Big Cottages & Group Accommodation in Grasmere

Reviews

What our customers say about their holidays

• Trevor - Verified booking

  The property is in an idyllic setting, with plenty of communal areas for five adults to be together or apart.

  Our children would like to live there, however, my opinion has been that by letting it out provides the opportunity for fifty or more families per year to experience the Lake District without having to drive anywhere. There are short, medium, long, low, and any degree of height gain walks straight from the front door. Nonetheless, the income from the property exceeds the income of the average married couple, and having rented the property on a number of occasions it is disappointing to see that no maintenance has occurred since our first visit. The owner could have spent some of the income on maintenance providing employment for Lake District residents who are finding it increasingly difficult to find affordable rental property let alone buy one. I am of the opinion that the owners are just taking advantage of this idyllic property to plunder the Lake District and put nothing back. We arrived on Friday at ten past four. The plumbers arrived ten minutes later. They had been informed by the cleaner that the toilet in the smaller double room was out of order and they had come to fix it. On inspection the plumbers said they needed a part because it was a Saniflow toilet. They would return on Monday to fit the part. They did. It’s first test failed to remove the deposit taking many flushes to send it on its way. A plumber returned on Tuesday. After changing another part he left us with instructions on how to use the toilet. The occupant did not trust the effectiveness of the toilet so used the communal toilet in the kitchen for the remainder of their stay. On our last visit we remarked between ourselves that the place was looking a bit tired, but when a place that is advertised as having three en-suite bedrooms and one does not meet that expectation, then each defect in the home becomes more noticeable until you wonder when was the last time the owner took it out of service and put some money back into the community.

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• Geoffrey - Verified booking

  Good points.

  1. Location is excellent for low level walks and mountain biking and bouldering and climbing. The younger members of our party did the last three. 2. Accommodation was large enough for our party of five adults and two dogs. Large modern upstairs bathroom with shower. 3. Kitchen was well equipped save for exceptions below. 4. House was Reasonably clean, save for comment below. 5. Twenty yards to a busy friendly pub that served good food and drink. It didn’t generate disturbance with noise at night. 6. Within walking distance of several fine tea and cake shops. 7. Well fenced and fully enclosed garden. 8. A working TV 9. Good internet and Wi-Fi On the other hand. 1. Could have been cleaner; several cobwebs in bedrooms and on wooden beams. 2. There was no dustpan & brush nor a sweeping broom to allow us to sweep up dog hair and keep the place as clean as we would have liked. We had no major spillages but if we had…… 3. There was no large pot in the kitchen which, as the accommodation is for eight, is a big miss. There was one small and one medium saucepan which was not sufficient for us. More saucepans needed of a larger size. 4. There were no pegs for the rather “Heath Robinson” washing line. A decent fixing for a longer and stronger line would be an improvement. 5. We were five adults and two more plus a baby were due, but could not make it. Whilst we felt there was sufficient room for five add another two plus child and it would have felt a bit cramped. We were lucky in having good weather so did not have to spend too much time indoors. 6. Some of the Steps to back garden and washing line need refixing as they were unstable. Overall This house was fine for us and our feedback points out the detail of where it could be improved. We would definitely stay there again and really enjoyed the location as well as the property itself.

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• Steven - Verified booking

  Having stayed here before many years ago, we were happy to return as its a lovely cottage, great location and close to the famous Britannia Inn.

  However, lost marks for listing accuracy, as I feel its misleading to say 4 bedrooms, 8 guests. Whilst true, it needs highlighting in the bullet points that this includes a family room for 3 and a single room, not way down in the extended information. 4 couples might be disappointed! Cleanliness-lovely, crisp white bedding but lost a mark as the floors were really dusty in the lounge. Comfort-An information pack would be appreciated, as arrival is after 4pm on a Saturday and we needed wood for the fire, as its November. Local shops info would be great, or a complimentary basket of wood to get us started, especially as website said fuel included. Now assume they meant oil for heating, not wood. Facilities and maintainence- great, self contained cottage, however would benefit from oven gloves, dustpan and the soap dispensers at all 3 sinks were empty (I note that this has been mentioned in previous reviews). Also, the icebox at the top of the lovely big fridge was completely iced up, so much so that nothing would fit in and the door wouldn't shut. The living room wall lights are useless, either didn't work or the bulbs were hardly noticeable. An additional outside light on the corner of the cottage would be appreciated, as when walking up to the door, there is a very dark section along the property leading to the steep steps outside the door, which you have to be right in front of before the light comes on. I also have to question the safety of the internal doors, both contain clear plain glass, no etching or stickers to highlight them when they are shut. I hope that they are safety glass at least. I know that competition is often fierce for short lets, so attention to detail is important for properties that become our home for a few days.

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• Kerry - Verified booking

  The cottage itself was in an amazing position with beautiful views, exactly why we booked it.

  It was very large and the furnishings etc were comfortable. There were a few minor and one or two major things that let it down, first the minor: - the company seemed to have skimped on leaving towels and soap for all the bathrooms: - apparently extra crockery had been removed because of covid but this meant that we had to wash plates and cutlery during meals sometimes, which were of course being eaten in because of restrictions. The more major issues: - we were called whilst on our way to say one of the showers was broken but would be fixed on Tuesday. This was inconvenient but not the end of the world. However the shower wasn't fixed and despite e mailing we didn't hear anything else. It was inconvenient and we weren't offered compensation as I would have expected. - the lights in one of the bathrooms didn't work, presumably linked to the shower. - the majority of the double glazed windows in the conservatory and lounge overlooking the lake were blown. This is a minor issue until you realise that you are looking at the view (the reason for booking the house) through condensation or it is completely obscured in a couple of cases. In all I think the management company needs a bit of a shake up and the house needs a small amount of work to make it perfect.

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• Leigh - Verified booking

  Hi, on the whole we had a lovely stay, and thank you for the welcome pack, that was a nice touch.

  . We have been to Gunpowder cottage before, and this time we mastered the use of the cooker. There was a constant flushing noise coming from an outbuilding, which was leaking water. Before we had chance to report this, we noticed the gardeners had been and the water had stopped, so assumed they had fixed the leak, but it was still quite noisy. The door handles inside are difficult to open and close, in particular for a young or elderly person, and the screws kept coming out of the upstairs one so we kept on screwing them back in, although they need bigger screws. This was a particular issue with the bathrooms which had to be fully closed when in use. When we arrived we had to wash some of the cutlery, glasses and plates, as some were left dirty. We also noticed the settees are getting a bit worn and have stains on them. However, we found the cottage a comfortable and cosy cottage, that is well equipped, and in a lovely location, so we have booked again for next summer. Just a thought, we overheard someone stopping elsewhere had said that they got 10-20% off meals at the wainwright and Britannia. This wasn’t available for us, could this be explored to support eating out through Lake Lovers as it’s very expensive now, just in case this could be an option, thanks.

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