North Lodge

The location is excellent for exploring Grasmere, the surrounding fells, and attractions further afield.

The garden is lovely and well maintained, and the additional field was a great bonus. Unfortunately, we were very disappointed with the cleanliness of the property. There was heavy dust on many surfaces, cobwebs throughout the rooms, cupboards, and even in the bed headboards. We also found a filthy bath plug, hair in the shower and bedside drawers, a dirty mop bucket left outside, and only a single dishcloth provided. There was also no cleaning equipment available should we have wished to clean ourselves, no disinfectant, bleach for loos etc there was a vacumn left in the kitchin but II needed a clean out itself as II smelled really bad when using The cottage itself has plenty of charm but is in desperate need of refurbishment and updating. It feels as though very little care has been taken to maintain the property to a high standard or to create a welcoming guest experience. This is a real shame, as with more attention to cleanliness, maintenance, and guest comfort, it could be an excellent place to stay. Unfortunately, based on our experience, we would not recommend this cottage and would not choose to stay here again.

Lovely little property about 10 minutes walk from the village.

Perfect base for exploring the lakes. We will be back in the future

Really loved the property, was in a great location and very cosy.

It was a shame there was no soap in the bathrooms and no washing up liquid in the kitchen, these would be basics I would expect in a rental property. Also the storage heaters were a bit of a nightmare it was either too hot or too cold but once we got the log burner going that helped. Apart from those things it was the perfect size for our needs.

This was the 4th time we have stayed at North Lodge and once again we had a lovely time.

The location is perfect and having two ensuite rooms is a bonus. We noticed that the front gate no longer has a latch so the garden isn't dog secure. We also had a power cut (which was planned) so any timers at the property may be out by an hour.

Positives: the place was handy for walking into Grasmere village.

You can do a great many hill-walks straight from the door. The beds were comfortable and the bedrooms large enough. Negatives: 1. The kitchen needs a complete re-design and re-fit - it was hard to cook even simple meals. The sink is in the wrong place; the cooker hob was old-fashioned electric hotplates; there was nowhere to put dirty pots and pans; food had to be stored in the cleaning materials cupboard, etc. 2. The heating downstairs needs work, and in the cold spell it was not up to the task. Living room: the main electric storage heater was out of action. The air-brick in the outside wall let in a blast of cold air under the stairs. Kitchen: the electric heater made a worrying racket - we didn't use it. 3. In the bathroom with the shower, there was no heating and no shelf to put stuff on.

Clean and comfortable cottage.

Good location for walks and close to pubs / restaurants for evening meals.

We thoroughly enjoyed our holiday, and the cottage certainly contributed to the experience — its charm and character felt like something out of a fantasy film.

That said, there were a few issues that impacted our stay, and I echo some of the points raised by other reviewers regarding the need for updates. The presence of cobwebs and spiders throughout the cottage was quite noticeable and, at times, overwhelming. While I understand the cleaning team has a significant workload across multiple properties, I was surprised that more attention hadn’t been given to removing cobwebs, particularly in the kitchen cupboards — where they were found alongside large spiders and debris falling onto the crockery. The kitchen, while quaint, is not well-suited for preparing larger meals, which is unfortunate. The extractor fan is ineffective, resulting in condensation running down the walls during cooking. Additionally, the oven is dated, and the available pans are too large for the hob, making meal preparation challenging. There were several maintenance issues both inside and outside the property. Including: broken glassware, a faulty gate latch, a loose curtain rail in the bedroom, and windows that have been painted shut, making ventilation difficult. Lastly, the shower would benefit from a modern upgrade, and the television was unfortunately not usable during our stay due to consistent signal issues. A lovely holiday regardless but I do believe when you're paying this amount of money (just over £1,200 for our August one week stay!) that the house should be better looked after.

We loved everything about the property, really good to have the two en-suites.

Very comfortable cottage throughout with everything we needed in the kitchen. Lovely well kept garden, also the extra garden was a real bonus as we were able to play outdoor games with our grandson. The property is in a perfect spot away from the hustle and bustle of the nearby villages. We would definitely book again.

Approximately our 20th cottage experience and the first time with love the lakes,we were shown no sign of welcome such as a welcome note, bowl of wild flowers, milk in fridge, bottle of wine, no cleaning materials whatsoever , though instructed to leave cottage clean and tidy.

Not even firewood for the log burner or cleaner or bin bags, for the rubbish; these items have always been provided by previous owners of all cottages we have stayed at. Also the tv was useless, kept closing down,(due to very poor BB, the cottage itself was lovely.the location is fantastic,and we had a loverly holiday,

A lovely cottage in good location We found downstairs rather dark but spacious, the kitchen could do with updating .

The bedrooms looked newly decorated and were very comfortable A few little extras such as hand wash would have been greatly appreciated We enjoyed a week of sunshine and did quite a few walks from the cottage

Lovely cottage will book again, great location and the extra garden area my doggy loved it.

This is a lovely cottage in a great location and we enjoyed our stay.

We felt the space worked well for us and it didn’t feel cramped. We do agree with previous reviewers that there’s some tweaks that could make a big difference: the cottage feels quite dated and tired with some items needing replacing, particularly the cooker. We would also agree with previous reviewers that the standard of cleaning needs reviewing; it’s clean but not spotless- some cobwebs in main bathroom etc.

Very comfy cottage great location.

Had a lovely week .

Cottage needs updating though as previous reviews . The tv reception is poor a smart tv would solve that . A DVD player is available but bring your own dvds. The wood burner is great but no starter pack so bring your own , also no glove available to open and close fire . The cooker needs updating too . All in all a lovely cottage with lovely gardens in a perfect position , would return if it’s updated .

Third xmas at the cottage and the decline is evident.

Filthy dirty, spent an hour clearing cobwebs from the beams, and lets not even discuss the colour of the water after cleaning the kitchen floor. Cleaner needs sacking 2nd Heater in the lounge still not working despite it having history of being mentioned in reviews. Boost on one remaining heater not working resulting in a very cold lounge Boost in Bedroom has been disconnected, it did exist last year ! Oven cooking xmas dinner........... past it, it took forever Shower, even though it has been replaced last year its still not what is expected of a rental. And if anyone uses water when someone is in shower they get scalded. Lights in garden not working despite being mentioned in previous reviews I could go on, but lets just say we will not be seeing next xmas at the cottage

We love North Lodge so lets start with that.

Been 3 times and will go again. However it wasnt very clean this time. Mucky blanket left in the corner of sitting room which was horrid.. Lots of black hairs on the floor behind the door in shower.. and this time, no welcoming logs, sticks, firelighters, matches, just provide a few basics! Salt, pepper, sugar a few t bags! bit of milk maybe..Dont know why. It makes all the difference in the world.

Fabulous property we loved north lodge it had everything you needed for a great holiday and great location couldn’t fault it we will be back ❤️

A remarkable cottage given that it maintains it's character yet has extensive and modern lighting, appliances, etc.

Decorating was tastefully accomplished and is also sympathetic to it's period country ambiance. We were pleased to find the property warm and inviting; having arrived on a dark, cold and wet winter evening. However (as mentioned previously by other lodgers) the lack of adequate lighting on the outside stairs was somewhat disconcerting. We would have liked, as well, to find at least a starter kit for the fireplace and at the time of our departure, still had not located a guest book or any instructions.

Ideal location.

Walks from the cottage and 2 pubs with excellent food for the evenings. Good bus service to Ambleside, Windermere and Keswick.

A lovely quirky cottage with 2 gardens and parking for 2 cars an easy walk into Grasmere.

A basic welcome housekeeping pack supplied, the kitchen was well stocked with crockery. Lovely to have a washer and a dryer. Great sized fridge freezer. Our negatives were the cooker needs replacing as in poor condition this has been mentioned by others, one of the 2 storage heaters in the lounge does not work and finally some outside lights did not work which made the steps hazardous.

Could do with another cupboard for food Otherwise very nice.

Beds firm and comfy. The old large shed could be smaller to make a bigger patio its almost empty. Lovely cosy cottage will be back

I would agree with previous reviews we had read of the cottage.

It was in a very convenient location on the edge of Grasmere. It helpfully had an enclosed garden for our dog which was why we chose it. It is more than adequate for a week’s walking holiday and we did have an enjoyable holiday. On the flip side, the accommodation is a little tired and not always cleaned to the highest standard - mostly non concerning issues such as spiderwebs and some Crockery in the back of the cupboard that was not fully clean. It would benefit from a better shower rather than just the one electric shower and the TV connection is unreliable and did not accommodate us plugging in our firestick for example. (Not enough electric sockets to allow for this either). The fridge, dishwasher and kitchen equipment is plentiful and functioning. The oven is slow but does work. The beds are comfortable. It can be frustrating not to have accurate control of the heating - sometimes the bedrooms were too hot at night and it’s tricky not to have radiators for drying out damp clothing after walking.

Great location, lovely views from outside, walks from door to village with shops, cafes and pubs.

Short walk to Swan Inn, comfy bed, plenty of storage space, hangers, cutlery, crockery. tv, electric shower, hot water all fine. Bin bags, j cloth, sponge, dishwash tablets, hand wash, 2 loo rolls provided. Take everything else yourself. It is a very old place with beams, nooks, crannies and naturally attending cobwebs. Constructive feedback: needs new cooker immediately. It’s rusty and filthy. Large chunks of black carbonised food in it, not been cleaned for a while. The dark green colour in the sitting room could do with being much lighter to reflect what bit of natural light gets in to brighten the room. Cleaning lets this property down. Reported cooker when there.

The property was perfectly situated for Grasmere village.

Good size. Comfortable clean beds and bathrooms. Nice garden, secure for dogs. Unfortunately though the cleaner let it down, in sitting room spiders and cobwebs on show and taking a closer look behind furniture it was very dusty and cobwebs. Behind the headboard in double room the same, didn’t look behind the singles, enough! The doorway leading out from kitchen to garden I swept as grubby and cobwebs. Loose stones in garden which could have been dangerous, I moved one to a standing position. The weather was so poor we only used the garden once. On to the very old TV, given the British weather a smart TV would have been good, not many channels available and small screen, poor connection most days due to rain. No washing up liquid. The mop to clean floors was filthy and old. The negative comments are a shame but easily rectified.

We had a fantastic family holiday at North Lodge.

We visit the Lakes every summer. This was our first stay in Grasmere, it has quickly become one of our favourites spots. We pretty much parked the car up and walked out from North Lodge each day, the town had lots of choice for places to eat following a days walking. We found North Lodge as described, very comfortable and clean. A very charming Lakeland cottage, we found it a perfect set up for an enjoyable weeks break. An easy short walk from the town. Felt very private and relaxing, with a secure garden area, very well maintained and beautifully in bloom when we visited. We look forward to being able to return, so much more left for us to explore in this area.

North Lodge is perfectly located for not just Windermere and Bowness-On-Windermere but central to most of where you would want to visit in the Lakes.

Grasmere is perfect, art galleries, coffee and tea shops, The Swan Pub up the road is so nice inside and The Travellers Rest is so good too. The food at both are at a high standard. The cottage garden is very nice, well-kept and fully enclosed for our dog. There is a shed which could easily store 3-4 bikes. Parking was good and around the back (we parked in the front the first night as arrived after dark and wasn’t exactly sure where was the parking). The internal layout of the cottage is also good and nicely decorated. Log fire was excellent and needed in April as the storage heaters only came on in the morning and it was freezing at night. The cottage was clean and very tidy. Fantastic size Bosch refrigerator and available laundry / dishwasher. The beds, sofa and chair were not comfortable at all. The towels, sheets and pillows were clean and nice. Agree with another comment where the shower can cause 3rd degree burns. Keep it on eco mode! Kitchen hand towels would be good to have there glad I brought a load with me. The toaster is a bit battered and the cottage needs a new one. The oven is not great (but it works) and needs levelling as the food in the pans slide to one side. As cleaning is a requirement upon exit would be good if items like a dustpan and brush were available plus dish soap, floor cleaner etc. Overall the cottage is fantastic, lovely location, had a great feel to it and yes I would go again.

The property is gorgeous.

It is beautifully situated and, although on the main road, not noisy. We arrived in the rain and had a few wet days and found it cosy and warm, especially with the log burner. The outside spaces would be great in good weather. Having use of the shed for our bikes was an added bonus. The property was well kitted out and had everything we needed. There are a number of lovely walks and cycle rides possible from the house so we didn’t need to drive much, which is always a bonus. The parking is ample for two cars (we have a LWB VW van and even that fit in, just!). The village is also walkable and offers lovely shops and pubs/cafes. We had a very good meal at the Swan. The Co-op has everything including fuel for the log burner. I would definitely recommend this place and may even be back ourselves.

The property was in a great location and only a few minutes walk to Grasmere and a fabulous pub called the Swan.

The cottage is lovely and cosy, but the kitchen really let's the whole cottage down. The sink is in a very odd location and the kitchen utensils and oven, etc, aren't fantastic. It's basic and functional and it wouldn't take much to make it a much better kitchen. There is no dustpan and brush, just a brush, so you have to get the hoover out to keep the kitchen clean. It is disappointing when basic salt and pepper isn't in the kitchen, it doesn't cost much but should be an essential for renting a cottage. All in all, the cottage is 'fine', but if we had paid anymore for it I would have been a little dissappointed.

The property was really good.

Warm, cosy and easy to get on with. WE had a lovely time, thank you

Property was not as clean as we expect from Sykes cottages, that’s one reason we always book with Sykes.

Also beds not made on arrival, not up to usual high standard that we pay for. Cottage was perfect location. Storage heaters took a bit of getting used to and I use them a lot, I think the switches need looking at because the convector switches were not lighting up when the should have been. Also the 2nd heater in lounge did not work.

Good value for the price.

Kitchen and bathrooms are quite simple but no specific complaints. A great cottage in a wonderful location.

The only negative thing about the Lodge was no locks on the bedroom or bathroom doors apart from that everything was lovely and we had a wonderful holiday.

the cottage was much better equipped than i was expecting , the weather was mainly heavy rain while we stayed and i did message the contact tel no.

to note that rain had seeped into the porch ? under the door and was pooling in the porch . i did not receive any reply and within 2 days and keeping the door open to allow the area to dry out it was resolved. Also the heavy rain from the tree above dripped constantly onto the velux window in the double bedroom , so much it kept us awake and we had to move into the other bedroom , no bodies fault, but it did keep us awake

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at North Lodge, however, this was slightly marred by the deluge of water which came through the window at the bottom of the stairs during a rain storm.

Even though this issue had been reported on two occasions by previous clients, and not been addressed adequately. However, the towels we had to use to stop the rain flowing onto the stairs and floors were promptly replaced and a builder came the next day and rectified the problem. Having said that the cottage was very comfortable and warm and the beds very comfortable.

North Lodge is good, and it wouldn’t take much to make it great.

It’s full of character, a bit quirky and generally really cosy. The gardens are very pretty and well maintained. The location is ideal, and despite being next to the main road, you don’t really hear it. For fellow dog owners, the garden is secure enough for small/medium dogs who don’t actively look to escape. My whippet was fine. The kitchen is so well equipped, and despite looking old, the oven was brilliant! The negatives - Two toilet rolls are not enough for three women for seven days The window at the bottom of the stairs leaks terribly when it rains. We ended up using our towels to stem the flow With only the ancient night storage heaters and the electric fire in the kitchen, drying our wet walking gear and the towels we used for the leak took forever. The electric shower takes a good few minutes to maintain temperature. You alternate between ice cold and third degree burns. A pest controller turned up unannounced to remove a wasp nest we weren’t aware of. If we knew he was coming we would have made arrangements to be out of the way but we were having a slow morning and it wasn’t convenient I got a throw out of the cupboard in the twin room and it was covered in grass and muddy paw prints. However, with all that said, I would recommend North Lodge and I would stay there again. Finding somewhere that allowed dogs, with an enclosed garden and parking for two cars for a reasonable price was so tricky. North Lodge ticked those boxes easily. So with just a few tweaks to the above criticisms, it could be the perfect cottage and easily score five stars.

Lovely cottage hence the return visits.

Loved the new decoration and the work on the gardens.

Nicely situated holiday accommodation.

Beds very comfortable. General cleanliness was good, a few bits still left from previous guests. Some storage heaters could do with some maintenance. Would have been good to have some basic cleaning materials. A slightly larger TV would be an asset and a welcome pack would have added to the overall experience. Other than that the Lodge was a comfortable stay.

Window was leaking (bottom window near stairs).

The vestibule was damp and it made the whole house stink of damp too. I found a used dirty make up wipe in the bedroom. In general the cottage was tired and in poor condition maintained wise. Location was the only up side.

We absolutely loved this property for our 4 day break in the Lakes.

The lodge was exactly as described and was very clean and comfortable. I spent most of my time there redesigning it in my head. Great layout especially upstairs with the en-suite bedrooms, perfect when you have teenagers in the twin room. Everything we needed was available to us in the kitchen, it has a quirkly layout and would actually benefit from a butchers block or a slightly taller workspace as we mostly used the kitchen table for food preparation which is quite low. Both gardens are lovely and perfect for our dog who was very safe in the lodge garden. The bench in the lodge garden definitely needs replacing as its broken and unsafe and in the shed there was a patio table but only 3 chairs but we made do. We enjoyed sitting in the sun in the garden just chilling out. The property is next to the road but this certainly wasn't an issue with noise. The wander back into Grasmere was very easy and literally took about 10 mins (1/2 mile along the footpath), so very close for the shops, cafes and pubs, also the Swan pub even closer in the opposite direction - 5 mins walk. Such a lovely little property, which we all loved, we definitely hope to come back. Many thanks.

Quirky and quaint cottage in wonderful location to explore the Lakes Our only complaint is there was a lack of instructions- we never could work out how to start the dishwasher.

It is a lovely cottage, great position, enjoyed every minute there,a real home from home.

Comfortable beds, beautiful garden, everything we needed.Will definitely be back to North Lodge Thankyou.x

Generally good with newly decorated rooms.

Cosy, comfortable cottage in a great location.

Everything within the cottage worked okay. My only minor criticism would be the layout of the kitchen, the sink is too far from the cooker/work surfaces and the staircase to the upstairs bedrooms was a bit of a challenge (our party were all over 70).

North lodge is in an excellent location.

The garden is lovely, well established and maintained and a sun trap. One bench at top of garden. The table in the main garden has only 3 garden chairs for 4 guests? The additional garden over the road got the last of the evening sun. We had some extra visitors during our stay in the gardens; 3 sheep and a deer. The cottage is very well equipped. There’s also have an iron, ironing board, vacuum and a hairdryer. Living room was comfortable. I had high hopes when I saw the outside of this cottage it looks stunning and although we had a lovely holiday, you make the best of things, first impressions of the inside was the cottage needs redecorating. The walls and skirting boards look grubby throughout, in particular up the stairs. All Velux windows had cobwebs and the blinds were dirty and mildewed. The pine furniture in bedrooms are old and the beds/ mattresses old and too soft. The double dipped either side and a lump ran through the middle. Was shocked to see the stains on the mattress when bed was stripped. Didn’t see this until end of holiday and as it was so hot we slept on top of the quilt. The twin beds were so lumpy you could feel the springs and they creaked. The bed linen was poor quality and at the end of the week saw how paper thin and poor quality the mattress covers were and the quilts were poor quality and very old. The pillows were fine. Beds and bedding need renewing and upgrading. When booking a holiday cottage I don’t think it’s wrong to expect home from home standards and in particular for bedding. The shower in the twin room en suite as mentioned in other reviews needs looking at, very poor flow, door doesn’t shut. The week we stayed was very warm and upstairs was warm and stuffy, a fan would be a bonus. All in all the size, location and garden would be the biggest draw for this cottage, it’s great. It looks like there’s been some money spent on the new garden / paddock hopefully some will be spent on updating and upgrading inside, at the very least the beds and bedding.

The main attraction of North Lodge is the location.

It is in Grasmere and a short walk from the village centre. It is a well equipped cottage with two bedroom, each having an ensuite facility, one a shower and the other a bath. The bedrooms are comfortable and a good size. The kitchen/diner has a cooker, microwave, dishwasher, washing machine and drier. There are two good size parking spaces at the rear of the property. The lounge has a wood burning stove and is a good size. The television has Freeview channels although sometimes they lose the signal. On the negative side the shower in the back bedroom needs some refurbishment. There is a lot of black algae staining around the bottom and the shower door does not close properly. The most annoying thing for me was the lack of basic kitchen products. There is a small cardboard box with three dishwasher tablets, enough washing up liquid for one bowl of water and no washing detergent. My family regularly hire cottages for holidays and most supply enough kitchen materials to last the stay. Some even provide a 'welcome pack' with such goodies as a cake or a bottle of wine. When I am paying over £1,000 for a week's stay, not providing cleaning materials is penny pinching. Also, there is a request to leave the cottage tidy at the end of the week, which meant that on the first day of the holiday we had to go into Grasmere to buy Kitchen cloths, washing powder, dishwasher tablets, washing up liquid, bleach and disinfectant. All these items were needed to ensure we could leave the cottage clean and tidy when we left. Overall, North Lodge is a great place to stay, but a little more customer consideration would go a long way to improving the holiday experience.

2nd time at this lovely spacious holiday cottage.

Has all facilities we need in a lovely location. Added surprise this year was the new garden and new landscaping of the existing garden. What a bonus this was and thank you.

We have stayed at North Lodge many times over the last 20 years.

The improvements to the garden have really opened it up and let more light in. The addition of Wi-Fi was a welcome benefit however the inside could do with a lick of paint and the living room furniture is now past its best. North Lodge is still a lovely place to stay.

Lovely cottage and garden, good location too.

The road noise was an issue, and very busy too. As in heatwave windows needed to be open hence road noise an issue. Good holiday though.

We enjoyed our stay, in your lodge, nice to see more garden this time.

TV reception exeptionally poor otherwise nice stay

Lovely cottage & garden, comfortable beds.

Good location. There was a mark on the couch which we saw in a review but did not affect our stay. Surprised there were no condiments as they have been available in other properties we have used. We have recommended it to family & friends .

Lovely cottage very central to Grassmere.

Beds were so comfortable, Shame main bedroom didn’t have a proper shower so had to use the twin bedroom shower. Settee had black dirty marks on the arm but all in all great location, very comfortable cosy cottage

Another week spent at North Lodge which did not disappoint.

Comfortable and well equipped with local services a short distance away. Icing on the cake was the regular visits by red squirrels.

Have visited this property many times over the years. Always a lovely stay. The garden looked well looked after.