Arabella - verified booking

"We picked The Gables for our family of four to stay in mainly because of its location, and we were not disappointed! It was great to be able to walk up Helvellyn from the door, or drive short distances to other stunning walks.We had some mixed emotions about the house itself. Overall it was decent. Plus points were the effort the owner had gone to to make sure that everything you needed in terms of facilities and equipment was provided. And we just loved the amazing view from the huge windows across the lake to the mountains beyond. So we felt very 'welcomed'. From a neutral perspective, worth noting that a quirk of the lay-out is that one of the bedrooms is downstairs whilst the other is upstairs - this worked for us as our kids are a little older and it was nice to have the space, but may not work for others. Both bedrooms were ensuite which was appreciated.We rent holiday cottages quite a lot (great for holidays with kids!) and comparatively, this cottage was one of the smallest we have stayed in. Yes, it was big enough for us 4, absolutely, but cost-wise it is less house for the pound though I appreciate that location is excellent though. The main challenge that I had with the place was the water. After a day's walking I just wanted a warm shower or bath. The water was never hot enough to run a decent bath, and the poor water pressure in both showers in cold bathrooms meant that it was quite a chilly experience having a shower. I am completely understanding of challenges in water pressure in certain locations, but this was the main thing that impacted our enjoyment of the cottage so possibly it's worth looking at?In short, we felt very welcomed, in a cottage in a lovely location, and we could see from the visitors book how many people loved staying at The Gables, we just would have liked better water facilities!"

Suzy - verified booking

"We stayed at Blaes Crag last week of September 2018Fantastic cottage in an even more fantastic location. I wish I had the top floor bedroom at my home, such stunning views!Cosy cottage was perfect for me, my husband and the dog. We did several walks from the cottage including the mighty Helvelyn and Aira Force which we walked to then got the steamer back.A visitors book would be nice, (always useful to see what others recommend doing/seeing)as well as a welcome pack.We had an issue with the guttering on the side of the dormer window rattling one night, when it was windy, but we could have slept in the other double room if any more wind had been forecast. I have reported this to the office so hopefully will get sorted soon, I think the owners may have already tried to fix looking at another review.I also agree that the kitchen lighting is not great, could be improved relatively easily.Other than that, we really enjoyed our stay and would definitely stay again!Thank you to the owners for renting out this amazing cottage"

Petal232 - verified booking

"3 generations of our family stayed at the cottage last week and we all enjoyed the week. Plenty of room for us to spend time together eating or playing games or just relaxing on our own. The top floor bedroom with two sofas and balcony was much appreciated. The owner was very kind and provided scones with cream and strawberries on arrival and topped us up with butter shortcake biscuits and lemon drizzle cake later in the week! We had great weather, despite the forecast, and enjoyed the sunshine in the garden with the new patio table and comfy seats set by the house and the chairs and coffee table on the "evening" terrace at the end of the garden. The views at the back of the house were wonderful and we walked to Lantys Tarn across the hillside behind the house twice. Glenridding sailing centre is nearby as well as the steamer port and the hiring point for motor boats so boat lovers can have a really good time. Then of course there is Helvellyn for the more adventurous but we had eaten too much cake!"

Riddyralf - verified booking

"Absolutely loved being a guest at Helen's extremely comfortable and well stocked cottage in the heart of Glenridding. A wonderful base to explore the beautiful Lake District and felt very well looked after with little surprise baked deliciousnesses being left for us over several days. A real home with a heart and I would absolutely recommend it to everyone. We were two families of mothers, and double boy trouble and we all had our own space and more with the beautiful top floor being used as a castle turret whilst the kitchen and glowing fire in the sitting room were the grown up domain with a nice neutral buffer zone of bedrooms in the middle. Lovely garden with barbecue area, TUMBLE DRIER, and use of the very nice indoor pool in the hotel down the road. Great shop within stumbling downhill distance and marvellous pub just a minute up the hill. Thank you Helen and the lovely locals - GREAT HOLIDAY"

COLLINS - verified booking

"This was the most we have ever paid for a week in a cottage in the Lake District but thought we'd pay a premium for what looked like a lovely cottage in a perfect location. The location and the view from the lounge bay window are wonderful but when you pay over £800 for a week then you at least expect the property to be clean. Disappointingly it wasn't. In fact it was grubby with the cutlery drawer not cleaned, the dining table sticky and the comfy chairs in the bay dirty and needing the throws that cover them. The cottage is in need of some TLC which probably hasn't been the case for years. This is a shame as I'm sure that this was a lovely property at one time.The pictures on the CC website must be from years ago as they do not accurately represent the cottage today."