Fern Cottage

We had a fantastic stay at Fern Cottage and thoroughly enjoyed our time there.

We wouldn’t hesitate to book again. The cottage is just a short walk from the park, making it ideal for morning and evening dog walks, and only five minutes on foot from Ambleside town centre, where you’ll find a great range of shops, restaurants, and other amenities.

Our first time staying in Fern Cottage but definitely not our last - we would love to come back.

Location is excellent, just on the northern edge of Ambleside so away from the busy-ness and perfect for walking from the front door up into the fells, which we did several times. It looks tiny from the outside but is huge downstairs and very comfortable both up and down. We particularly enjoyed the comfortable sofas at the end of some very long days, catching up with the Winter Olympics. We've been visiting the Lakes several times a year for almost 20 years, and Fern Cottage is by far the best equipped place we've stayed in. Highly recommend.

We had a very pleasant and enjoyable stay at Fern Cottage.

The property is very well situated with easy access to great hiking trails as well being very close to the shops and facilities in Ambleside. Its close proximity to a bus stop makes it a great choice for anyone travelling by public transport. The property is very spacious and comfortable and furnished to a high standard. The only negative comment we have is that we felt the owners are being let down by the quality of the cleaning services provided since we felt that a more thorough clean was required prior to our stay. However, overall we had a fabulous holiday and would be very happy to return to Fern Cottage in the future.

A comfortable, well equipped cottage in a very good location.

Very convenient for local buses - we did not come by car.

Fantastic little break at Fern Cottage - the property is spacious, clean and just extends further and further back to a bright kitchen and peaceful outdoor seating area.

Comfortable beds, lovely bathroom and on one of the hottest weekends of the year it was lovely and cool downstairs! Although on a main road the health centre car park opposite was ideally placed to unload the car, then with the parking permit you can park 5 minutes down the road. An excellent find with our small dog for the weekend, we will definitely stay again, thank you.

Cosy cottage, well equipped, excellent location, plenty of places to eat within a short walk.

The thoughtful owners provide a parking permit for the nearby car park. We will definitely be making a return visit to Fern Cottage.

Absolutely lovely cottage, nice and spacious.

Ceiling windows in the kitchen could do with cobwebs removing, but that’s all our stay was great.

We had a fabulous stay at Fern Cottage.

I used to live in the property many years ago as a student and it was wonderful to see the beautiful transformation into a lovely Lakeland holiday home. It is in a fabulous location - close to the centre of Ambleside and walking distance to everything on offer in the village. The size of the property is large for 4 with plenty of space in the living area and kitchen. We were 4 adults staying and the property was great for this or would also suit a family. Would highly recommend.

Warm and cosy cottage.

Had a great stay and convenient for everything you need. I would stay again.

Absolutely superb property exactly as described.

Deceptively spacious, with a well equipped kitchen /diner. Comfortable longe area with additional dining table and chairs. Bedrooms nicely furnished and no problem sleeping in the beds. The cottage’s location is just a few minutes walk from the town centre. No parking at the accommodation, but a parking permit is provided for the local car park. Could not see any recycling bags or bins at the property and we also had to get a shower mat as the bath was slippery when the shower was running. Very tiny negatives in an otherwise thoroughly positive experience. Thank you Sykes Cottages.

Great holiday cottage, confortable, convenient and clean.

Nice and spacious and very well equipped. We found the close visinity to Ambleside and the bus stops just outside the property made our holiday hassle free.

Property was just perfect for our stay in the Lakes.

The location, a short walk into Ambleside, was great as we didn’t use the car for our short break. The cottage was clean, spacious and well equipped - very comfortable beds too! We would love to return if we visit the Lakes again.

A lovely cottage in a convenient spot in Ambleside for walking up onto the fells, or just into town.

The parking is not great, especially during the school holidays. On each day that we went out for excursions on our return we found ourselves driving around Rydal Road car park waiting for a space; twice we had to give up, and then move the car again to Rydal Road later in the evening. I was very surprised to find there was no coffee or sugar supplied in the cottage on arrival… neither was there any hand soap in the bathroom or kitchen.Laundry liquid had to be purchased for the washing machine. We were also very aware that dogs had stayed at the cottage (not recently from reading the visitors book) and the downstairs carpet and sofas smelt of ‘dog’. I am a dog owner and pet lover, but the odour in the cottage was quite strong. We found the fully tiled floor in the bathroom to be very slippery underfoot after a shower as condensation formed on every surface- without a window and a very noisy and ineffective extractor fan - we had to be mindful of walking in the bathroom until the condensation had dissipated.

The cottage is so much bigger than we thought, so plenty of room for us (4) and our Labrador.

Kitchen was well equipped, had everything we needed and was a good size for having our breakfast and housing our dog’s bed which he did drag around with him. The bedrooms were a good size too. The double bed’s mattress probably needs replacing at some point it was a bit saggy but the other beds in the front bedroom were very comfortable for our daughter and her best friend. Lots of maps and books to look through on The Lake District which was very useful and the parking permit too. The only thing I would say is that the bathroom shower screen leaks and there was a large puddle of water at the foot of the bathroom door which had to be constantly mopped after every shower. There was a strange musty damp smell in the kitchen but when the weather was good the back door to tiny patio area was left open, the smell would disappear for a while. The cottage is well appointed and very good for visiting The Lakes. Lots of good shops in Ambleside and we had fish n chips from our daughter’s favourite place which she was thrilled with! Overall a great experience in Ambleside and we thoroughly enjoyed our stay. We would definitely come visit again.

We could not locate any binbags and one toilet roll is bit stingy.

I contacted Sykes before arrival about there being ironing facilities at the property. I was told that there was not but there was. Also a hairdryer is present but not listed. The patio area requires tidying as it is full of weeds etc. The instruction to leave property as found plus strip the beds raises the issue what the cleaner does.

We really enjoyed our stay in Fern Cottage.

It was clean, it was modern and the bed/sofas were very comfortable. It’s very close to the town and local walks. However, there were some (what we assume) doggie accident marks on the carpet. It was mentioned in the welcome pack that dogs aren’t to go upstairs, which we appreciate, however it’s difficult to stop a dog who wants to be with you 24/7 in a house with no doors, from following you to bed or the toilet. It may also be an idea to supply kitchen roll and more than one roll of toilet roll :)

We stayed in Fern Cottage in 2019.

Its very comfortable and well equipped and we love the bus route just outside the door. The only quibble we have is that we couldn't get in when we arrived.Hadnt used a code before,we collected a key.We expected the box to open when we entered the code .The black button was really hardto hold down and we didn't know whether to press or push.Would have liked instructions.

Lovley weeks stay at the cottage, surprisingly spacious with the kitchen extension built on, its bigger inside than it looks outside.

There was everything we needed in the kitchen, was warm and cosy and the first time I've stayed in a cottage with a decent sized bath! The only gripes were the noisy bathroom fan and the pillows were very high but thats personal preference, it wouldnt put us off staying again.

Stayed over Christmas and a little tree was set up with a couple of xmassy decs, no welcome pack such as milk left, which would have been nice.

Its a really great cottage, all very well presented and cosy during our stay, a welcome retreat from the awful weather we had! Just a short walk into Ambleside with just everything that you want/need, shops, pubs, cafes, great walks from the village and we parked the car using permit left and it did not move until the day we left. Def unload car in the health centre car park as its not safe on the main road. LIttle things were missing in the cottage: corkscrew/bottle opener, washing up liquid (although dishwasher tablets provided), make sure you also take toilet roll and kitchen roll as again not really provided. We had our golden retriever with us, so the kitchen was spacious for her, but wet dog and a pale carpet was a challenge. We always take extra towels and blankets for the floor to help us not worry about the carpets! Remember to take everything you need for your dog...no bowls provided and front door opens straight onto pavement/road. Just something to be aware of with pets and children.

I spent 2 weeks with my family at the Fern Cottage.

It was absolutely amazing. The location is perfect and easily accessible by bus. There are plenty of beautiful walks which we really enjoyed. The cottage had everything one could have asked for and it's all great quality items provided (especially the kitchen). It felt like home.Thank you to the owners for putting in soo much thought. We have stayed in a lot of properties over the last few years in Windermere, Grasmere and Keswick and this was the best experience we have had so far. We will definitely book again.

We enjoyed the stay.

We had everything we needed.

We really enjoyed our stay in Fern Cottage.

Lovely cottage. Well presented and maintained. Good facilities. Quiet at night. Excellent comfortable sofas. Great location close to the centre of town. Pity about parking but we didn't have any issues parking in the Rydal Rd car park. And used the GP surgery at the weekend to unload and load the car. Otherwise parking would have been an issue. Double bed in main bedroom needs the mattress replacing. My husband slept in a huge dip! Otherwise comfortable. Glass shower screen didn't really keep the water inside the bath/shower - often leaked onto floor. Lovely cottage. We would use again.

This is a delightful and comfortable house artistically furnished.

We found the shower a bit of a challenge and regretted wasting a lot of water whilst we mastered it. The outside space was restrictive for a dog - but lovely walks close at hand. Would certainly recommend it to friends.

Enjoyed our stay.

Could tell cottage has had an update as freshly painted and decorated. As prepared meals in cottage could have a few more cooking utensils and bowls. Helpful with parking permit and proximity to town.

Lovely and beautifully decorated cottage and good location for exploring the Lake District from the door.

The owner has left lots of useful recommendations for local walks. Shower - either hot or cold water and therefore but challenging to shower children. When we came; dishwasher had some water inside as it was switched off half way through the programme probably by the previous visitors. It would be very helpful if at least small soap was in the bathroom. It was our first stay where no soap provided. We would like to come back.

Great place to stay.

Very clean and spacious. Happy to visit again. Only down sides were a bit of traffic noise off the road but mainly he old mattress in the main bedroom needed replacing as the springs have gone.

Excellent stay, 2nd time here around.

The properties location and space/comfort are the main reasons we came back. Negatives are the uncomfortable double bed needs replacing and whilst I understand there is Covid protocols I do think not having any soap in the bathroom and being asked to strip the beds are both unnecessary considering it’s a virus we all have to live with now! I saw the prices were going up about 20% for next year, that’s a big increase!

Make sure everything is ready on time!

We loved the property and the area.

So convenient - we left the car in the car park the whole time we were there (thanks for the permit). The cottage we found very comfortable, clean (except the toilet brush) and tidy. The information pack was really useful - good recommendations for pubs/restaurants and local walks. Not a lot negative we can say. Unloading/loading on a reasonably busy road is inconvenient but can’t be helped. Also, we had to contact Sykes to get information about the parking permit.

Nice home.

Large living area and well though out area for boots and coats. Some mold around the back door. Could do with 2 parking permits as we were 2 couples. Quite a lot of road noise in front bedroom. The double bed needs replacing, extremely uncomfortable and creaking. Mattress was far too soft, kept rolling into middle of bed. A little disappointed by the cottage, mostly due to the bed, wouldn't stay here again due to it. Re the company- Tried to contact the office on Saturday, the 1st day of our stay, multiple times - the phone did not ring on either number and no way to leave a message. No where on your website does it say office opening hours so we had no way of knowing what time we could get the parking permit.

A beautiful cottage.

Clean, warm, spacious and a convenient location. A home from home. Two small observations...while there was plenty of hot water the shower was a challenge; it was almost impossible to get the right mix of hot and cold. Also, from the blurb I had expected a garden or at least a reasonable patio. But overall, I loved it. Eileen.

“We arrived at your very beautiful cottage - the sort of place you walk into and smile! “

Nice cottage, very handy for shops etc, would come again.

A charming beautifully decorated home,wonderful weather too !

Thank you.

Lovely accomodation, had a brill holiday.

Lovely cottage!

Thank you. Recommend the Tap Yard in Ambleside especially on deal night.

Had a lovely time in Ambleside.

Fern cottage was perfect for what we wanted. Great location, would love to come again to continue exploring.

A very comfortable, well laid out cottage and so cozy!

our first proper holiday in 3 years so a very relaxing week with fell and tarn walks, Easedale tarn was stunning Blea tarn anazing for it's reflection, great photos thank you so much! One request, can the oven have an extra shelf please, it was a bit tricky.

Fantastic base to explore the lakes for 2 adults, 1 child and a dog.

Loved being in Ambleside, so pleased we chose it for our home for the 7 days we were here. Weather was fab with only 1 wet day. Did so much in and around with more to do on our next visit.

We loved staying at Fern cottage for our first trip to the Lake District.

we had a very comfortable stay with everything we needed. We would love to stay again to explore this beautiful area more.

We had a lovely stay at Ambleside.

Cottage very comfortable. Very relaxing. Thank you

We had a fantastic holiday with amazing weather!

Lots of walking and recommend Matthew's Bistro for food!

Lovely cottage and great service from Heart of the Lakes.

Recommend walking Ambleside to Rydal Water and a bit further afield the Buttermere circuit is well worth the drive.