Stepping Stones House

50 Customer Reviews

• "A fabulous accommodation well presented with top class fittings and utensils etc."

  Great location and so much space. The top area was surprisingly large and great for children. The only downside was the weather, tho even that wasn’t as bad as forecast

  Reviewed by Alistair5.0★Apr 2024

• "Amazing location and superb property."

  Reviewed by Ben3.8★Mar 2024

• "The house is absolutely beautiful and in a perfect location."

  The property is also very well equipped. I've never stayed in a holiday let with such a well stocked kitchen before. The attick bedroom was perfect for the children, like something out of Mary Poppins. They had so much fun. All the little touches such as The White Company diffuses and toilettries were a really nice touch. The property smelt unbelievable when we arrived. The house is located near to some really lovely walks such a Rydal Caves and Rydal water. It's also near enough to walk into Ambleside if you wish. I think the only thing the property is lacking is somewhere to hang your coat. A free standing coat stand in the corner of the dining room would be sufficient enough to sort this. We had a fantastic break overall and would definitely look at returning here.

  Reviewed by Louise4.7★Mar 2024

• "Having stayed in the area many times we knew how lovely the views would be from Stepping Stones House, however on arrival we were blown away by the interior - it was simply stunning!"

  The house is well appointed, perfectly suited to two families with older children and a dog. We appreciated the use of the wood burner, we brought our own logs from home! The selection of puzzles and games meant that we hadn't needed to bring our own...we'll factor this in next time. In short, I think I can speak for both families when I say that this is now our favourite place to stay in the lakes. One negative (a very small one): There are limited places to hang/store wet gear and we all felt that walking straight into a carpeted room from the driveway was asking for trouble, especially if visitors have young children or dogs.

  Reviewed by Karen4.7★Feb 2024

• "Love stepping stones house go every year"

  Reviewed by Diane5.0★Jan 2024

• "This is my third stay at Stepping Stones over the last five years."

  We love it for family stays for all the generations. The location is great for easy access to many walks or just an easy stroll in to Ambleside. We will definitely be back again.

  Reviewed by Kirsty5.0★Jan 2024

• "Beautiful house - we have also stayed previously so were really looking forward to a nice relaxing week away with the family."

  Unfortunately the water pump in the loft was continually pumping 24 hours a day every 2 minutes for about 90 seconds so we got about 30 seconds of peace whilst in bed. This was reported to Lakelovers and they did send someone round to look at it who agreeed it was faulty and would need to see if they could gain access into a neighbouring house to fix the issue. This was the last we heard - I did call the office again and they said they would get someone round to look at it again, this didnt happen. We didnt hear back from Lakelovers despite me mentioninng this in the feedback email they sent before we left. Overall a hugely disappointing stay this time resulting in the 2 people staying directly below the pump leaving early to get some decent sleep and the childern sleeping on mattresses in other bedrooms or even on the sofa.

  Reviewed by Nicola5.0★Dec 2023

• "Stunning property and so clean."

  We stayed here for the weekend for my dad's 60th. He loved it, and he loved the history behind it too. The views are breathtaking. Even though the house is way bigger than we are used to, it still felt homely aswell. The kids room was so cute and the toys and books were a nice touch. However, they weren't feeling brave enough to sleep up there by themselves!! Fantastic little weekend away and thankfully the weather held up too! Thanks so much.

  Reviewed by Laura5.0★Nov 2023

• "Location and the property itself were perfect for us, plenty of rooms and space for a family of 8 in the house."

  The facilities in the property were great, the kitchen is incredibly well stocked with utensils, crockery and pots and pans. If I was being critical, the only disappointment was the fridge was broken and the replacement was much smaller, it didn’t stop us having a great time. We would definitely go back to this house.

  Reviewed by Barney4.4★Oct 2023

• "We had a wonderful holiday staying at Stepping Stones, despite the weather!"

  The house is beautifully maintained, extremely comfortable, very well equipped - with masses of lovely china and glass and everything you need for catering. The bedrooms were luxurious, and the views were perfect. So well positioned - wonderful walks to Rydal Water and Grasmere from the house, and the other way an easy walk down a private road alongside the river into Ambleside (perfect for a rainy day, as easy walking - even with a pushchair - and then you can spend time in the town, which is full of cafes, pubs and interesting shops). I cannot recommend this house highly enough.

  Reviewed by Lucy5.0★Sep 2023

• "It must be the 5th time I have stayed at Stepping Stones and we were not disappointed ."

  Unfortunately two old problems were still there, The right hand toaster blows the fuse and the triangular paving stone outside the shed is loose. We did have problems with the front door knob but this was dealt with and replaced immediately .

  Reviewed by Paul4.4★Sep 2023

• "Stunning house, location and love the decor."

  Very well equipped, had a lovely week with the family-even the weather was kind to us. Would heartily recommend this property and hope to return in the future. Thank you

  Reviewed by Elaine4.7★Aug 2023

• "A wonderful location, nice tidy garden and seating area, well stocked kitchen with all the equipment needed, and plenty of place settings, nice toys for the youngest member of our party to play with."

  The rooms were light, airy and there was plenty of space; however the dishwasher rack kept coming off the runners, and the furniture in the sitting room is now getting older and showing signs of wear so the photographs are out of date on the website. We had a enjoyable time, and found it a very good cottage overall for a larger group to use, it would have been helpful to have shoe racks by the door as it felt strange to walk straight into a dining room. It is a nice cottage in a good location, but is showing signs of wear now.

  Thank you for your feedback. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed your stay. We will ask our Maintenance Team to look into the issue with the dishwasher. We will also look at the photographs to ensure that it is accurate. Thank you- The Lakelovers Owner Relations Team Property Owner

  Reviewed by Nichola4.1★Aug 2023

• "This is a wonderful holiday home, large, elegant and beautifully equipped."

  Yes, it is older and has an element of faded grandeur about it, but that is all part of its charm. As per the Lake District, it bucketed down with rain for the first half of our stay, and that is where the large kitchen really came into its own. We were able to cook large family meals, drink good wine and enjoy each day, despite the inclement weather. I would thoroughly recommend this property for a large family or group of friends, and I’m looking forward to booking it again when we return in a couple of years from Australia. All in all, a really great holiday house.

  Reviewed by Brian5.0★Jul 2023

• "We really enjoyed our stay at Stepping Stones."

  This was our 2nd year. The only issue was that one of the beds wasn’t made up so we had to phone for bed linen and make the bed and make do with the towels from the other rooms. The furniture had to be pulled back into position as they were in the bathrooms of 2 of the rooms for cleaning (we presume) but that was easily addressed. It’s a lovely house and we would highly recommend it.

  Thank you for your kind comments. We are pleased to hear that you enjoyed your 2nd stay at Stepping Stones House. We apologise for the error with the beds. We hope to welcome you for a 3rd stay. The Lakelovers Owner Relations Team Property Owner

  Reviewed by Dale4.7★Jul 2023

• "Everything was wonderful only one small critical point was that that fridge is ..."

  Everything was wonderful only one small critical point was that that fridge is quite small for 10 people The listing doesn’t state there is an additional freezer - small chest which is a huge help

  Thank you for your comments. We are please that you enjoyed your time at the property. We take your comments on board, and we will look at the listing. Thank you- The Lakelovers Owner Relations Team Property Owner

  Reviewed by Andrew4.7★Jun 2023

• "We have just returned from a wonderful week with our family at Stepping Stones."

  The house was perfect in every way. The position is fantastic with beautiful walks on your door step. The facilities, equipment and kitchen crockery, glassware etc exceeded my expectations. We will definitely be returning to make more memories with our daughters, son in laws and grandchildren.

  Thank you for your kind comments. It is lovely to see that you all enjoyed your stay, and that your stay exceeded your expectations. We hope to welcome you again. The Lakelovers Owner Relations Team Property Owner

  Reviewed by Joanne5.0★May 2023

• "Beautiful homely feel in an incredible location."

  The bedding, furniture and other sundries added to the experience. However some areas are showing considerable wear and tear. Kitchen tap is requires attention and windows frames are rotted in some rooms. Most of the main furniture in use was covered due to previous damage or wear. The garden added to the homely feel, as it is laid out with well established plants and a great seating area.

  Thank you for your feedback, We are glad you enjoyed your stay with us. Your comments will be passed on. Hope to see you again soon. The owner relations team - Lakelovers The plumber had been asked to deal with the tap and we have chased him up. The windows are being repaired and double glazed units fitted in July. The owners Property Owner

  Reviewed by Simon4.7★May 2023

• "The property is in a stunning location with lots of nearby walks."

  However, our first impression on reaching the poorly maintained front door and frame, caused slight concern with rot and peeling paint. However, internally it was a different story: excellent.

  Thank you for your feedback. We are glad you enjoyed your stay with us. Your comments have been passed on. We hope to welcome you again soon. The owner relations team - Lakelovers Property Owner

  Reviewed by Roger4.7★May 2023

• "We had an absolutely lovely stay here."

  The views are incredible and the walk into Ambleside is delightful along a very quiet road. The kitchen is very well provisioned and we were surprised but excited to see cake stands (as we had planned an afternoon tea one day). The oven was no problem for big fry ups and a Sunday roast. It was a sweet touch to include some credit at a local deli. One small issue was the pillows in the Red Room were all very firm. We had to resort to using cushions instead. We hope to return!

  Thank you for your feedback. We are so pleased you enjoyed your stay with us. We will take into account your comments on the pillows. We hope to welcome you again soon. The owner relations team - Lakelovers Property Owner

  Reviewed by Harriet5.0★May 2023

• "Grand House in a stunning location."

  Excellent layout and well provisioned, really enjoyed our time here. Couple of points, often only very hot water came from the cold taps! Pump/motor running noise in Red bedroom very noticeable at night.

  Reviewed by John4.4★Feb 2023

• "We love our holidays at Stepping Stones- a beautiful house in a wonderful location."

  Great views and lovely walks from the door However there are some aspects of the property which require updating including - The oven is hopeless- it has 2 temperatures which are warm or incineration. This makes cooking very tricky! In contrast the hot water is scalding hot and potentially dangerous for children One of the sofas is threadbare and really needs a replacement or at least a proper cover on it The wood burner has a large cracks in the glass causing the fire to burn really fast And finally the vacuum cleaner is inadequate- it definitely needs replacing as it doesn’t work! However the property has so much to offer- we have made lots of happy family memories here and hope to return in the future

  Thank you for your feedback, which is always gratefully received. We have a number of projects scheduled for 2023 to upgrade the facilities at Stepping Stones including a new kitchen, replacing the Velux windows in the snug and renovating the upstairs windows. A new stove has now been fitted and the Velux windows have been replaced. We have further refurbish work planned for the kitchen over 2023, but this will need to be phased to work around the existing bookings. When we were at Stepping Stones in January we ordered the new glass for the wood burner and this has now been fitted. During our visit we did not experience any problems with the hot water or the vacuum cleaner but following your comments a plumber has visited and reviewed the water issue and the vacuum cleaner has been replaced. We are still trying to decide what we should do about the sofa. It is only a few years old and apart from the torn seat cover is still comfortable and perfectly usable. The cost of recovering it is prohibitive but it seems unnecessarily wasteful to replace it. We will review this again at our next visit. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Jane3.8★Feb 2023

• "We have been to stepping stones house for the last 2 years, but this will be the last time as we had a planned power cut and was told this by the Ambleside office after a wet bit of paper in the letter box it was going to be off 9am to 3."

  30pm so I rung them and they confirmed this with us.We asked for compensation for the day as all our food we had bought was ruined! After ringing the office again they said the owners have said under no circumstances are you getting anything back,I do not even know if they was informed about this but the office made them sound extremely rude. Lots of house to stay at in the lakes just avoid Lakelovers /Sykes cottages customer service was terrible and Will not be booking with these again

  Reviewed by Diane2.8★Jan 2023

• "The property is very tired."

  The electrical sysyem was tripped twice. The ovens take a long time to heat up and twice as long to cook

  Thank you for your feedback. The property has been fully booked in 2022 so we are only now able to carry out the planned complete redecorating of the lounge and the updating of the other rooms. The property is being closed in January so that we can carry out this work. We hope to welcome you back to Stepping Stones House in the future. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Alison3.8★Dec 2022

• "Beautiful christmas tree."

  ...thankyou! Such a gorgeous family house, lots of character & comfort. Wonderful views, especially after the snow!!!!! Such a wonderful experience, our family are so thankful for this Christmas Memory!

  Reviewed by Shaun5.0★Dec 2022

• "Property very comfortable however it is showing signs of being a bit tired, kitchen would benefit from an upgrade and some redecoration would help, no doubt the owners are aware."

  Thank you for your feedback. The property has been fully booked in 2022 so we are only now able to carry out the planned complete redecorating of the lounge and the updating of the other rooms. The property is being closed in January so that we can carry out this work. We hope to welcome you back to Stepping Stones House in the future. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Bruce4.4★Dec 2022

• "Had a fantastic stay."

  Very clean. Facilities were amazing. Definitely going to rebook for next year

  Reviewed by Lisa4.7★Nov 2022

• "We had a wonderful time staying at the Stepping Stones house in October."

  The house was beautiful and was the perfect place for a family holiday which is situated in a lovely location just outside Ambleside. There are also some hidden gems nearby within walking reach such as the ‘Grot’ in Rydal. The house was beautifully decorated and spacious. There was plenty of games, dvds, crockery and much more!! Our grandkids absolutely loved it and enjoyed playing hide and seek. We were lucky to call it our home for a week. We will be back again to enjoy another family holiday in this perfect house.

  Reviewed by Sally5.0★Sep 2022

• "We had a lovely stay."

  A great size house for 9 of us. There was a problem with flies however in the kitchen. I think the area around the cooker needs a good clean and the dishwasher could use a cleaning cycle. Other than that, everything was as good as we had hoped.

  Reviewed by Paul4.1★Aug 2022

• "The property is in an amazing location and is a wonderful large old building."

  It is however not in the best state of repair. When we arrived we found a large hole in the ceiling in the lounge and the house had a strong smell of damp. There was what appeared to be black mould in the snug area too. Lake lovers apologised on the owners behalf and said that the leak had occurred suddenly and offered us a small (±10%) refund which we accepted as there was no real alternative at that point. The coffee machine was still broken despite having been reported in reviews a month earlier as being broken. The fridge was leaking on the kitchen floor and per the conversation with the cleaning staff at the end of our stay it is clear this has been an ongoing issue. This is a relatively dangerous slip hazard as its a tiled floor and the pool of water in the mornings was very large. The hot water was also dangerously hot and not really safe with children. There are no mixer taps and unfortunately when someone runs the cold tap you run the risk of being scolded in the shower which wasn't very pleasant. The tiles are coming up in the bathroom in the front bedroom and it appears that the bath in this room leaks. The kitchen could do with some modernisation in addition to fixing the coffee machine. This is a beautiful house, but it is in a poor state of repair and deserves a 3 star rating at best in its current condition.

  Reviewed by Dominic2.2★Jul 2022

• "Nespresso machine not working properly not heating water."

  Tumble Dryer also not working. Door handles falls off ground floor bedroom door. Damp on base of back wall visible mould in the small living room connected to the kitchen. Visible mould growing on back wall in the kitchen (damp). No parasol outside on patio so no sun shade on hot day. Hoover did not pick up so unable to hoover. No hand brush or sweeping brush to clean kitchen floor with. Second bedroom shower screen screws missing and not fully secure. Needs non slip bath mats for over the bath showers. Given the fee paid for this property i would expect a higher standard of maintenance. Stayed in this property four years ago so had high expectations. .

  Many thanks for your helpful feedback. Non of these things had been reported to us previously so we were not aware of these issues. We will go up to Stepping Stones next week and sort them out. Property Owner

  Reviewed by Robert3.4★Jun 2022

• "Quite simply a stunning property in a beautiful location."

  Very well appointed and kitted out, we had a really memorable holiday. There was a missing back door key but Lakelovers sorted that out immediately, they seemed a very competent operator. Plenty of walks from the door.

  Reviewed by Tim5.0★May 2022

• "Second stay in this gorgeous place."

  Perfect for large families, beautiful location.

  Reviewed by Pauline4.7★May 2022

• "A delightful property, spacious, clean, lovely garden, brilliant location, quiet and by the river."

  No sign of issues raised by earlier critical review. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay.

  Reviewed by Michael5.0★Apr 2022

• "Stunning location."

  Facilities were excellent. Would have no hesitation to recommend the house to others. Our family had a memorable holiday.

  Reviewed by William4.1★Apr 2022

• "Our second stay at Stepping Stones in this beautiful house."

  Brilliant location for lovely walks from the door and also into Ambleside. Great comfortable accommodation for all the family with amazing views from every room Already planning our next visit!

  Reviewed by Jane4.1★Mar 2022

• "THANK YOU SO MUCH for listening to our feedback from last September where the house and services had deteriorated since our previous stays for many reasons as described in my email to Sykes and the owners."

  Everything was back to the usual high standards and the cold water issues were sorted as a bonus! Small items such as one of the outdoor light sensors isn't working and one of the lamps in the hall doesn't work (bulb changed but no difference). There do not seem to be hoover replacement bags either. But all these are minor items - the house was really back to a super standard and we loved it.

  Reviewed by Carol5.0★Mar 2022

• "What a wonderful week we had in an absolutely beautiful home."

  The house is equipped to an unbelievable standard of quality home wear. The room are beautifully decorated. The house is in a fantastic location with a spacious garden. We visited in February but wondered if you have a bbq for outside use in the summer. We actually rebooked for another week at stepping stones, whilst staying on holiday there. A wonderful house.

  Reviewed by Caroline5.0★Feb 2022

• "The house setting is beautiful and the house was lovely and warm when we arrived on a cold evening and the house was ideal for our party of 8 adults and a baby, The separate dining area is lovely for a nice occasion but there is a few negatives that should be addresses The noise that can be heard in the Red Bedroom from a running engine / pump regularly throughout the day and night makes it very difficult to sleep during the night, we paid for 3 nights but only stayed two as we had struggled to get any sleep for the 2 nights we were there."

  some of the interior doors won't close which is an issue with privacy. The house was not cleaned to a very good standard when we arrived (mainly the kitchen area. pans dishes etc needed washed before use. There was not even 1 spare bin bag to allow us to change the bag. one of the ground floor bedroom radiators didn't work making a lovely big bedroom cold. The electric in the Kitchen tripped several times and we had nothing extra plugged in so it made it difficult to make a meal. We would love to return but would need the issues addressed then the stay would be perfect.

  Reviewed by Janice3.8★Feb 2022

• "Excellent property, the only down side was the kitchen layout."

  Although large there is a lack of worktop space and when you are cooking for 10 it is difficult

  Reviewed by Gary4.4★Jan 2022

• "Lovely family home from home."

  The real Christmas tree was a very happy surprise, a great touch that enhanced our stay! My only feedback for the owners was that the heating wasn’t on when we arrived on a December evening, meaning the house was very cold & the remote for it wasn’t responding. We eventually found the switch (it wasn’t clear to us where the cupboard it’s located near was so it took until the next day to find!). Didn’t spoil our holiday in the slightest, I just mention it so you know about it for future guests. Which will definitely include us, we loved the house, location, absolutely everything about it and will definitely return. Also a great service from LakeLovers, who found and returned an item of property we left behind, really appreciate it.

  Reviewed by Anne-marie5.0★Dec 2021

• "Stepping Stones House is a lovely property in a stunning location."

  It is perfect for a large group and the nursery on the top floor is delightful. The Christmas tree looked beautiful in the lounge and made our stay feel very festive. The house is well equipped with everything you need. The kitchen provides plenty of high quality crockery and kitchen utensils and the snug room is perfect for family groups with all the games provided. The heated clothes airer came in very handy, as the weather was raining. The beds are very comfortable and the toiletries in the bathrooms is a nice touch. The hot tap in the green bedroom upstairs needs to be fixed as it doesn’t turn off properly and could result in someone being burned. The central heating was a bit difficult to navigate, so the house felt a bit cold for the first day and night. I spoke to Lakelovers representative and they got a plumber round within an hour, which is excellent customer service. We all enjoyed our stay very much, thank you. Charlotte Coupe

  Reviewed by Charlotte3.8★Dec 2021

• "We have just had a great stay at Stepping Stones House."

  The property is a perfect base and provides excellent accommodation with everything that you might need. In particular the range of crockery, cutlery, glasses, utensils etc in the kitchen is amazing. It has EVERYTHING. The quality of the furnishings, furniture and bathrooms throughout the whole property was first class. The property has a lovely garden which would be great for a summer holiday. A fabulous base for a Lakes holiday for a group of friends or families.

  Reviewed by Roger5.0★Nov 2021

• "A lovely, comfortable, characterful property, which is very well equipped."

  We enjoyed it so much we have booked it again for next year

  Reviewed by Sandra5.0★Oct 2021

• "The electrics had gone when we arrived so the cleaners could not finish, However the tradesman were on site and stayed until the problem was found and fixed Perfect location for both Ambleside and Grasmere."

  Very comfortable in all areas with more than enough facilities for the 10 of us. Slight downside was that the water did not stay hot enough if more than one or two people showered at the same time, which given the very wet weather we had we all needed as soon as we got back from our adventures. Loved the huge kitchen and bedrooms. The views are beautiful all around the house and I am sure it would be lovely to sit out in the very pretty garden in the summer months. Would definitely recommend and would love to go back if we can muster up enough people as it is made for large parties

  Reviewed by Carol4.7★Oct 2021

• "We had a lovely holiday at Stepping Stones."

  The property is a beautiful house with everything you need to have a lovely time there. Our Grandchildren certainly enjoyed the space both inside and out that the house offered. My daughter a keen walker found lots of places on her early morning walks which we all then visited ourselves.We would never have found these lovely places if it had not been for staying at “Stepping Stones”. One thing we would mention is that the property is not as detached as the picture portrays not that it affected our enjoyment of the House but the photograph of Stepping Stones does not show this. Also it has a very public pathway infront of Stepping Stones which attracts lots of walkers passing by and using the Stepping Stones over the river to play on particularly if they have children with them. Obviously the House attracts lots of interest because of what it is, namely once the family home of the Wordsworth family.

  Reviewed by Malcolm3.8★Jul 2021

• "We had a fantastic week at stepping stones house."

  Very impressed with all the crockery. Perhaps a few extra towels would have been nice.Lovely house and lots of walks straight out of the front door.Recommended.

  Reviewed by Mary5.0★Jul 2021

• "The location of the property was fabulous The dogs loved pottering around the garden and watching all the sheep in the field below."

  The walks from the house were brilliant. We would definitely return to this lovely home. Thank you for a super holiday and yummy welcome pack.

  Mrs WanstallJun 2019

• "What an amazing house!"

  We were so lucky to enjoy an amazing week in this stunning property which has everything you could possibly wish for

  Mr GrahamMar 2019

• "The property was wonderful and very well equipped."

  The furnishings and appliances were all of a very high standard. The welcome pack was a lovely addition and a really nice touch. The location was perfect for walks around Loughrigg and the Ambleside/Rydal area.

  Mrs HukinNov -0001

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