Smithy Cottage at Bowland Bridge

Beautiful house and garden, in a lovely location,

The house is so spacious and got everything u need when going on holiday.

The garden is so big and is so good for any dogs what go there its secure and having a picnic bench at bottom of garden to watch them run around. Also the picnic table so nice ethier in morning or at nite setting listening to the stream run by

There is no getting away from the fact that this property is an idle base for the South Lakes.

Remote enough to be in the middle of nowhere but close enough for essential shop. The garden is huge and our dog loved the freedom. However, after a days hiking a nice shower would have been nice. The notes say it hasn’t been commissioned and how to use it, but none of us could get a good stream out of it. Slightly disappointed in this aspect, but still, it didn’t stop us having a great time in a beautiful cottage.

Nice property, although we felt it could do with a good clean, we found dirty dishes and crockery which had to be washed before use, some of the surfaces hadn’t been cleaned and were very dusty.

The bins outside had not in emptied in a while and were overflowing. There was also a little difficulty getting into the property due to the keysafe being jammed. The property is 15 minutes away from Windermere and Kendal is 25 minutes away.

We very much enjoyed our stay here, it is a beautiful spot and a great location.

The road is a small country road but seems to be regularly in use, it didn't affect us as however, but good to mention. The local pubs were very welcoming. Good roads to access the more touristy parts of the National Park but it was pleasant to return home to the less populated Bowland Bridge. Clean and well equipped...take dishwasher tabs tho as we only had a couple! Salt and pepper too. Would visit again as so much more to see and loved the area. Very pretty little flowing river too.

I was about to write to the owners, but, since you say you'll share my review with them, here it goes: We ADORED being at Smithy Cottage: cosy, well decorated, offering all we needed for our stay, the gaaaaarden.

Last but not the least, the wonderfull instructions book! (It only lacks an index. I considered doing it, then I thought it wouldn't be that polite.) Also, if we had a problem, a litte doubt, we just called and someone would come to help us. To repeat, undoubtely! (Lake Lovers, you need to improve the friendability of your site, when it comes to transactions. Apart from that, I found it useful) Best regards Maria do Céu Fialho

A small supply of logs would have been acceptable for our first evening, which was rather chilly.

The cottage was immaculate, comfortable and very well equipped. Bailey, our red setter, fully appreciated the garden, river and the red squirrel who ran along the wall every day. The Hare and Hounds next door but one, was a welcoming pub with good food.

Cottage is lovely and spacious.

Garden is perfect for kids and dogs alike due to size. The single bedroom despite having 2 wardrobes couldn't use either as had stuff in them so no where to put our stuff. Back bedroom the mattress was a bit warn so could feel springs and the front bedroom could have done with thicker curtains. Despite these little issues we had an amazing time and would come back again. Neighbors are friendly and highly recommend the pub up the hill.

A good cottage in a great location, needs some update and better upkeep.

Christmas tree still left up for 18-25th jan booking. Should invest in better cutlery kitchen hardware. Better towels and bedding.

After arriving at the cottage after a 5 hour journey we were really annoyed to find the cottage had not been cleaned.

Bedding, towels ,sheets, were left from the previous occupant. Bathroom, kitchen, fridge not cleaned too.We rang Lakelovers + a cleaner was sent out. After a wait of 1 1/2 hrs sat outside in the car /garden we could finally start our holiday. Not a great start really- we love coming here (we have been 5 times). I can’t understand how the cottage hadn’t been cleaned. I always clean up after leaving here. We had a lovely week tho -weather was good. Hare + Hounds pub served great food .Lakelovers were good in apologising but no goodwill gestures were made from them or the cottage owners. Very disappointing really- it may put us off coming next year as we were so disappointed.

House was lovely but few issues.

There was no outside light which with a dog was an issue especially with such a large garden, we had torches but would have been good to have a security light covering drive and garden by the garage. We had to remember to put a light on in the house before we went out in the evening so we could see where we were going when we came back. Small freezer in the house would be useful as we had to keep going into the garage to get ice for our drinks which when it was raining wasn't great. The temperature on the Hive needs to be set for Winter as it was set at snowflake so will never come on on the schedule, instructions asked not to amend the settings so used the boost to warm the house as per the owners notes, but would have been nice to have the heating on when we woke up as quite chilly on a couple of mornings. Small thing but few more teaspoons would be good as there were only four in the drawer.

This was one of the best cottages we have stayed in.

The garage was an absolute bonus to store our wet things in. The dog adored the garden loads of room to chase the ball, and have a crafty river dip!!! 3 doors down from the pub which was perfect for an end of the day drink.

Smithy Cottage was a perfect holiday let for myself, wife and small dog.

The space outside for parking was large enough for 2 cars with off-road parking and the garden was huge and beautiful which was perfect to sit out and catch the sun. The amenities inside, kitchen-wise, were great if you wanted to do your own thing with a large living room area and separate dining room. The washing machine is in the garage which thankfully my wife only found on the last day. There is a pub a 100 yards away serving good food and a great place to meet people. You do need a car to get around with Windermere about 15 minutes away. We enjoy getting up and exploring the local area and with satnav you can be taken down some narrow roads. On the whole we had a perfect week staying at Smithy Cottage in a quiet location but closer enough to the busier towns.

The cottage was comfortable but was advertised as having two bathrooms which in fact it had one bathroom and one WC no hand basin, also the property advertised a freezer which it had but was located in the garage very inconvenient.

On arrival we were shocked to find dirty towels and bedding on the landing and one bed not made so we contacted Sykes and they sent house keeping to rectify this, it became very obvious from finding other things that the house actually hadn’t been cleaned prior to house keeping arriving this was a very disappointing start to the holiday. On Saturday evening the electric kettle stopped working we reported this but because it was weekend we had to wait until Monday so we actually went out and purchased one to use until Monday when a new one was brought to the cottage. The fact that the water isn’t drinking quality needs to be made more obvious from a health & safety point.

A nice cottage in a great position, near enough to get to places but also away from it all.

Two great pubs within walking distance. Fantastic garden with a river at the bottom. Cottage is well equipped. Could perhaps do with a bit of an update to the kitchen but that said it didn’t spoil a very happy week. Great weather too!

Had such a lovely week at Smithy Cottage a great place to stay and visit the lakes.

The accommodation was comfortable and had everything you need to make it home from home . The pub up the road had great atmosphere and good choice of food . I would highly recommend Smithy Cottage as it’s such an idyllic spot for you to explore the lakes and the cottage itself is Fab.

Delightful setting with stream and skipping lambs.

Nice to have not 1 but two pubs in easy walking distance. Cottage was clean, tidy and well equipped. The only niggle was the outside bin was full on our arrival so we had to stack our rubbish in the kitchen all week until the bin men came on Friday.

Lovely gem of a cottage.

We loved our stay here and would definitely stay again. There’s just a few hiccups that the owners can do before someone arrives! When we arrived, given the time of year, it was freezing cold. There was a notice up asking us to not ‘mess with’ the central heating so we set it on boost. The house was lovely and warm in a couple of hours but we had to keep putting it on boost for the whole of our stay. When we rang Lakelovers they told us the cleaners had probably put the house in holiday mode (and it was because we checked) but I know that there was someone in the week before us so they probably had the same problem! When the cleaners clean the house for who ever is arriving they central heating should be set up to run so it runs properly. We didn’t appreciate a cold house every day when we woke up because the heating had come off boost and was set at 6 degrees! The only other thing is we couldn’t get into the garage to access the washing machine and freezer because the garage door lock is broken. We had to ring the maintenance man, who then rang the owner. She told him the lock was ‘dicky’. He eventually got it to open but it meant we couldn’t lock the garage when we left which we informed Lakelovers about as we checked out. The lock needs fixing. Anything could be taken or broken that’s in there! All said though. We had a lovely stay. Slept well and enjoyed the wood burner when we managed to buy some wood for it. The kitchen is well stocked - tea, coffee, milk sachets and sugar were provided but salt, pepper etc were missing. We left the ones we purchased behind to rectify this. Only qualms - the garage door and the central heating issue. Both of which can easily be rectified.

Fantastic cottage, in a fantastic location.

Kitchen was equipped with almost everything required. Had a great time with family over Christmas period. Cottage was well equipped throughout with equipment and we needed for nothing whilst there. Thank you, we had a lovely time.

The cottage and surrounding area was really lovely.

Everything there we needed, the only issue we had were the beds. The mattresses on both double beds were extremely uncomfortable for anyone with a back complaint, my husband ended up sleeping in the single bed as the mattress was much better. Would definitely stay again but only if the mattresses were replaced. Otherwise a fantastic location & cottage. Also worth mentioning we had 2 power cuts while we were there.

The property is in a beautiful location with 2 excellent pubs within walking distance.

Our dog Ruby loved the expance of garden with the river running at the bottomof it. The house was generally clean but could do with a deep clean everywhere. No basics were provided, had to go out and buy washing up liquid, kitchen towel, hand-wash. Most things in the kitchen felt sticky so had to put them back in the dishwasher. The fire was not laid (as stated in the arrival book that it would be) and the log basket was empty so was unable to use it. There is a notice in the kitchen advising people not to drink the tap water as it is a shared spring source, so it would of been helpful to have even a small bottle of water there to get you started. Could do with some blankets for the living room to cosy up with. The freezer was turned off when we arrived so took 24 hours until we could use that also. Had a lovely week exploring the area but I'm not sure we would stay there again unless these inconveniences are sorted. Needs to be more of a home from home.

Lovely cottage in a great location!

The cottage was so comfortable and very well stocked with everything you could possibly need. Would definitely recommend and would love to stay again!

We love it here- 4th time now .

Such a beautiful cottage in a lovely location. Hare + Hounds does fabulous food .Garden is amazing- our Dog loved it! Blinds added look very nice.Cottage is very clean - the only little thing I would say is there wasn’t any cleaning materials + bin liners for bin + recycling-luckily I bought one also we didn’t know what day to put the bins out- for rubbish? We had to leave recycling in designated bins.

Perfect location to explore the southern lakes with excellent pubs within walking distance.

Everyone enjoyed the week, especially Maisie our energetic Cocker Spaniel who loved the garden.

The cottage was just as described.

Ample parking and a huge garden. The cottage is central to visiting the surrounding areas and there are two great pubs within walking distance both serving excellent food.

Smithy Cottage is such a lovely spacious place to stay.

There's 2 pubs within easy reach. we would certainly recommend this property, in a lovely quiet spot not far from Lake Windermere. Not to mention the wonderful weather which made our holiday complete. Would love to go back at some point

The pictures just don't do this cottage justice.

It was lovely with gorgeous scenery. We had a fabulous week and would love to return in the autumn to see the changing colours and to light the fire. We found the key safe a bit tricky when we arrived, so maybe some instructions on using it would be useful.

We have just returned from a very relaxing week in Smithy Cottage.

The accommodation was clean, homely and very welcoming. Bowland Bridge is a lovely village, and the cottage is a gem within it.

Beautiful cottage in lovely surroundings.

The garden was large and the access to the river was nice.This cottage was in a perfect position for exploring the area with all the tourist spots within easy reach and good walks right from the front door. The food in the Hare and Hounds pub next door was exquisite .

This was our third visit to the cottage having last stayed in 2017.

The cottage is beautifully situated and well maintained. Very large and attractive grassed garden which is ideal if you have a dog. Hare & Hounds pub literally on your doorstep which we used in the evenings. Great menu and great food. I believe the cottage had recently been painted internally as there was as a strong smell of paint during our stay. No downstairs blinds on the windows which I’m guessing may be due to the recent redecoration but meant that you felt a little bit in a goldfish bowl in the evenings. It’s recommended that you take bottled drinking water during your stay as the the tap water whilst I understand is safe is from a spring and was discoloured during our visit. If you love The Lakes but not the crowds this is an ideal spot. Highly recommended.

We had a lovely stay in a comfortable, well equipped cottage in a beautiful location.

The garden was huge and very pretty with the stream at the bottom. Our cocker spaniel loved it, probably a bit too much as every time he went outside he was straight in the stream. His recall is non existent when water is involved which meant we had to keep him on his lead in the garden if we didn't want him to get wet. The two pubs so close by in walking distance was a bonus too.

Lovely well equipped cottage in beautiful, quiet location with two good pubs in walking distance.

Unfortunately some issues , no mention of water supply being undrinkable from the tap and coming out brown after heavy rain. Would be useful to know at time of booking to be able to bring bottled water. Also metal framed bed in large bedroom quite short and mattress uncomfortable.

Wonderful cottage that exceeded our expectations.

Incredible garden for our 3 girls and energetic cocker spaniel. Well equipped with everything you need to relax and self cater, with the option of 2 pubs serving great meals within easy walking distance. Such a great holiday enjoyed by all, so we have already booked to return next year in the school holiday.

Absolutely brilliant week staying here with the family of all ages!

They catered for all of us, from the book collection to the badminton and the huge garden which our dog Charlie thoroughly enjoyed! We had rain for most of the week but it really didn’t matter. The sunsets at the front of the property were amazing and watching the beautiful swifts fly in and out of their nests was just mesmerising. Due to the heavy rain it did collect in the front porch and soak the mats so we had to leave them out to dry but wasn’t a problem. The Hare and Hounds just a few doors up was good but on our last night we drove approx 12 mins to the Black Labrador and the food there was excellent. Would definitely stay here again! Thankyou very much to the owners for an enjoyable stay.

The cottage was perfect.

Spotlessly clean, everything we needed. Huge garden with a river at the bottom. Couldn’t ask for more.

Lovely property in a great location for exploring the area.

Huge garden space with a river was really fantastic; expecially great for the dog to get a good run around as letting her off the lead anywhwere was tricky during lambing season. Close proximity to two lovely pubs for great food and refreshments. As a family of five plus the dog, we were very comfortable and are very happy to score very highly. Highly recommended.

Lovely cottage in a great location.

The cottage was comfortable and clean. The two local pubs provide lovely food. We had a lovely stay.

Location cannot be bettered for beauty , tranquility , accessibility and sheer joy .

Cottage is spotless . Good kitchen , with all you need . Efficient heating and hot water . Large , comfortable sitting room . Excellent bedrooms , beds and bathroom. Lovely views from every window . Huge garden to enjoy . Great walks straight from the back door . Good pub close by .

Would have been nice to have a few logs to light the fire upon arrival or for the heating to have been on as it was very cold on arrival.

Also maybe a welcome hamper with a few basics including milk and snacks especially for younger children. A super absorbent door mat would be useful, especially during wet weather. Beautiful location, we enjoyed our stay, thank you.

The very good news first : The Hare and Hounds opened it,s doors again on the 23rd September with new owners.

Drinks only presently, with food to commence mid October. We had concerns after booking much earlier in the year and later seeing a couple of worrying reviews. There was a much better review left after those so that reassured us some what. We contacted Sykes with our concerns and were told the owners had been to provide some maintenance. Not all our concerns were answered. Another issue was that the agency were still advertising Bowland Bridge as having a small shop and The Hare and Hounds Pub within a few yards of the cottage. We found out that the shop has been closed well over two years and the pub had also been closed at least since early 2020. Not Covid related. However, agencies continued to promote these facilities. The cottage itself is set in a lovely Hamlet and area. The garden is huge and wonderful for Children and pets. ( Shame we lost our dog two weeks prior to visiting ) There is access through a wall to the small river and a determined dog would get across this. We found the cottage to be a quaint period country house, the main lounge for us was comfortable. There seems to have been a new settee provided since previous reviews identified issues. The kitchen is small, units slightly dated now but very adequate for our holiday , well equipped. The beds were comfortable although the bedrooms a little tight but that is to be expected in an old house such as this. The single room is smaller but has good space. There were some minor issues that we reported to the maintenance man ( later the owners ) we agreed we were happy for those issues to wait until change over day as they were not spoiling our holiday. Perhaps the thing that did annoy us slightly was that the back bedroom door would not shut and swung back open hence no privacy. Maybe not a problem with family but we were with friends. Would we go back to The Smithy's Cottage ? Now that the pub is open again, Certainly.

Great cottage in a good location.

The pub and shop in the village are both closed . We very much enjoyed our stay and will book again . There were no notes on working the water and heating systems . Asked the maintenance guy who’s number was listed in the kitchen . Very helpfull and sorted the issues .

This holiday cottage was described as being located in a village with both a pub and shop, however both of these facilities closed over two years ago.

It was a considerable drive to the nearest shop which was annoying because on arrival we saw a sign which advised to drink bottled water only. We couldn’t get the hot water to work and the heating was on full (in July) and it wouldn’t turn off. There was a phone number displayed to call in the event of maintenance problems but the man couldn’t come until the next day! Sofas were extremely old and uncomfortable as they lacked any support whatsoever. There was a sign saying the fire didn’t work as waiting for a part and I am not sure if this contributed to the musky, smoky smell throughout the house There was lots of hair in the bath plug when we arrived and the dial knobs on the cooker were grimy. Therefore, instead of relaxing on the first day of our holiday, we were trying to sort out hot water/ heating issues and phoning maintenance men, giving everything a good clean, driving some distance for bottled water and food as there was no pub in the village and the other nearest pub was booked up for dinner all week ! The area surrounding the cottage is beautiful, the garden is impressive, great for dogs however, I do feel that Sykes need to re-write the description for this property so people are aware of what to expect.

A downside of this property for us was the smell of animals, particularly downstairs but also upstairs(despite I note the owners requesting that no pets are allowed upstairs).

There were dog hairs all over the cushions in the living area. However I do accept the property is listed as accepting a single pet per stay so perhaps I should have anticipated this. Lovely area, kitchen fully equipped, fantastic outside space.