Church How Cottage

We had a lovely week staying in the cottage in the middle of May.

Great comms with the owner beforehand were much appreciated, there was plenty of room for two couples, and having our own parking up a private drive was ideal. The cottage had pretty much everything we needed, and being left tea, coffee, sugar, firewood & kindling, and dishwasher & washing machines tablets was a nice touch. The bathroom was lovely, especially the shower). It was only a minute's walk to the Strands pub which was lovely for drinks and food, and there were a couple of small shops within walking distance for essentials. The perfect, quiet spot if you're doing Wainwrights around Wast Water, and we'd stay again in a heartbeat!

A lovely cottage, very well appointed, quiet and comfortable.

Will certainly hope to return

A great place to stay, it was an ideal place to have as a base for our climb up Scafell Pike

We loved our stay at Church How Cottage.

We were a bit worried about what the Wi-Fi would be like due to a past review saying they couldn’t stream on the tv with it, however it worked fine for us both for us for both browsing and streaming on our devices and on the TV. It was on incredibly peaceful. Shower was amazing and really powerful. It was very clean. Kitchen was well stocked with food quality equipment, utensils etc. Having a washing machine and tumble dryer was very useful. Tea, coffee, dishwasher tablets, laundry capsules, washing up liquid and hand soap all provided. The only slight negative for us was the double bed. It was a memory foam mattress which we didn’t like and found a bit on the hard side but I guess this is down to personal preference. It wasn’t a problem for us though as there were only 2 of us and we just moved into the 2 single beds in the other room which were comfortable.

Beautiful cottage that was just perfect for our needs!

It was clean, warm and had everything a family of 4 needed. After a day exploring the lakes, it was great to know that we were going back to such a comfortable cottage

Perfect location, and well-equipped.

Living room furniture not particularly comfortable, and one or two useful items missing from kitchen equipment (eg egg cups, tongs, instructions for oven) but it suited us well and we’re happy to recommend.

The cottage was warm, comfortable and well-equipped and was ideal for exploring the western side of the Lake District.

The owners were very friendly and helpful and had obviously given a lot of thought towards making the cottage feel homely as well as incorporating modern equipment including a washing machine and separate dryer. The only item we would have liked was a washing-up bowl as there were only two of us and we didn’t use the dishwasher. There were 2 nice pubs in the village just a very short walking distance from the cottage. All in all, we had a very nice stay here.

This is a great cottage in a great position for the quieter side of the lakes.

Brilliant walks from the door and in the Wasdale valley. Well equipped. Spotless. Decent pub and farm shop/cafes close by. Everything works well. Nice owners. Read the other reviews before booking and there is no danger of a splinter on the gate!

A great location, and very clean

We had a great time, the cottage was very well equipped, the hosts very welcoming.

Let me start by saying that we really enjoyed our stay at Church How.

The cottage is in a lovely quiet location and handy for lots of local walks. It is also good for getting to Wasdale Head before the crowds arrive! It is also very well equipped with quality appliances. There is a farm shop at the camp site round the corner and the Sawmill café is in easy walking distance (Strands Inn even easier!). I say this up front as we did have one or two issues. Firstly on arrival the freezer was switched off at the wall so that when I went to put our frozen stuff in it I found the drawers to be full of water (and some defrosted peas). When we switched it back on at the wall it started beeping. There is no manual for the freezer so we rang one of the contact numbers and left a msg as there was no reply. We never got a response. We eventually pressed a small button at the bottom which stopped the beeping and the freezer was OK from then on. Secondly the keys for the internal doors (bedroom, bathroom etc) were hung on the wrong doors so didn’t work in the lock of those doors. Thirdly there was an article of clothing – presumably from the previous occupants – left in the chest of drawers in the bedroom. All of the above suggests a non too thorough clear up between bookings. Finally when we returned from our Saturday walk the door of the cottage was ajar. We definitely closed it when we left and I’m fairly sure we locked it so thought we might have been burgled but all was well inside. A strange incident. The cottage looks very nice inside but lacks practicality in some areas. There isn’t a great deal of shelf storage. The wide window sills make up for this a bit but there is a pointless set of narrow shelves completely full of a decorative but otherwise useless set of crockery. There are 6 wine glasses and just 4 other glasses which are sort of fake crystal half pints so if you want Prosecco or a GnT whilst away (or even a pint of water) then bring your own glasses. There is a huge, nice looking TV which we found to be completely useless. It has no DVB connection so is only good for streaming except that the internet connection was so flaky that it buffered every 10 seconds and was hence unwatchable. Not a big deal for us as we barely watch TV on holiday but might be different for a family with kids. The shower, whilst good and powerful, is not watertight and the base leaks onto the bathroom floor. The cottage could do with a bowl for washing up as the sink is huge and thus takes lots of water to get a decent depth. Maybe they expect everyone to use the dishwasher these days? The tap takes a bit of getting used to but is fine once mastered! The hob, oven and toaster are excellent and the knives particularly sharp (but sensibly have a ‘child lock’ on them). There is nothing in the folder provided that says where recycling should be put nor on what days it, or ordinary waste, are collected. The outside picnic table is placed in the one area that never sees the sun – in May at least. There is nothing in the cottage to deal with flies that get in – and they do get in. The gate at the entrance from the road was often open, sometimes closed and once just half open (resulting in a splinter when handled so maybe worth smoothing). There was nothing to say which of these states was normal or preferred. There is a raised area outside the door which would be ideal for planting a few herbs which would be both decorative and useful (we trawled the village for rosemary for a recipe and did eventually find some). Please don’t let any of the above put you off staying here; you can spend quiet evenings being visited by deer or watching the bats stream out from next doors roof. It truly is idyllic and could be made perfect by just a few tweaks.

Lovely cottage.

Well equipped. Lovely hosts who live next door

We had a wonderful stay at Church How Cottage, the cottage was lovely and warm with fabulous facilities, it was clean and comfortable, with everything we needed for a great week of walking in the Lake District.

The pub down the road did great food and the little shop at the camp site was handy for some extra food.

A lovely property in a beautiful and quiet area.

Very well equipped with modern appliances. Lovely and cosy with a combination of the central heating and a log burner. Only 150yds from an excellent pub. The owners are next door and could not do enough to help us with recommendations for walks and places to eat a little farther afield. Plenty of walks from the door or from Wasdale Head, a short 5 mile drive away. Thoroughly recommended, will definitely stay again.

Beautiful, comfortable cottage.

Tastefully equipped. Very quiet & peaceful. A real pleasure to stay here & we'd love to come again. The location is stunning & is a great base to explore the awesome area. There is a village pub & The Mill Cafe is excellent.

We had a fantastic holiday, the cottage was perfect, very clean and comfortable with everything that we needed for our stay.

We slept well, our bed was comfortable, the room was nice and dark with the blinds closed at night and the cottage was in a lovely quiet location. The location is breathtakingly beautiful, and we were lucky enough to have good weather all week to enjoy it, would definitely stay here again. Also I left my house keys behind after leaving the cottage, only realising when we had been travelling home for over an hour. They were posted back to me by the owner and amazingly I received them the very next day, truly above and beyond, thankyou so much!

Fantastic location.

The cottage was clean and comfortable . It has been thoughtfully refurbished with modern facilities, whilst retaining it's character. The owner lives nearby and would have been available if we had encountered any difficulties. We couldn't have asked for more.

Lovely property, beautiful area and very friendly hosts.

Its a great property in a great location.

The place was comfortable, well equipped and nicely decorated. The covered porch (where you could take off and hang coats and boots) and the outdoor seating were great, and the hallway for hanging up stuff and storing all the extras was spacious and worthy of a mention. Furnishings were very tasteful and the kitchen implements and devices were good. Heating and hot water and clothes washing facilities were all excellent.