Tarn Hows

3.9★

8 Guests
4 Bedrooms
2 Bathrooms
Pets Yes
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Features

Garden / Patio
Cot available
Highchair available
Pub/shop < 1 mile
Washing machine
Dishwasher
Broadband / WiFi

Reviews & Ratings

Accuracy of the listing

Cleanliness

Comfort

Facilities and Maintenance

* Based on a combined average customer score

23 Customer Review(s)

Helen
October 2024

“We had a fantastic 4 nights at Tarn Hows.”

We were a little sceptical at first with some of the reviews but so glad we booked as the property was perfect. As a group of 7 there was plenty of room for everyone whilst being very comfortable and a small walk into Windermere. Other reviews had mentioned about the heating but we didn't have any problem, if anything we kept having to turn it down as it got a little hot! The parking was also fine and we always managed to park one car in front of the property and find somewhere else to park. ...

We were a little sceptical at first with some of the reviews but so glad we booked as the property was perfect. As a group of 7 there was plenty of room for everyone whilst being very comfortable and a small walk into Windermere. Other reviews had mentioned about the heating but we didn't have any problem, if anything we kept having to turn it down as it got a little hot! The parking was also fine and we always managed to park one car in front of the property and find somewhere else to park. Please note that if your car is big you will struggle in the space at the back of the property, I managed to get in OK but then took me an age to get out again so then just stuck to parking on the road. I would say the only downside was only having 1 TV, we went with 4 teenagers who took over the front room, leaving 3 adults to sit in the dining room, whilst we enjoyed chatting it would have been nice to watch a little TV, other than that we had a fantastic time.

- Helen, October 2024
Zara August 2024

“The property wasn't cleaned to a great standard at all.”

You can tell the owner isn't too bothered about people's enjoyment whilst staying. Very minimal kitchen stock, poor cooking equipment. The heating still seems to have issues and the boiler is locked away so hard to rectify it. The step by the back door is a serious hazard. I have 2 small children aged 2 and 3 and both fell several times accessing outside. The back yard was filthy, the front yard was overgrown with weeds. It wouldn't take much cleaning up but as i said no care is taken by the owner. Old garden furniture just rattan without cushions. There is only 1 TV in the whole house which was surprising. Compared to a stay in another of sykes properties in Cornwall it was world's apart. Cornwall was like a 5* hotel where this in the lakes was 2* at best and for the same amount of money. Wouldn't return.

- Zara, August 2024

Dear Zara. Thank you very much for taking the time to share your feedback at Tarn Hows. Whilst we recognize that you have mentioned some areas for improvement, we do hope that you enjoyed your stay. I am sorry to hear your little ones stumbled over the step. There is a small internal step created by the plastic frame thresher by the backdoor which is unfortunately unavoidable, but understand it may be difficult for those unsteady on their feet. Cushions for the outside furniture are stored in the shed, to avoid them getting weather damaged. We will ask our housekeeping team to do an inventory of kitchen items and order anything that's currently missing. Kind Regards, The Lakelovers Team Property Owner
Rebecca May 2024

“Lovely property, clean, tidy and comfortable.”

In a good location for the town. Parking is slightly tricky but we were only there a few days so decided to leave the cars parked and walked

- Rebecca, May 2024

Thank you for your kind comments. We are pleased that you had a lovely stay We take all comments on board. Thank you- The Lakelovers Owner Relations Team Property Owner
Leah December 2023

“Bed in twin room broken”

- Leah, December 2023

Thank you for your feedback. I have had a look at the notes and can see that we were not contacted about this problem until mid-way through your stay and then asked not to attend until after you had left. Had we known about the problem when it was first noticed we would have provided support to rectify this. The owner has been informed and the bed will be fixed/replaced for future guests. Lakelover Owners Team Property Owner
Peter November 2023

“The property listed was pretty much everything we expected, but with one very significant exception.”

Considering our allocated time at Tarn Hows was 42 hours - 16:00 Friday 17 November to 10:00 Sunday 19th - it was a little disappointing to say the least to be without a functioning boiler system for at least half of this time. To arrive at a property with all the windows opened in November seemed strange; to then discover the house completely cold was understandably concerning. The general theme of our short break was walking activities, so as you can imagine being without hot water for nearly 24 hours wasn't ideal. The communication throughout from Sykes was satisfactory but not exceptional, particularly under the circumstances. The customer service staff overall were, however, polite and courteous. The excuses, though, from one assistant with regards potential difficulties sourcing a tradesperson on a Saturday seemed a bit odd considering this is the hospitality industry and the weekend being the lake district's busiest time of the week. Taking everything into account, especially given the time of year, we would expect some form of compensation for the fact we were left without heating and hot water for the majority of our stay. Your feedback to this would be greatly appreciated. Kind regards Peter

- Peter, November 2023

Thank you very much for your feedback. We are sorry to hear that you encountered an issue with heating at Tarn Hows and you found the windows open on arrival. The team brought temporary heaters to the property in the evening, whilst we waiting for a heating engineer the next morning, I understand this matter has now been resolved offline and you've accepted a gesture of goodwill. We apologise for any inconvenience but we hope to welcome you back again soon on another walking holiday. Property Owner
Simon October 2023

“Thanks We loved our stay.”

Well appointed cottage with beautiful bedroom linens/duvets. However, a couple of radiators didn't seem to work? Perhaps it was us? The mattresses were clean, but perhaps need to be renewed as with some of the beds. There was no hair dryer or kitchen scissors. but otherwise the cottage had everything you needed. The wi-fi and TV were both excellent, and other than the quips listed, we would highly recommend. Kind regards

- Simon, October 2023
Kevin October 2023

“Lets start with the positives - nice house, very clean and had little things like kitchen roll, dish cloth, washing tablets on arrival.”

Pretty much exactly as advertised. There is off street parking which is fine for a smaller car - real struggle with ours (X3) but plenty parking nearby. Decent location close enough to Windermere, play park and also School Knot / Grandsire area of you are a walker/dog owner. The bad bits - Heating was very poor downstairs with no working radiator in the kitchen or the downstairs toilet. So much so, we had to go out and buy an electric heater just to heat the living room. Upstairs was ok. We did contact Sykes the day after we arrived, but they did nothing in the 7days we were there - very poor!!! (we were booked mid October and would hate to think how cold the place would be in the depths of winter). As mentioned by other reviewers, still no working washing machine and i fixed the handles on both the living room door and the patio. The patio step does seem to be fixed though. Didnt really cook in the kitchen, but seemed enough items. We put the bins out - it is Friday (changeover day!). Overall, a decent place. Praise to the cleaner. BUT really disappointed with Sykes as agent.....borderline usless.

- Kevin, October 2023

Thank you for your feedback on your recent stay at Tarn Hows. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the house and found it to be clean and well-equipped, and that you found the location to be convenient. We are sorry to hear about the problems you experienced with the heating and washing machine. We have investigated the lack of response to your concerns and found no record of you contacting us about these issues during your stay. If you can provide the date and time of your call, we can investigate further, as all calls are recorded. We take all guest feedback very seriously, and we apologise that your concerns were not addressed. We will investigate this matter further and take steps to ensure that this does not happen again. Thank you again for your feedback. We appreciate your help in making our properties better for all of our guests. Property Owner
Michelle September 2023

“Lovely place and has everything you’ll need!”

Only a 5 min walk from Windermere and the bus from Bowness after a day out & too tired to walk back up the hill! However there are a couple of maintenance issues.. back step out of patio door has all laminate hanging off, lounge door handle loose and the single beds aren’t very comfy in the front bedroom, in fact one looks like it’s about to collapse! The outside bins hadn’t been collected by the council, so we had nowhere to empty our kitchen bin or recycling which wasn’t great! Plenty of roadside parking and felt safe enough!! Theres a lovely park nearby for the kids to play and a great walk down the back streets with some lovely hillside views. Place could probably do with a bit of a spruce up in places but all in all, it’s a great place to stay, convenient and clean- we will definitely be rebooking!

- Michelle, September 2023
Lisa August 2023

“The property needs some maintenance, the internal doors don’t close securely, bathroom lock downstairs doesn’t secure .”

The baby gate is broke , the step into the house from the yard is very dangerous ( my neice bashed her toes when the carpet slipped under her ) and needs immediate attention . The washing machine didn’t work , we had to spend a morning ( and money ) at the laundrette . The instructions in the house manual need updating as we were trying to figure out what day to put the bins out . The previous guests filled the bin and we had to squash more stuff in . There are hardly any drinking glasses in the cupboard but we did find the kitchen well equipped .

- Lisa, August 2023
Jennifer July 2023

“A lovely clean holiday home perfect for families in a great location.”

We had a great time staying in Windermere.

- Jennifer, July 2023
Kerry February 2023

“Lovely property and in a great location.”

Lovely comfy beds and nice and clean. Thanks for the lovely stay.

- Kerry, February 2023
Claire December 2022

“The accommodation is as listed, sufficient space for the families.”

However, upon arrival there are scaffolding all over the property (front and back), with a big group families of all ages together with a dog it isn’t the best safety first impression. We wish this was listed as known item before booking. We also has no heating or hot water on the last 24hrs of our stay when the outside temperature was 6 degree in December and wet this isn’t the best experience. There is no one to contact either due to out of hours and we believe the boiler is locked to owner only so we can’t even try to reset it if it’s simply fixable. Overall, these items let our experience down and therefore we won’t be coming back to this property.

- Claire, December 2022
Donna December 2022

“On the Friday without warning, a team of scaffolders turned up.”

We felt obliged to leave for a while as the noise was upsetting one of our dogs. What was more concerning was that this “dog friendly” cottage had more dogs rules on notices and in the house notes. The owner’s expectation appears to be that the dogs would really be restricted to the kitchen/dining room limiting our use of the house. Our expectation is that such additional restrictive rules should be clearly stated at the time of selecting/booking a house. We have no problem with keeping the dogs of furniture/beds and the need to keep them under control but this didn’t feel like a “dog friendly” house.I

- Donna, December 2022
Darren April 2022

“My family and I thoroughly enjoyed are stay at Tarn Hows, just a pity we weren't staying for longer.”

- Darren, April 2022
Juliette September 2021

“On arrival we found this property very dusty, dinning room table and worktop in kitchen crumbs everywhere, floor in the kitchen/dining room, towel rail in bathroom, windows all dirty, Cobwebs around the windows, we had to wash some of the towels that had been left as they smelt damp, our daughter slept in the front bedroom, we had to swap the quit with one on the bunks beds as this also smelt damp and not freshly washed.”

The evenings we still warm and pleasant we could not use the outside seating as the cushions had been locked in the shed. No storage in the bedroom with the double be so we had to use the wardrobe in the middle room, which would have been inconvenient if it was been used. Blind broke in the middle bedroom. We noticed on the 2nd day that the lounge window was not securely closed which meant it could have been open from the outside. Sofas in the lounge very uncomfortable, door does not open fully at there is a glass coffee table behind it. Sofa in the dinning room much for comfortable. There is no shower mat in the bath, which is an accident waiting to happen as the bath gets very slippery when having a shower. Coffee/Sugar left in the jars had all dried up, would have been nice to have had a pint of milk left so we could have made a drink on arrival. Saucepans and cheese grate showing signs of rust. Overall we feel that this was very much over priced as there is a cottage across the road at half the price and a lot nicer. We never had any problems parking and the town centre was a 10 min walk.

- Juliette, September 2021
Margaret August 2021

“The property was clean and had all you need.”

We wouldn’t go back to this particular property, parking was nightmare and we had to park a couple of streets away. Not good as my husband has mobility issues. The settee needs be taken out of the dinning room to give more space, and the table behind the lounge door needs moving so the door opens properly.

- Margaret, August 2021
Stephen April 2021

“The house was spotless the interior was beautifully decorated and modern which was admired by us all.”

The beds were comfy a great night's sleep accomplished. We took our dog and there was an enclosed back yard for him to potter around. Near to bowness village/town also near to Ambleside. We took a boat trip from Bowness to Ambleside dogs can go for free. Would definitely book again the house sleeps 8 we had a great time.

- Stephen, April 2021
Shaun April 2021

“All good.”

- Shaun, April 2021
Wendy September 2020

“We had a very enjoyable stay at tarn hows.”

It was very clean and comfortable and we would recommend it

- Wendy, September 2020
Harri August 2020

“This house was fantastic.”

It was in a great location, super clean, well decorated, spacious and had everything needed for a relaxing and enjoyable stay.

- Harri, August 2020
Pauline August 2020

“We had an amazing holiday from the cottage to the scenery.”

So much to do and see for the adults and children alike. We took advantage of the 50% of meals. We were out all day, every day taking advantage of the amazing weather we had. The park and children's playground was only 2 minutes away. We also pre booked a Tesco grocery order which arrived an hour after we did. Fab service all round.

- Pauline, August 2020
Helen July 2020

“The cottage was clean and plenty of utensils.”

No broom or dustpan and brush available (which waa rectified after a phone call) . Only 5 dishwasher tablets and small amount of washing up liquid left. No bin liners. We would usually expect a pint of milk to be left for arrival. The house seemed to be completed in a hurry-taps on bath wrong way round. Bathroom door kept getting stuck and difficult to open/close. Kitchen windows painted shut. Good location.

- Helen, July 2020
Phil January 2020

“The house was brilliant and exceeded expectations.”

Loved the kitchen and dining area, great to have everyone around chatting and still be able to cook whilst being sociable. Shop at end of the road and Windermere only 5-10 minute walk. All seven guest went home raving about the property.

- Phil, January 2020

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Summary

Four bedrooms: 1 x double, 1 x twin with an additional cot, 1 x twin and 1 x bunk beds
Ground-floor shower room with shower, basin and WC
Bathroom with bath, shower over, basin and WC
Open-plan living space with kitchen, Electric oven and gas hob, microwave, fridge, fridge/freezer, Dishwasher, washing machine, dining area and sitting area
Sitting room
Gas central heating
Smart TV and WiFi
Fuel and power inc. in rent
Bed linen and towels inc. in rent
Private parking to the rear for 1 car and free roadside parking to the front
Private patio with furniture
Two well-behaved pets welcome
Sorry, no smoking
Shop 0.1 miles, pub 0.4 miles
Note: There are small internal steps throughout the property

The property

In the prime location of Windermere & for exploring the natural delights of the Lake District, Tarn Hows is a great base for a family looking for a rural escape at any time of year.

A contemporary-style cottage in close reach of an array of attractions, there’s no better dwelling for your getaway to Cumbria.

Step inside to find a tastefully decorated sitting room to the front of the property, with floral wallpaper bringing a homely aura to the room amongst the plush sofa arrangement, gather here in the evenings with a family-favourite film on the television for a quiet evening in.

Following through to the rear of the property will bring you to the spacious open-plan living area; find all of the contemporary appliances you could need in the kitchen to prepare a tasty treat for the whole group, with plenty of room for little helpers to get involved too!

Gather together around the dining table and toast to a wonderful holiday, whether you’re here for a celebration or a relaxing retreat, this cottage is the perfect setting to spend quality time with your loved ones.

Take a seat on the sofa sat amongst the dining area with a good book in hand in the evenings, or take your conversations out onto the patio and enjoy a chilled glass of bubbly as the sun starts to set.

On the first floor you will find four well-appointed bedrooms, with plenty of room in each to house everyone’s belongings; choose from a double, a twin with an additional cot, a further twin and a bunk room, providing a wonderful layout for every member of the group, especially those with younger children!

Positioned at the centre of the town of Windermere, you’ll find excitement on your doorstep in the form of watersporting facilities on Lake Windermere, a selection of quaint shops to while away the hours and glorious landscapes to ramble amongst.

Venture slightly further afield to discover Kendal, with even more shops to explore and accompanying eateries to end your day in, as well as bustling arts and culture scene, it makes a fabulous day out for all of the family.

In close reach of a wide range of family-friendly tourist attractions, Tarn Hows is a grand base from which to explore the Lake District with your loved ones.

Note: This property has a Good Housekeeping bond of £350.

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About the location

WINDERMERE

Ambleside 5 miles; Kendal 8.7 miles.

The twin towns of Bowness and Windermere are both vibrant, fun-filled places set within the splendid scenery of the Lake District. Both towns provide a range of amenities, shops and restaurants to suit all tastes whilst Ambleside offers the additional attraction of a boat ride to Bowness, the Lakeside Aquarium and Beatrix Potter's 'Hill Top House' at Sawrey. Grizedale Forest Park is within easy driving distance and is home to a range of activities including many good walks, mountain biking and the 'Go Ape' adventure park. The region also boasts many National Trust properties as well as a variety of water sports for those who prefer a more adrenaline-fuelled trip. Children will enjoy a trip to the 'World of Beatrix Potter' in Bowness whilst the villages of Grasmere, Coniston Water, Kendal, Keswick and the Lakeland Mountains are all within easy reach.

Please Note: Parking two cars in the courtyard will restrict patio usage.
Please Note : Good House Keeping Bond of £100 applies

This property offers the following short breaks:

Winter
Off-season
Last minute
Christmas

Windermere, Cumbria & The Lake District (Ref. 1021703)

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Features

Reviews & Ratings

“We had a fantastic 4 nights at Tarn Hows.”

“The property wasn't cleaned to a great standard at all.”

“Lovely property, clean, tidy and comfortable.”

“Bed in twin room broken”

“The property listed was pretty much everything we expected, but with one very significant exception.”

“Thanks We loved our stay.”

“Lets start with the positives - nice house, very clean and had little things like kitchen roll, dish cloth, washing tablets on arrival.”

“Lovely place and has everything you’ll need!”

“The property needs some maintenance, the internal doors don’t close securely, bathroom lock downstairs doesn’t secure .”

“A lovely clean holiday home perfect for families in a great location.”

“Lovely property and in a great location.”

“The accommodation is as listed, sufficient space for the families.”

“On the Friday without warning, a team of scaffolders turned up.”

“My family and I thoroughly enjoyed are stay at Tarn Hows, just a pity we weren't staying for longer.”

“The property was clean and had all you need.”

“The house was spotless the interior was beautifully decorated and modern which was admired by us all.”

“All good.”

“We had a very enjoyable stay at tarn hows.”

“This house was fantastic.”

“We had an amazing holiday from the cottage to the scenery.”

“The cottage was clean and plenty of utensils.”

“The house was brilliant and exceeded expectations.”

Summary

The property

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About the location

WINDERMERE