Guests say
Hall Bank Cottage in Ambleside offers a traditional charm and an excellent location for walking and exploring the Lake District. The property provides spacious accommodation and a garden, with many guests planning to return despite some noting areas for improvement.
Reviews indicate a mixed experience with cleanliness. Some guests found the property spotless, while others reported it as dirty, with issues like mould, dust, and cobwebs. The inconsistency in cleanliness has impacted guest satisfaction.
The location is highly praised for its proximity to walking routes, Ambleside, and Rydal. It's considered superb for exploring the central lakes, with many guests appreciating the ability to walk directly from the cottage.
Guests generally find the beds and sofas comfortable, and the property spacious. However, some noted that the lounge furniture is tired and the heating system can be challenging to operate, affecting the overall comfort level.
The cottage is well-equipped for self-catering, with ample space and a utility room. However, guests have suggested improvements such as better kitchen equipment, clearer instructions for appliances, and addressing maintenance issues like heating and water pressure.
There is insufficient information to score thoughtfulness as there are no specific mentions of gifts or special touches provided by the hosts. Therefore, this score is set to null.
About this property
Ambleside 2.2 miles. Set between Grasmere and Ambleside in the village of Rydal, Hall Bank Cottage is a charming period cottage dating back to at least 1670 and featuring original exposed beams, open log fire and a woodburning stove. This delightful cottage provides an ideal retreat with superb walks from the door. Opposite the gates of Rydal Hall the cottage has a large enclosed garden with lawns to the front and off road parking for three cars. There are two entrances to the ground floor, one via a porch, and the main one through an entrance lobby with small reading area, woodburning stove and ample room to unload boots, coats etc.
There is a large sitting room with open log fire and double doors leading to a beautiful dining room with period features including an original spice cupboard. Off the dining room is the fully-equipped kitchen. There is also a snug with large TV and a pretty window seat, perfect for children to play and watch TV. Off the entrance lobby, and completing the ground floor, is a useful utility and laundry room with deepfreeze, basin and WC. Upstairs there are four bedrooms, two doubles and two twins, and two bathrooms. There are fantastic views available from throughout the property. Within a short walk is Rydal Water which has attracted artists and poets over the centuries.
There is a friendly and cosy pub within five minutes' walk and a tea room within the grounds of Rydal Hall. This picturesque and quiet location is made for walkers and artists, and with the facilities at Grasmere, Ambleside and popular Windermere easily accessible by car or bus, the heart of the Lake District is on your doorstep.
Accommodation
Four bedrooms: 2 x double, 2 x twin.
Bathroom with bath, separate shower, basin and WC.
Bathroom with bath, shower over, basin and WC.
Kitchen leading to dining area.
Sitting room with woodburning stove Utility with basin and WC.
Snug.
Reading area in lobby with woodburning stove.
Central heating with woodburning stove.
Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge, fridge/freezer, dishwasher, washing machine, tumble dryer, TV with Freeview, DVD, WiFi, selection of books, games and DVDs.
Fuel, power and starter pack for stoves included in rent.
Bed linen and towels included in rent.
Off-road parking for 3 cars.
Front enclosed lawned garden.
One well-behaved pet welcome.
Sorry, no smoking.
Shop 2.2 miles, pub 8 mins walk.
Note: Stairs become quite narrow at the top.
Note: There are several internal steps on the ground and first floor.
Note Cot & Highchair available on request from owner
Nearby points of interest
- Hayes Garden World Ambleside
- Beatrix Potter Gallery, Hawkshead
- Hawkshead Grammar School Museum
- The World of Beatrix Potter
- Lake District National Park
- Lake Windermere
- Esthwaite Water
- Lodore Falls
- Wastwater Lake
- Church of St Olaf
Reviews (44)
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Jacqui
Having different lounge spaces and copious amounts of seating , worked really well, particularly as we had 5 adults and 2 children with us. The kitchen to dining area access was perfect. Great for our family at Christmas. However, considering that it was Christmas and we have stayed in different places in The Lakes at Christmas, where a Christmas tree was always provided, we were disappointed to find that there was no Christmas Tree at the property when we arrived. I had to go out and source one and decorations on 24 December. Considering the money we paid for Christmas week it seemed a little Scrooge like. Soap was not provided in any bathrooms which we did find again a little unhygienic. We had brought toiletries, like shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, luckily, but hand soap for hygiene purposes is usually a basic in self catering accommodation. Again, so many places when it is Christmas leave a Christmas card or a small gift, but this was not evident at Hall Bank Cottage. It's just a welcoming touch that means a lot at this time of year. However, the cottage suited our family perfectly and having Rydal Hall, Rydal Mount and the lake and mountains close by gave ample entertainment. Easy to get to Ambleside and Windermere if you need shopping, cafe's pubs and restaurants. Badger Bar is minutes walk away. We didn't eat here but they provided a quaffable pint or two. We appreciate the cottage is an old building and we live in an old property ourselves so we are used to cobwebs, spiders etc but there were some areas for improvement as in showers and baths that needed extra cleaning before using. The cleaning was Ok but as we have experience in this field we were a little surprised that previous comments from other reviews had not been taken on board by the cleaning company. My son could not find 2 rings he had taken off the night before we left and I reported this to Sykes when we returned home on the day of departure. We have not heard back from the owners as to whether the rings have been found at the property or not. However, we would return to the property as it had so many positives; the location and layout of the property being the key attractions.
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Richard
It smelt musty but when we opened the windows the window gullies were full of dead and live spiders and flies.The windows were so dirty that they blocked out a lot of light.The property is quite dark anyway so this made it worse.We asked the housekeeper to get the windows cleaned but they didnt respond. Every single corner of each room was dirty and full of cobwebs as was the underneath of anything stationary. The kitchen swing bin was really disguting and we had to wash it straight away upon arrival. It was not welcoming to come into and the lack of even 1 tea bag or milk etc was penny pinching. In other properties its still normal to get a welcome pack.This property gives you a mini washing up liquid and a flat sponge.
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Nikki
There was loads of space both inside and out and the location was great with Rydal Hall across the way perfect for short dog walks and the tea room (useful as coffee facilities in house one of the minor cons) - Rydal mount a few metres up the road interesting for a wet day. Endless options for low or high level walks from the door - a great pub a short walk away and a bus stop at the end of the road for linear walks or if you don't fancy trying to park in Ambleside (frequent buses). Manageable walk to lake with a kayak. The photos didn't do it justice - it really was lovely inside - the end room with the log burner was used a lot and great to have generous seating and also plenty of mugs, plates etc. The garden would be lovely for children as enclosed and lots of places for hide and seek. Comfy beds and bedding and quiet at night. Minor cons - no cafetière - we saw in the comments that a previous guest had bought one for the house but that seems to have disappeared too. Wifi fine but doesn't reach the bedrooms. The location is great but lots of other people think so too - we got people parking outside the gate a few times which wasn't a problem for us and most people asked first! (we were there at peak time though). The house was spotless in the ways that matter - bath/bedrooms and kitchen - but there were a lot of long term cobwebs (no flies though ;-)) and the windows could do with a clean. Recycling info isn't great - when we arrived both recycling bins were full - we got in touch with Sykes and one of them and the general waste were emptied the next day but the other one was still full when we left - it takes some going to fill two wheelie bins so they obviously hadn't been emptied for some time. Beware the steps out to the garden from kitchen they are lethal when wet (I have the bruises to show for it). Also - we were a group with several 6ft plus and the low beam on the upstairs corridor took a couple of victims (one almost got knocked out so although I'm not generally a fan of warning signs it might be an idea). However - we had a lovely week in spite of some very wet days and we would definitely recommend/come back to Hall Bank Cottage.