Rowan Cottage | Grasmere | The Lake District And Cumbria

Customer rating

4.3★

6 Guests
3 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
Pets No
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Features

Ground floor accommodation
Ground floor bedroom
Cot available
Highchair available
Pub/shop < 1 mile
Dishwasher
Broadband / WiFi

Reviews & Ratings

Accuracy of the listing

Cleanliness

Comfort

Facilities and Maintenance

* Based on a combined average customer score

32 Customer Review(s)

Jane
March 2026

“This is a great cottage in the centre of Grasmere.”

A good use of space with the living accommodation upstairs. The Kitchen (upstairs) was well stocked but lacked space to store groceries although it did have a roomy fridge and freezer. There is a Co-Op so it is possible to shop daily. The big problem is the fact that only the top windows open, throughout the property, which coupled with the fact there is only one external door, causes fire escape worries. Added to this during our stay the deadlock jammed, locking us into the property with no ...

A good use of space with the living accommodation upstairs. The Kitchen (upstairs) was well stocked but lacked space to store groceries although it did have a roomy fridge and freezer. There is a Co-Op so it is possible to shop daily. The big problem is the fact that only the top windows open, throughout the property, which coupled with the fact there is only one external door, causes fire escape worries. Added to this during our stay the deadlock jammed, locking us into the property with no way out. Luckily we were able to throw keys to a passer by who got the door open from outside . The lock was not fixed during our stay, but hopefully has been now. An internal slide bolt might be a better option? Apart from that, the stay was warm, cosy and enjoyable.

- Jane, March 2026
James October 2025

“Great Cottage with everything you would need for a family break, heated well with comfortable spacious rooms and great location in Grasmere.”

Although we were a party of 5 we all had our own space. We have been visiting Grasmere for 23 years and this cottage is one of the best properties we have stayed in. Recent visit in October 2025. We will return! Mr Clarke

- James, October 2025
Penny December 2023

“Overall good, we enjoyed our stay.”

It should be made clearer that the 'en-suite' bathroom does not have a toilet. During most of our stay (4 nights) large cars were parked outside the house. This is not too bad in winter but might be a problem in Spring/Summer?Autumn.

- Penny, December 2023
Susanna November 2023

“We loved this quirky little cottage right in the heart of Grasmere and it was just right for our short break as a group of three friends.”

It was well equipped with everything we needed, and a cosy bolt hole. We christened the smaller double room “the hobbit hole”, hidden away at the back and accessed under the stairs: a great little hidey hole. The heating took a bit of tweaking to get it right, but the instructions helped us work it out. And of course being able to set out onto the fells directly from our front door was wonderful. We will definitely book to stay here again.

- Susanna, November 2023
Steph October 2022

“Beautiful cottage in centre of Grasmere perfect location, and good public transport links for days without a car.”

Cottage was clean and comfortable and everything we needed inlcuding extra blankets, we would stay again. car park is a minutes walk from cottage but you can unload car and then park easily. Is a restaurant next door but in honesty this didnt affect our stay.

- Steph, October 2022
Claire May 2022

“Lovely cottage, perfectly clean, with everything in it that was needed for the holiday.”

We appreciated the car parking arrangements too, given the cottage was in the centre of Grasmere. A great location and a lovely stay, thank you.

- Claire, May 2022
Mark May 2022

“We had a lovely stay in a quaint cottage and it had everything we needed.”

Great base for walking around the area, and we will be back.

- Mark, May 2022
Peter December 2021

“A lovely cosy cottage in a fantastic location.”

Despite poor weather we had a great time out walking in the wind and rain! We felt at home within no time, which was so important to enjoying the break, and the Christmas decorations around the cottage just added to the warmth. Space is a bit limited just inside the front door - for people taking off boots and waterproofs - but in such a gorgeous old cottage I guess there's not much you can do about that. We'd definitely stay there again.

- Peter, December 2021
Michelle December 2021

“Lovely cottage, comfortable, ideal position in village, will definitely stay there again.”

- Michelle, December 2021
Rebecca November 2021

“The pictures don’t do this cottage justice!”

It’s so much comfier than it looks. We all thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Fantastic location (thankfully the restaurant next door was closed as I do think that would have been a noise problem as their front door is right next to a bedroom window). The parking was extremely handy, a two minute walk from the cottage. There was 6 of us and it was plenty big enough. The downstairs was quite chilly even when the heating was on but the upstairs was nice and toasty.

- Rebecca, November 2021
Ailsa October 2021

“Loved this cost cottage .”

Beautifully furnished and the beds were extremely comfortable. Very well equipped kitchen. Central to everything in Grasmere

- Ailsa, October 2021
Carol August 2021

“This is a wonderful cottage, clearly used and loved by the owners.”

The character of the house is rooted in the lakes, both the original architecture and the way is has been converted and furnished. It was well equipped and we felt at home here. Indoors or out, we felt we had a real holiday. Access to both high and low level walks was immediate whether we turned right or left outside the front door on the quiet edge of Grasmere.

- Carol, August 2021
Peter August 2021

“Perfect location and nice place if slightly tired.”

- Peter, August 2021
Adam August 2021

“The stay was lovely for the most part, except for a few issues.”

Primarily, this cottage has a significant issue with damp. The entire downstairs smells quite bad (especially the back bedroom and the front entrance way). The smell gets worse after people shower. The main bedroom downstairs has a lot of spiders, and the beds really are not comfortable (which is a bit of an essential when on a walking holiday)!. The kitchen is well-equipped, but the listing really should make it more apparent that it is a gas oven (which many people are not used to). The bottom door of the oven does not close fully, meaning that the kitchen gets very hot when cooking and that anything put in the bottom section of the oven takes quite a bit longer to cook. Other than these issues, it was a lovely stay. The living room is comfortable and lovely and the location is perfect.

- Adam, August 2021
Radoslaw August 2021

“We had a lovely stay.”

Grasmere is a fantastic village offering great access to hiking routes. Rowan cottage is cosy, well-equipped and has a unique feel to it. A small downside: two of the three bedrooms face the road and some of our party mentioned early morning traffic creating some noise.

- Radoslaw, August 2021
Adam July 2021

“Rowan Cottage was a big disappointment.”

Whilst the location was really good the cottage itself was tired and in need on some TLC. The bedroom we stayed in was damp and we had to open the windows to get the damp smell out and that was in August! The layout was interesting as you had to go through one very narrow door way with low ceiling to get to the shower that serviced the 3rd bedroom and another very narrow door way and low ceiling to get to the bedroom itself!!!!. The cottage was well equipped and the lounge was nice. Whoever owns this property needs to spend some money on it as in our opinion it wasn’t good enough. Two years ago we stayed two doors up at Bakers Cottage and that is a much much better property but only has 2 bedrooms. Shame but at least we had a good week weather wise.

- Adam, July 2021
Jonathan July 2021

“The cottage was perfect for us.”

We all had a wonderful staying at this cottage. We really appreciated how well kitted out the place was including kitchen appliances and electronic fans.

- Jonathan, July 2021
Dave May 2021

“Location, location, location.”

.. the cottage is 50 metres from Tweedies bar, with 17 hand pumps and great food. The cottage itself is quirky, the bedrooms downstairs and the living room/kitchen/dinning room upstairs. The kitchen is well provisioned with fridge/freezer/dish washer as well as the usual kitchen appliances & crockery. The living room is dated but has ample seating for larger parties

- Dave, May 2021
David September 2020

“Very traditional stone built cottage in a fantastic location in Grasmere close to everything you'd need.”

Quirky internal layout and features, bedrooms on the ground floor with bathroom and shower room. WC upstairs off the landing between the lounge and kitchen/diner. The kitchen is very well equipped though we didn't cook at all, we ate out or brought back take aways. Bedding and towels all of good quality and clean. All mattresses were great though not all had mattress protectors under the sheet. Plenty of pillows. It is not in a sunny location, nor is there any garden or outside space. Heaters are provided to drive off a little dampness in the air. TV was fine for free to air channels, we didn't make use of the Denon music gear, wifi was fine too. Car parking voucher provided was much appreciated as it can be used in many locations other than Grasmere, saving us quite a few quid. We were lucky with the weather so out on the fells almost every day. There were lots of extras there that we didn't use - for example the shower as we all used the one in the bathroom - lots of books, jigsaws, games. We enjoyed the stay very much indeed.

- David, September 2020
Kevin September 2020

“Only one problem, back bedroom was damp”

- Kevin, September 2020
Christopher August 2020

“I have detailed the issues with the property we rented in an email sent to you on 25th August 2020.”

It is extremely disappointing that you have failed to respond to that email (despite chasers for a response sent on 28 August and 2 September.

- Christopher, August 2020
Lisa July 2020

“Sykes would not allow me to change my booking days after my booking and weeks before I arrived - which meant I was not looked forward to the holiday.”

However the cottage was fab. It would have been useful to have had the cottage owners Tel no. Like with air BnB

- Lisa, July 2020
Stuart May 2019

“We had a lovely time , the cottage was central and quirky, good washing machine ( important when the weather is wet ) good equipment in the kitchen .”

Needed a few tweaks ( loose taps in one bathroom ) comfortable and cosy place .

- Stuart, May 2019
Ian April 2019

“Premises were well kept, clean and comfortable.”

Bit unusual as layout was Eastern European - sleeping quarters downstairs and living quarters upstairs. Was OK for half of the party but the remainder were octogenarian so struggled a little bit with stairs. This should have been highlighted in the description.

- Ian, April 2019

We would like to thank you very much for taking the time to feedback on your stay. We are glad that you found the property comfortable. We do pride ourselves on transparency, as such the stairs are shown in the photographs and are mentioned in the description also. We look forward to seeing you again! Property Owner
Sarah March 2019

“Great location and a lovely cottage with some thoughtful welcoming touches.”

Would love to visit again

- Sarah, March 2019
Andrew February 2019

“A little damp because of its age and the kitchen is getting a little worn.”

But loved the location, convenience and character of the cottage

- Andrew, February 2019
Christine December 2018

“We booked the cottage for a wedding close by and as it was December and cold I rang to ask if there was any way of turning on the heating before our arrival.”

This was sorted very quickly adn easily as the cleaners agreed to leave on the heating after they had finished preparing the cottage that day for our arrival. It was warm and cosy when we arrived that evening and we found a fully equipped kitchen to make a meal. As the living room is on the first floor it was a great suprise to open the curtains the following day to have a superb view over the fileds to the fells. I would definately return to this very well located cottage.

- Christine, December 2018
Andrew October 2018

“Fantastic cottage in the heart of the village close to all the amenities”

- Andrew, October 2018
Edmund August 2018

“The cottage was as described, except the en-suite does not include a toilet, which was the reason we stayed here.”

After setting off on a 300 mile journey, I got a call saying that the previous occupants had urinated (!) on the carpet and asking me to consider an alternative; the only alternative was in another county with no hiking nearby, so we pressed on. After several hours, a number of calls and emails, I was told that the owner had managed to clean the mess and we could still use the booking. In the end, there was an odd smell at the property, but we had no option but to stay. I don't have a good sense of smell, but others in my party have and said it was definitely noticeable. It was quite stressful not knowing if we'd have somewhere to stay at the end of our journey, to say the least. The property is charming, with all bedrooms on the ground floor and kitchen/living room upstairs; it clearly has a serious damp problem, but it's superficially noticeable and didn't affect our stay. It's centrally located and very well placed for some moderately challenging hikes of 5-6 hours. I recommend Great Rigg, stopping at the pub in Rydal on the way back. We went in high season, so paid just shy of a grand for five people for three nights at Rowan Cottage. A bit questionable at that price; it's worth more like fifty a head per night, I'd say. If we'd had a sixth person, that would have made it more economical. Overall, a pleasant stay marred by a rather stressful few hours on the way up. I've stayed in a Sykes cottage before and I'm slightly less likely to recommend them after this trip.

- Edmund, August 2018
Tim August 2018

“All 4 pillows were wet in the back bedroom!”

Not just a bit damp but wet. Seemed that they hadn’t been dried after washing as the room was dry with no leaks? Also the restaurant next door was noisy until midnight every night. The twin bedroom is at ground level next to restaurants front door and with only single glazed windows every word can be heard. This was only briefly glazed over in the description. Secondary double glazing would improve this. Having said this the cottage was warm, well equipped and in a great location.

- Tim, August 2018
Rosemary July 2018

“Lovely cottage in ideal setting and thank you very much for the parking permit - allowed us to park for free in all the South Lakes car parks without fear of over-staying.”

As weather was so hot, thin duvet option for all rooms (there was one in the back double bedroom) would have been useful.

- Rosemary, July 2018
Rachel July 2018

“The property is not suitable for children or people who want to go to bed before 23:00.”

The late noise from the restaurant next door is terrible, not only from the dining tables directly outside the twin bedroom window but also through the walls from the kitchen or prep room. The main double room gets cars parked outside, on the double yellow lines, from restaurant staff who shout when they leave, have loud music playing and rev their engines at 23:00. Others have complained of this issue but it hasn't been resolved. Your description says café which is incorrect, that is a restaurant. The supplied cot was a travel cot, fine for one night but terrible for a week. Your description led us to believe small children would be better catered for, I would strongly recommend you rethink letting people with young families use this property. The kitchen got extremely hot due to the appliances and the floor gets warm in places. The oven had issues with temperature which made cooking guess work. The fridge is too small for 6 people. The main bathroom had a window that opens near the restaurant tables, plus the property is straight onto the road. The blind fails to give privacy with the window open. Given the overall damp state in there, I expect most guests have left the window shut adding to the serious damp issues through out. The property was filthy when we arrived though there were signs a damp cloth had recently been used to smear the dirt. The property is tired and needs work. At least supply new mattress as they were terrible. Due to having to move our kid, I ended up sleeping in most of the beds and could feel springs from cheap mattresses. It was impossible to relax in this property during the day and evening due to the constant noise. I will give you time to respond before publishing via TripAdvisor.

- Rachel, July 2018

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Summary

Over two floors
Three ground floor bedrooms: 1 x double with en-suite shower and basin, 1 x double, 1 x twin
Ground floor bathroom with bath, shower over, basin and WC
First-floor basin and WC
First floor kitchen with dining area
First floor sitting room with living flame electric fire.
Gas central heating and gas fire
Gas oven and hob, fridge, freezer, dishwasher, microwave, washing machine/dryer, TV, video, WiFi
Fuel and power inc. in rent
Bed linen and towels inc in rent
Travel cot and highchair available
Parking permit for 1 car
Additional parking to be purchased at Red Bank Road car park (200m from the cottage)
Parking costs £30 for 7 days, £15 for 3 days
Shop and pub within walking distance
Note: This property is next door to a restaurant

The property

Situated only a stones throw away from the centre of Grasmere, Rowan Cottage has been tastefully furnished, sleeping six it is ideal for large families who are looking for a stylish retreat in the heart of the lakes. Grasmere is internationally acclaimed not only for its Wordsworth connections but also as it sits at the northern tip of the lake with the fells towering above in the most stunning scenery imaginable.

It is a walkers haven with low and high walks available in all directions. A wide selection of tea rooms, restaurants and traditional village inns and a range of local shops including the world famous gingerbread shop and Heaton Cooper Art Gallery help to make this a popular destination at any time of the year. Rowan Cottage is situated in the centre of this picturesque village, forming part of a terrace of substantial mid 19th Century stone built properties with views towards Silver How and Helm Crag.

This well equipped cottage has been renovated and very comfortably furnished with many characterful features including an abundance of stripped pine and is ideal for family holidays at any time of the year.

Note: This property has a Good Housekeeping bond of £750.

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About the location

GRASMERE

Ambleside 5 miles; Windermere 9 miles; Keswick 13 miles.

Situated in the heart of the Lake District National Park is the lovely village of Grasmere, probably best known as the home of William Wordsworth, a place he once described as "The most loveliest spot that man hath found". Any visit to Grasmere needs to include The Grasmere Gingerbread shop, where the Wilson family has been making gingerbread for over 60 years. Also in the village are a number of shops, pubs, a church which dates back to the 13th century, and Grasmere Lake. Grasmere Sports takes place every August, where you can watch participants compete in a variety of sports, including Cumberland wrestling. Just five miles away is the town of Ambleside and Lake Winderemere where you will find shops, pubs, restaurants and the 17th century Bridge House, which is one of the most photographed buildings in the Lake District. Cruises, boat trips and watersports can all be enjoyed on Lake Windermere, and the towns of Windermere and Keswick are also within driving distance. Grasmere is a wonderful base for your Lake District retreat.

Please note: electric car charging is not permitted at this property. Please use the charging points in the nearby car park.

This property offers the following short breaks:

Winter
Off-season
Last minute
Christmas

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Features

Reviews & Ratings

“This is a great cottage in the centre of Grasmere.”

“Great Cottage with everything you would need for a family break, heated well with comfortable spacious rooms and great location in Grasmere.”

“Overall good, we enjoyed our stay.”

“We loved this quirky little cottage right in the heart of Grasmere and it was just right for our short break as a group of three friends.”

“Beautiful cottage in centre of Grasmere perfect location, and good public transport links for days without a car.”

“Lovely cottage, perfectly clean, with everything in it that was needed for the holiday.”

“We had a lovely stay in a quaint cottage and it had everything we needed.”

“A lovely cosy cottage in a fantastic location.”

“Lovely cottage, comfortable, ideal position in village, will definitely stay there again.”

“The pictures don’t do this cottage justice!”

“Loved this cost cottage .”

“This is a wonderful cottage, clearly used and loved by the owners.”

“Perfect location and nice place if slightly tired.”

“The stay was lovely for the most part, except for a few issues.”

“We had a lovely stay.”

“Rowan Cottage was a big disappointment.”

“The cottage was perfect for us.”

“Location, location, location.”

“Very traditional stone built cottage in a fantastic location in Grasmere close to everything you'd need.”

“Only one problem, back bedroom was damp”

“I have detailed the issues with the property we rented in an email sent to you on 25th August 2020.”

“Sykes would not allow me to change my booking days after my booking and weeks before I arrived - which meant I was not looked forward to the holiday.”

“We had a lovely time , the cottage was central and quirky, good washing machine ( important when the weather is wet ) good equipment in the kitchen .”

“Premises were well kept, clean and comfortable.”

“Great location and a lovely cottage with some thoughtful welcoming touches.”

“A little damp because of its age and the kitchen is getting a little worn.”

“We booked the cottage for a wedding close by and as it was December and cold I rang to ask if there was any way of turning on the heating before our arrival.”

“Fantastic cottage in the heart of the village close to all the amenities”

“The cottage was as described, except the en-suite does not include a toilet, which was the reason we stayed here.”

“All 4 pillows were wet in the back bedroom!”

“Lovely cottage in ideal setting and thank you very much for the parking permit - allowed us to park for free in all the South Lakes car parks without fear of over-staying.”

“The property is not suitable for children or people who want to go to bed before 23:00.”

Summary

The property

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About the location

GRASMERE