Hall Bank Cottage

We had a really lovely time at hall bank cottages.

We just love this location

Shower over bath leaked badly through sitting room ceiling, too much to be splashes on floor, looks like an issue with the outlet pipe of bath.

No DVD found, no starter pack for stove, no cafetière. No welcome pack. Light in snug not working, switch on wall seemed to be broken. Kitchen cupboard doors melted, presumably from kettle steam, and plastic veneer chipping in many places. Although property not generally dirty, there were many instances where things were not clean such as stand alone shower power pack and head, kitchen utensils and ovenware, extractor fan. Raised issue of cafetière with Sykes online help, initial response, four days later, was to ask if it was still an issue which is an odd response, I replied that nothing had been done, Sykes then replied to ask if I still wanted something doing, I replied that I did and that was the last I heard, very poor helpdesk response and completely failed to address the issue raised.

Gorgeous house in a beautiful location!

Hall Bank House is generously sized, and we had everything we required. A Lakeland paradise with poetic and bucolic gems on our doorstep - a magical holiday where we felt transported back to Wordsworth’s time!

We loved that the cottage and outside the garden was so spacious.

Having different lounge spaces and copious amounts of seating , worked really well, particularly as we had 5 adults and 2 children with us. The kitchen to dining area access was perfect. Great for our family at Christmas. However, considering that it was Christmas and we have stayed in different places in The Lakes at Christmas, where a Christmas tree was always provided, we were disappointed to find that there was no Christmas Tree at the property when we arrived. I had to go out and source one and decorations on 24 December. Considering the money we paid for Christmas week it seemed a little Scrooge like. Soap was not provided in any bathrooms which we did find again a little unhygienic. We had brought toiletries, like shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, luckily, but hand soap for hygiene purposes is usually a basic in self catering accommodation. Again, so many places when it is Christmas leave a Christmas card or a small gift, but this was not evident at Hall Bank Cottage. It's just a welcoming touch that means a lot at this time of year. However, the cottage suited our family perfectly and having Rydal Hall, Rydal Mount and the lake and mountains close by gave ample entertainment. Easy to get to Ambleside and Windermere if you need shopping, cafe's pubs and restaurants. Badger Bar is minutes walk away. We didn't eat here but they provided a quaffable pint or two. We appreciate the cottage is an old building and we live in an old property ourselves so we are used to cobwebs, spiders etc but there were some areas for improvement as in showers and baths that needed extra cleaning before using. The cleaning was Ok but as we have experience in this field we were a little surprised that previous comments from other reviews had not been taken on board by the cleaning company. My son could not find 2 rings he had taken off the night before we left and I reported this to Sykes when we returned home on the day of departure. We have not heard back from the owners as to whether the rings have been found at the property or not. However, we would return to the property as it had so many positives; the location and layout of the property being the key attractions.

This property needs a proper clean.

It smelt musty but when we opened the windows the window gullies were full of dead and live spiders and flies.The windows were so dirty that they blocked out a lot of light.The property is quite dark anyway so this made it worse.We asked the housekeeper to get the windows cleaned but they didnt respond. Every single corner of each room was dirty and full of cobwebs as was the underneath of anything stationary. The kitchen swing bin was really disguting and we had to wash it straight away upon arrival. It was not welcoming to come into and the lack of even 1 tea bag or milk etc was penny pinching. In other properties its still normal to get a welcome pack.This property gives you a mini washing up liquid and a flat sponge.

This was a lovely house where the pros massively outweighed the cons.

There was loads of space both inside and out and the location was great with Rydal Hall across the way perfect for short dog walks and the tea room (useful as coffee facilities in house one of the minor cons) - Rydal mount a few metres up the road interesting for a wet day. Endless options for low or high level walks from the door - a great pub a short walk away and a bus stop at the end of the road for linear walks or if you don't fancy trying to park in Ambleside (frequent buses). Manageable walk to lake with a kayak. The photos didn't do it justice - it really was lovely inside - the end room with the log burner was used a lot and great to have generous seating and also plenty of mugs, plates etc. The garden would be lovely for children as enclosed and lots of places for hide and seek. Comfy beds and bedding and quiet at night. Minor cons - no cafetière - we saw in the comments that a previous guest had bought one for the house but that seems to have disappeared too. Wifi fine but doesn't reach the bedrooms. The location is great but lots of other people think so too - we got people parking outside the gate a few times which wasn't a problem for us and most people asked first! (we were there at peak time though). The house was spotless in the ways that matter - bath/bedrooms and kitchen - but there were a lot of long term cobwebs (no flies though ;-)) and the windows could do with a clean. Recycling info isn't great - when we arrived both recycling bins were full - we got in touch with Sykes and one of them and the general waste were emptied the next day but the other one was still full when we left - it takes some going to fill two wheelie bins so they obviously hadn't been emptied for some time. Beware the steps out to the garden from kitchen they are lethal when wet (I have the bruises to show for it). Also - we were a group with several 6ft plus and the low beam on the upstairs corridor took a couple of victims (one almost got knocked out so although I'm not generally a fan of warning signs it might be an idea). However - we had a lovely week in spite of some very wet days and we would definitely recommend/come back to Hall Bank Cottage.

The cottage was excellent, clean, spacious and not too "pristine" (important for young families with 4 year-olds!

) We were missing 2 sets of towels but they were provided within hours of our asking. The waste water system started "bubbling" with each flush but, again, a plumber fixed it completely within hours of us requesting help. Facilities were all better than we expected. This is a brilliant place for young families. Thank you for your thoughtful planning and provision,

The house was in a great location close to walking areas for various abilities as well as to Ambleside town centre.

Amenities provided were also very good. Thank you.

This is a great house in a great location but there seems to be either a lack of communication between the cleaners/maintenance staff and the owners or just poor up keeping.

Despite being advertised as suitable for 8, there were only 7 forks (& 23 knives & umpteen plates!). We repeatedly asked for more and finally got them too late to be of any use so unable to offer proper hospitality to friends and family who were passing by. The plug in the smaller bathroom does not close properly. This was obviously a problem noted before as it was placed on the window ledge along with other small bits that needed repairing in the bathroom.

We had a lovely stay at the spacious Hall Bank Cottage.

It is very comfortable and extremely well located for a lot of interesting sites and walks. The kitchen could do with an update, but otherwise it was just great.

Good space inside ideal for children with playroom

Loved the new furniture in the lounge, made huge difference.

New bathroom upstairs looks great too, shower is spot on. Great idea to close up main entrance and use the 'back' door. Saves messing up.the carpet in the lounge. TV in 2nd lounge no batteries in remote, replaced same but doesn't work??? 2 hoovers in utility room, upright didnt wirk at all, Henry hoover less than useless. Bought you a cafetiere, only a 2 cup one, maybe included one in the inventory? Love staying at Hall Bank. Brilliant location Very cosy cottage.

We had a lovely week, beautiful comfortable cottage and great location.

Everything was really good, lots of equipment....could just do with a better grater!

the new furniture is lovely and makes the lounge a much nicer room to spend time in.

It would be nice if the snug was updated. More mugs and teaspoons would be useful. A bench outside the door for putting on/taking off boots would be good. A wifi booster so that the whole property gets a signal would be good. A lovely property to stay in and a great location.

The cottage is situated perfectly for anyone who wants to be in the heart of the Lakes, but still secluded and private.

Rydal Hall - across the road - is friendly and you are welcome to wander their beautiful grounds. Hall Bank is a really cosy, but spacious place to stay. The bedrooms and living rooms are big and the kitchen ideal. We used the log burner to dry clothes in the reading room (no logs provided, but you can pick these up from the garage in Ambleside). The garden is lovely too - it was a bit wet to use this week, but we played cricket in it! We'd definitely recommend it - we'll be back next year for sure!

Overall we were happy with the property.

I wished there were cleaning products left in the kitchen, along with cling film, foil etc. It does help when you are self catering.

This is the third time we have stayed at this lovely spacious house & garden which has the benefits of being just a few minutes walk from Rydal, a easy 30min walk to Ambleside & a few good walking tracks immediately accessible.

The house has been nicely spruced up from its previous state and now looks much brighter and welcoming. We were pleased to see dishwasher powder & washing up liquid reinstated & one bar of kitchen soap but it would be really customer friendly if there were a couple of small soaps around. There was nothing so infuriating to arrive after shop closure to find no hand soap. Also very irritating is the annual purchase of a black pepper grinder and decent salt not to say olive oil & good vinegar. The little packets of dubious salt and pepper are not up to scratch. We were provided with only 1 black bin bag for a family of 6. We scrupulously recycle & try to buy with minimal packaging but still needed to take out the last occupants previously used partially full one for the last 2 days Please can you attend to the door in the double bedroom the far end. To close fully means that to open you need to pull hard on the door hook. We hoped to put the oldest child in this room but they wouldn't be able to reach it to open. It was lovely to have the weather to sit out to eat in the evening but after the sun goes behind the trees itools down whereas the from garden is still bathed in glorious sun. We thought a small table and folding chairs perhaps could be a really super addition in the idle hope that we might have more similar weather!

The cottage was beautiful and in a wonderful location and was very spacious for our family.

The cottage was very cosy and warm and the washing machine / dryer was a godsend. All four bedrooms were a good size with comfortable beds but lacked enough wardrobe space in 2 rooms. It had a reasonably well equipped kitchen but lacked general condiments such as:- salt, pepper & cooking oil. All the sinks lacked any soap. Whilst a fire place was available, we had hoped for some fire wood, kindling and some matches to light a fire but like everything else listed, we had to go out and purchase these for our stay. However, that said we had a wonderful holiday and would definitely re-book again in the coming years.

A wonderful house in a wonderful place, which has clearly been very recently upgraded in terms of furniture, carpet, decor, etc.

It was perfect for us as a group of 6, and would have been so for 8 as well, with loads of cutlery, crockery, utensils, etc. An ideal central base for exploring the whole of the Lake District, including much right on your doorstep. No gripes whatsoever (it would appear that previous negative reviews have been acted on, and are no longer valid :-)

The cottage is in a great location, for lots of walks from the front door.

It was also clean and comfortable. Before our arrival I emailed yourselves, regarding the furniture, I was assured this was to be change before we arrived, sadly this was not the case ,we had taken some throws ,and used these to cover the furniture. In your list of what's included, fuel was included, we assumed this was logs for the fire.but there were no logs.But the weather was mild and the heating system ok .So we did not light the fire during the weeks stay .but all week the cottage smelled of smoke, so might benefit from a good chimney sweep.But on the whole we enjoyed our stay ,the wifi was good plenty of utensils for a family of seven, and has I said earlier comfortable.

I was worried after reading previous reviews, but the place was spotless.

Had everything you needed, comfy sofas & beds & kitchen had virtually every utensil you’d need! We didn’t use the garden as it rained most days, but the wooden furniture looked nice. The location of the cottage is perfect for walking to Ambleside or a longer walk around the lakes to grasmere. We’d definitely return

We really enjoyed our stay at Hall Bank Cottage.

It's in a great location for central lakes with some excellent family friendly walks from the property itself. Rydal caves especially were great for the children. The accommodation was as described although the back garden is not quite as child friendly as the photo would suggest. One suggestion for improvement. The information provided in the property was sparse......only a folder of appliance manuals. The cottage was cold on arrival (not an issue) but it took us quite some time to find how to work the heating. Even finding the boiler was a challenge (upstairs cupboard). Then figuring out the controls took some puzzling out. Some instructions would have saved us quite a bit of time....and about 45 mins keeping our coats on.

A lovely traditional cottage, beautifully furnished.

Spotlessly clean. A great location for walking. A few small things could be done to make it even more enjoyable: more teaspoons and mugs, a clothes dryer in the utility room, a wifi booster for the snug, info about what to do with the rubbish and other local info, eg doctor/vet, a bench outside the door for taking off muddy boots. We hope to return.

Dirty.

Kitchen smelt so bad in the cupboards. Spider webs and grot over the rooms and floors. Poorly maintained. Called to get rectified and they turned up unannounced and missed the point of why we called up. So disappointed and did nothing for the reputation of Sykes cottages. I would suggest a new kitchen asap, a deep clean over the entire house. Sort the mould and damp in the living room. Remove the mouse traps from the bedroom. Stop the bed frame from creaking. I’m just so mad we paid for this rubbish.

Location is superb for walking straight from the cottage There is enough space to sleep 8 but a number of chairs cooking items would limit certain large parties Outside garden space could be used better and grass cut so not soaked sitting on the tables, outside space should have 8 chairs not 6 The lounge furniture is very tired and dirty and should all be replaced Also only 2 showers and bathroom’s between Potential 8 people As a number of people have said for such a expensive cottage it needs to be improved

We were disappointed on the day of our arrival as we were not granted access at the agreed time of 3pm.

The cleaners were still there. We weren't able to get into the property until 3:30pm (having been up since 5am and travelling from Portsmouth). When we got in the floors and sofas were all very wet still. The bathrooms were not clean. There was mould all over the wall of the bathroom at the top of the stairs and mould on the shower curtain. There was also a lot of dust and grime around the base of the toilets and behind the bathroom door, which was clearly visible when you closed the bathroom door. There was a strong smell of damp in the snug room too, which even with the windows open, lasted for the whole 2 weeks. When paying this amount of money, this was all very disappointing. The second upstairs bathroom had a problem with centipedes in the shower. Most mornings there were at least 3 in there. The beds, linen and towels were all clean and these were changed for us halfway through our stay. It was a shame that the grass was only cut halfway through our stay. When we arrived it was so long the children were unable to play outside as it was so wet, even on the sunnier days, it wouldn't dry. Once it had been cut it meant we could use the outside space a lot more. Wi-fi signal was great in the main living room and the bedroom above, but elsewhere there was little to no wi-fi signal. We had a lovely 2 weeks in the Lake District, but given the money we paid for this cottage we were all left disappointed with the cleanliness and upkeep.

We had a wonderful holiday in a perfect setting.

There were sufficient walks from the door that meant we didn't need to use the car once we were there. The cottage was lovely despite showing some signs of neglect. The sitting room furniture particularly was grubby and worn but upstairs was lovely with comfortable beds. We were fine as a family of 5 but there was a lack of sufficient glasses etc for the advertised 8. The enclosed garden was perfect for our dog but again the garden furniture could use some tlc. Despite these minor issues we would recommend this property and would seriously consider returning.

Location of the cottage was excellent we have stayed in and around Ambleside over the years.

The cottage is very easy to find and roughly only a twenty min walk into Ambleside. It is very spacious and the garden grounds were fairly private. The cottage has all the facilities you require although in the mornings and late evening it was cold we couldn’t get the radiators to function but there were two electric radiators available. The cottage is some what neglected. The cleanness of the cottage was not up to my standard especially if you are taking very young children, otherwise we enjoyed our stay.

A lovely location especially for swimmers & walkers.

Beds & covers comfortable. Good separate games room The first impressions were of a dismal and a bit neglected property. Broken wooden pieces (?drying rack) on the floor of the Utility room, scattered hoovers - not a welcoming feel. Heating system needs attention. Individual radiator controls not working. Some impossible to turn off. Some not turning on. Heating control took a couple of cold days to work out (thermostat bears little relationship to air temperature). Kitchen equipment is not too good. The smaller frying pan is impossible to use as the base is not flat. The knives are impossible- if you provide blunt knives please provide a knife sharpener. Fortunately we brought basics and emptied our fridges. Really surprised at no basic provision of tea/milk/salt. Infuriatingly insufficient number of dishwasher tablets for 7days Lovely big garden table- a bbq would be lovely. Grandson age 8 complained there was no map of the area!

A beautiful home, had everything we needed, perfect location, it was well presented and very clean

Lovely stay in a historic and fantastic cottage in a beautiful part of the world.

We loved the space, open fire, comfy beds and proximity to lots of great walks, and tea rooms too.

Generally we really liked the property, we had plenty of space for the number of people that stayed.

Really enjoyed using the fire on the cold evenings and found the place to be plenty warm enough throughout our stay. The location is fantastic and we saw red squirrels and a golden pheasant outside the window which made our stay. Only a short walk to ambleside too so imagine this would be fantastic in the summer months. However, the place could do with a deep clean as things had been missed, like wrappers/tissues left in some rooms, along with clumps of dog hair. Also a bit of attention should be paid to things like the bedside table lamps some didn't have bulbs in/didn't work at all oland others the lampshades had melted so weren't safe to use. Overall a great stay and good value for when we stayed/the property size but if paying the prices requested in the summer, would have expected better cleanliness and a bit of TLC.

Fantastic house.

We loved our stay here. So warm and cosy and with loads of space for the eight of us. Superb location, quiet yet so many walks either from the house or a short drive and a decent choice of shops just 5 mins away. The house was well equipped, clean and the beds were super comfy. We cooked most nights and We had a hello fresh box sent to the house for the day of arrival and that worked really well. Kids loved the tv room, they hooked up their computer in there. We enjoyed many board games around the dinning table and just relaxing in front of the fire in the lounge, perfect! We hope we can use the house again in the future.

Really lucky to have stumbled on Hall Bank Cottage.

I would give Hall Bank Cottage 5 out of 5. In an excellent location, especially if you like walking, it's a nice cottage with a very good layout . It suited our group of 8 including the dog perfectly. Given some of the other comments, I was half-expecting it to be on the chilly side but it was well heated and comfortable, and a great place to come back to after a day on the fells or just a walk around the lake or to Ambleside. The "boot room" came in very handy. All the appliances worked (except that the service company would do well to make sure there are spare bulbs (plural) for every type of fitting - we had a number of lamps not working, but that was only a minor issue.) Yes some of the paintwork was chipped in places and the sofas might be said to be tired, but they were comfy and that just made it all the more welcoming and not an overly precious place to stay. Wouldn't want it any different. We'd also thoroughly recommend the Badger Bar just down the road, for food and atmosphere and good service. Definitely intend to go back.

No instructions for turning on central heating or how to use cooker hob, which would have been helpful.

Also the fact that entry to property was not the door beside key safe - extra key would have been good too. Lovely property and excellent location enjoyed our visit.

This was a very relaxing holiday cottage as it felt homely and not overly precious.

It was perfect for us as the weather was amazing, so we were outside most of the time, but it’s situation being in the shade, it might feel dark in more gloomy weather. Situation in Rydal was perfect for walking in every direction.

Waiting for feedback after sending in a complaint about the cleanliness which was well below par and some elements of the overall maintenance of the cottage.

Have been waiting over 2 weeks for a satisfactory reply.

A lovely location, plenty of room for a family and a well laid out cottage with everything we needed.

Perfect for walks on the fells, paddling on Rydal Water and near enough to Ambleside and Grasmere for a walk in if that suits. So much to explore nearby and great that the cottage has parking right outside the door and an enclosed garden. Driveway is quite muddy and slippery in the wet autumn weather, especially near the back door-care needed. Warm and cosy once we’d worked out the heating and used the portable heaters in the rooms where the radiators aren’t effective. A very happy time and super place.

Though the cottage had all the amenities I spent most of it being uncomfortable because of heating.

Warmth is a basic human requirement and I think it was quite patronising for this basic requirement to be controlled. As explained this feature was controlled by the home owner who would not have known our temperature preferences. I think in future this should be explained to the customer. Another area to improve is the sign on the wall with the cottage name, the bins are covering the sign, too many times other people try to open the gate as they too think they are in a place they should be as the sign is hidden. When concerns are raised the customer should be kept updated, few times the heating problem was identified and was told that i would hear back and no further communication, when i called back the office was closed..

This was our 2nd time at Hill Bank Cottage Great central location, and varied local walk available,

The house was not clean.

Various appliances broke during the stay. We had no kettle for 2 days. The WiFi broke on day 3 and was not fixed for the duration of the stay. No dishcloths so it was hard to clean also no kindling for the fire so we could not light it despite it being cold. The worst thing was the lack of cleanliness. Floors had not been moped for some time with dust in the corners and on skirting board. The grass was so long in the garden it was unusable. Overall very disappointing!

Very well equipped spacious cottage.

Plenty of kitchen equipment and fridge space for catering for 8 people. Very warm, in fact too warm at times, as we discovered the heating was on 'constant' which we changed so that we weren't sweltering overnight. Excellent location which meant we didn't use the car the whole week. Good base for walks up Fairfield and Loughrigg but also ideal for walking into Ambleside and Grasmere. Good beer in the Badger Bar round the corner.

In general the cottage fit the bill, in terms of space, but it was lacking in certain areas.

The lounge furniture has seen better days, there was a lack of general information (how the CH worked, bin collection day, local ammenities, etc) and a lack of basic items i.e loo rolls, dish washer tablets, light bulbs. Several of the lamps weren't working and replacement bulbs were not available. The end double bedroom did not have any hanging space, which was ridiculous (we had to share with one of the twin bedrooms) and the shower in the cubicle was just a trickle. The central heating only just managed to maintain a reasonable temperature when the boiler was at it's maximum. At night there was a continual draught coming down the staircase into the lounge (the cottage needs one or two more radiators or some replacing with larger ones (I don't know how you would manage when it was really cold). I certainly wouldn't stay there again, although it does have a nice sized garden and it is situated in a beautiful location.

The covers on the sofas in the main lounge were grubby and need replacing.

Be good to have a spare set. The cleaner had attempted to wash the arms of the sofas before our arrival, which meant the room felt very damp. I placed a bed spread and blanket over them during our stay. Hand basin hot water tap failed to work in the far shower room, but we managed okay. Place mats for dining table were tatty and wouldn't cost much to replace. Other than that, we had a lovely stay at the cottage. Beds were comfortable. Lovely large garden table and chairs for alfresco dining on the couple of days we didnt have rain. Well equipped kitchen. Plenty of logs for the burner. A nice, clean and comfortable tv room. Wonderful location.

Hallbank Cottage met our needs perfectly.

We used it as a base for family members of three generations to come and spend time together when they were able: we were 7 adults when our maximum number was present, and there was plenty of room not to be on top of each other, while at the same time having big enough reception rooms for us all to sit and be cosy together. As a centuries old stone property with small windows, there were a couple of mornings when we felt the need for a boost to the heating, which was quick and effective. We thoroughly enjoyed the open fire on some evenings too; but by contrast the coolness of the thick stone walls when the weather was sweltering hot outside was as good as air conditioning! The luxury of a 'boot room' was much appreciated; and the kitchen was well equipped for those wanting to do more than boil an egg (!) with plenty of fridge/freezer space. The garden was beautiful - a proper Lakeland hill garden with lush shrubs, rocks and flowers, and a large table and chairs which offered a sunny spot to eat breakfast outside and a shady spot to eat our evening meal - when the weather permitted. Its location was perfect, just off the main road so traffic noise was inaudible, and there was plenty reachable on foot. As a previous reviewer said, it's a shame there isn't a visitors' book in the cottage, where hints of places to go and shops nearby etc can be shared, so here are some recommendations from our visit. * Nearby supermarkets: there's a large Booth's in Windermere, and small Co-op in Grasmere, which were enough between them for us. There is also a Tesco Extra in Ambleside. * Walks: there were walks of varying length and difficulty straight from the front door: from an early morning wander in the grounds of Rydal Hall, to a day's hike round the Fairfield Horseshoe. There are plenty of short walks around Rydal Water and Grasmere; and both Ambleside and Grasmere village are easily reachable on foot. * Pub: we highly recommend the Badger Bar 5 minutes walk away, where we enjoyed drinks after days of walking, and a couple of evening meals: the proper pies are delicious! * We were also fortunate enough to be there when the Ambleside Sports were taking place in a field in Rydal Park, 10-15 minutes away on foot. It was a privilege to go to such a wonderful community event. Thank you for providing the best base for our family holiday in the Lakes we could have hoped for.

The cottage felt extremely damp.

We had to shut one room downstairs altogether as 2 of our group are asthmatic and found this room particularly unpleasant to be in. Because of the damp, storage heaters are left on permanently and so the bedrooms are too hot at night. The lighting throughout is very dull with the exception of the kitchen. This was so bad that playing games or reading was difficult. Such an easy thing to fix with brighter light bulbs!!! Several very large house spiders are in residence in the beams downstairs evidenced initially by the large cobwebs which clearly have not been cleared away for some while. The garden is overgrown and the lawn has not been cut for a while so that sitting around the table wasn’t very nice. The sink in the main bathroom has virtually no water pressure so that the hot tap doesn’t work at all and the cold is very slow. There is no helpful information about local facilities- nearest supermarket, bin collection etc that we could find. And interestingly, this is the only cottage we can remember being in which does not have a visitor’s book. I wonder why? All in all this we felt that this was a very overpriced cottage.

+ve - we had no issue with sheep in the garden, good location -ve - stair rail became detached, wifi slow at times and limited coverage in the house, some ceilings / light fittings low (I am only 5'11'), no view.

Just a couple of things – 1) the Wi-Fi is only in a certain area which was inconvenient for us.

2) When we arrived, there was a sheep and lamb in the garden. Your representative did sort this out eventually but the owners response was “ You are in the country.” Not helpful when you have a dog and you specially get somewhere with an enclosed garden for the dog and so that you can all be in the garden. This was like paying for a house with a garden and only getting the house. Thankfully your managing agent was more sympathetic and efficient than the owner and got this sorted out for us. The house itself and the location are ideal – we have even talked about going again. We saw a red squirrel in the garden!

Leak from bathroom to living room meant we couldn’t use one of the bathrooms for 5 days.

Washing machine had a fault that was fixed on day 6. Lots of large spiders occupied the house - understand that not a lot can be done about this but not helped by all the cobwebs and level of cleanliness. It would be helpful if there were instructions on how to operate the central heating. We had to turn all the radiators off at one point. Maintenance company were reactive and provided feedback. We did have a very enjoyable week and would return in future.

A beautiful cottage in a brilliant location!

Just had our second holiday this year at Hall Bank Cottage.

Following my complaints after the first visit, we were glad to see that the gates are much easier to deal with. However, even when they're closed, it's still possible for sheep to get into the garden. The chef at Rydal Hall helped us to expel two ewes and four lambs; they had a left a lot of deposits. There must be a gap somewhere at the top of the rear garden. I found that, for sitting out, it was better to go to the Rydal Hall grounds which are opposite the cottage, although even in the enclosed Quiet Garden there, I met a ewe and lamb. Apart from this, the cottage is very good and well placed, as I said before.

Yes, I would have said "Nearly met expectations", but there were some issues.

I've reported a problem with the front gates. You need a lot of strength (which I haven't got at 78) to lift one of them off the cobblestones. So we left them open all week and sheep from Rydal Hall wandered in at least three times; it also meant that the garden wasn't enclosed for our dog. One of the first things my wife found was that the freezer was covered in frost on the outside and, as a result, the door couldn't be closed. She has fixed that for the time being. There were signs of a party having been held recently, with bits of glitter, etc on the floor of the dining room. Two dining chairs have been damaged, suggesting over-enthusiasm on the part of some guests. The only cooking we do is my boiling an egg. It took me 20 minutes to do this and, naturally, it was hard-boiled. This happened three times so I gave up. At home I turn on the hob, put on the saucepan with egg included and count three minutes once it's boiling. These new-fangled hobs fluctuate so that you can't tell when the water is actually boiling. Presumably the EU's intention is that we use less electricity but it had the opposite effect. The gardens are rather disappointing, partly because of their sloping nature. They're just coarse grass and weeds with some trees and shrubs. On the warm and sunny days I did find a couple of reasonably level areas for placing my picnic chair in the shade at the back. The front "lawn" is dominated by a tree with very low branches. However, the cottage is in a fine location. If you have the energy, Nab Scar and the Fairfield Horseshoe start immediately, as does the Coffin Road, and from the main road below the Rydal Hall drive there are higher and lower walks along Rydal Water, plus Loughrigg Terrace and part of Grasmere. The bus stop is just down the drive and provides excellent and frequent services, so you could spend the whole holiday without using the car. By the way, we have a return visit booked for next month. Any hope of fixing the gate?

Well equipped but larger cafetiere good as house is for 8 people

The cottage is well placed, in a central location, with nice walks in the area.