I usually do Cumbria on day-trips so I haven't got any B&Bs to recommend.
I'm not an expert, but Penrith'd be a good base for the eastern stuff - starting with Long Meg & Little Meg. A lot of the other stuff on that side is covered in my 'Nice Shap' weblog.
Of the stuff in the weblog, I'd particularly recommend Gamelands, Gunnerkeld and of course Mayburgh Henge & King Arthur's Round Table.
Penrith looks a pleasant enough place - fairly big but not TOO big. (Villages are always kind of nicer of course - depends what 'facilities' you want!)
Just a suggestion, but if it's your first trip to Cumbria, you might want to give priority to the more 'spectacular' stuff like Castlerigg, Sunkenkirk (aka Swinside), the Druid's Circle of Ulverston and Blakely Raise. If so, you would want somewhere further west.
Over that side, Greycroft is also worth seeing in a depressing 'lovely circle in lovely surrounding for 240 degrees - f**k who put that nuclear reactor there?!!!!' kind of way....
Knowing you the little I do Oci and the speed you get around, you may be able to do the 'main' sites all over - west one day east the other.
Assuming Mikki's going to be with you, rule out Lacra and the Bratt's Hill/White Moss/Low Longrigg complexes - they take ages to walk to & find!!!!
To be central to try to see a mixture or a lot - Ambleside perhaps or Keswick I guess. Staying in Keswick also means you can get uo to Castlerigg early in the morning(s) and/or late in the evenings when there are fewre people about!
Just some thoughts - whatever you do, you'll love it!
love
Moth
