Rydal Rock

Lovely house in a great location.

Has everything you need for a self catering stay. Lovely comfortable furniture and enough space for 5 adults and 2 dogs. Have booked again for next year!

This was our first time staying here and we would book it again.

It was just as described and had everything we needed. The only couple of slight niggles were that although it’s dog friendly, dogs are only allowed downstairs and not on furniture or upstairs. If you are a dog owner you likely allow your dog on furniture albeit on throws/blankets so it was a little awkward to keep her on the floor as she’s used to being allowed on furniture at home. My parents were using the main bathroom but struggled a little to step into the bath with the shower screen being fixed for most of the length of the bath and since it slopes at the back they needed to hold on. We loved the garden for us to sit out and for our dog to play and enjoyed some lovely sunny afternoons out there. Kitchen was great and well equipped. Bathrooms and bedrooms were all clean and had good storage. We were on the top floor and loved the space. This is a lovely property and we will book it again for sure.

Myself, husband and two children had a lovely stay at Rydal Rock.

The house is very cosy and welcoming. The bedrooms were lovely, beds comfy and plenty of storage. Me and my husband are both very tall and we stayed in the loft bedroom, which was perfectly fine, yes the roof slopes, but plenty of space to move around. We were blessed with great weather so was able to use the garden and the decking area, it was a little over grown but useable and got a tidy up the day before we were leaving so the owners are maintaining it. The location for us was perfect, lots of great walks to do without needing to drive somewhere and less than a 5 minute walk to the town centre. Great holiday and we were all sad to leave the house and Ambleside.

The property is generally well kept and cosy, with its proximity to the town being perfect for quick trips in and out.

The top floor, however, is very tight for space, with reduced headroom and the constant risk of hitting your head on things if you are over 5'8" tall. The shower is also very small and difficult to move around in, so we gave this room to our teenager as we simply couldn’t fit comfortably in it. For some reason, the garden becomes saturated very quickly when it rains, and there doesn’t seem to be any effective drainage. This made it difficult to use during inclement weather. Unfortunately, we had a difficult week due to a neighbour on the other side of the fence, opposite the back doors, who was regularly smoking cannabis outside. The smell was so overpowering that we had to close all window vents and keep entry to and exit from the property as brief as possible to reduce the impact. If the neighbour issues are resolved, I think this would be a lovely place to stay in the future.

We had a truly wonderful stay at Rydal Rock and felt compelled to share our experience after noticing a couple of recent negative reviews, which didn’t reflect our visit at all.

From the moment we arrived, everything exceeded our expectations. The property was spotlessly clean, beautifully presented, and incredibly welcoming. We had absolutely no issues with the heating—it kept the whole place warm and cosy throughout our stay, which made it all the more relaxing. The layout of the property is simply perfect. It’s been thoughtfully designed to feel both spacious and comfortable, making it ideal for unwinding after a day out. Every room flows effortlessly, and it really enhances the overall experience of staying there. The location is another standout feature—peaceful, scenic, and perfectly situated for exploring the surrounding area. It struck the perfect balance between feeling tucked away and still being conveniently close to everything we needed. All in all, we couldn’t have asked for a better stay. Rydal Rock is a fantastic property, and we would not hesitate to return or recommend it to others.

A lovely house that’s comfortable and well equipped and in a beautiful location.

Convenient for Ambleside and most of the lakes. Unfortunately the heating issues mentioned in previous reviews have not been solved. The ground floor is warm but first and second floors are either cold or very warm. It definitely impacted on our holiday as we had a 6 month old baby and young toddler to consider. We wouldn’t stay there again because of this.

We visit Ambleside every year and always stay in a holiday cottage - this is the first time in 10 years that we've been disappointed.

The heating on the first and second floor didn't work due to the Hive thermostat not being paired - I don't think this is a standalone issue as it has been mentioned a few other times in the guest book. The only way to get the heating to work upstairs was to manually boost it via the receiver next to the boiler, but this meant heating was either on or off so fine for warming the house up, but you couldn't leave it on overnight for example as the house got too hot. Even with the heating boosted, the towel rail in the 2nd floor ensuite did not work at all. The garden could be a nice setting, but is unfortunately not well kept - on arrival the garden was full of cigarette butts and dog poo. Not to mention that any splash of rain caused the garden to flood rendering it pretty unusable. The bin is stored in the garden, so when putting out you have to wade through the quagmire, force open the garden gate which is too tight and binding on the frame and then drag the bin up a couple of steps. There is conflicting information about the bins, with the guest book giving different instructions to a note stuck on the inside of the front door which appeared to be a note from August 2025? Neither were entirely accurate. The front door needs easing considerably as needed a good slam to get it to close. The headboards in the 2nd floor bedroom are obviously designed to be fixed to the wall - these were missing and resulted in the headboard slamming against the wall if you thought about moving. In the end we had to stuff a jumper behind each one to stop the constant noise. The house itself is well laid out and appears nice on the listing photos - for the most part the photos are a fair reflection but the owners do need to pay more attention to the details - for example all throughout the ground floor there are strips of frog tape visible under skirting boards where it's been ripped up after obviously being used for cutting in, 10 minutes with a Stanley knife would tidy all of this up. The location and parking etc are excellent and the house was a good base, with a bit more care it could be a lovely holiday cottage but unfortunately we were somewhat underwhelmed.

It was beautiful and comfortable accommodation but we would mention slight disappointment at not having live TV at this property which isn't mentioned in the listing.

It wouldn't normally matter to us but over Xmas with children, it wasn't ideal to stay up late watching on catchup. There are also a few everyday items missing from the kitchen, no wooden spoon, no measuring jug and not enough mugs for continual use by 8 people. However there were copious amounts of cutlery and crockery. Just little details that would have made a difference but don't take away from the fact that we really enjoyed staying in this lovely 'home from home' accommodation which is in such a good location and easy walking distance from shops and restaurants.

Great holiday home with easy access to the centre of town, if you don't mind the hill :) Well equipped throughout, plenty of space for 7/8 people, parking for a couple of cars.

Would definitely recommend a stay here.

Superb stay at Rydal Rock, very comfy, great location and well equipped.

Great property fitted 8 and two dogs no problem.

Great location for amenities and access to the lakes.Good facilities and clean. Had a very good time thanks would recommend

We loved your house, thank you for letting us stay together as a family of 7.

It is so spacious, super clean and equipped with everything we could need. The location is superb, with great access to shops, restaurants, walks and things to do. It was the perfect place to celebrate my 70th birthday with our family. The only complaint was the constant, unpleasant, sewage smell in the first floor en suite. I hope this can easily be remedied for other guests.

We had such a lovely stay at Rydal, the cottage is just perfect.

Really well kept, clean, comfortable and spacious. You are a very short walk into town which is lovely. We would 100% come back and stay here. The only thing I would say is that (as other reviews have pointed out) the garden maintenance isn’t quite up to the standard of the rest of the house. Didn’t matter to us at all as the weather wasn’t that great when we were there. Also I think the bin information might need updating as it was a little unclear which one was going out that week. Overall, it was lovely and I would absolutely recommend.

We found the house to be immaculate.

There is everything you need for your stay. The house is spacious and plenty of seating for everyone. Very clean on arrival. The only thing I would say is the garden is not very well maintained and there was a glass panel missing from the decking area. Also pieces of glass amonst the stones so had to take care with our dogs. The house is well positioned for many places to visit and Ambleside village has plenty of places to eat and drink. Walking down to the village is fine but coming back is extremely hilly!! We had a lovely stay. Thank you

The property was fantastic.

It was very clean and well stocked with plenty crockery, glasses and cutlery. The decking area was very spacious, however, one of the glass panels on the decking balustrade was missing which meant our granddaughter couldn’t potter about on the decking on her own as there was quite a drop from the decking to the garden. The garden was also a mess as the grass hadn’t been cut and there high weeds everywhere, most disappointing. Apart from the garden and decking the house was great but these areas sadly let it down.

The house is a beautiful properly, lovely furnishings and very modern.

Is equipped with everything required. It is in the perfect location, handy for the town. The only negatives to our stay was that we had to call the emergency plumber as the property had no hot water for a day, there were 7 people in the house and we were unable to shower; 3 people managed to have a shower before the water went cold. Luckily the problem was fixed within 30 minutes to one hour. Also, the garden could do with being maintained slightly better as it is difficult to see where the dogs had been to do their business outside and if we didn’t see where they went, we could have missed picking up some poo.

Heating wasn’t working on arrival and it was very cold.

We identified error code in boiler manual and got it working. It went off again two days later. No welcome pack and no basics, not even salt/pepper/washing up liquid. Garden needs tidying up, glass panel missing from patio -taped up, etc.

Excellent property.

All facilities provided. Location excellent; just a few minutes walk to the town Centre. Issue with the heating on arrival was quickly resolved

Excellent property.

Plenty of space and well equipped.

A super house for a family gathering.

Rydal Rock accommodates eight adults comfortably with luxurious facilities and everything you need for your stay. Location is excellent too. We could walk from the house into the hills and explore. The village of Ambleside has everything you need.

We had a great time and beautiful property, well designed and furnished.

A covered bench outside the front door for changing muddy boots would have been a welcome addition ,to a very clean and well maintained home.

The information book, should state clearly the microwave as a separate electric switch, at the back of the cupboard above

Rydal Rock is a comfortable, modern and well located holiday home, a short stroll from the bars, restaurants, cafes and shops of Ambleside.

Our favourite pubs, the Golden Rule and the Unicorn, are located about 100 metres down the hill and have a lovely “locals” feel to them. The open plan ground floor makes cooking easier and more sociable if you choose to have a night in. There are four comfortable, light and airy bedrooms sharing three upstairs bathrooms and there is also a downstairs cloakroom. The enclosed garden was safe and secure for our two small dogs and there is a decking area which would be lovely in the summer months. We had a great week and would throughly recommend for anybody looking for a relaxing stay in Ambleside.

Such a lovely property in a fabulous location.

Beds very comfortable and house warm and cosy. The owners have provided everything you could possibly need. It is evident that much thought has gone into making this a beautiful place to stay. Very close to all amenities with views of the surrounding fells. Thank you to housekeeping. The house was spotless on arrival and lovely and welcoming. Much recommended.

Really beautiful home to stay in and very comfortable.

Kitchen is very well equipped. Plenty of space for 6 adults and a baby. We loved it despite Storm Darragh visiting us that weekend! The cottage was lovely warm amd cosy. Only comment to make would be that if visitors are bringing a baby you will need to bring a travel cot mattress as the cot avavilbale is not at all suitable or comfy for a little one. We thankfully did bring one. so it was not a problem Both the travel cot and highchair was a littler stained aswell.

Outstanding property in Ambleside with space for all the family!

Beautifully renovated and fantastic facilities, would highly recommend. Only a 4 minute walk (downhill) to the centre of the town and lots of fantastic walks on your doorstep.

enjoyed our stay, beautiful house and in a great location so near to centre which was ideal for my elderly parents.

We was lucky and had great weather apart from 1 day. Garden is overgrown and needs a tidy up. Ambleside is our favourite location in Cumbria, so many great places to eat and drink, and lots of nice walks from the doorstep with our 10 month black lab

Beautiful house.

Had a lovely stay. Loved how central it was to Ambleside. Cant recommend enough.

Rydal rock is one of the best we have used over past 25 years or so,very comfortable and furnished to a high standard.

It's obvious the owners care about people having a pleasant stay. There are a couple of issues however that would give it a 5 star + rating if addressed. Rubbish and recycling instructions are not very clear and because of this there was a lot of waste left in drive as not collected day before we arrived. Feel the housekeeping team should have made sykes aware as not first time it's happened. The council left a leaflet with their rules which when read explained why no collection. Also feel the garden let property down as grass not been cut for a while(harder to clear dog mess up) as well as just making it less attractive to use although we were very lucky with weather and decking was used most evenings.

We had a lovely stay, the house was very comfortable and well furnished.

The garden could do with a little maintenance and the house appeared clean and tidy upon our arrival. It is very close to the village and there are some lovely walks from the doorstep. We were very lucky with the weather and had a fantastic stay. We would definitely return. Thank you

Garden a bit over grown.

Issue with rubbish collection (bins collection is a Wednesday and not Thursdays), so bins were full when we arrived. Neighbour was kindly there taking rubbish from garden. French door needs adjusting as difficult to close. Outside light broken too. Overall lovely property, comfortable and spacious.

Gorgeous, beautifully furnished property, with everything you need.

Minutes away from shops/bars and lovely places to eat. Property is on a hill so maybe difficult for people with mobility issues.

Such a beautiful, well appointed cottage in a fantastic location just a few minutes walk from the centre of Ambleside.

Very roomy downstairs and great sized bedrooms and bathrooms. Would definitely recommend to friends and will be back!

A lovely holiday home in a great location only a short walk ( uphill ) from the town centre.

Home is bright, clean, modern. Owners have thoughtfully managed to fit a lot into this property which will ensure you enjoy your break in comfort with everything you need. Highly recommend and looking forward to next visit already!

Lovely house and in a great position.

Only negative was that our dogs were petrified by the low flying aircraft practising their nap of the earth flying.

Noticed the table top broken on arrival and concerned that we are liable for damages.

Sent photos but no response so rang them. Customer service very hit and miss talking ages to respond. Light out in kitchen, four slice toaster only toasts two. Refuse bins outside should have been emptied but were full so we had to store rubbish in the kitchen until we left. For £900.00 for a three night stay these issues should not have arisen.

Beautiful spacious cottage 5 minutes walk from Ambleside and many wonderful walks.

The kitchen was modern, fully equipped and spotlessly clean and the bedrooms all had large cupboards and comfortable beds. Garden very dog friendly. We will be coming back.