the top, you can see Grisedale Tarn nestled between Fairfield and Seat Sandle as well as the rugged crags of the Helvellyn Range. After taking in the stunning views drop down to Deepdale Hause and scramble up the ridge to Cofa Pike and finally onto the summit of Fairfield.

Fairfield has some incredible views in everyday direction, take a little break in the shelters at the summit before descending to Grisedale Tarn and back along the valley bottom following Grisedale Beck back to where you began. This route makes for a full day out so make sure you set off in good time as you don't want to be on the scree-covered slopes of Fairfield as it's getting dark.

One of five of our characterful Clifton rooms. This one has a summery ensuite and plenty of botanical illustrations adorning the walls.

All of the Clifton rooms are dog-friendly and a cooked breakfast is included within your stay.

Looking for a place to stay in Cumbria last minute?

We're currently offering a late availability deal.

** Late availability **
£125 per room bed and breakfast for any room on the day of arrival, subject to availability and for two people sharing. Online bookings only.

This morning's harvest at Askham Hall.

Today Diane delivered us plenty of beetroot, turnips and chard along with some dwarf beans and leeks. We're incredibly proud of our kitchen gardens and the bountiful ingredients they grow for our menu.

Last night's stunning Aurora Borealis display above the Eden Valley.

August is an amazing month for stargazing with the Perseid meteor shower streaking across the sky and the daylight hours growing shorter. There's lots to see on a clear night and the Eden Valley and Lake District are home to some fantastic places to see wonders of the universe.

A new chapter is about to begin in our dining room. 🍴

We look forward to welcoming the new kitchen team this week and a change to our food offering.

Stay tuned to meet our new head chef.

We're recruiting! 📩

The George & Dragon, Clifton has full-time opportunities to join the team. We are recruiting bar staff and a front-of-house supervisor.

Part of the Ciel Hotels Group, The George & Dragon is a cosy village inn with bedrooms ideally located on the A6 in Clifton, we pride ourselves in offering an exceptional stay and dining experience.

If you’re interested in joining us, please email us with a copy of your CV.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01768 865 381
We look forward to hearing from you

Inside the polytunnel, the tomatoes are starting to fruit. The chillis are ready for harvest and this year's garlic is slowly drying out under the warmth of the summer sun.
Soon we'll have plenty of produce ready for the larder. 🍅🥬🌶🫑🧄

Sunshine on Ullswater in the blue haze of a summer's afternoon.

Here's a lovely view from the crags of Watermillock looking across Ullswater to Hallin and Place Fell.

The past week has been great for calm weather, perfect for boating and paddle boarding on England's second-largest lake. Fingers crossed for more sunny days.

Ullswater The Lake District

It's the final week with Gareth and his team in the kitchen.

Many Thanks, to Connor, Thom, James and head chef Gareth for putting on a brilliant array of food for everyone who stepped through the door in the past few years. We wish you all the best of luck with your future cooking careers.

Here are some food highlights after we reopened our doors. 🍴

We still have a few tables left for this week, so come and enjoy their dishes one last time: https://georgeanddragonclifton.co.uk/book-a-table/

Keep tuned in to find out about the new team entering the kitchen.

We're recruiting!

The George & Dragon, Clifton has full-time opportunities to join the team. We are recruiting bar staff and a front-of-house supervisor.

Part of the Ciel Hotels Group, The George & Dragon is a cosy village inn with bedrooms ideally located on the A6 in Clifton, we pride ourselves in offering an exceptional stay and dining experience.

If you’re interested in joining us, please email us with a copy of your CV.

Email: [email protected]
Phone: 01768 865 381

We look forward to hearing from you

Lowther Rooms

These are our largest rooms. Two of our Lowther Rooms are peacefully situated at the rear of the pub. One has an en suite bathroom with a walk-in shower, plus a free-standing bath in the bedroom, while the other offers an en suite with a bath and overhead shower and His and Her sinks. A further Lowther room is located on the ground floor at the front of the property and is fully accessible with a spacious bathroom with a freestanding bath and a walk-in shower. All Lowther rooms have super-king beds which can be separated to provide two single twin beds.

A cooked breakfast is included with your stay. The rooms also come with everything you need to make a hot drink.

Farrers Tea and Coffee.

Book a room: https://booking.eu.guestline.app/ASKHAM/availability?hotel=ACGEORGE
Book via the phone: 01768 865 381

We look forward to hearing from you.

Looking for somewhere to dine this August?🍴

We still have tables available later in the month.

Book online: https://georgeanddragonclifton.co.uk/book-a-table/

It's always an amazing sight to spot some of the local wildlife while exploring the hills and valleys of Cumbria. 🦉

This sleepy Tawny Owl was almost falling asleep on its talons as it peered out from its Ash tree hollow on the banks of the River Eden.

Join us for a summer stay in our glorious county of Cumbria. ☀️

We're a short detour off the M6 and A66, located south of Penrith in the historic village of Clifton where the retreating Jacobites squared off against dragoons led by the Duke of Cumberland in the last battle fought on English soil.

We're surrounded by breathtaking scenery, with the Lake District National Park to our west and the Eden Valley and rugged North Pennines to the east. ⛰

We offer delicious homemade meals with ingredients from our farms and kitchen gardens. We have 11 rooms and counting, all of which have their own unique charm and character.

If you'd like to find out more about us then visit our website: https://georgeanddragonclifton.co.uk/

We look forward to welcoming you this summer.

Exciting times ahead, as Sharrow Bay is set to become our new sister hotel in 2025.
Please follow our official page to hear further updates as soon as they become available.

World-famous Sharrow Bay Hotel to reopen: https://bit.ly/4fpfs3s

We have some late availability for dinner on Wednesday 31st July. 🍴

If you'd like to join us for a two or three-course meal then call us on 01768 865 381
or book online: https://georgeanddragonclifton.co.uk/book-a-table/

We look forward to welcoming you.

Over at Askham Hall Diane is planting a selection of; Red Aztec Amaranth
Perilla bi-colour, Lettuce leaf basil and Chicory Rossa di Treviso. This raised bed will be a bit of an experiment to see how these young plants grow together. Hopefully, if the weather holds out for us we'll harvest plenty of Chicory later this year. We're also hoping the Red Amaranth will go to seed and we can use those to produce lots of micro herbs to decorate our dishes in the years to come. 🌱

Food highlights from this year 🍴

Delicious dishes made fresh every day with heirloom ingredients from our kitchen gardens.

Dine with us: https://georgeanddragonclifton.co.uk/book-a-table/

Even on a cloudy day, Ullswater is a wonderful place to visit.

Whether you're into walking, cycling or paddling Ullswater is a beautiful place to explore. From Aira Force to the lofty peaks of Hellvelyn and Place Fell you could easily spend a week here and have a different adventure every day.

With the introduction of the Ullswater Hopper, the Lake is more accessible than ever.

Ullswater bus timetables: https://situcumbria.org.uk/ullswater-bus/

Ullswater The Lake District

Stop by and savour a delightful two or three-course meal in our charming dining room. We still have a handful of tables available before the end of the month.

Treat yourself and your loved ones to a beautifully prepared meal made with local ingredients from our farms and kitchen gardens: https://georgeanddragonclifton.co.uk/book-a-table/

Some glorious and much-needed sunshine just in time for the weekend. ☀

Join us for a pint. Loweswater, Eden Valley Pale Ale and Hawks Head Bitter are on our draught ale taps. 🍻

Our bar is open for drinks Monday to Saturday from 3pm and Sunday from midday.

A warm welcome awaits.

Thanks to Cumbrian Ales - Tirril Brewery - Hawkshead Brewery for the refreshing tipple.

After the last crop of kale died off at the end of the winter, it was time for the kitchen garden team to replenish the gardens with some new life. So this morning Sally and Elsie filled up the trailer of the Big Red quad with young kale plants from the polytunnel and drove them out to the vegetable field at the top of the kitchen gardens before planting them in one of the empty no-dig beds. It's a constant cycle keeping the Kale going but at least it's a biennial so we only have to replant once every two years to have a continuous supply of this cold hardy vegetable.

We now offer locked bike storage for guests staying with us. 🚲

If you're doing the C2C or bikepacking through Cumbria or even fancy a stay with us while exploring our local area on two wheels, we now have a secure place to leave your bike through the day and overnight.
We're only 2 miles off the main Coast to Coast cycle route, just south of Penrith along the A6. Close by is Lowther Castle and the surrounding trail network which takes you along the River Lowther and up onto Askham Fell. Just outside Clifton is Route 71 of the National Cycle Network which connects us to Penrith and Appleby on quiet country roads.

A few food highlights from the year so far. 🍴

Dine with us: https://georgeanddragonclifton.co.uk/book-a-table/

Come and join us for dinner 🍴

We're serving food every day with the option of a two or three-course meal.

Book online: https://georgeanddragonclifton.co.uk/book-a-table/

Sunshine on the beer garden 🍻☀️

Our bar is open for drinks Monday to Saturday from 3pm and Sunday from midday.

We'll be showing England vs Spain in the bar on Sunday evening. ⚽️

It's coming home! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿