Spring Cottage

We had the best week in this beautiful property, it had everything we needed and even though the weather was mixed throughout the week we all felt cosy and comfortable within it.

It was situated perfectly for our families needs and had stunning views of the surrounding countryside. We loved it that much we booked again for next year. Thanks for having us x

Beautiful house and grounds, good location, friendly owners.

Best of all the properties we have stayed at in the Lakes. Only minor improvement we can suggest is a few more clothes hangars would have helped in the downstairs bedrooms. Otherwise the house had everything we needed.

The house and gardens are immaculate.

Nice and peaceful location to sit and watch people attempting to cross ‘the Stones’ on the river Rothway. Only saw one fail miserably. Spring Cottage is ideally placed for walking into Ambleside or Grasmere with the lovely Loughrigg Fells above. Opposite, and within a short walking distance are the Fairfield Horseshoe, Red Screes and Wansfell.

A fantastic property, the best we have ever stayed in in the Lakes.

Very comfortable with excellent facilities. Very well equipped. Extensive gardens and woodlands with excellent views. Could not fault this property and would definitely stay again.

We are just home from another wonderful stay at Spring Cottage.

The house is super - well equipped and works for our group of different generations, including a baby and a dog. Everything is spotless. The garden is super with lots for the kids to explore. The spot is sublime - so much to do from the doorstep. We’ll be booking again! Thanks so much to owners S&F.

Our second stay at this great house - the only time we’ve ever returned to stay in the same spot in over ten years of visiting the Lakes with our extended family.

Incredibly well equipped, luxurious and so much space, both indoors and outdoors. Thanks for a great holiday.

Great house for 8 people.

Plenty of space, wonderful views and well equipped. Good location with lots of walks from the door, long and short, easy and hard.

Returning guests: Spring cottage continues to offer very comfortable accommodation and is well equipped for the number of guests it can sleep.

There are a variety of options to sit and relax either as a group or individual. The garden room has to be the favourite with views over the valley and across to Wansfell. On a cooler evening the log burner soon raises the temperature! Location wise Spring Cottage has a lot to commend itself; set away from busy Ambleside (which is within easy walking distance), central for exploring the wider Lake District and with good walking from the doorstep.

Spring cottage is a wonderful place to stay and its location is perfect.

The cottage itself is everything you can imagine and more. The layout suited our family perfectly as there are so many areas to spend time either as a family or as an individual. The woods behind the house are fabulous and our dog loved exploring them each day. We hardly used the car as there are so many walks from the cottage and you can walk into Ambleside for the many places to eat. We are planning on returning next year as our holiday so perfect and we all had a great time.

Excellent location.

Lovely property and very well kitted out. Views are stunning. All in all a great holiday house.

Spring Cottage was fabulous, a great space for an extended family of 6 & our lovely old dog.

The location was great - easy walk into Ambleside & fabulous walks straight from the door. The house itself, the garden & the woodland are fabulous- you hardly need to leave. Kitchen is really well equipped & the house so comfortable with fabulous garden or mountain views from every room. It is obviously a much loved home not just a holiday let. We would love to come back.

This is a very beautiful property and we had a very enjoyable stay with lots of walks even amidst the showers.

The views from the property are stunning as is the garden.

Wonderful property in the perfect location.

Probably the best views we’ve had from a house we’ve stayed at in The Lake District over the last 30 years of annual visits

A stunning property in a beautiful and convenient location

Had another wonderful stay, amazing to walk up to the wood above to see how much work is being done to restore the pathways.

I ventured further this year. Richard’s colleagues work so hard, as does he in his dedication to restore the woodland to nature while making it safe for humans to walk and enjoy the area.

Spring cottage is the most beautiful accommodation we have stayed in the lakes.

It had everything you would need for a self catering accommodation. The views were fabulous my favourate room being the garden room. There was ample room for the 6 if us plus a dog. It is in the heart of the lakes and everything you would want to do is within easy reach. My family and I had a wonderful time making precious memories. Thank you . Until next time....

We have been lucky enough to enjoy Spring Cottage on several occasions, it does not disappoint and we hope to return.

It is comfortable, well equipped and in a great location with good walking available from the door. Spring Cottage is just a lovely relaxing place to stay with Ambleside and Grasmere close enough to dip in and out of.

The cottage was absolutely fantastic, even better than in the photos!

It has been beautifully developed over the years and the photographs taken throughout the process were very interesting to see. We loved the spaciousness, the wood burners, the lighting pre-set modes (!), the incredible master bathroom, and the table tennis. The location is absolutely superb and was perfect for us returning Cumbrians to stay, we hope to stay again :-) Thank you for everything.

This is an amazing property.

We had a wonderful week in August in a delightful house and setting. Thank you.

Excellent - gorgeous place with stunning views, very high standard, everything worked - fabulous!

Everything about this cottage is excellent ,the grounds, the space the comfort ,I have already booked this for next year and cant wait to return

everything perfect.

fabulous cottage pity Ambleside doesn't have a recycling bin for properties

Spring Cottage is an amazing place to stay and very hard to put into words how impressed we were with everything.

Very well equipped, fantastic oven/hob and shower facilities and very useful porch area. Great for families with lots of different areas in the house to sit and enjoy the wonderful views. So much thought has gone into everything at Spring Cottage. The location is outstanding.

Overall, the property is excellent.

5 stars and one of the best we have stayed in over the last 15 years. The property has a great layout with lots of interesting space to enjoy. Only three first-world problems. As mentioned by another guest, the kitchen set-up is a little irregular (certainly got in my steps). Either the dishwasher or the eco tablet is not great: crockery needs a rinse at the sink because some will not come out clean. Lastly, nice to meet the owner briefly upon arrival. A second meeting at 9.30 on exit day was ok but it felt like we were being hustled out - especially as the cleaner was also sat in her car next to mine waiting. Good job, we left at 9.58 by my watch. Didn’t feel like I had that extra 10mins to write this in the guestbook! Well, it was never going to be perfect but it was pretty close. Thank you. Shane.

We had a super time at Spring Cottage.

We met the owners Steve and Fiona when we arrived. They were so helpful and you could tell immediately how much well they take care of the house and its grounds. They had even kindly lit the fire for us, which made it feel so cosy. The house is superbly equipped and huge inside. Everything was spotlessly clean. The grounds are fun to explore. And you couldn’t beat the location in the Lakes - we barely got in our cars all week, we mostly went on adventures from the doorstep.

Spring Cottage is a great place to stay.

Excellent location with an easy walk into Ambleside. The house is very well equipped and has all amenities that you could need. The master bedroom and bathroom is amazing and a real wow factor for the house. Ample parking for cars meant it was a great stay for me and my family (6 adults, 1 baby). Very comfortable, cosy and warm after a long day of walking.

Had a lovely stay at Spring Cottage.

The cottage itself passed all our expectations! The facilities in the home are by far the best we’ve had via lakelovers (and we’ve had many over the years) with the added touch of logs being provided! The grounds are just fantastic which the whole family could enjoy, including our four legged friend! We were just a family of 4 so the two largest bedrooms (double master and twin) were just perfect and with lots of space (and what an en-suite the master double has, wow!) but I have to say I would be disappointed if having to use the small double room if visiting with more than 2 adults so other may want to take note of the size if visiting as a group. We were so pleased with our stay we wanted to book immediately again for 2025 but it’s a shame that the prices have gone up! We managed to get the house during a sale so that plus the increase is deterring us returning unfortunately which we are very sad about after such a lovely stay. It’s frustrating school holidays have to be such a premium at rentals when parents have no choice to travel then.

We have stayed at Spring Cottage on quite a few occasions and it does not disappoint.

Great location with good walking from the door, well located for getting out and about the wider lake District and yet a quiet and relaxing base. Very well appointed kitchen with no shortage of pots / pans / cutlery etc. Lovely space for socialising with alternatives for those wanting to be quiet.

The property was stunning.

Great location and views. All facilities catered for. Would highly recommend this property So much so we’ve booked the property for new year 2024

Our second visit to Spring Cottage and this one was just as good as the first.

Definitely felt like a home from home. Thank you for letting us use it.

My Wife, Son and his partner stayed at Spring Cottage in November.

The location of Spring cottage is idyllic with views of Wansfell Pike and the River Rothay. The owners have expertly transformed this cottage from a simple cottage into a very comfortable luxury home with a superb garden. We would highly recommend this as a perfect base to explore the Lake District from.

The cottage was beautiful, along with the stunning views, and beautifully maintained colourful gardens.

Beds were comfy, WiFi worked, games room was fun, plenty of board games for use, There are lovely places to easily walk and enjoy the views. Information booklets were provided. It was truly lovely. I cannot give this five stars because of things that need tending to, or updating. I'm sorry but, the couches in the lounge seem to not have been cleaned in ages, and that was unsettling. One bath towel, per person for an entire week was too few (many people with long full hair, need a second towel for their hair, or a second towel during the stay). Even the cheapest places we've ever been to offer something for a first morning (or beyond the first morning). We've even been left 'welcome baskets' with scones and jam. It would have been nice to have had even instant packets of coffee and a couple of tea bags and biscuits for that first morning (I cannot think of any hotel or B&B that doesn't provide that). We had to go shopping, came home and made eggs, only to find there was no salt and pepper (and I certainly wasn't going to make the run out again, when hot eggs were on the table). Some very inexpensive long-use items such as these, would have been appreciated. The cottage stated it wanted specific soaps to help keep the water system clean (that's fine--no problem)--but an absolutely minimal supply was provided (less than a quarter of a bottle in two sinks, nothing... not even a simple bar of soap in the shower, no clothes washing powder). I'm fine if I must bring my own, but to then find it's unsuitable and can't be used, then to go to the market and find the cottage friendly 'Ecover' products weren't in stock and spending time searching for 'acceptable products'--well, this was a headache--I don't want shopping worries, or commitments when on holiday, please. A small self-turn-on light at the master bedroom vanity would be nice (constantly walking back and forth to the opposite wall isn't a big task, but it's a nuisance), along with a self-turn-off light at the bedside (falling asleep and having to get up and go to the wall to turn off a light seems ridiculous). Also, a magnifying mirror at the master vanity please (it's very helpful for aiding in applying make-up, or using tweezers). The kitchen layout is odd, but that's just my opinion and it can't be changed--the dishwasher is across from the sink, not beside it, and the rubbish bin is clear across from the sink on the opposite wall. Large spatulas, spoons etc. to cook with are most handy when in the drawer next to the stove whilst cooking, instead of across the kitchen in an inconvenient place. We had a big pot that we brought for a family dinner (glad we did--there are pots, but not one BIG pot). The ladle is way too small and short--almost like a camping ladle--a long handled one would have proved very helpful. There's only one jug which was used as a water jug, but we didn't have another jug for juice. We separated our glass, plastic, paper, compost, and rubbish, only to find upon leaving, that there was only one 'all-in-one rubbish bin' out front. Very sad and disappointing, considering the cottage did not want any chemicals, sanitisers, oil, or even milk down their drains, and wanted everything 'eco' with 'Ecover'. We did see that there was a recycling plant when we were on our way out, but the car was packed full of our suitcases etc., and we certainly weren't going to drive back to the cottage, separate everything, and take everything there. I would hope that the owners could provide many bins, for these several usages. Constantly pouring the bit of excess milk from a cereal bowl or coffee cup (milk and oil cannot be poured down the drain) into the bin seems wrong, and then the bag leaked, and I spent my time cleaning a bin--not what I care to do on holiday. I would have paid the extra twenty pounds (that would have been an overpayment, but I would have paid it) in knowing that basic things: soap in the shower, full liquid soaps and washing powder, a few tea bags, some coffee and UHT milk packets, a small bottle of vegetable oil (or similar), a few tea biscuits, and salt and pepper were provided. Most travellers are tired, have packed and unpacked, and just want to waken to a shower with soap, and a simple something to eat and a hot drink, to get them started. I felt this seemed both cheap, rude, and unwelcoming on behalf of a luxury cottage. When places really 'welcome' my family--I can tell you, I am impressed, start off very happy, and I recommend the place to friends, and want to return there myself. Although the cottage was nice, pretty, roomy, great views...I would not want to return because it did not provide the basic niceties, and I would not want to spend my time cleaning someone else's bin, ever again.

What a lovely stay we all had as a group of friends and family.

This is a great location for exploring this fabulous part of the countryside and the cottage makes the most of this with fantastic views from every window. The owners have worked very hard with this cottage from the stylish ensuite to the lovely gardens extending in all directions. There’s a great games room too where I’d imagine any children would love to get away from there parents! As a group friends we liked there’s different areas to relax and still have your own space. Unfortunately we did have a power cut on our last day for 10 hours which did scuppered our plans for the evening meal and also meant the on-site water for the property went down leading to no water so be prepared to have plenty in bottles for drinking and cooking. The only things we would have liked to have was bbq to make the most of the fantastic garden and ladies please fetch your own hair dryers. We would thoroughly recommend staying at this fantastic home and wouldn’t think twice about booking again!

sixty meters above sea level and an idyllic spot near rydal water.

A private steep woodland to explore. Who could ask for a serene spot in which to sketch . The cool downstairs bedrooms, together with an amazing en-suite and garden room is a luxury. We had a wonderful hot week. The owner met us at four when we arrived. He explained the house water system . It was perfect.

Not our first stay at this wonderful property.

Spring Cottage is in a lovely location. and a great place to return to after a day on the fells or just exploring.

This is a beautiful property and finished to a high standard.

It was a pleasure to stay here.

This really is an outstanding property which I am loathed to fault at all.

We had a fantastic time and I would most certainly stay here again. A couple of small things to improve our stay would be: 1. More matches to light the fires as we ran out immediately and in December this is quite important. The property is quite cold even with the heating on. 2. Bin bags would be helpful. I wanted to empty the bin before it got overloaded but was unable to as there wasn’t a new bin bag. 3. Cleanliness overall I felt was good. Linens clean and the place smelled fresh but there were cobwebs and dust everywhere which would not take much removing and make the place feel so much better. The floors in particular had cobwebs and the windows and blinds. 4. Directions to the property were fine but finding the property was hard as it is not obvious from the road where the property is and in December after a long drive in the rain and the dark this made for a bit of a stressful arrival. A lit sign that can be seen from both directions down at the bottom of the drive would help with this. Then locating the key was a challenge because there is a log store next to the property but the actual log store is at the bottom of the drive. When you know it’s obvious but again in the dark and rain and after a long drive this was problematic. I called the helpline though and this was solved very quickly. 5. Struggled with baking trays that would accommodate pizzas. The positives far outweigh the negatives and are too numerous to list but what springs to mind are: Wedgwood crockery, the overall quality of the refurbishment, the fires, the master suite, the games and books, the kitchen with everything (except bin bags), the utility, the boot room, the games room, the tv with sky and Netflix, the walks and location, the sound system. All fabulous! It’s the perfect place for a large group or family, it’s a perfect party house it would be perfect for a couple or smaller group looking for a quiet getaway. It’s ideal for hiking and our little dog really enjoyed her first holiday ever.

Great to be greeted with a Christmas tree and burning log fire, very welcoming.

Facilities and space ideal, indoor and out, for our family of 5 and golden retriever! Lots of great walks from the door. It was a shame one of the double ovens didn't work, which made our Christmas dinner more of a challenge. We let the owners know, so hopefully it will be working for next Christmas - as we've already booked again!

The property is a beautiful house comfortable but not that clean when we arrived.

But we had a great holiday until the last day when we were leaving and in snowy icy conditions that drive is dangerous as we had to use a piece of wood to clean the driveway

The addition of somewhere to dry boots would be very useful.

The property is lovely, and it is one of the best designed places we have been in - the building itself uses every opportunity to showcase the wonderful views and surroundings.

However, when we arrived at 4pm the owners were still there cleaning and we didn’t get in until nearly half past 4. They apologised and also explained the toilet in the upstairs bedroom wasn’t properly functioning (good job we didn’t fill the property with our parents/friends, because this would’ve been a problem). And then we realised there were no hairdryers. We haven’t stayed anywhere in the lakes in the last 20 years that hasn’t supplied one. Not a huge issue though as Heart of the Lakes supplied one but all these little things were a bit annoying given we had paid £3k of hard earned cash for the week.

Wonderful holiday cottage .

Great setting , lots of walks from the house. Amazing dining kitchen, brilliant log fires and lovely bedrooms . I have stayed here twice and hope to rebook next year !

A nice place to stay with lovely views from the higher levelled kitchen and garden room over the River Rothay.

Excellent master bedroom suite, but a shame that the two double bedrooms aren’t more equitable in size and quality when there are 2 families staying. The kitchen was really well equipped however some of the crockery needs replacing as there was a few damaged items in the range. We left these out for the owners to discard of.

Great Cottage and location.

More toilet rolls please. Not expect so few. Didn't expect to have to replace washing up liquid too. Could be a little more clean.

Excellent property.

Had a great holiday with family for my wife’s birthday. I would highly recommend this property. Quiet location and good walking from the door. Excellent facilities.

Spring cottage has been designed superbly and it all works really well.

Although it is a property for 8 people, the two of us had a really lovely week. The logs were really appreciated!!!

A fantastic Christmas stay, well appointed with a real home from home feel.

We were made to feel very welcome and arriving after a long journey to a fire gently burning in the wood burner made us both smile. We could quite happily live in this wonderful cottage and reading through the photo albums on the renovations, it’s clear how passionate the owners are about this home and it’s beautiful surroundings.

Spring cottage is probably the best cottage I have ever stayed in in the Lake District, it’s in a great location and a fantastic cottage.

However the cleaning wasn’t done to my standards .

I've only ticked met expectations as we had been to Spring Cottage before so knew what a great place it was to stay.

Excellent facilities, location, etc. Such a lovely place to enjoy the lakes. Only comment is, please provide more pegs!

For the new raised prices I’d expect feather rather than synthetic pillows / duvet’s, the mattress protector was a ‘water proof’ one which wasn’t too pleasant to sleep on, though with the pricey comfortable mattress I understand why!

Lot of cobwebs around and floors didn’t seem to have been mopped. Otherwise great place, high spec, well equipped and very comfortable and enjoyable stay.

Unique property in a stunning location.

Positioned perfectly for walking to Ambleside, Rydal and Grasmere with many fantastic walks from the door. Peaceful, well equipped and high quality. Would definitely return in all seasons.

perfect cottage.

..and we had great weather

Sykes have been awful.

We had additional charges on the property having moved the booking during COVID. They had no accounting trail and had not made us aware of this. Customer support was extremely poor and my complaint has still not been answered. I would not recommend Sykes. The property itself is still a fantastic place and my feedback is critical of the company and not the property.

I have seen your prices for 2022 - a 66% increase on the cost of Spring Cottage since we booked it for this holiday.

I will not return or recommend Heart of the Lakes/Sykes Cottages to anyone.

Excellent quality accommodation in a great location. Well fitted out and perfect for a relaxing break.

The house was superb! Location was perfect for our needs and the furnishings were to an excellent standard.

A luxury holiday experience.

excellent standard,excellent location,excellent facilities