"When we arrived the first thing that struck us was that the cottage was much smaller than we expected, it was ok for 2 of us but 4 would be quite a squash. First the good points; it’s a characterful cottage with lots of potential, it’s in a good location for walks and touring the Northern Lakes right at the bottom of the lane for Blencathra. The heating is good and the log burner effective and easy to use. The kitchen is well equipped and it’s nice to have a table to eat at. There’s a good supply of cleaning equipment and a washing machine should you need it. There is no WiFi but we had good 4G. TV is small but adequate. Bathroom has a bath and a good separate shower. There is a small garden across the back lane which has lovely views of Blencathra. There were however some bad points which if addressed could so easily have vastly improved our experience. The parking space is unmade and muddy and very difficult to get into on a tight narrow lane however if you go up to the top to turn it is easier and because it was frosty the mud wasn’t too much of a problem. Gravelling would help enormously. The freezer compartment of the fridge had not been defrosted, was dirty and smelt awful on arrival so we had to clean before we unpacked. The rest of the kitchen also needed some additional cleaning. There is no sink plug in the bathroom sink and a rather disgusting toilet brush which has obviously been used to clear the toilet as the flush is poor. There was no starter pack for the fire as advertised. The place was slightly foisty smelling on arrival including the bedding which may have been because had been unoccupied but it did air and completely resolved with heat and being lived in. We felt the bedding especially the pillows could have done with replacing though as they smelt stale, we actually bought some new ones. Most of the windows are not double glazed and are very draughty as they don’t shut tightly, this is especially problematic in the lounge for the person sitting on the sofa under the window, even with the shutters and curtains closed the cold still crept through. This would be an easy problem to rectify with double glazing. The bed was quite uncomfortable especially because the floors slope (being an old cottage) so could do with levelling. Some of the furniture and fittings (curtains, bedding and lampshades) were very tired and cheap looking making the upstairs in particular look drab. If a few things were updated and tackled this cottage would be great and of course more attention to detail with the cleaning. Overall we did enjoy our stay despite the gripes. We do think though that unless these points are addressed the cottage is overpriced compared to the adjacent better equipped ones."

"Stayed in Threlkheld before so I knew what to expect. There are 2 pubs. The horse and farrier do excellent food and you can take your dogs in. But it’s very popular so you need to call in advance. The accommodation is very basic, but it has everything you need for your stay. There was even complimentary tea, coffee and milk. Along with washing up liquid etc... the owners kindly let us take a second dog but you need to enquire before you book. Our dogs are fairly small so would be different if you had large dogs. The building itself is very old and the floors and walls are uneven. This added to the overall experience and even though on the main through road it was very quiet. My only niggle was that the windows are old and not very draft proof. This was fairly uncomfortable sitting in the living room. We counter acted this by having the log fire on. There are fantastic views of Blencathra from the landing window and some good walks from Threlkeld. Overall, I’d be happy to return here as it is a great base to explore the lakes - but ideally, you do need a car as there are no shops. Keswick being the closest approximately 4 miles away."