River Lodge

Lovely property in a fabulous location.

Have stayed before as it is so nice. A couple of issues during this stay- Christmas tree was still up and decorated to a degree, dust on bedsheets and dust/dirt in bay windows, remnants of fairy liquid left, and when my daughter had a shower water started pouring from a hole in the ceiling, showing the leak is an ongoing problem. Having said that, when I phoned Sykes to report the leak, someone was out to reseal the shower within 2 hours- we were impressed with the fast response. (I can’t actually comment on the result though as my daughter don’t want to use the shower again and used a different one). Overall though, a thoroughly enjoyable few days spent in a lovely house, in a wonderful location.

We loved our stay at River Lodge as it was a good location and a nice spacious and comfortable house.

The kitchen was well equipped to cook our Christmas lunch. We appreciated the gas fire in the kitchen/dining area as we found the heating not satisfactory as the week got colder. Unfortunately the heating in the two bedrooms and bathroom wasn’t on all the time we stayed at River Lodge. We didn’t think we would get anyone around to fix it due to the Xmas break and the living area was warm enough. We enjoyed our daily walks into Ambleside and the mountain walks from the house plus our visit to the local pub nearby. We would definitely go back if the heating was sorted out.

Lovely house.

Great setting. Great comfort. I'd like to live there. No towels in one of the downstairs bedrooms. Oversight?? Slight mould growing in downstairs bathroom. Could become dangerous.

This was a perfect location for our cousins’ reunion.

Gorgeous walks just along the lane. Great space and very well equipped kitchen. Excellent showers and hot water too. We had one electrical emergency but got a very quick response from the Sykes line and Steve got everything working again so quickly. Once we realized that the Wifi signal in the area is a bit weak, and requires some patience, we managed ok. All in all, a beautiful spot and good setup for a family gathering.

Great position poorly maintained ,lounge furniture very uncomfortable as has been mentioned by previous guests damp downstairs bedrooms would have been nice to have matching glasses mugs had requested cot but never materialised contact by website impossible due to poor wi fi

DAY 1 - we arrived at the cottage which was full of cobwebs and flies and the dish washer was full of soiled dishes.

Day 2 - The dishwasher , fridge and the gas burner along with other appliances stopped working. We had bought groceries worth 250 pounds out of which most of it got wasted. After repeated mails finally one gentleman arrived who checked and said there was a problem with electric supply. Later on we found out he was a plumber not an electrician. We had to move the kettle and the toaster to the living room for us to have some form of breakfast in the morning. We had to throw all the perishable like meat , yoghurt . Cold cuts cheese etc in the bin as even the freezer ice had melted. Day 3 - We repeatedly were sending mails for the problem to get fixed but nothing happened. The problem still remained. No appliances in the kitchen were working for the 2 days now. Finally we gave up and did what we had to do for the rest of our holiday. We didn’t fly 8000 KMS for this. A refund of 100 pounds was offered to us which we refused. I believe we are entitled to a full refund. Thanks

Basement was freezing when we arrived.

Heating didn't work, had to change the batteries in the thermostat, but still didn't work after that (Hive system - thermostats didn't connect to the hub). Had to bring our own heaters. Heating system in general was incomprehensible. Wifi / internet was a joke. No potato peeler. Brush under the kitchen sink was knackered and had old food on it. Downstairs bathroom was not clean (toilet area). Other than that, lovely.

We stayed in River Lodge for a long weekend in early March.

We have stayed here at the time time of year annually for the past 5 years and have noticed a significant deterioration over this time, with several aspects of the property not well maintained. When we arrived in the property it was freezing cold (9 degrees on the boiler thermostat) and very dusty, with a fully decorated Christmas Tree in the lounge, suggesting that the property had not been entered or cleaned for some time. Lakelovers got someone to us quickly to fix the boiler, but the property was at 9 degrees and took until the following day to warm up. It was noticeable as soon as we arrived and I can’t help but think that anyone coming into the property to prepare it, ahead of a rental, would also have noticed that. The curtain is falling down in the kitchen, the sofas in the lounge have collapsed and are very uncomfortable. It is such a shame for a beautiful building in such a fabulous location but we would think twice before booking here again.

We had a wonderful stay at the cottage during February with friends.

There were a few maintenance issues that we reported as we left. Nothing hindered our stay and most was normal wear and tear related, such as a dropping door on the freezer, a small leak from a radiator, the outdoor light being wired incorrectly, and we struggled to open the door of the washing machine. This cottage has beautiful character and was really comfortable (once we realised the heating controls were related to the WiFi and it needed a reset). We simply walked from the cottage each day, with no need to use our cars. It is also only a short walk to Ambleside for all food and essentials. We would definitely stay again and recommend it to friends.

This was our second stay at River Lodge, and we'll definitely be back next year.

Minor points to improve: 1) Bin area at bottom of drive has lots of lose trash and litter around the bins, which is a shame as it's a first impression when walking up (recommend housekeeping police that area as well); 2) Wi-Fi is really poor and unusable if more than a couple log-on's (exasperated as River Cottage is in a Cell Signal Dead Zone); 3) A new Smart TV would be really great (connect to Wi-Fi, watch content). Please note that I see these as improvements, not faults as it's a great property that we really enjoy.

Poorly maintained main problem is state of lounge furniture very uncomfortable have been mentioning this for last ten years had problems with dishwasher sorted by son blocking caused by non rinsing of food particles before loading heating was a problem when brought to attention was quickly corrected saving grace of this property is size and position would consider booking for next summer if issues are corrected this property is considered as five star is expensive but not presented as such

Thoroughly enjoyed our stay here.

Beautiful property and fabulous location. Loved the scenery from the bay window and did not want to leave at the end of our stay!

Beautiful house and a wonderful location, we really enjoyed our week away.

I agree with the other reviews, the decor is a little tired and the fridge really needs replacing. Having read the reviews we knew it wasn't going to be perfect. But its still a stunning property with fabulous views. Very special indeed.

River Lodge was delightful.

It was well equipped with modern facilities. A perfect location, secluded, but not too far from the shops. We would highly recommend River Lodge as an ideal place to enjoy the Lake District in comfort. Thank you all.

Overall a great property and excellent location.

The house was clean and comfortable and was always warm with an abundance of hot water. We very much enjoyed our visit. We were disappointed that there was no washing up liquid, only one toilet roll per toilet and only two bin bags available on arrival. I would not expect to have to bring/buy washing up liquid and bin bags and there should be at least one spare toilet roll per toilet for a one week stay. The provision of drinking glasses was random and insufficient. Some of the lamps did not work (importantly the reading lamp in the window of the kitchen/diner). No bedside lamp on the left side of the large (downstairs) double bedroom.The light switch in one of the bedrooms did not work but Lakelovers responded very quickly to fix this, which was excellent.

Location was 10/10 and the house is spacious for the amount of people.

The downstairs is damp and there is black mould around the toilet. We had young children and that is incredibly dangerous. The sofas are horrendous and need replacing. The boiler in the master room makes noise continuously throughout the night. What is most disappointing is that all the above comments have been raised a number of times and I was hopeful they had been addressed but they have not. It is such a shame because the house could be lovely.

The setting of the property is super with sheep and the river just over the lane and the position, an enjoyable 25 minute stroll into Ambleside, was a plus.

The property is very spacious and worked well for a group with a spot to sit and enjoy the view from the kitchen diner in addition to the large living room. As mentioned in previous reviews, the property could do with updating. For example the little balcony, which should be a feature of the property, was uninviting with peeling paintwork, leaves blown in and scattered furniture with a green tinge to it. Nothing that a lick of paint, a good clean and some ‘dressing’ couldn’t fix. In it’s prime this was a beautiful, spacious Lakeland house thoughtfully presented, decorated with farrow & ball throughout. The biggest issue - also mentioned in other reviews - was the boiler. The noise, intermittently through the night, was intolerable from the main upstairs bedroom. We will not return to this property.

Good points The accommodation is large and clean Great location - not far from Ambleside and walks from the house are lovely Bad points The downstairs area (1 bathroom, 2 bedrooms) stinks of damp.

There are mould marks in a corner of the downstairs bathroom The wi fi is terrible Most of the DVDs don’t work No tin opener provided and the washing up drainer is rusty I would expect better from Lake Lovers, especially given the price we paid, £2,778

Lovely location but the cottage is becoming very dated, unloved.

For example the lounge sofas are dirty and uncomfortable, the upstairs bathrooms are dated and showers stop after 10 seconds due to lack of water pressure. The kitchen baking trays were unusable so we purchased some to cook. The fire in the lounge hasn’t worked for three years at least and the TV from the downstairs bedroom has been removed. It’s a shame as we’ve liked this cottage but it does need a good bit of TLC now.

Lovely well equipped cottage set in a beautiful and peaceful location, well positioned for easy access to lots of stunning nearby walks.

The kitchen had all the utensils and equipment needed for our party of 8. The house provides ample space to relax and socialise. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would highly recommend the cottage to anyone wanting to explore the lakes.

The dishwasher drawer is broken and the downstairs bathroom radiator is broken making the downstairs rooms cold in March.

What an amazing house.

The views are stunning and the best bit I think is the walks. If you don't want to use your car and walking is for you then it's perfect. Fabulous time would definitely go back.

We stayed at this property at the same time last year and unfortunately this will be our last visit.

Upon arrival the electricity wasn’t working. The fire in the sitting room still isn’t working. The house feels tired and a bit neglected now and the sofas are so worn and uncomfortable. It’s such a shame as it wouldn’t take much to get this property up to where it needs to be.

Lovely house and nice location, unfortunately let down by the tiredness of the furniture uncomfortable couch and fire still not working in the living room, this as been mention in previously reviews over the past 12 months….

.but to no avail. Sky needs updating and television again still not working which also been mentioned in previous reviews. Chris & Emma

Beautiful location reasonably well maintained little areas of damp showing through now and ?

Potential leak damage below balcony into lounge area x? Drainage pipes need attention could also do with a second bin for rubbish as soon filled up . We had a fantastic stay in your beautiful property and hope to stay again next year

Overall lovely cottage and a nice stay.

A few things to feedback on:- - the two sofas are well worn and quite uncomfortable. Could do with new ones really - the boiler in the utility room near the entrance was running 24/7 even though we had both the hive controls set to schedule and I also turned them to off at times to see if that would stop it, but no - there was no cold water in the kitchen or downstairs bathroom even after running the cold taps for a while, the water was always warm

Riverside lodge was in a lovely house in a good position, great views and away from the hustle and bustle in Ambleside.

On the whole we were pleased with the property but there were some issues which would make us think twice about booking this property again. 1. Terrible drain smell in ensuite upstairs double bedroom.2. Sofas generally uncomfortable and did smell a bit. 3.No cold water, Water was warm from cold tap. 4. Fire did not work in living room and therefore not very warm or cosy. 5 Constant noise from boiler room in upstairs double bedroom, affecting sleep.

We had a super holiday and really enjoyed our stay at River Lodge.

Amazing location in walking distance to Ambleside and central for many great walks! The house was larger than we expected, lots of parking space and great set up with bedrooms at different ends of the house, it was great to have en-suites to all bedrooms and my mum really enjoyed the balcony! The Sky tv and many kids games was enjoyed by our kids, they are now Cluedo fans :) My only comment is that the double bed was very firm as it’s a foam mattress, but that could be easily fixed and I would definitely recommend River Lodge, and would love to stay again!

We really enjoyed our stay at River Lodge.

There was plenty of room for our two families with 3 children. The kitchen had everything we needed, there was a good sized dinning room, sufficient bathroom facilities, hot showers etc, comfortable beds. The living area had plenty seating space and the house was warm and welcoming to come back to after our day trips. Only negatives were the downstairs double room had a slightly damp smell and it would have been great if the living room fire had worked to add some warmth and cosiness. Also, there wasn't really a garden as such for kids to play in. However, these things would not stop us rebooking in the future. The location is great and we enjoyed lovely walks in the area and good food in Ambleside and local Rydal.

This is a lovely but rather quirky property being on different levels & with quirky & sometimes tiny bathrooms.

We loved the large dining table & the lovely view from the large dining room window. We found the sofas in the lounge a little uncomfortable, they seem a little tired, but that’s a minor problem. Overall this is a nice house in a great location

Fantastic property plus excellent location with stunning views makes for a great holiday.

The only downside was the price the following week (down to nearly half what we paid). A little disappointed that Lakelovers would not consider a small reduction

Stunning property surrounded by breathtaking scenery.

The layout of the house suited us well seeing that we were two families - one on each side of the house. Good location as it was close enough to picturesque Ambleside and outdoor activities but also quiet and peaceful enough to enjoy nature.

very good, lovely and convenient location, superb showers (stand out comment from all who stayed)

The location and the property was perfect The only disappointment was that we paid much more fir the holiday just because we booked early Weeks before and after were hundreds of pound less I did ask for a reduction but the lakelover representative was not willing to ask the owners

Lovely house , very clean great location .

A hot house until got to understand how to control the heating . Only down side is the plumbing was very noisy in the night , an overnight on off switch would help those in the lower bedrooms get an undisturbed night sleep

Property situated in great area with walks straight from the door step.

Great accommodation, especially if you are a two family party. All fitted out to a good standard, a few things that where listed are not present: internet connection, hit and miss, sky tv was basic. (no sport, no cinema). Overall very enjoyable holiday. Thanks so much.

Firstly, I’d like to say that we had a great stay and do plan to come back.

However there were a number of things that could do with improving. The tv in the downstairs bedroom didn’t work. The automatic lights in the shared downstairs bathrooms turn off when you’re in the shower, and sometimes didn’t turn on at all. The heating knob in the downstairs shower was broken. The fire in the sitting room was broken. The dishwasher was full of dirty dishes on arrival. In general the level of cleanliness could have been a lot better. There were no mattress protectors on the beds, nor pillow protectors on most of the pillows. The sofa is a bit tired and stained. The location of the property and the size of the property was perfect for what we needed, and we did have an enjoyable stay but given that some of my points have been made by other reviewers it does make me wonder if things will have been improved upon when we return next year. Fingers crossed!

We really enjoyed our stay, but was shocked at the price increase for the same property in the same week next year when I went to rebook.

Extremely unlikely I would pay the increased price.

Gets very cold and damp in lower floor so need to keep heaters on.

Weather was nice for us so imagine it gets worse the colder it gets. Kitchen quite small for a cottage for 8 people, really needs another fridge too. About 20 minute walk into Ambleside. Upper en-suite very small. All in all it was ok for us as we were 6 people so we had enough space. Would return.

We found no cleaning supplies beyond a very small amount of washing up liquid.

No antibacterial spray or bleach which seems very odd in the current climate. The standard of cleaning was also not high when we arrived with hairs in bathroom drawers and fecal matter on toilet brushes. The location of the house was perfect and a beautiful setting but unfortunately the lack of hygiene and basic supplies let it down significantly. We had a drainage issue with the downstairs shower and we were impressed with the prompt arrival of a maintenance engineer however he was unable to correct the issue meaning we were unable to use our ensuite shower.

Fantastic house in a great location.

Within walking distance of Ambleside. We had a great holiday.

Cottage was perfect and very clean.

Only recommendation would be to put a mattress protector on the mattresses in the downstairs bedrooms.

A lovely house in a great location.

However the cleanliness of the house was not up to scratch. There was a lot of dirty and grime about the place and crumbs and pubic hair found in the draws. We had to clean the property prior to feeling comfortable. Not what you want to do when your on holiday. There was no hand wash left in any of the bathrooms which I would expect in all properties. Also the down stairs double bed is not a double bed at all but two singles pushed together. This means there is a rather uncomfortable line down the middle of the bed. The water pump in the downstairs toilet is incredibly loud. Not ideal when you have kids sleeping downstairs. This property lacked the finishing touches this house/location deserves.

The views from the cottage were amazing.

The location was great with some lovely walks nearby. The photos don’t represent how lovely this cottage is. We were really impressed.

Little things:- Our daughter asked us to raise the issue of the cot mattress which she felt was far too thin.

Lots of wine glasses and champagne flutes, but only two tumblers and no pint glasses at all. Drinking beer out of a wine glass is not right. A stair gate for the stairs would have been a nice touch. One cannot allow a dog to go into the garden unsupervised as the local sheep can negotiate the cattle grid with apparent ease, so maybe a gate? The downstairs bedrooms and bathroom were so much colder than the rest of the house which was cooking!

I believe we should have been compensated for tighter check in check out times.

House was great, thank you.