DonianGuru - verified booking

"If you want to stay and visit Keswick but don't want to be in town, then this accommodation is in a great location being about 5-7 minutes drive away in a rural very quiet village location, in fact it was ideal for the two of us and our two dogs. Apart from the Pottery 30 seconds away, which serves nice tea/coffee and cakes, there is nothing else there but we found it great to be able to drive into Keswick which has an abundance of shops and restaurants. You can walk steeply uphill on footpaths from the door into Whinlatter Forest, taking about 20-30 minutes to get to the main visitor centre area. The actual dormer bungalow accommodation is fine; it has a good size driveway and a very small garden with patio, the garden has no lawn so is mainly shrubs. Whilst we were able to keep our dogs within the fenced garden area it is not gated so be careful. Its very easy to criticise small aspects of the accommodation as others in the Visitor Book have done so over many years and in isolation not major problems, but are helpful suggestions to improve, like needing a mirror in the en-suite, somewhere to hang coats in the hall, a clothes horse, replacement dishwasher cutlery basket, a floor mop etc, none of these had actually been done which is a pity. It had good Wi-Fi connection and the rooms are fairly large. There are great views of the fells particularly from the upstairs rooms. It was nice to have both a downstairs and upstairs lounge with TV in both. There was plenty of china and cutlery, cooking utensils etc. The owners phoned us on arrival and were extremely keen to make sure we were happy with the accommodation; a nice touch. The décor was fine; in places it needs a little TLC and smartening up. It is not luxury accommodation neither is it poor. The showers again were fine, they are electric powered so the flow rate is always going to be limited compared with a pumped or mains pressure shower. If you are tall, then the upstairs bedroom may be an issue in places. The bed was very comfortable. For us the location and views were the main USP, the fact that it needed a little TLC in places was not off-putting. Yes we'll return if they'll have us."

- Mr Allcock, August 2018 - verified booking

"The bedrooms are all large and have en-suite bathrooms and, in addition, there is a large family bathroom with a spa bath. The kitchen has all that you need to self cater and there is also plenty of fridge/freezer space. The utility has a washer and drier plus a separate downstairs WC. There are three reception rooms to allow for space if needed - two of them have TV/video provided. In addition, there is a wi-fi link available. There is lots of space to park cars off-road to the rear of the house. It is in a great location and has superb views across the Solway Firth. There are two excellent pub/bistro in the village with menus that cater for all tastes. The information from the owner was excellent with plenty of detail making it easy to find and access the property. The down-side is that there are lots of irritating issues that have not been addressed despite being listed in the house maintenance book over a significant period of months such as lots of light bulbs needing replacement; fridge seal damaged and allowing the fridge to leak; the drier works but is exceptionally noisy and needs attention; the Jack & Jill bathroom shower needs attention; there is no 'pole' to open the Velux windows in the annex bedroom; the main dining table can only accommodate eight people although the house can accommodate more; there is insufficient garden furniture for all occupants (the large picnic table is wooden and damaged) and there are no patio umbrellas available (the large one at the property is broken and dumped at the rear of the house). It may seem churlish to make note of these 'little' problems when we have had such an excellent holiday but, if you are paying a premium price for what is advertised as a luxury and premium property, you expect these issues to be addressed and not left untended for months and months. It might be that, having put the property up for sale, that the owners no longer care about their holiday renters??"

Mr Gatti - verified booking

"Brant Le'ath is the best holiday cottage we ever stayed in. It ticks all the right boxes for us: it's a bright and full of character stone detached cottage located in a picturesque countryside village with a stunning view of the rolling Cumbrian countryside, it's clean and extremely well equipped (the extensive collection of OS maps and books is definitely a bonus) and absolutely peaceful - something you definitely appreciate if you live in London and commute every day to the City! We particularly enjoyed the secluded garden and patio where we had some great dinners and a couple of drinks after a day on the fells and the collection of DVDs on the Lakeland mountains that helped us to get onto the spirit of that beautiful corner of England. The cottage has two newly refurbished bathrooms (one ensuite in the master bedroom) on the first floor and a small cIoset downstairs near the utility room where you have the washing machine and separate tumble dryer. The kitchen is huge, very bright and fully equipped. Bran Le'ath is the perfect place to have a peaceful and relaxing holiday and explore the Northern Lakes. The Old Crown is just a 3-minute walk from the property and serves a great selection on real ales, mostly supplied by local micro-brewery. Other great pubs in the area are the Oddfellows Arms in Caldbeck (1.5 miles) and the Snooty Fox in Uldale (6 miles). We will definitely go back to this amazing holiday cottage."

Mr Gatti - verified booking

"It ticks all the right boxes for us: it's a bright and full of character stone detached cottage located in a picturesque countryside village with a stunning view of the rolling Cumbrian countryside, it's clean and extremely well equipped (the extensive collection of OS maps and books is definitely a bonus) and absolutely peaceful - something you definitely appreciate if you live in London and commute every day to the City! We particularly enjoyed the secluded garden and patio where we had some great dinners and a couple of drinks after a day on the fells and the collection of DVDs on the Lakeland mountains that helped us to get onto the spirit of that beautiful corner of England. The cottage has two newly refurbished bathrooms (one ensuite in the master bedroom) on the first floor and a small cIoset downstairs near the utility room where you have the washing machine and separate tumble dryer. The kitchen is huge, very bright and fully equipped. Bran Le'ath is the perfect place to have a peaceful and relaxing holiday and explore the Northern Lakes. The Old Crown is just a 3-minute walk from the property and serves a great selection on real ales, mostly supplied by local micro-brewery. Other great pubs in the area are the Oddfellows Arms in Caldbeck (1.5 miles) and the Snooty Fox in Uldale (6 miles). We will definitely go back to this amazing holiday cottage."

Mrs Sarginson - verified booking

"The property is larger than you expect from the photos and is fresh and bright. Unfortunately, the washing machine and tumble drier are in a garage full of rubbish, a large Christmas tree, a burst box of spilling washing powder and a leaking roof which has made every surface very wet - not a clothes or me friendly environment. The tumble drier is £1 coin operated but the new £1 did not seem to fit. There are no hooks to hang any coats in the main house and the upstairs is much chillier than the ground floor - making the upstairs lounge unappealing, even though it has a great view. This is the only property that we have ever booked that has not had a welcome pack of at least tea bags, coffee or sugar - ? is this a Lakes Cottage Holiday norm or just this property as having driven for 7 hours in difficult weather conditions this was disappointing."