"Another chill out stay in Pen Cottage."
We are fortunate enough to be able to come to our little retreat twice a year! Beautiful location and the cottage has become like a second home to us. Please don’t change anything!
Thank you for your kind comments. We are glad that you enjoy returning and look forward to welcoming you back again.
Lakelovers Owner Relations Team
Property Owner
Reviewed by Susan5.0★ Oct 2023
"Wonderful holiday made even better by the accommodation."
First Class. In a beautiful place with great views there was nothing lacking at all. Would recommend to anyone. We had a fantastic week.
Thank you so much for your kind remarks. We're pleased that you had a good week and enjoyed the cottage's panoramic view of Skiddaw to Helvellyn.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Anne5.0★ Oct 2023
"We stayed for five nights in what is a delightful location and a lovely comfortable cottage."
The cleanliness was of a very high standard and the cottage had all we needed for an enjoyable break. The views from the property are beautiful even on an overcast and wet day (of which there are many in the Lake District). I would happily stay here again.
Thank you for your comments.
We are glad you enjoyed your holiday.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Richard5.0★ Aug 2023
"This is one of the nicest holiday properties that we have stayed in."
Beautiful views, lovely landscaped gardens leading down to a pond (NOT suitable for young children). Easy, off-road parking; house was very clean, nicely furnished, and is well equipped with good WiFi and modern kitchen appliances. Highly recommended.
Thank you for your positive comments.
The gardens are lovely all year round.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Duncan5.0★ Jul 2023
"Had a fabulous week at Pen Cottage, the accommodation was spot on and with fantastic views."
There isn’t anything I can say wrong about it, great location, on a bus route if you don’t want to drive, peaceful and picturesque. Kitchen has everything you could want to cook a full dinner and there’s plenty of seating in the living room and snug. We did alter furniture to give a more homely feel to the living room plus the sofa was stopping heat from the radiator other than that it was perfect for our needs. My Dad even said he could quite happily live there so that say it all. 5 stars from us we will be back.
We are so pleased all generations enjoyed Pen Cottage and you felt at home.
You are welcome to stay again.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Stacey5.0★ Apr 2023
"Remembered to take some oven-gloves after reading previous reviews."
Very nice stay in very nice accommodation. Broken kitchen door handle was the only minor issue. Lovely garden area and views when the weather obliges. Welcome packs were a pleasant bonus, thankyou. Wouldn't hesitate to go back.
Pleased to hear that you enjoyed your holiday. Regarding oven gloves, these can be unhygienic unless cleaned after every visitor. Instead, our cleaners provide a white 'oven cloth' which is easier to wash. A clean 'oven cloth' is provided at each changeover. Thank you for your comment about the kitchen door handle - this was replaced the day following your visit. Hope you will be able to return for another holiday sometime.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Chris5.0★ Oct 2022
"We all love Pen Cottage and usually visit at least twice a year (have done for approx the last 12yrs) - we’ve already booked a week next April."
Being small, I struggle with sitting on the sofas in the lounge so usually bring a chair in from the snug. It doesn’t stop me loving the place like a second home. Love the new mattresses but wonder if it’s time for new duvets?
Thanks for letting us stay in your beautiful cottage.
Many thanks for your comments. Pleased to hear that you love the cottage. Hope you will be able to enjoy another visit sometime.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Susan4.7★ Oct 2022
"The cottage was well equipped, but really needed a pair of oven gloves."
The place was very well kept, grounds were beautiful, just wish we could have stayed longer.
Thank you for your remarks regarding the cottage and grounds. Pleased to hear that you enjoyed your holiday. Regarding oven gloves, these can be unhygienic unless cleaned after every visitor. Instead, our cleaners provide a white 'oven cloth' which is easier to wash. A clean 'oven cloth' is provided at each changeover. Hope you may be able to enjoy another stay sometime.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Jane5.0★ Aug 2022
"Excellent company to book with, but the icing on the cake was Pen cottage."
It was gorgeous .
Very spacious very well equipped with everything you need and more, plenty of space to park your cars very quiet and the most unbelievable views looking onto the beautiful Lake District fells . Breakfast on the patio every morning and afternoon tea in the shared ground in the afternoon what more could you want .
When I say shared grounds we saw 3 people ,plenty of room .
I was lucky enough to have a Mum who was born and lived in Keswick ,
And remember Pen Cottage as apart of the Swan Hotel .
I’ve been coming to Keswick for 65 years sadly no house of our own now , but trust me Pen Cottage is one of the best places you could stay. Fantastic
Thank you so much for such kind and positive comments. We are so pleased that you enjoyed your holiday. As you knew the Swan Hotel, you may remember that our kitchen was part of the original building (which was built in 1648) and was the hotel kitchen. Our lounge was part of the hotel dining room (this part was built in the 1960's). The long hotel dining room had five large windows overlooking the garden with the view to Skiddaw and Helvellyn. We are lucky to have two of the five windows! Good to hear that you were able to make use of the gardens in the fine weather. Hopefully you may be able to enjoy another holiday here sometime.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Christine5.0★ Aug 2022
"The Cottage was absolutely lovely, a great base for our holiday adventures."
Superb position to explore the North Lakes. The cottage was so well equipped it surpassed expectations. Will definitely return again.
So pleased to hear that you enjoyed your stay. There's plenty to explore in the North Lakes, hope you can continue your explorations before too long. Many thanks for your kind comments.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Gary5.0★ Jul 2022
"Excellent cottage, so well equipped."
We stay every year & greatly enjoyed our visit again.
Pleased to hear you enjoyed another holiday at Pen Cottage. Thank you for your positive comments. Hope to welcome you back again before long.
Property Owner
Reviewed by James5.0★ Apr 2022
"This is a very well equipped and well-run cottage, where one easily gets a sense of the thoughtfulness of the owners."
Everything worked well. the property is connected to other cottages nearby but on my stay there was a quiet atmosphere. the views are quite stunning and there is the benefit of a beautiful shared garden to the front. well-placed for local hikes and a short drive into keswick.
i think a more prominent display of wifi details would be my only suggestion
Many thanks for your comments. Pleased to hear that you enjoyed your stay. We've taken on board your remarks regarding the wi-fi, details will be displayed more prominently quite soon.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Darren5.0★ Apr 2022
"Another great stay in Pen Cottage - we try to stay at least 2weeks/year as we love the location and cottage."
Thumbs up for the new mattresses but not so much the leather suite. We all struggled to get comfortable but understand that cushions are not an option re the allergy free policy. It will not prevent us staying again, in fact we have already booked for October.
Thank you for your comments, we're pleased that you enjoyed another holiday. Good to hear that the mattresses are appreciated. It's difficult to find seating suitable for everyone but good to hear that you will be staying again in October. Hope you enjoy your next holiday.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Susan4.4★ Mar 2022
"Lovely holiday; cosy cottage with great facilities in a tranquil location."
Really well equipped kitchen and great to have washer/ dryer and dishwasher. There were a few things which were really disappointing; one was that all the floors are hard tile/ laminate and it would have been really nice if some part of the living room floor was carpeted to allow you to sit on the floor or have a stretch etc. Even a rug would have helped and the sofas were not the comfiest. Also there were no dishwasher tablets, bin bags or washing powder. We would have preferred not to have to go into Keswick on bank holidays looking for these things, either that or make it clear in the pre arrival info. Doesn't cost much to leave 6 dishwasher tablets and a spare bin bag. One more serious thing was that one of the kitchen cupboards was full of mouse droppings and had 2 traps in (not set up) so it was clearly an ongoing issue. I became ill with stomach cramps on the second day and we felt this was one of the possible causes. It may have been unrelated but either way it needs addressing.
Thank you for your comments. We are pleased that you had a good holiday and found the cottage cosy. We are pleased to hear that the facilities, location, kitchen and appliances were so appreciated.
Regarding the flooring, the cottage is designed to be allergy-friendly, hence the hard flooring which is more hygienic than rugs and carpets which can harbour dust-mites.
The leather covered armchairs and sofas have been chosen for the same reasons. The lounge seating was new in 2021 and we have received many favourable comments regarding the comfort.
May we respectfully suggest that anyone wishing to sit on the floor or carry out floor exercises should bring their personal roll-up mat for the purpose.
Your latter comments are really housekeeping issues and these should have been made directly to Heart of the Lakes during your stay so that remedial action could have been taken promptly.
We have confirmed that the cottage was prepared for your arrival but it would seem that the cupboard under the kitchen sink may have been overlooked. Dishwasher tablets and bin bags should have been present. Apologies for this oversight.
Parts of Swan House are about 350 years old and Building Regulations in the 17th Century were not as stringent as they are now. As with all old, stone-built rural buildings, mice have a habit of getting into the voids in the stone walls and have occasionally found their way into the space under the kitchen cupboards. This was managed by use of bait in sealed containers (not traps) and the issue has been resolved.
We have now changed to a property management company that employs professional cleaning and laundry teams.
We can ensure a clean and fresh welcome to Pen Cottage.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Leanne3.4★ Dec 2021
"We only slept and breakfasted at the cottage."
.....no other cooking. But it was clean and enjoyed wonderful views. Great wifi also!
We would stay again.
Many thanks for your comments. Pleased to hear that you enjoyed your stay (and the technology!). Hope you may stay again sometime.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Michel5.0★ Nov 2021
"Would have been nice to have a pint of milk in the fridge on arrival."
Thank you for your comment. We trust that you enjoyed your stay.
We have taken on board your comments and there will now be a tea and coffee tray ready to welcome guests on arrival.
Guests usually pick up groceries on their way to Pen Cottage. There is plenty of choice. Braithwaite has an excellent village shop, there is a small shop in Braithwaite camp-site (open when the camp-site is operating), Booths and Co-op supermarkets in Keswick and a couple of well-stocked shops at petrol stations in Keswick. Also, Pen Cottage is in the delivery area for some supermarkets (just make sure you request the delivery for 'Pen Cottage, 3 Swan House, CA12 5SQ' and that you are at the cottage to attract the drivers' attention when he/she arrives!).
Property Owner
Reviewed by Leigh5.0★ Sep 2021
"Very pleased with our stay in Pen Cottage."
Everything went smoothly from booking to departure, very helpful customer service. Ideal location, comfortable cottage and wonderful views. Hoping to come back as soon as possible. We couldn’t recommend it more.
Thank you very much for your comments.
We are pleased that you enjoyed your stay and hope that you may visit Pen Cottage again sometime.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Piotr5.0★ Aug 2021
"Beautifully presented, comfortable, ground floor apartment, with every convenience."
The only two negatives was the road noise from the A66, which was as expected, given the closeness of the road, and second, the potential lack of privacy in the two bedrooms, as to they are on an eyeline for passers by to the flat upstairs.
That said, we'd have loved to have stayed longer, it's a beautiful flat, in a beautiful part of the Lakes, and the view from the living room and patio was glorious! Thank you
Thank you for your feedback. We are pleased that you enjoyed your stay.
We realise that there is some intermittent background noise from the A66. Unfortunately, we can't do much about this (and we all need to use the road from time to time!).
When we sit on the patio, we imagine the time when steam trains used the Penrith-Keswick-Cockermouth railway line that ran along the side of Bassenthwaite Lake - where the current A66 is now. Apparently, trains would stop if flagged down (near the current A66 underpass) to allow local residents and Swan Hotel visitors on and off the trains. The road at the front of Swan House was the main road then. At least this road is now quiet and is just used by local traffic, cyclists and buses between Keswick and Cockermouth.
Regarding the potential lack of privacy in the bedrooms, this is a good point now that the apartment above is in regular use. We plan to fit opaque blinds to these windows in 2022.
We hope that you may be able to visit Pen Cottage again sometime.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Jacqui5.0★ Jul 2021
"Pen cottage is extremely well situated for a hiking trip in the northern lakes."
It was spotless on arrival and all the facilities are superb. I would definitely book again next time I am in the Lakes.
Many thanks for your comments. We are pleased that you enjoyed your stay and hiking in the area. We hope you may be able to visit Pen Cottage again sometime.
Property Owner
Reviewed by Lesley Caroline4.7★ May 2021
"An excellent warm, comfortable and well-equipped property"
BaileyDec 2019
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