Gowan Cottage | Ings | Grassgarth | The Lake District And Cumbria

4.3★

4 Guests
2 Bedrooms
1 Bathroom
Pets Yes
Show on map

Features

Garden / Patio
Cot available
Highchair available
Dishwasher
Broadband / WiFi

Reviews & Ratings

Accuracy of the listing

Cleanliness

Comfort

Facilities and Maintenance

* Based on a combined average customer score

30 Customer Review(s)

David
November 2024

“Maintenance appalling.”

Complained about 3 minor items at start. No action by end of week Each job woulds be less than 5 mins!!! Patio slippery and lethal. Flagstone on steps loose and dangerous. Same as last year. Windows dirty. Coat stand would be very useful. We have mentioned that to them previously. Only 1 No. pan and 1 No. 2 handled pot. Limited crockery for 4 persons.

Complained about 3 minor items at start. No action by end of week Each job woulds be less than 5 mins!!! Patio slippery and lethal. Flagstone on steps loose and dangerous. Same as last year. Windows dirty. Coat stand would be very useful. We have mentioned that to them previously. Only 1 No. pan and 1 No. 2 handled pot. Limited crockery for 4 persons.

- David, November 2024
Ian October 2024

“Thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Gowan Cottage and can’t wait to go back.”

Beautiful location. Everything you could wish for. Quiet. Very comfy bed. Well equipped kitchen. Local shop nearby. Bulb went in bathroom, replaced very quickly same day. Wouldn’t hesitate recommending to friends and family.

- Ian, October 2024
Phil June 2024

“I wouldn't recommend this cottage for dog owners.”

The cottage is situated along the entrance of a busy caravan park. The "private patio" is very small and open to the road to the caravan park. There are cars and people constantly passing very close by offering no privacy. Upon arrival we were met with a list of conditions and threats of charges, surrounding the dog's stay, that were not mentioned at the time of booking. The fields surrounding the cottage contain livestock and are not suitable for walking a dog meaning that you have to pass along a very narrow lane that is barely wide enough for a vehicle making it dangerous to walk along. The cottage is very pleasant and ideally located although it is quite dark and gloomy downstairs. We needed lights on quite often in July. Overall the cottage is very nice but it's location and regulations mean that it is not best suited to dog owners.

- Phil, June 2024
Gerald June 2024

“A lovely cottage in a lovely location.”

- Gerald, June 2024
Sheila June 2024

“Had a lovely stay in a comfortable cottage”

- Sheila, June 2024
Keely May 2024

“Lovely stay at Gowan Cottage, only thing was the dog was allowed, but not upstairs, which was not stated when we booked.”

Would also have been nice if there was a sign showing where the cottage parking was, other cottages had a sign

- Keely, May 2024
Sharan April 2024

“Nice location easy parking but not that dog friendly but nice and clean for price and bed and sofa’s comfy but double bed rather small.”

- Sharan, April 2024
Leanne December 2023

“We had a great time at the cottage at Christmas,would definitely stay again,cottage was cosy and location was beautiful,only issue was the washer/dryer there are no instructions,but I managed to figure it out in the end,would definitely recommend.”

- Leanne, December 2023
John October 2023

“Lovely little cottage in a quiet, peaceful spot.”

Well furnished and comfortable. We really liked it and the site operators seemed nice. It is a nice little place and pretty accessible by road to Windermere and the surrounds. We had no problems at all. I disagree with some feedback. For example, the dishwasher and curtains were totally fine and worked well. There were some points though, which whilst they didn't bother us hugely, could be easily improved on. The microwave is done. It may work but it is rusted inside and out and should be replaced. The cost of this is minor. The dishwasher is clearly on the way given the noise it makes on drying but worked fine for us. We would have appreciated some soap or hand cleanser in the bathroom and the air freshener obviously needed replaced and binned. An extra loo roll would've been good. The fridge drawers need replaced as mentioned in other reviews. The fan in the bathroom doesn't work and leaving the window open wasn't an option as rain got in from the roof even if just left slightly open. Not a problem otherwise and not raining. Extra cups/drinking glasses and a new frying pan (the one there is clean very old) are needed. The lounge electric fire is very loud and above the TV. Settled after a while but sounds like it needs replaced also. On arrival almost all of the dishes were coated with grease. They were filthy. This was obvious on all the cooking tools above the cooker. We just put them all through a cycle and they were fine once out. This I suppose is down to the previous visitors and not the owners with a property like this. All in all it is a charming little cottage that is generally very cosy and comfortable. However at the cost we paid for 5 nights, these small improvements would have meant we'd have given 5 * in all categories. Feel slightly sorry not able to for the above reasons. We would go back though and were talking to next door who were back a second time.

- John, October 2023
Peggy September 2023

“The cottage was easy to vet to, very central, and so clean and homey.”

The beds and sofas were comfortable and if I were to stay in Lake District again I would certainly stay here. We did have a few little niggles. One: Was no oven gloves so for day one we had to use a tea towel, we then bought some and left them behind. Two: We got soaked so wanted to use the dryer to dry the clothes a little bit but we're unable to figure out how it worked, so maybe just leave some instructions Three: We had no idea where to put rubbish, I asked a neighbour but again a little note would have saved that. However these are little niggles and did not detract overall from the beautiful atheistic of the place. Also the little guide books about local attractions was extremely helpful.

- Peggy, September 2023
Gary September 2023

“Lovely cottage the best out of the 3 available but could do with a bit of TLC as some of equipment need either replacing or parts sourced e.”

G. Lower shelf in fridge . Will definitely be coming back again as it is perfect base to explore the Lakes and relax

- Gary, September 2023
Patricia July 2023

“A lovely cottage in a beautiful area, however it can be improved by looking at the kitchen facilities, it is very short of cooking pots ( only one a useable size, and one tiny one ) could also do with a colander.”

Maybe bigger towels, upgrade to bath sheets instead of bath towels.

- Patricia, July 2023
Robert July 2023

“Overall disappointed with our stay here, and other than missing being in the lake district, glad to be back home.”

Biggest issue by far at this cottage is sleep, or lack of in our case. The curtains in this property are paper thin, and when the sun rises at 04:30 in the morning, you know about it, like having a search light shone in your face. By night 3 I was that sleep deprived that i was ready to go home, but we found some winter blankets in the airing cupboard and hung all 3 over the whole window, which made it bearable at least, but this had to be done every night. This was the same on the other bedroom too, you get a blackout blind on the velux skylight, but the curtains are the opposite, at least it's an easy fix to rectify the issue (hint hint). To add to this, the pillow did not support your neck and the mattress was hard. We cooked pretty much every night night in the kitchen, so got a good feel for how everything worked. The knives are completely useless to cut anything with, really blunt, I would challenge you to slice up an onion with them, you'll have more luck with a spoon! The plates wouldn't fit in the dishwasher and the dishwasher did not clean any of the dishes, so washed up everything by hand, salt and rinse aid were empty, so no wonder. Not enough pans, there was only 1 small saucepan, and 1 other pan to cook with. Make sure you take tiny bin bags (10L), as you're not provided with any. The TV was pretty old for this day and age, it's got freeview (but only 15 channels to watch), no screen mirror option to put on Netflix etc, but there is an old dvd player. Anyone walking past automatically stares straight at you whilst your sat on the sofa, as the road is right outside, the neighbouring cottage had blinds, this would probably be a better option. Despite this being an old cottage (I think), with thick stone walls, you can still hear the cottages either side of you switching on lights, going to the toilet, going up and down the stairs, you name it, we heard it. The good things about the property were it was easy to find, parking right outside, good location with bus stop in the village, there was enough room for 2 people plus belonging, but you would struggle with 4 people. There is a big 3 drawer separate freezer aswell which was a bonus, but wasn't clear from the description. Unfortunately we would not stay again in it's current condition, but hope the owners take the feedback onboard to improve the experience for future guests.

- Robert, July 2023
Gail May 2023

“We loved our stay at Gowan cottage, the cottage had everything we needed and the beds were so comfortable.”

It was situated in a lovely spot,surrounded by beautiful scenery. The cottage was spotless and very comfortable and would stay again .

- Gail, May 2023
Loek May 2023

“The cottage and location is great.”

We come here about once a year and the only commend would be that it is time to replace the dishwasher. Last year we were there it fell apart and this time its still the same and it does not work properly. It is not a major issue for us but just a suggestion.

- Loek, May 2023
Susanne October 2022

“Very comfortable and cosy cottage from which the Lake District is easily explored.”

Nice mixture between traditional and modern features, nothing dated like in other holiday properties. Well equipped cottage. Good value for money. Slightly more spacious than anticipated - room with two single beds on the small side for two teenagers. Minor problem when cooking is that there was only one biggish saucepan for cooking which is not practical when cooking for a family of four. Plastic elements inside fridge (drawers and shelves inside door) broken which is not a problem - a note would have been nice saying that the owner is aware of this problem as I was worried being charged for breaking this. Overall very happy with the cottage

- Susanne, October 2022
Corliss September 2022

“The terrace of cottages are part of a caravan/static homes park which is not obvious when booking.”

The important part for us was the “dog friendly” element and so rang to confirm that there was a garden for late night relief, which we had confirmed. There was no back door to the cottage, no back garden , the cottage door opened onto the road entrance to the Park, and there was not a Dog poo bin on site. Dogs welcome but not allowed upstairs - nothing to stop them wondering up there in the night so we had to make a barricade with the dinning room chairs at bed time! That aside the small cottage was clean and comfortable and would suit 2 Adults and two children, second bedroom compact. The Park consisted of approx 15 static homes and two banks of cottages and was quiet on the week we stayed, so not too much traffic in front of the cottage. We found it a good base to explore the Lake District and enjoyed walks from the cottage to Staverley and Windermere. We had booked through Sykes as our previous experiences had been good giving us the home away from home, this cottage, though lovely, disappointed us as it could have been a nightmare if the Park was up to full capacity and the dog welcome but not catered for.

- Corliss, September 2022
Brian May 2022

“Very tidy nice property.”

Great location. It was very warm inside. Did expect more garden from the description, not just a patio next to the road.

- Brian, May 2022
Susan April 2022

“This is the 1st time we have stayed in Gowan Cottage, we have stayed in Bobbin, Millrace cottage.”

We like all of them but Gowan Cottage is our favourite out of the 3 of them. It is a really lovely comfortable homely cottage. We like the area around Ings as there are some lovely walks. We have already rebooked for next year for a week in Gowan Cottage. We have a dog Molly she likes it here yes there is no garden for her but it is not an issue for us, there is a pub down the lane which serves food, the farm-shop sells fresh meats, pies and local goods is worth a visit. It is also good if you want to leave your car you can as the bus stop is on the main road we have used this to go to Keswick, Grasmere, Windermere and Ambleside. If you want a nice quiet location just outside Windermere this is area to look into. Susan, James and Molly the Lab

- Susan, April 2022
John April 2022

“Nice and comfy cottage, we really enjoyed our stay.”

A few more glasses in the kitchen could do with being added also the description in the listing wasn’t clear that there was no secure area for dogs. Also the hot water wasn’t very hot and if needing a bath a few kettle loads was needed. All in all it was a very enjoyable stay and I would highly recommend to friends and family.

- John, April 2022
Ian March 2022

“Lovely little cottage in a wonderful location providing an ideal base to visit the Lake District and surrounding areas .”

Ideal for couples , walkers with or without a dog

- Ian, March 2022
Paul March 2022

“Lovely cottage in quiet location.”

Great base from which to explore the Lakes and surrounding Fells.

- Paul, March 2022
David November 2021

“Total incompetence in sorting a problem out.”

Basic problem seems to be a call centre/local office/owner communication

- David, November 2021
Shirley September 2021

“Fantastic holiday!”

Ideally situated for all tourist places we wanted to see but also setting was quiet and peaceful perfect bolt hole .loved the farm shop / cafe just up the road . Can’t wait to come and stay again thank you !

- Shirley, September 2021
Divya August 2021

“We had a really relaxed time.”

Thank you so much. The location is perfect,- quiet and very beautiful amidst fields and near a farmhouse/cafe/butchers. Not far from Bowness, Ambleside and other great spots The cottage is very cosy and homely - only few issues regarding cleanliness-sticky dinner table, dirty high chair( underside of the table was disgusting) and the oven had not been cleaned.

- Divya, August 2021
Damian July 2021

“One day we were without hot water.”

So reported the fault and it was fixed within the same day with no fuss at all.

- Damian, July 2021
Sabih June 2021

“There were dirty laundry on the floor of toilet.”

No beddings/ linen/ pillow covers or towels were provided. Which was changed once I complained on the phone.

- Sabih, June 2021
Joanne June 2021

“Had a great time lovely cottage very relaxing and comfortable, would definitely go back and recommend to other , great views.”

- Joanne, June 2021
Jacqueline May 2021

“We have stayed in Gowan cottage many times over the last 15 years or more .”

The location is perfect , the layout is great , very well appointed and always immaculate , we always feel we’ve come back to our “ second home ‘. It’s always our first choice .

- Jacqueline, May 2021
Ian May 2021

“With having a dog it would have been good to know there was not a secure safe area for him without us”

- Ian, May 2021

Show less

Summary

Over 2 floors
2 x bedrooms; 1 x double, 1 x twin, house bathroom
Kitchen
Lounge and dining space
Furnished patio
Private parking
Gas central heating with underfloor heating
Wi-fi
Electric oven
Gas hob
Microwave
Dishwasher
Fridge & freezer
Washer / Dryer
Private patio & furniture with raised private decking area also with furniture
Short stroll to country pub
Two private parking spaces
One dog welcome at this property at an additional £50 charge. Bed linen and towels provided

Awards

The property

Once a thriving bobbin mill, this gorgeous character property is part of the Ings Mill Park development - a select set of cottages set in lush green countryside, alongside the River Gowan and circumscribed by 5 acres of wooded valley between Staveley and Windermere.

Walks abound in the Kentmere Valley, from quiet country lanes to surrounding fells, and only a 2 minute walk will take you to the Watermill Inn - where real ale is brewed on-site and even dogs are given a warm welcome.

Back home at Gowan Cottage, you'll find a relaxed, open plan living space with oak beams, cottage doors and traditional slate floor.

Cosy in after a day on the fells, or dine al-fresco on the delightful decked patio. Accommodation in detail Parking for 2 cars outside the property.

Enter via a furnished patio to the super open plan living / dining room with deep cushioned furnishings, character beams and a large picture window where the original barn door once was.

The oak kitchen is well-equipped and also open plan - conversation for the cook!

Upstairs to the cosy bedrooms, both with pretty cottage windows and roof skylights.

The house bathroom is modern and fresh, with shower over bath.

Location This characterful, pet-friendly Lake District self-catering property is ideally placed for walking, relaxing and exploring - with stunning landscapes surrounding the property and the delights of Lake Windermere only a few miles away. Ings is a small hamlet on the famously scenic A591, your main route from the M6 into the heart of the Lakes.

Ings lies between Staveley and Windermere, at the gateway to the Kentmere Valley.

Set back from the road, Ings Mill Park is only a stroll away from the village's famous Watermill Inn and brewery.

You can also take a short walk to Staveley, where you'll find a friendly community of quirky local businesses, a renowned walkers cafe, 'Wilf's', a gorgeous historic church and an excellent pub meal at the Eagle & Child.

Walk or cycle through Staveley village into the Kentmere Valley, and you'll find a wealth of scenic routes.

Only a few miles north on the A591 you'll find shops, restaurants and Booths supermarket in Windermere village, the shores of the lake only a few miles further at Bowness Bay.

Note: This property has a Good Housekeeping bond of £200.

View on map

About the location

INGS

Windermere 2 miles; Kendal 6.5 miles.

The small village of Ings, with the lovely River Gowan running through it, is set just two miles from the popular town of Windermere in the Lake District. There is a selection of walks for you to enjoy in the area and a wonderful local, award-winning pub, the Watermill Inn. The vibrant twin towns of Bowness and Windermere hold enduring appeal for many visitors to the Lake District, both providing a range of attractions, amenities, shops and restaurants to suit all tastes. Boat trips are available from Bowness to Ambleside and Lakeside, where the Lakeside Aquarium and the Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway are situated.

Your selection:

Features

Reviews & Ratings

“Maintenance appalling.”

“Thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Gowan Cottage and can’t wait to go back.”

“I wouldn't recommend this cottage for dog owners.”

“A lovely cottage in a lovely location.”

“Had a lovely stay in a comfortable cottage”

“Lovely stay at Gowan Cottage, only thing was the dog was allowed, but not upstairs, which was not stated when we booked.”

“Nice location easy parking but not that dog friendly but nice and clean for price and bed and sofa’s comfy but double bed rather small.”

“We had a great time at the cottage at Christmas,would definitely stay again,cottage was cosy and location was beautiful,only issue was the washer/dryer there are no instructions,but I managed to figure it out in the end,would definitely recommend.”

“Lovely little cottage in a quiet, peaceful spot.”

“The cottage was easy to vet to, very central, and so clean and homey.”

“Lovely cottage the best out of the 3 available but could do with a bit of TLC as some of equipment need either replacing or parts sourced e.”

“A lovely cottage in a beautiful area, however it can be improved by looking at the kitchen facilities, it is very short of cooking pots ( only one a useable size, and one tiny one ) could also do with a colander.”

“Overall disappointed with our stay here, and other than missing being in the lake district, glad to be back home.”

“We loved our stay at Gowan cottage, the cottage had everything we needed and the beds were so comfortable.”

“The cottage and location is great.”

“Very comfortable and cosy cottage from which the Lake District is easily explored.”

“The terrace of cottages are part of a caravan/static homes park which is not obvious when booking.”

“Very tidy nice property.”

“This is the 1st time we have stayed in Gowan Cottage, we have stayed in Bobbin, Millrace cottage.”

“Nice and comfy cottage, we really enjoyed our stay.”

“Lovely little cottage in a wonderful location providing an ideal base to visit the Lake District and surrounding areas .”

“Lovely cottage in quiet location.”

“Total incompetence in sorting a problem out.”

“Fantastic holiday!”

“We had a really relaxed time.”

“One day we were without hot water.”

“There were dirty laundry on the floor of toilet.”

“Had a great time lovely cottage very relaxing and comfortable, would definitely go back and recommend to other , great views.”