Tributes have been paid to popular Borrowdale hotelier Nuala Dowie, who has died suddenly aged 63.
Together with her ex-partner Susan, Nuala ran the Royal Oak in Rosthwaite for nearly 40 years until its sale last year, building its reputation as one of the best in the Lake District and attracting a loyal army of regular guests.
But she was also a great lover of the outdoors, putting her knowledge of the fells to good use as a member of the Keswick Mountain Rescue Team since 1998. Indeed, her death on July 26 came just weeks after she attended her 968th rescue on Lining Crag in Greenup Gill.
Another great passion was motoring, and as the owner of four classic cars, Nuala attended rallies around Britain and on the continent.
Susan said: “It’s still hard to believe she’s not here. Nuala was a force of nature and embraced life fully. People knew her from the Royal Oak, but her adventures could fill a book.”
Stuart Holmes, a fellow Keswick Mountain Rescue Team member, said: “Nuala was a committed and valued member of the team for more than 20 years, with a huge amount of knowledge and experience. She will be sorely missed by all of us.”
Born in Carlisle, Nuala attended Caldewgate Primary School and St Aidan’s School before studying geography and economics in Coventry.
She then returned to her home city to teach at Morton School in Carlisle before signing up to the VSO programme and teaching English as a foreign language in Papua New Guinea for two years, where her adventures included trekking through the jungle and sailing down the crocodile infested Sepik river in a dug-out canoe.
Back in Cumbria, she joined the team at the Royal Oak, which was then run by Susan’s mother Lucy Bestley. The pair took over the running of the former farm and miners’ tavern in 1984.
Earlier this year, following their decision to retire, Nuala and Susan put the hotel on the market for £1.275 million – and within weeks it had been bought at the asking price by Oldham-based hospitality firm Roakdale Ltd.
Nuala leaves behind two children Meghan and Ross, her sister Fiona and brother-in-law Bruce and their children.
A private funeral took place on Tuesday.
