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Stepping Stones House

10 Guests
5 Beds
4 Bathrooms
Pet Friendly

Description

Stepping Stones House is an elegant period residence, once owned by the son of William Wordsworth, that stands in a breath-taking location beside the River Rothay as it flows through the valley from Rydal Water and onward to Lake Windermere. This property is lovingly refurbished, the current owners have created a beautiful home, ideal for special occasions and holidays that memories are made of.

Feel at home as you enter this communal property and into your own entrance. From the elegant drawing room, formal dining room, character kitchen, cosy snug, four welcoming bedrooms and additional child's attic bedroom, the attention to detail and high quality is evident throughout the house.

Throughout the year the breath-taking scenery of the Vale of Rydal is second to none and rises from the shores of Rydal Water to Loughrigg Fell to the west, Fairfield to the east and northwards to Grasmere and the central mountain ranges of the Langdale and Helvellyn. The village of Ambleside, or a little further Grasmere, are both within walking distance and offer a great choice of popular eateries, Lakeland pubs and local shops.

Offering great quality in an excellent location, Stepping Stones House, has all the ingredients you need for a memorable Lakeland holiday.

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Accommodation in detail

Be charmed by this wonderful shared residence as the front porch welcomes you to your entrance within the Stepping Stones House. The elegance of the drawing room accentuated by the high ceilings, feature fireplace and large picture windows beautifully frame the views across the river and to the patio and garden. The Harris Tweed sofas are arranged around the cosy log burning stove and the large screen Smart TV is just what you need for a relaxing evening with a good film. The high ceilings and elegant theme continue through to the beautifully furnished dining room with large family dining table, ideal for that special occasion.

To the rear of the house the character changes and the cottage style kitchen is warm and welcoming, with a large farmhouse breakfast table and range cooker, as well as being well equipped with dishwasher, fridge, freezer, microwave, washing machine and tumble dryer. The owner's attention to detail is again evident with everything you could need to serve up anything from a hearty breakfast to a special celebration dinner. Beyond the kitchen the snug is a more informal place to relax in the sumptuous leather sofas, and here can be found a second large screen TV and the upright piano. A patio door opens from here to the garden.

There are four master bedrooms to choose from, the Brassica Room is the largest and is located on the ground floor, with picture windows to the garden, feature fireplace and king size bed it is complemented by the family shower room with walk in shower, basin and WC (please note that though the shower room is located on the ground floor there are two steps from the hallway to the bathroom).

On the first floor the further three bedrooms can be found; the Blue Room offers a king size bed, feature fireplace, views across the valley and an ensuite bathroom with roll top bath, basin and WC. The Green Room offers a king size bed, feature fireplace, views to the garden and ensuite bathroom with bath, shower, basin and WC. The Red Room is the owner's family favourite and the dual aspect windows take advantage of the views to the south across the whole of the vale. Offering a comfortable double bed this pretty bedroom is complemented by an ensuite bathroom with feature bath, basin and WC.

Reaching the very top of the house the owners have created a final bedroom for those with children. Cleverly incorporated into the attic and eaves of the house this bedroom is just ideal for younger children with its nursery theme, pretty twin beds, toys, games and puzzles. The children will love the secret winding staircase, the characterful low ceiling and feature beams. Please note the owners suggest that this bedroom is suitable only for up to two children between the ages of 5 and 11 years old. Due to the layout it is considered unsuitable for younger children and is not suitable for use by teenagers or adults.

To the side of the property the south facing garden has been landscaped to create a formal garden complete with patio with bistro dining furniture the ideal spot to relax over drinks on a summer's afternoon. From the sloping front lawns of the house the well planted trees and shrubs beautifully frame the views in every direction. Three private parking spaces are available on the shared driveway 50 yards from the front door.


Your dates


Everything you'll need

  • Wifi
  • Dishwasher
  • Garden / Patio
  • National Park
  • Pet Friendly

What guests are saying

4.5
Based on 81 reviews
Accuracy of the listing
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Cleanliness
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Comfort
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Facilities and Maintenance
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This was our 2nd stay and everything about the house and location is great.

The house itself was excellent but as a personal aside I found the matttess too hard. There again you can't please everyone. Amenities and and cleanliness were 5 star. Will hopefully book again in the cute

A
AOct 2026

We recently stayed at the Stepping Stones property just outside Ambleside in Cumbria.

This was my second holiday using a Sykes promoted property after a fairly disastrous holiday at a supposedly 5-star property in Northumberland. This time, however, my fears of a repeat of the same or similar problems were allayed. The Stepping Stones property is a beautiful 400-year-old property in a magical location about a mile outside Ambleside and overlooking the river Rothay and the famous ‘Stepping Stones’. Entry is through what looked like a newly constructed or refurbished porch. Once inside, the rooms inside are extremely spacious, comfortably furnished and well maintained, given the age of the property. The kitchen (almost its best feature assuming a self-catering holiday) is fantastically well equipped with huge amounts of crockery, cutlery, modern cooking equipment and plenty of sharp knives, which (a small point to some) was totally absent at the last property we stayed at. The lounge, dining room and all the bedrooms have views of either the magnificent landscape or the well-maintained garden. All the bedrooms on the ground floor and first floor had en-suite or accessible well-equipped bathrooms. We dined in the kitchen but the dining room seats probably another 8 but you apparently can extend the table further if you wish. It was raining quite a bit while we stayed at Stepping stones, which we had anticipated ourselves, but the owners had provided plenty of alternative activities in the way of games, puzzles, DVD’s, a music system and there was also an upright piano too, if you play. There was also seating in the garden, which we did take advantage of during a warm, surprisingly sunny spell one afternoon. There was only one concern I had, which was that the heating seemed a bit hit and miss with some radiators working and some stone cold. Overall, it seems a warm house and the temperatures outside during our holiday were not cold, so it wasn’t really tested. There is, however, also a wood burner in the lounge should temperatures really drop. The location of the property puts you about 25minutes walk from Ambleside along the safe road leading to the Ambleside town park. I wouldn’t recommend walking along the A591. If you want to walk to Grasmere, it’s a bit longer either using a relatively easy walk around Rydal and Grasmere (about an hour and a half or 2 hours depending on how fast you walk) or via the steeper ‘Coffin Walk’. Great property in a great location.

G
GarySep 2026

Beautiful house - as described.

We had a wonderful time as 2 families with 2 kids. The kids loved the attic room to sleep in and loved having the stepping stones to just go across and run all over the field. The house was comfortable, kitchen super well equipped. Only negatives are speed of internet - the wifi didn't really work and the BBQ had a whole in the bottom of it but this really didn't impact our holiday (phone signal was actually good and managed to use our phones for internet instead)

S
SarahSep 2026

Good to know

House Rules

  • Good housekeeping bond

    This property has a Good Housekeeping bond of £200

  • Smoking

    Not permitted

Stay Information

  • Check-in / Check-out

    16:00 / 10:00

  • Property ref

    1042257

  • Parking

    Private Driveway

Guest & Pet Policy

  • Pets

    Allowed

  • Children

    Not accepted

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