Kirkstone Cottage

Beautiful setting and cottage with a lovely view.

Pub is a 5 min walk away which is a bonus! WiFi is a little slow for steaming films, although is possible at lower resolution. Log burner with logs, kindling, etc was lovely. Thank you Would definately recommend.

We really enjoyed our stay at Kirkstone Cottage.

The cottage was cosy, very quiet and really clean and tidy. We would definitely stay here again.

When we arrived at the property we found the fridge mouldy and not fit for use, it was unsafe to use.

The bathroom had not been cleaned properly with hairs etc on the floor. The shower head itself was mouldy, and the shower tray filled with water when in use. The house was reasonably comfortable, (eg. old bedding and mattress) and it appears the property relies heavily on its location and setting to offset noticeable wear and tear.

We loved our stay at Kirkstone.

It was better than we hoped. Everything was so pleasant and comfortable. We loved the area and enjoyed the walks from the door. Thanks for the excellent packs of local walks. We did several of them and made good use of the local bus to get about to Grasmere and Coniston. We would only say we could have used more coat hangers for a week's stay. Agreat place for those who enjoy getting out and about on foot. A very peaceful corner of the Lake District

Comfortable and hassle free

Nice little cottage with lovely views but compared to three years ago this time disappointed.

Quite a few things need better attention for example the bed linen either hadn't been changed or not cleaned properly, the shower is blocked such that you are quickly in a "paddling pool" with serious risk of overflowing, etc etc. Needs a bit of TLC.

Loved Kirkwood cottage, location and village - perfect for my husband and I.

Smaller table and chairs in kitchen,2 instead of 4 chairs.

Configure the showeroom better, higher mirror more shelves More info on recycling.

We has a lovely stay and are looking to book again.

Excellent location for exploring the southern area of the Lake District.

Very comfortable accommodation with all of the facilities you may need. Highlight of our visit was Blackwell House!!

Lovely cottage, great location, clean and tidy and with all equipment you would expect.

We couldn’t fault it.

Pros :) Warm & cosy in winter.

Well cleaned & generally well equipped - including TV & log burner. Good location - great views, nice walks from cottage, peaceful. Cons :( Low beams in bedroom & bathroom mean banging head if you're the average height of a British man or taller (5ft10). Christmas Decorations still up in late January. No bin bags or dish cloths. Nearby pub (Outgate Inn) has closed.

It's such a lovely property, perfect for two people.

The fire was a highlight and the facilities were spot on.

Lovely cottage, very homely.

Could do with a new shower and hob but apart from that, very good & would consider booking again in the future.

Perfect well equipped quiet cottage, ideally located between two great pubs and only a short picturesque walk to Hawkshead.

Fantastic walks from the doorstep and only a short drive to the more challenging ones at Conniston. Lake Windermere and Grizedale Forest are both within easy walking distance and Wray Castle is well worth a visit.

Perfect location for walking.

Lovely views from the property. It was wonderful that the kitchen was already stocked with cleaning equipment. Really clean throughout. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay, Thank you very much!

The kitchen oven, cooker hood, underneath the cuboards, microwave, cooker hood cupboard front, worktop surface around cooker, gas cooker top greasy filthy dirty, pans etc rusty, greasy cannot use, mould spores on the bedding, wonky floor, disgusting toilet brush!

Serious cleaning/housekeeping issues. Emailed Sykes with photographs when arriving back and learnt via a telephone call from Sykes - as Agents Sykes only mediate between owner and customer if a result cannot be found it is the responsibility of the customer to take legal action and as this holiday is classed as "self catering" you (the customer) to pack cleaning products to use on holiday! Who packs scouring pads, cleansing cream, oven cleaner, anti bacterial spray, bleach, spare toilet brush, cooking pans and clean bed linen when all should be provided fit for purpose on holiday? Will never use Sykes Cottages again.

This is the third time we’ve stayed at Kirkstone cottage.

It is well maintained, warm, cosy and has everything needed for a comfortable break. Fantastic views from every window, even on rainy days. The area is excellent for walking with many walks starting on doorstep.

We loved this cottage and are already thinking about when we can come back.

Great location and amazing views from every window. Bed is very comfy! Only thing was we couldn't find a corkscrew but otherwise everything was perfect.

A very comfortable cottage in a good location.

Only two comments: The shower didn't drain when we arrived. My husband managed to unblock it To get good efficiency from the dishwasher (ie only washing when it is full) we needed more cutlery and crockery. Otherwise we enjoyed our time at Kirkstone Cottage, thank you

Excellent location, with easy access to many of the attractions that make the Lake District a prime holiday location.

A very good base to work from. The property was very well appointed and had virtually all the comforts required. Would use this property again.

Fantastic stay yet again at this wee cottage, clean and comfy, well equipped, all bases covered, we will be back

Non stick saucepans badly scratched and starting to rust.

Other pans not properly cleaned. Stainless steel pan grubby and needed Cif and was fine. Grill pan griddle not cleaned and rusty. Cleaned up well but we should not have needed to do it. Photo of property showing 2 chairs and table were really for different property. No shaver point which these days is needed for electric toothbrushes. Otherwise very comfortable bed, good facilities for a couple and ideal situation and we enjoyed our stay. Complimentary fudge dishwasher tablets appreciated

We had a lovely stay at Kirkstone cottage.

Really lovely view from front and back. Great facilities.

A very comfy and well appointed cottage offering ideal accommodation for a couple in a glorious setting.

Only slight issue being low ceilings in part of the bathroom and bedroom where the eves slope.

We had an enjoyable week, in this lovely comfortable well equipped cottage, bed was extremely comfy.

This was our second visit to this cottage in 2021 and we look forward to staying again soon.

It is perfect for the two of us, so peaceful with amazing views to the front. The secure gated access is also reassuring.

Thoroughly enjoyed our week stay.

Great little cottage and location for our walks and activities. No issues with log burner or previous negative entry by a customer. No dishwasher but it looked like it had been removed for replacement? I would suggest clarification before final booking if you really need it. Everything we needed for our vacation and we would be happy to return.

Lovely cottage we booked for next year

Great base for exploring the area, warm and comfortable with lovely views Could be more generous with logs and kindling

Nice peaceful location away from the crowds but only a 10 - 15 minute drive into Ambleside.

Spacious living room - usually rooms turn out to be smaller than they appear in photographs due to camera trickery but the living room seemed even bigger than it looked in the photos on the website. Well equipped kitchen/diner, comfy king sized bed and great views from all rooms. Only slight negative is that there isn't a great deal of headroom upstairs in the bedroom and bathroom due to them being in the eaves of the property. Not a major problem though as you soon get used to it. Certainly think we will book this property again.

Extremely good cottage for location, cleanliness, facilities and comfort.

I would highly recommend it. Hope I can return next year.

Maintenance issues not resolved

We loved our stay at Kirkstone Cottage, the views from the cottage front and rear were stunning.

Perfectly situated, away from all of the hussle and bustle of the lager towns, we were close enough to Hawkshead and other local attractions. We had a thoroughly relaxing stay and would return without hesitation.

Kirkstone is set in a beautiful position in the heart of the Lake District with lovely walks straight from the door.

Very relaxing and well equipped with views of the hills from every window and sitting out both front and back.

The kitchen was very tired, cooker not particularly clean, old kettle, a bowl for the sink we don’t all want to use the dishwasher.

Lighting in here was poor. the lounge we found the fire impossible to light, TV in the wrong place for two of you to watch. Uncomfortable sofa, inadequate lighting. I’m only 5’2” but was constantly banging my head in the bedroom & bathroom. Desperately in need of new bed linen & towels. I felt the amount of money we paid it was most certainly not good value, as for needing 6hrs to clean is a joke

The cottage is sited in an excellent location and equipped with high quality appliances, fixtures and fittings which we have enjoyed very much.

We would like to thank the owner for providing them. We appreciate the lockdown situation so the place wasn’t used for a long time. However, the cottage had NOT been cleaned properly at all. I had a severe asthma attack on the first night. After hoovering the whole house, the drum was full of dust and we sent a photograph to Sykes to show this. The kitchen was in a bit better condition thanks to the previous visitor’s cleaning (see their reviews). Therefore we are extremely disappointed with the cleaner who let us and the owner down! It’s the first time we have stayed in a beautifully done cottage yet NOT clean. We thoroughly cleaned the cottage before our departure. If we had followed the holiday rule of leaving the place it was when we arrived, the two drums full of dust would have been sprayed back on. Imagine that! Therefore the cleaners should not rely on guests goodwill of cleaning week by week.

Fabulous cottage in a lovely area.

Cottage cosy and very well equipped. Only minor points to note were lack of veg peeler, salt and pepper and the kitchen smoke alarm was very over sensitive. The pub opposite was lovely too for food and drinks. Wouldn't hesitate to return!

We were a little apprehenshive about going because of the current situation with covid but on arrival it was as we had expected from a previous visit very clean & comfortable & provided a little haven of respite.

It is such a comfortable cottage, well equipped and makes you feel very much at home here. The surrounding area is beautiful & we were able to do so many walks from the cottage & explore wider affield . We found everywhere we went people were abiding by the regulations.

This was a beautiful cottage and exactly how it is depicted in the advertisement.

You literally just need to pack your clothes and food etc. as everything else is there for you in this really well equipped cottage. We received an email from Sykes on the day we were arriving to say the freezer had broken and a new one was to be delivered the following day. True to their word the very helpful maintenance guy turned up in the morning to install it. Sykes even offered to reimburse us for any spoilt frozen food we may have had to throw away, excellent customer service

Cottage was all we expected and more.

The photo’s rarely, from web to actual, do the property justice and with the Kirkstone we found it was even better. The views are across countryside at the front of the property which were beautiful which always seemed to have sheep and so many weather conditions that no hour was the same. Was as spacious as we were expecting and everything looked new and clean-lovely wood burner too. It was easy to jump around the Lake District from here and the lanes are not too small either (mind you, we’re from Devon and the lanes here ARE small) but be prepared for lots of pools of water after heavy rainfall though this makes rivers then become full and more exciting. In terms of all that you want from the Lakes everything is within an easy car journey and Ambleside seems to be a gateway to most places. It was easily our favourite small town and had most of all we needed there. The nearest big Supermarket type shop is a 10+ mile journey away but if you shop ‘local’ in Ambleside there is plenty of smaller shops. Bit of a black spot for communication at the cottage, phones etc, so be prepared to be in contact when you’re back in range outside of the valleys but there is Wi-fi provided. All in all we had a great time (wife even did the Park Run in Ambleside) and we visited over 15 bodies of water in the week with a favourite being Grassmere and Rydal (next door to each other) followed closely by Tarn Hows in the sunshine and the beautiful Buttermere on a slightly overcast day. End of the week was more damp but didn't ‘dampen’ our enjoyment. Highs-Lakes and walks (oh, and the Gingerbread shop in Grassmere) Lows-Parking everywhere in the Lakes is at least £2 (spent about £10 a day on parking-take lots of £ coins) and, if there is a toilet, 20-30p for a Pee! Enjoyable WInter/Spring holiday with some great photo’s in the bag

We were very pleased with this accommodation.

The house had clearly been freshly decorated following comments from previous occupants, and there were two clothes hangers provided for wet waterproofs which had also been mentioned. The central heating was great as was the log burner and there was plenty of hot water on demand for the shower. We struggled to use the BT Internet on site which is either good or bad depending on your point of view. I seemed to be able to log in successfully but was only receiving emails and Whatsapp but couldn't access the Internet. My wife couldn't log in at all. Something to think about for the future is the lack of opportunity for recycling which we were prepared to do. The only option was to put all the rubbishy, unsorted, into the large bin. Overall though, this is very well presented property in a great location between Ambleside and Hawkshead, giving great access to the western lakes.

The WiFi wasn’t very reliable, I saw the Open Reach van on site, so perhaps this was being dealt with.

There was just the bare minimum of wash liquid and hand soap, so need to take your own. Other than those minor issues it was a very comfortable, well equipped and presented, we had a very enjoyable stay. The location was ideal.

The sofa was uncomfortable, but the bed was extremely comfortable.

The information folder wasn't completely accurate, as it had the incorrect wi-fi details in it. We were disappointed that there were no recycling facilities at the cottage - we took all of our recycling home but it is unlikely that all guests would be as conscientious. There were also no kitchen scales which would have been useful. One issue that we found strange was that we were automatically delivered a pint of milk from the local dairy on our first morning. Whilst this is not necessarily a bad thing, it would be useful to know about it beforehand as we had already bought enough milk for the week, and so had to call the dairy to say we didn't want any more delivering. Overall though, we were very happy with the accommodation and thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

So So good we have booked the cottage for next September

We have been coming to the Lake District for many years and Kirkstone cottage was probably one of the best we have stayed in.

It was very clean, comfortable, well equipped & tastefully furnished with an especially comfortable bed. There are splendid views from each window and it is situated in a wonderful area with so much to do whether it be climbing, walking, gentle strolls round the lakes, looking round quaint villages or just relaxing and sitting outside the cottage drinking in the atmosphere and a beverage. We can thoroughly recommend the cottage and hope to visit again.

We enjoyed our week in this cottage.

It was clean and comfortable. Everything worked well and everything was provided. As others have said, the views are amazing form all windows. Bed was very comfortable. Our only suggestion would be a rail up to the property. I'm sure this would be fine for most people without but we are not seasoned walkers or climbers and I, in particular, struggled getting cases, etc. up the steps.

As above, the little house was comfortable with what had been high quality fittings; they were, however, beginning to get a bit tired.

The lavatory seat was loose. This was a serious problem, there was only one; we should have complained immediately but there was no mobile signal and I could not send email. We found a way of coping and were there for only four nights, so we did not send in a request for a rapid repair; we are telling you now. The fridge smelt, although it seemed quite clean; it was switched off and cooling made things a little bit better. The cutlery, plates and bowls were not enough, considering there was a dishwasher. There were no pegs, although there was a washing machine and a line. Instruction leaflets were not all there. Everything else was fine but these imperfections, especially the lavatory seat, rather spoilt the whole experience.

Kirkstone Cottage was the perfect location for a Lakes Holiday.

Despite being a 1 bed house it is deceptively large and there is no feeling of being squeezed in. The living room is large and airy, the kitchen is well equipped and the bedroom is roomy with an extremely comfortable bed!! The views are wonderful in all directions and looking across the fells from the living room and seats outside is perfect. Even if the weather is bad the cottage is a wonderful place to be and the heating is really effective! Outgate and the surrounding areas are beautiful. We don't drive but easily got around on local buses and taxi's and the Outgate pub, the drunken duck were great local places to go. Also strongly recommend The Steam Bistro In Coniston. You will need to book but its AMAZING !!!

Our cottage was spotlessly clean and very well appointed, situated in a very beautiful location.

A perfect base for exploring the Lake District. Highly recommended.

The cottage is well located in Outgate, only 200 yards from a pub serving lovely food & beers.

Hawkshead & Ambleside, are a few minutes drive away, with the serene and beautiful Esthwaite Water, Near Sawry (& HillTop) & Wray Castle not much further. This side of Esthwaite Water is quieter for traffic too (without the crowds in Bowness & Windermere!!) It is in a 'complex' of several linked properties (looks like they were one long property) behind a gate with adequate parking for 2 cars and a sun terrace. Inside it was very clean, spacious & comfortable with very good central heating for our chilly stay & loads of storage. Excellent TV too (42" I think) unlike many other places which go for a minimum size. The only criticism is that I guess the previous occupants failed to mention the blocked drain in the shower which we found the next morning. This could have been cleared before we arrived (interesting to note that the cleaner didn't notice it either - no need for running water when cleaning a shower?) One easy improvement would have been a more comprehensive welcome pack on arrival. A few biscuits plus some coffee & tea sachets is minimal nowadays. A cottage in Dorset where we stayed last year provided milk, tea & coffee, a homemade cake, bottle of wine and flowers! Now that's a welcome pack! Sykes management have been very good (we did have a problem unrelated to this property and not caused by Sykes, and they did a good job in trying to sort it out).

We found the cottage to be of outstanding a d exceptional quality.

..very welcoming and warm after our 4 hour journey. We plan to return again in the future and recommend it to all we know to be planning a trip to the lakes Thank you