Guests say
Highbeck is a well-regarded property with stunning views and spacious, comfortable rooms, each boasting an ensuite. Guests appreciate the well-equipped house, ideal for family gatherings and dog-friendly holidays. The location offers tranquillity and proximity to local attractions. While some minor maintenance issues are noted, the overall experience is highly positive, with many guests eager to return.
Guests that stayed at this property said
The property generally receives high praise for cleanliness, with spotless bathrooms and tidy rooms. However, a few guests noted minor issues such as windows needing a clean and a dirty oven, which slightly impacts the overall impression.
The location is consistently lauded for its stunning views and peaceful setting, ideal for exploring the southern lakes. The proximity to local pubs and villages adds to the appeal, although some guests noted the busy road and lack of nearby facilities.
Guests find the property extremely comfortable, with large beds and spacious rooms. The presence of multiple ensuites adds to the comfort level. Some guests mentioned creaky floorboards and issues with heating controls, but these are minor compared to the overall comfort experienced.
Facilities are generally excellent, with a well-stocked kitchen and ample bathrooms. However, there are comments about insufficient food storage, a need for clearer appliance instructions, and minor maintenance like fixing cupboard doors and kitchen blinds. These issues suggest room for improvement.
There is no mention of gifts or special touches that would indicate thoughtfulness from the hosts. Therefore, it is not possible to provide a score in this category.
About this property
This sophisticated Lakeland residence stands in a secluded 3 acres of grounds, alongside Highbeck Cottage a short stroll from the village of Crosthwaite.
A sweeping gravel driveway leads to the property with steps leading to the entrance and large sun terrace. Enter via a quarry tiled porch and elegant entrance hall, with room for coats and boots, leading to the stunning lounge with a wall of glass providing the views. The room is beautifully furnished with comfy leather sofas, and to one end is a solid oak dining table, great for sociable meals. The chic country kitchen is spacious and has a large range cooker, and a smaller dining area. Outside, the beautiful south facing sun terrace and a choice of garden seating areas to the side and rear spoil you for choice to enjoy the views. So many options to relax with a glass of something and soak up the peace and tranquillity of this lovely spot. Downstairs you have 2 large bedrooms: one king size and the other bedroom be super king size or twins. (please specify when booking). Two separate shower rooms and additional WC. Head upstairs to the Master Suite with a contemporary glass fronted balcony to enjoy those views or stay in bed and enjoy the view from there! The en-suite here is a large bathroom with a claw foot bath and separate shower. Also on this level is a twin room again with a good size en-suite with a claw foot bath and separate shower.
The Lyth Valley lies to the east of Lake Windermere, and is renowned for its high-class country pub restaurants, one of which stands only a stroll away from Highbeck. The Punchbowl Inn has long been regarded as one of the finest Lake District gastropubs, well worth a visit and nestling alongside a pretty old church. The Lyth Valley is also famous for its damson orchards and fruit trees. We also recommend the Brown Horse at Winster, the Wheatsheaf at Brigsteer, The Black Labrador, Underbarrow, the Hare & Hounds at Levens & Bowland Bridge, and the Masons Arms, Strawberry Bank. This beautiful valley is full of quiet lanes and cycle routes, and a peaceful landscape but still only a 20-minute drive from bustling Bowness & Windermere villages. You're also close to the National Trust Fell Foot park with fantastic access to boat hire, swimming, lake cruises and the Windermere Yacht Club. The old market town of Kendal is also easily accessible from Crosthwaite, with a wide range of shops, pubs and restaurants as well as entertainment for all ages at the Brewery Arts Centre
Underbarrow is a quiet, pretty Lakeland village close to the historic market town of Kendal and within reach of the wonderful Lake Windermere. The village has a pub and is ideally placed for exploring southern Lakeland and the Lake District National Park. Sizergh Castle and Levens Hall, both with fine gardens, are nearby, and Kendal has much to offer in terms of shopping and is quite lively culturally, thanks to the Brewery Arts Centre and the Abbot Hall Art Gallery and Museum, which is widely recognised as one of the best in the region. Also worth a visit is the ruin of Kendal Castle, which was formerly the home of Katherine Parr, and there’s plenty to see and do with Grange-over-Sands, Cartmel, Ulverton, Bowness, Ambleside and even the Yorkshire Dales National Park within driving distance. Underbarrow is a lovely base for exploring the area.
Accommodation
Four bedrooms: 2 x king-size (one zip/link can be 2 x twin on request), 1 x super king-size with en-suite with shower over bath, basin and WC and balcony, 1 x twin with en-suite with bath, separate shower, basin and WC.
2 x shower rooms with basin and WC.
Kitchen with dining area for 4.
Open plan sitting room with dining area for 8
Gas central heating.
Three oven range cooker with gas hob, microwave, fridge and freezer, washing machine, tumble dryer, dishwasher, 58" Smart TV, WiFi.
Fuel and power included in rent.
Bed linen and towels included in rent.
Cot and highchair available.
3 acres of grounds and gardens with sun terrace and furniture.
Two well behaved dogs welcome.
Off-road parking for 4 cars.
Sorry, no smoking.
Pub 8 min walk.
Shop 5 miles.
Bowness and Lake Windermere 5.8 miles
Reviews (42)
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Hannah
Great views from the living room, balcony and garden. There is a cottage attached to the house which is rented separately that we hadn't fully appreciated but this wasn't an issue. When we arrived the house was mostly clean but there were a few socks left from previous guests and we had to clean the cutlery drawer as it was full of crumbs. The welcome pack is a bit of a mess and not very useful - it felt very generic to 'lakelovers' rather than for this house. There's lots of space outside although it is very hilly! You have to keep an eye on children in the garden as there is a hill that leads to a drop onto tiles. It would have been good to have a gate next to the seating area out the front to stop dogs/children from getting to the dangerous steps. Other than the paddock at the back all of the gardens open round the front of the house. We weren't able to shut the gate to the driveway as it is shared by the cottage next door - so we had a keep a closer eye on children and the dog. The upstairs bathrooms occasionally smelt like drains (once very badly!). Something that was disappointing is that recycling is not collected from the house - we saw recycling being put out on other houses nearby so unsure why it isn't collected at Highbeck? We tried to take our recycling to supermarkets but had no luck so ended up putting in the main bin as per the instructions. Overall we enjoyed our stay.
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Pat
The master ensuite upstairs is particularly lovely as it is spacious with a lovely balcony. It is so good to find a house with 6' wide super kingsize beds, which is a must for us. We all loved going to the stream with the little ponds everyday to see how the tadpoles were. Our grandsons loved them and we did lots of research so we could chat with them about their transition from spawn to tadpoles to frogs. We enjoyed using the large grassed area to the rear, playing football and bat and ball. One criticism would be that the fridge is not big enough for the number of guests it accommodates. It really could do with having a double door American style fridge and freezer. A lot of our food was squashed up as we like to make things from fresh so did have a lot of food. Also would like more gin style glasses. Had to call the housekeeper out a couple of times due to possible leak in downstairs toilet and alarm sensors bleeping loudly. These were addressed quickly. We enjoyed our stay and would recommend it to friends
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Lynn
Ideal location, with amazing views. We visited Bowness, Kendal and Grange over sands, all of which were only 15 to 20 mins away. We had a slight issue with the heating, we turned it down on numerous occassions, but the temperature kept going back up to 23 degrees, which was too warm. Bedrooms were beautiful, especially the ones on the first floor, which had the nicest bathrooms we've seen so far. The only drawback were the creaking floorboards upstairs, which you could hear in the downstairs bedrooms, but this was a minor detail. The Punchbowl pub, which is only a 5 minute walk away, serves some of the best food we've had in the lake district, can highly recommend. The house was ideal for our family of 8, including our 2 small grandchildren and we will definitely book this property again.