Highfold

We had a lovely stay at this cottage for our first family trip away.

The weather wasn’t on our side, but the cottage made it such a lovely experience. It was beautifully decorated, well equipped and in a great area of Ambleside. We would definitely recommend staying here and hope to return again, hopefully with a little less rain! Just a couple of things to mention to the owners: the travel cot provided smelt strongly of smoke. Luckily, we had brought our own at the last minute, but I wanted to flag it for awareness. I also noticed a leak underneath the kitchen sink, so it may be worth getting that checked.

We loved everything about this house.

It’s perfectly located - on the edge of Ambleside, whilst the lake at Waterhead is a short walk away. The cottage is comfortable and welcoming.

Fantastic stay - comfortable and clean cottage with everything you could need for a week.

Great location for accessing Ambleside and everything Ambleside has to offer - very short walk into town, quiet location, close to bus stop and a short walk to the lake.

We have lost count of how many times we have stayed at Highfold, Ambleside.

The property suits or requirements perfectly. It is ideally located a short walk from the town centre, there are numerous superb walks that can be started from the cottage, good off-road parking, a very comfortable & well-equipped place to stay. Looking forward to a return soon. Chris & Suzanne - West Yorkshire

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Highfold, one of the best places we have stayed in the Lakes.

A beautiful cottage, with everything you could possibly need, and very clean and comfortable and in a great location. Only a 5 minute walk into town but still super quiet. The private parking space was a bonus.

We absolutely love this cottage, and once again we've had a fabulous week staying in this very homely cottage.

The cottage's facilities and comfort are spot on which really made our holiday all the more relaxing. The only negative points are -. 1 - The Sofa closest to the kitchen sags so much in the middle which make it uncomfortable for my wife and her cousin as they kept sliding together. 2 - The floor in the kitchen creeks so much which is a huge problem because this is an upside down cottage and one of the bedrooms is dirrectly below it. The noise from the flooring above is horrendous down below for anyone who is sleeping in that room especially if there are early risers in the party. This really needs to be prioritised !!. 3 - There needs to be a ceiling light abovethe worktop to the right of the sink as it is quite dark especially when preparing meals etc. Apart from these negative point we love it here because it ideally situated and cateres for all our needs. Roll on the next visit

What a find!

Highfold is a beautiful, clean, cosy cottage, with everything you need in a holiday cottage. We have stayed in numerous Sykes cottages all over the country but I think this has to be one of the best. Just a short walk into Ambleside with plenty of shops, pubs and eateries. Easy access to the rest of the Lake District, whether you want to drive or sit back and take the bus. This is definitely one to return to!!

Highfold is perfectly located on the edge of the village.

It’s spacious, well laid out and well equipped and furnished and is very comfortable to stay in. The only feedback point is that the shower in the main bedroom could do with updating and is showing signs of ageing. We’ve stayed here twice and are highly likely to return.

Good position for Ambleside, nice decor and a great base for a stay in the Lake District.

Would happily stay again in this property.

Fabulous location and beautiful house (even better than the pics!

). Love the lounge and the kitchen area. Great to relax in after a day’s walking in hills or up to Ambleside or down to Windermere

What an absolute gem!

Such a cosy, welcoming Lakeland cottage. We loved our few days staying at Highfold & are already planning our return trip! Thank you for a great holiday, we really enjoyed it.

Lovely stay at highfold again !

Very convenient for a lot of wonderful places! It’s very spacious and comfortable, beautifully decorated and spotlessly clean. Comfortable bed and efficient bathrooms downstairs. Well equipped kitchen and nice homely touches - thanks for the welcome pack too We will be back !

Clean comfortable and spacious.

Had a bit of trouble trying to get keys out of box but got there I the end. Two things, not complaints, suggestions, there was only one bath mat, one for each bathroom would be nice , we bought another one, and somewhere to dry laundry in garden, we came on train so couldn’t bring enough clothes for two weeks, the electric dryer takes all day. Highfold is a lovely cottage, lots of buses, Ambleside a short walk away, we would highly recommend.

Lovely to be back - we stayed the same week last year.

House spotlessly clean - thank you fantastic cleaners :) Lots of kitchen equipment and a huge thank you again for the heated airer - so helpful last week. Beds very comfortable, comfy sofas and armchairs - just lovely. Large entrance to kick off boots and hang coats up. Walked from the house all week and didn't need the car once. Kids completed the Fairfield Horseshoe, Wansfell and Loughrigg. Will be booking again.

The property si one of the best cottages we have stayed in.

Everythign done to a high standard, so quality washing machine, dishwasher , large fridge freezer. Lovely living room and the most comfortable of beds. Layout of the cottage brilliant. We were most impressed with the provision of plenty of crockery and glasses which were of a decent quality . It felt like a home not a rental. We really appreciated the walk guides left. The position of the cottage is great as it is but quiet but close to Ambleside centre

Really enjoyed our stay.

Brilliantly located and didn’t use the car half as much as we’d expected, with some lovely walks straight from the door. Cottage was bigger than we’d expected and had everything we needed - the only tiny gripe was the water pressure on the en-suite shower. Would definitely stay again.

Beautiful cottage.

Perfect location. Ideal for a romantic getaway, particularly away from the big tourist months. Gorgeous easy walking from the cottage.

We have lost count how many visits we have had to Highfold in Ambleside.

For all these holidays we have thoroughly enjoyed the position, comfort & excellent facilities that the property provides. On this occasion we extended our stay from the original 7 nights booked, to 10 nights, due to availability over the following weekend. Didn’t want to go home….. Chris & Suzanne

A beautiful property in a great location, we had a lovely stay, thank you!

The house was dressed for Christmas which was nice. The rooms were very comfortable and there was plenty of space for four adults and one baby. The parking right outside is definitely only for one car, but there was plenty of other parking available and we bought a 3 day pass so we could use all the local car parks during our stay.

The cottage was immaculately clean on arrival.

In terms of accommodation - we loved the spacious open plan layout upstairs; the kitchen is really well equipped and all appliances are good quality. Both bathrooms are smart and clean. We loved the overall feel which is much more spacious than the photos are able to show. The woodburner could do with a quick bit of maintenance as the rope seal is becoming detached and one of the air intakes seems to be partially stuck, but this is a tiny thing overall. We would most definitely come back here again

Lovely comfortable home in a gorgeous location.

A great place to relax in after a busy day out. We loved it there.

Cottage excellent, very clean and superbly equipped.

Cosy as well as practical, having a parking space in Ambleside is a tremendous asset. Had a problem with a blind which was fixed the same day so that was brilliant serv. The only issue we had was I had a couple of questions before we arrived, but there is no direct way to contact Sykes, phones cut off and messages take a long time to be answered. Would definitely recommend the cottage, but would hesitate to use Sykes again myself because of poor communication beforehand. Oddly, maintenance was sorted straight away so I suspect it would not take much to improve this.

Great location for exploring.

Our young family had a fabulous time on our adventures and coming back to the childfeindly, comfortable homely cottage. Very well equiped. Thank you for a lovely stay.

Wonderful comfortable and well equipped cottage, very clean and amazing location - didn't use the car once as so much to do around Ambleside.

(Our son found that the prong from his charging adapter has broken off and he thinks it is in the plug socket by the door in the small bedroom. Upon Google this is not a risk but electricity should be turned off before extracting with pliers. We are really sorry about this.)

Excellent week’s holiday in this wonderful cottage !

Well equipped, comfortable, warm and spotlessly clean ( I mean spotlessly ! ) Close to the town and easy walk to the lakeside. We used it as a base to visit places like the car museum, steam railway, jetty museum and also had some lovely walks from the door which were in the welcome book eg over to Grasmere. We were fortunate on some days with the weather but when you have such a welcoming place, the rain doesn’t matter so much ! Thank you very much for providing a special holiday home !

What an absolutely fantastic cottage.

So very clean and well equipped. We really appreciated the heated drier and slow cooker - never had these in other holiday cottages - what a bonus. So many small touches like the hand soap, games, cupcake trays, lots of crockery and books, really make you feel welcomed as a guest. Please pass on our thanks to the cleaner, the cottage was spotless - really appreciate this when travelling with children and their susceptibility to tummy bugs! Sofas and beds really comfortable. We had a lovely week at Highfold.

Highfold is a beautiful property, clean, bright & more spacious than the photos give credit for.

A very comfortable property & we would definitely stay there again. Easy walk into Ambleside & Waterhead & bus stops. The owner had kindly left welcome packs, a lovely thought. Though the listing says parking for 2 cars, we found it suitable for 1 car as there is a notice saying access needed to another property. There is a private garden, but we couldn’t use it on occasions as there were builders standing on the wall working on next door, which we weren’t told to expect.

As we recycle at home it’s disappointing not to have the facilities to do this while we are away and it’s not always convenient to take the recycling to the council depot apart from this minor issue another great holiday with good weather

Spacious, well equipped, clean and comfortable accomodation.

Pefectly placed for walking into Ambleside or down to Lake Windermere. Will definitely try and book Highfold when we next come back to Ambleside.

We really enjoyed our holiday, cottage lovely, everything we needed perfect location

Second time we have stayed in this cottage-will defo use again.

Beautiful cottage- exceptionally clean and very comfortable. Fantastic location with easy walkable access to Ambleside and restaurants.

What a fab holiday cottage!

We have stayed in numerous cottages in Ambleside over the years and this one is definitely one of the best. We travelled with our 15 month old Son and found the property to be really child friendly, with a high chair and cot (if we wanted one) provided. The bedrooms were both spacious, meaning our baby could either be in the main room with us or in the spare bedroom. The bathroom and en suite were both lovely, and the kitchen and living areas really clean, comfortable and homely, with everything we could have needed. To make it perfect, I’d suggest providing hand soap for the toilets and kitchen areas. I’ve never visited a cottage that didn’t have hand soap before. Also a bottle of milk on arrival would have been nice. Again this is something we’ve gotten used to over the years in holiday accommodation. There was also not enough loo roll or washing up liquid to last more than a day. Small things that were easily purchased in Ambleside, but would have made it a little easier upon arrival. We would absolutely recommend this cottage. Perfect location, parking which is a real bonus, and overall a real home away from home.

Had a lovely week at Highfold,loved all the amenities and kitchen very well equipped for home cooking.

Good quality of all fittings,Sky tv a bonus on a rainy evening,very clean on arrival and lovely and warm in snowy February. Look forward to returning. Chris and Chrissy

We absolutely loved our stay in your gorgeous cottage.

it was perfect-christmas decorations were the icing on the cake.Would totally recommend !

We have stayed at Highfold numerous times before & love the location & facilities that the property provides.

On this occasion we arrived on Saturday 2nd December, a day when there had been heavy sudden snowfall & massive transport disruption to the local area. The final 10 miles took approximately 6 hours to complete due to buses & abandoned cars on the snow laden roads between Ings - Windermere - Ambleside. We arrived at Highfold approximately 10.30 pm to find it had its usual warm, clean & welcoming appeal. There had obviously been some earlier disruption to the cleaning services as dirty towels & stripped bed linen remained in the property. There were no clean supplies...... Makeshift arrangements, by washing this dirty laundry ourselves were undertaken in the circumstances. We informed the local office early on Monday & the situation was quickly resolved. A lovely relaxing break & looking forward to returning in the New Year. Chris & Suzanne

My wife and I have stayed at Highfold 3 times in recent years in November 2023, in 2022 and 2021.

Although the time staying at Highfold has been nice, this time we have noticed that it is starting to require some 'modernisation and upgrades' to keep it's appeal, there is still an issue that we reported last year when we came, and it is still there and has not been resolved. Last year we mentioned that both of the electric extraction vents in the main bathroom and the en-suite seemed to be blocked and were not working, it looked as though both of the 'fans' in the unit were stuffed with tissue type material, which I assume is to stop a 'back draught' through the piping, but because of this the heat / steam / water condensation has no where to go, and is now causing issues as there is 'black mould' on the rear of the bath taps sealant - and also 'black mould' on the edge of the wall in the ensuite where the glass panel meets the tiled wall, very unsightly. The television in living room needs replacing, it says it is a 'smart tv' - but not really with modern standards. You have to use both the 'Sky remote' and the 'Sony remote' to operate the television, this is outdated. The television cannot accept 'BBC i-player, ITV-X, All 4 TV or My5, which is no good if you want to watch a catch up programme. The TV needs to be replaced with a more 'up to date' smart TV. A TV on the bedroom wall would be a nice touch, there to use if you want to, but kept turned off if you don't want to. The cushions under the living room bay windows are very tired and very faded, these too need new ones to replace. Overall....it is a nice place to stay but starting to show age and needs updating in places...and a little welcome pack (Wine / Biscuits / Cake) would be a nice touch for your new customers. Kevin & Juliet - Yorkshire.

Highfold is a beautiful cottage and this was our 3rd stay.

The new bed is very comfy and we slept very well. The only thing we are not so keen on is the door that is in the bedroom has a see through glass panel that we had to cover it with kitchenroll for privacy but would not stop us from coming here as it is the best cottage we have ever stayed in and have re-booked for next year.

Highfold was a lovely property and well furnished.

Unfortunately during the whole of our stay the property next door was having building works done, which had been going on for a number of weeks, however we were not contacted in advance about this. The noise started at around 8.15am and finished about 4.30pm Mon-Fri, with workmen standing on the next door roof and were able to look right into our living room area. We visited the Lakelovers office, which is located 50m from the property, to talk to them about this, they said they were not aware and would go and look in case they needed to let other people coming to the property know. There was no concern for us, even though we explained that we had our daughter with us who was trying to revise for GCSE mock exams. Lakelovers did not come back to us at all after our complaint. It was an unfortunate situation as the cottage is really very nice, but you should not be charging these prices with building work going on right next door - it is not how people should be treated.

This is our 4th stay at "Highfold" and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

The location is perfect and the property is like home from home for us. It caters for all our needs in both comfort and facilities. It is good to know that the sweaky floorboards in the lounge have been fixed so anyone sleeping downstairs no longer get disturbed. The only issues we found with the property were the front door sticking making it tricky to open and the lounge doors virtually impossible to open as they drag on the carpet. Apart from this we love the property and we look forward to coming back again. Mark

Front door is difficult to open it's sticking on the bottom of the door frame

Our second wonderful stay at the wonderful Highfold.

High quality fixtures, fittings and furniture - a real gem in Ambleside. The perfect cottage in the perfect location.

A beautifully equipped home, right in the centre of Ambleside.

It was sparkling clean and presented with home from home comforts!

Really nice cottage.

Was so spacious and comfortable, with lots of kitchen and cooking things. Wasn't that sunny when visited but when it was, the outside was great for sitting in the sun. Good location between the centre of Ambleside and Waterhead

A lovely place to stay, just a short walk from the town centre and lake side.

The property was well equipped and very comfortable. Next door is currently undergoing major building work which did create quite a bit of noise - but we were out and about most of the time.

Lovely property.

Excellent location, away from the hustle and bustle but not too far away. House is nicely equipped and not too cluttered with unnecessary stuff. So it's easy to keep clean and tidy while on holiday.

Our Fourth stay at Highfold a comfortable cottage with a really good feeling about it it’s central position makes it easy for travel in any direction thanks for the new bed it’s really comfortable

Our third stay in Highfold - even better than before!

The house is beautiful, comfortable, centrally located and superbly equipped. We appreciate the open plan living upstairs with a terrific kitchen, warm and cosy living room and ideal dining space. The main bedroom is peaceful and restful - the new bed is a great addition. We love Ambleside and have stayed in countless cottages over the past 16 years; this is definitely our favourite. We’ll be back!

A great cottage that is really comfortable and had everything that we could need.

In an ideal position in Ambleside. Really like that the fixtures and fittings are high quality and that the property is regularly decorated and always thoroughly cleaned. Would recommend to anyone.

Absolutely beautiful cottage, well equipped and thought about.

Plenty of space and so many little thoughtful touches. Immaculately clean and high quality of furnishings- loved it

Please put a picture of the front door on the listing, so the notion of entering via the master bedroom is eliminated.

Apart from that, it was the perfect place, and we have come to the lakes annually for over 30 years now. Best cottage we have ever encountered. Pär

Another great holiday at Highfold (our 4th visit).

Everything you could need in the cottage. The weather was very kind, sunshine every day, cold, but just right for walking. No need for the car, great walks from the door. Our only gripe (a small one) the mattress in the main bedroom would benefit from changing.

We’ve stayed in Highfold three times now.

But this was the first time in November so it was cold enough to use the log burner. The weather may have been cold and damp but the cottage was welcoming and cosy. The added bonus this year was the Christmas tree which we were not expecting but it made it feel like Christmas had come early. Also nice to see a few upgrades with utensils etc. Our only gripe really is the mattress on the double bed is too soft but that’s a personal opinion as we prefer a firmer mattress. But it’s still a wonderful holiday cottage and one we wouldn’t hesitate in returning to again 10/10

We have had numerous stays at Highfold & have always been completely satisfied with the location, accommodation & facilities it provides.

The property appeared to have been updated with some new carpets & a professional interior decoration since our last visit. On this occasion the lounge of the property had also been trimmed up for the Christmas Season which we appreciated the effort to make the stay extra special. An ideal location, within easy walking to the town centre facilities. Also ideally located as a start point for the many great walks that the area is famous for. Plan to return again soon - Chris & Suzanne - Yorkshire

Great cottage, all facilities needed for a stay.

Very convenient for walk into town or the fells

This is a wonderful holiday home that I have stayed in twice now and have re booked for next year also.

The only things I would say is the bed is very creaky and abit uncomfortable. Also when you empty the sink upstairs you get stuff bubbling up through the plugholes in the main bathroom downstairs and it causes a very bad smell but running the taps in the bathroom sorts it quickly. It certainly wouldn't put me off coming again as this is the best cottage I have stayed in over the years. Perfectly placed to be in Ambleside without being right in the centre.

Our third visit to Highfold we are very comfortable in this cottage and the location is superb, on this visit we found the bed in particular the mattress a bit uncomfortable and would suggest it might be coming to the end of its Use, that apart another extremely wonderful holiday in the lakes

EXCELLENT cottage.

This is our 3rd stay, we are returning in December for a 4th. Highfold is warm & very comfortable, well presented with everything you could possibly need. We have stayed in many properties in Ambleside & this is the best.

Superb cottage in a lovely location.

Patio garden is a bonus.

Beautiful property in a great location handy for the town centre and waterhead.

Beautifully furnished and had everything we needed. Just an issue with the main bedroom bed as every time you move the springs make a lot of noise and it felt like I was leaning downhill! When you empty the bath in the main bathroom the dirty water comes up into the ensuite shower, not pleasant. No hand soap in the bathrooms, popped to heart of the lakes who kindly provided some. Shame you can only access the garden via the main bedroom as its lovely. Its a pain carrying food all the way from the kitchen through the upstairs and down and through the bedroom. Car park space big enough for large SUV was excellent and right outside the front door. Would definitely stay again if the main bed was replaced.

Another wonderful stay at Highfold and lovely weather.

Thank you for all the new floor coverings. We hope to be back again soon. THANKS

Beautifully appointed cottage.

We really loved staying here and you can tell that the place has been lovingly renovated. A real credit to the owners! We didn’t want to leave and would definitely book again. Thank you.

A very regular & loyal customer of HOL & Lakelovers!

We have stayed at Highfold several times before & love this property in Ambleside. However the preparation & cleanliness on this occasion was not to a standard that we have experienced before with this & other HOL/LL properties. The inside of the property was excellent but the steps onto the garden & front entrance areas were littered with leaves that would have ended up inside the house if not cleared. I filled a full refuse bag with the litter & other debris/weeds from the garden. We also had an issue with the hot water in the house that received prompt attention via HOL maintenance team & British Gas (2 visits). Unfortunately this was still not fully resolved by the time we left. Nevertheless, we had a superb holiday/stay at Highfold & already looking at availability for another return visit in the winter months.

We had a wonderful week staying at Highfold because the owner had decorated it so thoughtfully with so many lovely homely touches.

I haven’t stayed anywhere else that had so many cushions and ornaments that made the whole place feel a pleasure to come back to each day. It really was a home from home. The only thing I felt would have been useful was some hand soap in the toilets as it’s not something I remember to pack. I’m sure this was due to Covid though. Some wood for the fire would also have been welcome. Thanks again for our memorable week at Highfold.

Our 4th stay in this lovely cottage, conveniently located, and quiet.

Many thanks for keeping it so well equipped.

Out 4th stay in Highfold so you can see we like it.

Location and facilities are first class. Lovely to have a garden to retreat to after our walks. The kitchen bin lid is broken so it would be good to replace that. It would be good to provide fitted sheets (or longer ones) as they keep coming untucked at top and bottom.

We have stayed at Highfold previously & really enjoyed our stay again, so much so we have booked for October.

Walks from the door, so once again the car not really needed. A very comfortable, well equipped property. Can throughly recommend it. It’s a credit to the owners.

This was our first time here and we loved it.

We will definitely be booking again to stay here. Great place. It was lovely to watch the sheep and the rabbits out of the kitchen window. Very homely.

Fabulous cosy cottage with everything you need for your stay.

Very quiet despite the proximity of the main road into Ambleside. Lots of very nice "personal " touches. We had a lovely week, despite some of the weather, and would be keen to return.

Absolutely everything we could want in a property, cosy, comfortable and really well equipped.

Despite a week of full on rain we were so happy here and will return as soon as we can.

This was our second visit to this property.

Overall it is a lovely cottage in an ideal location for both walks and town. It offers comfortable accommodation With the living room/Kitchen upstairs in a peaceful location. There is only one criticism and to be honest it is a Major one and that is the Floorboards in the lounge make an awful "Creaking Noise" when moving around which unfortunately radiates down through to the Bedrooms which are underneath. The noise that is generated is really loud and does cause issues when a guest happens to get up before the others either during the Night/Early Morning. As the Bedrooms are downstairs we believe this is an issue that needs urgent attention as it really does cause a disturbance and also takes the shine off what we think is a lovely cosy cottage

Issues with some of the staff at the company trying to tell us that netflix was only available if we signed in our own account, when told we had it last year when staying with you then they stated that someone must have signed in to their account (before we got there) and didnt sign out - didnt seem interested.

Also no lighting utensil for the fire (no lighter, matches). Only when did we call in for the 4th time did someone appear to take the initiative to contact owner, this is when we got a response.

The property was well appointed and very well furnished with the necessities of life - lots of crockery, glasses and kitchen utensils.

However, parking is only really suitable for one car but there are a few free parking spaces just up the road and a spot can normally be found by early evening.

An excellent, comfortable and well equipped cottage ideally located for all amenities and travel around the local area.

What a lovely little cottage, very homely and welcoming.

The garden area is great and we used it every day, realxing with G&T. The only 'fault' that we could find was in the downstairs bathroom. It has an extractor fan, but we think it should have come on when the lights were on, but it does not seem to work as it never operated when lights were on, and there did not seem to be another switch to it. Other than that, it is a relaxing cottage to stay in, the TV with SKY TV could be confusing initially as you cannot get terestrial TV unless through the SKY box.

This is the 2nd time we have stayed at highfold, its a home from home.

Lovely accommodation in a brilliant location.

Highfold is a beautiful home from home with very comfortable living room and bedrooms, an exceptionally well equipped kitchen and an incredible location.

We loved the sunny garden and the added bonus of a private parking space.

We were stunned to have found such an Ideally located Cottage for both Ambleside town and ample walks straight from the dor.

The accommodation is very cosy and has ample room to relax in. The En-suite shower is tiny and is a struggle for even the average sized person. The bedrooms are downstairs and unfortunately the floor boards above creak like mad so will disturb sleepers down below. Having said the we were looking forward to booking again for early next year (2022) but to our Horror we have discovered the prices have "VIRTUALLY TREBELED" for the new year. I understand these property owners have had it bad due to Covid 19 and need to make up some of their losses but this increase amounts to "PURE GREED" and I hope this does not backfire on them as a result. Such a shame but we are not prepared to be ripped off especially in the "Low Season" and won't be coming back. I urge people to think twice before booking and ask themselves "Are We Prepared TO PAY this much " because on top of this the cost of meals in the Pubs/Hotels has also rocketed through the roof

Hi had a really lovely stay at Highfold, it is a lovely comfortable house and well equipped.

Just a couple of suggestions, maybe get a lock for the back gate as we had a couple of people wander in and also couldn’t see any recycling facilities or info. We all had a lovely holiday in Beautiful Ambleside, thank you.

Lovely cottage in a great location.

Very comfortable and well equipped. Only suggestion - a TV in the bedroom would be good.

What a privilege to be the first visitors to this property, it surpassed all our expectations, everything we needed (and more) was here to help us enjoy our walking weekend. All the facilities have been finished to a very high standard. Thank you, we will be back.

First Class Cottage, hope to book again.