Cool Place of the Day: Brimstone Hotel, Cumbria

It’s National Parks Week next week, when we remember to properly appreciate Britain’s so-called "breathing spaces". And where better to do so than in the UK’s largest national park, the Lake District, at the wonderful Brimstone Hotel?

Situated in one of the Lake District's most beautiful valleys, and with some of the region's best walking on its doorstep, the Brimstone has everything that people come to the Lake District for, but the approach is as contemporary as it gets – more Goretex than woolly jumper if you like, with an emphasis on comfort, good food and creating a welcoming home-from-home, fit for its 21st-century purpose.

There are 16 rooms in all, which are large and clad in cool and contemporary colours and ooze high-tech gadgets – iPod docking stations are standard, as are dimmer switches and push-button curtains – though ironically the best rooms boast a suitably retro open fire. Although the Brimstone may be a metropolitan sort of place, it's firmly anchored in the Lakes and the breathtaking landscape that surrounds it, and they deliberately make it easy for guests to get out and experience it.

Breakfasts are as hearty as you need for a spot of fell-walking, and urban folk who don't have their own kit can rent waterproof clothing and rucksacks with OS maps. And when you come back, cold and hungry, they can have scones and tea or sizzling steak sandwiches waiting for you in the cosy lounge and reading room – there's also a pool, sauna and steam room for a different kind of relaxation. All this in a slate building perfectly in keeping with its surroundings.

Cool Places is a new website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk).