Summerhill Cottage

It’s beautifully furnished and location is also amazing. All the necessary things are provided

Heating system not worked properly

All very good you could not drink tap water but there is water in bottles for you

the smell from the drains it should be sorted out its not nice every now and then

I was one of the first guests to stay in Summerhill Cottage many years ago and was so excited to return with a different group. It was every bit as magical as I remembered in terms of how it looks. The moment you walk though the door you feel like you have been transported! The decoration is exquisitely rustic and charming, everywhere you look is a beautiful sight. There’s plenty of seating options and plenty of space for every guest and more! The owner had left a bottle of wine and some cookies which was a lovely touch. Plus there was plenty of wood for the log burner which was wonderful and great fun. The location is stunning and the views from the garden is incredible, we had lots of lovely walks around. The driveway was also large enough for all 5 of our cars! Although there is another cottage on-site so if they had guests in there it would have been much more tricky and you can only comfortably fit 3 cars without doing some blocking and swapping. Thankfully it was only us.

Sadly, we had a few major issues which meant some of our party had to leave early which was such a shame and, although, we had hoped to make this an annual trip, we won’t be able to return. Firstly the water from the tap is not drinkable. I remembered this from last time and brought some bottles of water. On arrival I saw bottles left by the owner so I told everyone else not to bring any. However, we then discovered that they weren’t fresh bottles they were refilled so we had no idea how long they had been sitting there (especially as there was more replacements under the stairs) which is fine for heating in the kettle but not advisable to drink cold. This was annoying as we could have bought it cheaper on route, but not too much of a problem as we went and bought water in Bowness. Secondly the heating proved to be very difficult and had me in literal tears by the end of the stay. Guests have no control over the temperature or timings of the central heating, you must contact the housekeeper (we tried on the first day and couldn’t get through till the second.) The heating is not on a thermostat but a timer and only set to come on 4 times a day! Which meant the house was often cold. The housekeeper was responsive from then on but it was such a pain to have to keep texting to ask for it to be turn on or up or down, and having to sometimes wait too long for a reply. We could NOT seem to get it right either. It was either freezing cold during the day or screaming hot during the night! Eventually, on the fourth day, we gave up and went out to warm up. There are two plug-in heaters which do help but they don’t heat the house up enough on their own. I wish, wish, wish they could let guests be in control of the heating and simply let it run on a thermostat like every other cottage we’ve stayed in.

Loved the decor, and the layout you could see so much thought had gone into the property, so many authentic items as well, yet also modern items which blended well. Loved the outside garden and the fact that you saw so much wildlife. The bedrooms were lovely, the flooring was slightly off but that is due to the wooden beams and flooring. The master bedroom was perfect for my daughter with my grandson, plenty of room, and perfect for the travel cot. The cottage is very homely and quirky at the same time and is very spacious. It is deceiving how big it actually is when you look at it from the outside. It's great that we had parking, as you do need a car to get about. Loved the fact that the cows and calfs come up to the field opposite. Beautiful views and location The kitchen, although very authentic, was very well equipped. We found everything we needed and more. We had a slight issue with the taps to the jacuzzi, but luckily the owners were in the studio flat to sort that out, although we did not use it in fear of it not being able to turn off. As the property is set off the beaten track, you are unable to drink the tap water. However, the host provided plenty of bottled water. Yes, there was sometimes a sewage whiff in the front room, but the aystem are run on a septic tank, and this is not noticeable all of the time. The hist provided a bittle of wine and some cookies and also some longlife milk to get you started. The utility room is separate and contains all that you may need, a fridge freezer and washing machine. If you want a modern singing and dancing cottage with full plumbing, etc, this is not for you, but if you want somewhere cosy, authentic with hustorical decor, this is the perfect place.

The only thing i didn't like, which is a personal thing, is the single track that leads to the property, which goes on for over a mile. It's not for the feint hearted as there are not many places you can pull over. However, only the locals really use it, and even though i felt i was running the gauntlet each time we went out, we only came across another car twice.. So if you do not like single track roads, this would not be a good choice for you, however if you've been to the remote parts of the Lakes before, you will know that much of the area off the beaten track is like this. The only other thing is that it does not stand out easily, and we had to go round the track twice to eventually find it...much to my horror on a late rainy afternoon, maybe a more obvious sign outside would help with this.

The location of the cottage overlooking the valley was a great experience. The views were great and the inside of the cottage gave a feeling of old times.

The water boiler was not functioning properly and help was required to make it functional.

The house is stunning, beamed with low ceilings, tons of charm and a quirky design that made my family and I smile. If you want modern, look elsewhere! The children loved the spiral staircase, being able to loop around the house and play hide and seek. The shape lends itself to such antics ❤️ . There is a lovely ‘natural den’ in the garden, bottom left corner through the Laurel… Perfect amount of space, so grandpa could sit in the snug and others could play games and or chat in other areas.. we never felt crowded. We had a couple of issues that were put right by a text and someone coming out within 6hrs. The view is worth the drive up and down, indeed the drive itself has amazing views! Four of us cooked for nine on one occasion, so I know the kitchen works well.. not large, but most things are there. Oddly, the kitchen has no electric whisk. All communication was friendly and professional, thank you for being so prompt when we ask for assistance ❤️

Bed mattress in the main bedroom was a little to soft. We had an issue with the spa bath, but that was fixed so quickly I wondered who was married to a plumber!