There can’t be too many hotel venues in the UK that have their own garden centre and marina just up the road, but the Barton Grange Hotel does.

This is located on the A6 five miles north of Preston, Lancs and just off J32 of the M6. A few miles north of the hotel on the A6 is their large garden centre offering the usual garden centre range, including a huge variety of food items, some from suppliers of the foods the hotel serves in its restaurant. From the nearby marina a range of cruises on the Lancaster Canal from Lancaster Canal Boats can be enjoyed from prices starting at £8 for an hour and for up to 60 passengers. Popular are the evening Barton Grange Fish and Chip cruises, with a stop to pick up the food order at an award-winning local chippy, as well as the Quiz cruises, Entertainment cruises and afternoon Cream Tea cruises. (Web: lcboats.co.uk)

Award-winning also happened here last year when the Barton Grange picked up a Lancashire Business trophy for Hotel of the Year. It offers a total of 51 en-suite bedrooms, 43 in the main hotel breaking down into 21 Deluxe doubles, 4 Snug (compact) doubles, 6 Executives, and 12 Deluxe Zip and Link bedrooms. The Garden House annexe has 6 Standard rooms and 2 Snug doubles. All have beds with hand-made mattresses, Nespresso coffee machines, free Wi-Fi and flat screen TVs with full Sky package. There is also a pool, sauna, mini-gym and games room with billiards.

For conferences and meetings there is the Barton Suite, which accommodates up to 300 delegates theatre-style and divides with soundproof walls into four sections for 65/80/100/120 theatre-style. There is also a meeting room for 60 theatre-style and four boardrooms for 6/10/12/14 boardroom-style. For the larger residential events needing more bedrooms the hotel has working relationships with local hotels.

Tel 01772 862551 Web: bartongrangehotel.co.uk