St Giles

St Giles was a perfect property for us (6 adults + a baby and a Labrador).

The cottage has an excellent location, just a stones throw from The Britannia Inn and easy access to a morning walk along to Skelwith Bridge, Chapel Stile or up to the quarries. The kitchen was well stocked with all the equipment and utensils we needed including plenty of cleaning agents and dishwasher tablets. The whole place was immaculately clean. The provision of a dedicated dog space was much appreciated. Parking was not a problem, we had three vehicles and parked 2 of them each night in the National Trust CP opposite the Britannia. Would love to return some day. Thank you

This is a beautiful property in the most amazing part of the Lakes.

We parked right outside the front door. Buses are great so no need to use your car once there. Pubs in the village and half mile away in Chapel Stile both worth a visit. The property is a great size and layout works well. The beds are so comfy! I do agree with other comments that it needs a little TLC in places and a deep clean but nothing that couldn’t easily be sorted and certainly wouldn’t put us off re-visiting. The welcome bag was lovely too.

For Guests on your website St Giles is a very warm and comfortable cottage.

Bed comfy, hot water on demand and great shower. Nice treat to get a welcome gift. The parking is a little scary! Our Audi A3 barely made it through the gates it is so tight. The space at the front is constantly being used by Wheelwrights vans which is annoying. The office staff are very nice when you go in to raise the issue with them. Sadly it doesn’t stop them using the space. The overall cleanliness lets down the property. That’s the same for the majority of Lakes properties sadly. The cleaners don’t have time to visit the tasks that would make a difference and focus on the turnaround. Cooking for 5 adults was a challenge. The space is small and the equipment very limited. It felt like a triumph when a roast dinner was produced! The fridge is very small for a weeks shopping, with only an ice box to store frozen goods. The size of the kitchen obviously dictates the size of the appliances. Lots of sticks and logs available for use, but thankfully not required this trip. The outdoor space couldn’t be used by us as the lower gate is no longer there so we couldn’t sit out with the dog. All in all a nice, comfortable property that just needs a little love and a thorough clean. Bus stops outside Slates which is very handy. Slates no longer do evening service or pizzas. It is only open Thursday through Sunday for light snack only. If you fancy eating inside the Britannia then you need to book ahead. We tried on Wednesday to book for Thursday or Friday evenings and it was fully booked. The river walk past Elterwater to Chester’s cafe at Skelwith Bridge is really nice and accessible for pushchairs/wheelchairs, dog buggies etc. The Coop at Chapel Stile is a short walk for anything you might need. St Giles is perfectly placed in the village and a nice place to stay. Mind your head on the beam in the main bedroom though. My husband almost gave himself a concussion making the bed! For the owners We really enjoyed our stay at St Giles. It is a very comfortable property. Sadly the cleanliness lets it down. I have photographs of some of the issues that need addressing if required. The welcome bag was really appreciated, however, most of the items other than the alcohol were out of date! The tiny bottles of milk, the nuts and the crisps, all out of date. Thank you anyway it was a nice gesture. There are issues with the heating which I’m sure you are aware. My husband bled the towel warmer in the upstairs bathroom and got it working fine. There was a huge amount of air in the system. We called the office for assistance with the heating in the end. My husband didn’t want to mess with your system. They came quickly and were very helpful. The house was always warm and cosy. However, the heating would go off with a huge bang several times in the early hours which was quite concerning. My husband also adjusted the hall door to the entrance and we were then able to close it and cut out the draft. No mirror at all in the downstairs double bedroom which was a shame for our friends. My husband stripped and cleaned and then charged the handheld vacuum to get it operating again. He loves a job! Over time some of your glasses have obviously been broken. Only 3 tall glasses, 3 short glasses and 4 wine glasses remain. All 6 of the champagne glasses are intact. Not enough cutlery remains. Only 6 forks available. The dishwasher had to be used after every meal as crockery and cutlery is in short supply. No plug for the sink meant wasting lots of hot water to try to wash dishes. Thank you for providing coffee pods and tea bags and for the liquid soap, shampoo etc very nice touch and was appreciated. We had a lovely week in your lovely house, it just sadly needs a good clean and a little love. We left it cleaner and in better repair than when we arrived.

Love the property but re occuring problems are rather disappointing.

Heating, no instructions on how to adjust heating, as it did not come on in the morning, so did not feel warm. Bedside lamp in upstairs bedroom, loose cable, we reported this several years ago, so not safe to use. No plug for kitchen sink. Generally cobwebs and some mould in downstairs shower, and fan filthy, could do with thorough clean. Fridge , ice compartment completely iced up , could not get anything in there, again needs to be defrosted. Wheelie bins completely full so could not put our rubbish/recycling in. Continued problems with holiday letting agents opposite parking in our car parking space, every time we moved the car, very very annoying especially as parking is so difficult. Radiator in top bathroom not working. Outside drain from sink blocked up again and water pouring out of drainpipe from upstairs as is cracked and leaking, again reported this previously. Many of these issues have been fed back to yourselves, sadly NOTHING is done

This stay was a little disappointing.

Let’s start with the good things: Beds, linen pillows all super comfortable. Well equipped kitchen, loved the mugs. The lack of “to do” list on leaving was very refreshing and welcome - often it seems we are expected to clean a property - this was a nice change. What wasn’t good: WiFi was switched off, found a tangled web of cables and plugged a plug in to make it work. No starter pack for fire - insisting on a post 4pm check in and not having wood on arrival to make a fire was disappointing. One toilet roll per bathroom? Really mean given the ground floor bathroom served 3 people for a week. We had to buy more. No body wash in the GRD floor bathroom. Had to buy some. The fireplace kicks out smoke into the living room so we couldn’t use the fire in the end. The washer dryer on a synthetic cycle is not OK - chewed up 2 new t-shirts, melted glue off the pocket of an expensive base layer and shrank a pair of socks - needs fixing. A contractor blocked our car in the driveway for a day - we contacted Sykes who fixed the issue but we were blocked in and the contractor wasn’t being helpful. Other parking issue: the local Wainright team also told a couple they could park in our other parking spot in front of the garage - luckily we caught them before they left their car. The couple weren’t to blame but the local team deliberately misinformed them at our inconvenience. Last one is the lack of dedicated cupboard space in the grd floor double bedroom - one side of the only cupboard had cleaning equipment and the other had bedding. One tiny drawer is wholly inadequate, extremely disappointing. Had to live out of suitcases for the week. Small additional thing is that I understand this is not a five star property but it is always a nice touch to leave a welcome pack - there was nothing apart from a few tea bags and sugar. Not really overall the quality I would expect for a week’s cottage rental.

Lovely, quirky cottage in a great location for mountain and valley walking, good beer and great scenery.

The boys loved the coffee machine and tea selection (maybe a little too much!) thank you. Beds comfortable and facilities good.

The accommodation was lovely but could do with a deep clean.

Large cobwebs hanging from ceiling. Been there a long time and covered in dust. Downstairs bathroom lights flicker a lot when shower on. No plug for kitchen sink so difficult to hand wash anything without wasting a lot of water. Teapot would be nice. Bedrooms nice. Beds comfy. Parking should be updated to two but one small car as gap to get to front of house is tight and larger cars do not fit. Gate no longer white but black iron.

Beautiful house, well appointed, comfortable and cosy.

Great location, very short walk to the local pub and lots of lovely walks from the doors. We will definitely book St Giles again.

Loverly property, far more spacious than I thought it would be from the photos.

Fully equipped kitchen with cleaning supplies etc. Cleanliness was acceptable but could be improved, some cobwebs around and the decorative cushions on the bed had marks on them. In the bathrooms some of the seals are going black and had flaking paint, and a light bulb was out. The pillows on the beds could do with being replaced as they were very flat. Would’ve been nice to have an initial supply of logs for the fire. Overall we had a great stay.

Overall, very happy with the Cottage.

Whilst the kitchen area is a little cramped, the rest of the accommodation has more than enough space on offer. Beds - super comfy! Plenty of hot water, on demand, and we were able to heat the rooms when it got a little cool. Realistically there is room to park one large car at the front of the property - two cars would be tight!

Great place!

We had a wonderful time. Ideally more parking available but we managed!

We loved the property.

The only feed back we have is that it would have been nice to have a useable hoover and that it was frustrating to come back from a long walk to no hot water. However the water situation was managed easily and quickly by Sykes and turning on the immersion heater!

St Giles cottage is wonderful!

Very comfortable and relaxing. The kitchen is well stocked and the welcome bag was a nice touch! Generous toiletries in the bathrooms were appreciated. There is a wonderful walk along the river to Ambleside where the dogs could go off the lead. The cottage really does need instruction manuals for the appliances, we couldn’t work out how to use the hob! Although it’s a dog friendly cottage, the garden is not secure. The bottom gate latch doesn’t work which leads to the road. It would have been nice to have relaxed in the garden but there wasn’t any comfy chairs to do this and there’s not much of a garden that isn’t overgrown! A few tweaks and the cottage would have been perfect!

St Giles is spacious and relatively clean, with lovely view from the master - however it does lack the finishing touches of a loved property.

Many internal doors don’t easily close just a little maintenance required, no welcome pack and no instructions on appliance use. Parking can be an issue there is one outside the property roadside but if neighbours don’t park well it is difficult to park a medium sized car and others seem to park in it at times. There is another spot up a tiny shared access, not easy to turn and not suitable for a large car.

Fab position but a few niggles.

Fridge and freezer space inadequate for size of property. Freezer box was unusable when we arrived. Could not be shut and needed defrosting which was a problem for us as we arrived with frozen food. This was sorted very quickly by agent. Being picky we Would have liked a clothes airer and a teapot. Parking would be difficult for a big car. NT car park just across the road.

A lovely comfortable house which we thoroughly enjoyed.

A perfect location for walking from the front door. So nice not to use the car. Only negative feedback was that the kitchen area, while well stocked, was rather small for six, especially the fridge. Also the lamp in the upstairs bedroom tripped the fuse box and probably needs some attention. But overall we were really pleased with the property and would definitely recommend it.

Great property and location for walking in the lakes.

The property is extremely comfortable and had all the facilities we needed.

Great setting in the heart of the lakes.

Wonderful break away here.

Location was just perfect, beautiful peaceful area, perfect for those with a dog. The accommodation was also amazing, a lovely spacious cottage with everything you may need from detailed book’s & information about the area to all the thoughtful little things you may have forgotten! And a welcome pack with treats for all including the hound! Thank you

Upon our arrival at St Giles, we spent 1/2 hour trying to retrieve the key from the key safe only to be told (after we rang Lake Lovers) that the code in the email they had sent us was the wrong code!

Upon entry to the extremely cold cottage, we lose another hour trying to fathom the heating which is not as described in the cottage instructions, nor on the Lake Lovers website: the thermostat described in the instructions and the oil fired boiler described on the website no longer exist and there are no instructions how to use the air source heat pump that's replaced them! The hour and a half lost, trying to get into the cottage and then trying to heat it meant we missed our dinner reservation at the Britannia Inn! Despite setting the heating and the water to be permanently on, 24/7, the cottage was only just warm enough and on one evening we ran out of water after just 2.5 showers (after which we discovered the water tank had an immersion heater). In all other respects St Giles is a really, really lovely cottage. All the rooms appear to have been recently decorated and the little touches (the pictures and ornaments, the books and games, etc) make it very homely. The appliances and the fittings in the kitchen, the bathroom and the shower room are all quality, modern, stylish, clean and work really well. The beds are really firm, very comfortable with quality bed linen. The towels are large and still nice and fluffy. The shower gel and shampoo dispensers are a nice touch. The single room for cooking, eating and sitting wouldn't suit everyone but it worked very well for us. There's a few mud stains on the carpet next to the front door but otherwise, and with the obvious exception of the heating, this is a near-perfect cottage.

Really well appointed property with lots a little extras that made the stay really enjoyable.

A lot of “dog friendly” properties seem to be old fashioned and basic, not all dogs cause damage or extra cleaning. Really liked the little extras such as plenty of coffee pods, dishwasher tabs, toilet rolls and bin bags. The garage was a bonus as well, allowing us to charge our EV. Great location in the centre of the village.

We had a lovely stay in your beautiful property.

Such a comfy, elegant space to share with old friends. Had a wonderful walk up Scafell from Old Dungeon Ghyll with light snow flurries and beautiful clear views from the top (Friday 26 April). Perfect having Slates next door for a final day breakfast and nice dinners at New Dungeon Ghyll and Wainwrights. Will be rebooking in the future!

Confusion over parking.

Documents in the property said ok to park outside the door but Sykes details emailed said not to go through the white gates. I contacted Sykes and asked to confirm parking but never received a reply, despite chasing.

Lovely cosy cottage in amazing location right in middle of village, a few yards from a great pub.

Really comfortable stay, would come again.

We enjoyed our stay immensely, the cottage is well appointed, warm and clean.

It’s situated in the centre of Elterwater. We walked from the cottage most days as it is accessible to Little and Great Langdale, Colwith, Cathedral Caves, Grasmere, Lingmoor and Loughrigg Fells and Skelwith Bridge. Elterwater has a good pub and a couple of places to eat, one being two doors down from the property (Slates does great pizzas). Just to note the parking, quite tight parking two cars in spaces and some contention with neighbouring properties.

St.

Giles is in a fabulous spot for a Lake District holiday and we were fortunate with the weather. There are lovely walks from the cottage plus a couple of pubs and a cafe. The listing says a freezer which could have made things difficult had we bought a lot of frozen food in our order as there is only an icebox. There isn’t enough cutlery and only 3 wine glasses, otherwise everything is perfect; a great place to stay

We had a great stay in St Giles, the house was very clean on arrival and all the bedrooms are a good size and very comfortable, The kitchen lacked a couple of basic items, lack of wine glasses (only 3), the cutlery draw could do with restocking.

The house was perfect for our stay, lots of lovely walks straight out the door and the pub and café next door are a added luxury. The bathrooms are excellent and the lounge/dinning room is very cosy.

We loved our stay at St Giles cottage.

Only negative was the parking.

Very nice property.

Needs a fireguard as it’s an open fire, also a baby gate, if only to stop the dogs going upstairs as there is no door.

Having stayed at St Giles at least 6 times over the past few years we were so pleased to see what a great make over the new owners had done!

The bathrooms were quite luxurious now and all bedrooms very comfortable, clean and a lovely touch to have gorgeous toiletries available. The cottage was also beautifully warm, which was most appreciated after some long winter hiking. We were disappointed not to have the Leisure Passes available as on previous visits but understand why this was not now an option. Only thing which was a slight problem (and did leave a small note for housekeeping) was the freezer compartment within the fridge was totally frozen up and therefore unable to use at all. Would have been helpful to just pop a few things in and certainly needed doing the summer months. Also, perhaps might be worth noting for future guests that although it does state 2 car parking spaces the one outside the front door is extremely tight, especially if you have a larger vehicle. You need to park very tightly up against the wall and this could be quite an issue for St Giles guests (should there be 2 vehicle spaces needed) and/or occupants of the cottage driveway directly opposite to try and manoeuvre in or out. Otherwise, enjoyed a lovely holiday and hope to return soon. Thank you.

Beautiful property, very clean and comfortable and loved the furnishings.

Thank you very much for the welcome pack too.

Relaxing, comfortable and spacious, had a lovely stay.

A little disappointed about arrival and departure times 4pm is too late and 10am too early.... put pressure on us all so only felt really like 1 day. Considering the cost I would have hoped these too be extended to 3pm and 11am. Other than that....great! Greg

Superb!

More often than not we find a lovely property furnished cheaply. The beds, pillows, cushions, sofa etc were all excellent quality that really made it a 10/10 property for me. Will be booking again for next year!!

Generally this was a good property to stay at, in a brilliant location for those who like walking.

Our suggestions for improvements would include, more crockery and kitchen utensils (no sieve?), and more than 6 of everything. Provide a cupboard for guests to bring their own food. Update the property listing to reflect that one of the downstairs bedrooms is now a double rather than a twin, and there is no DVD player as listed. We couldn't locate any instructions/manuals for appliances which is usual in Lakelovers properties. Review parking arrangements with the next door neighbour who often left insufficient room outside the garage. Wheelwrights staff sometimes parked in spaces too (but moved as soon as asked). Fridge door seems to have dropped on its hinges meaning it needs a good push to close properly. We were disappointed to lose access to the Langdale Hotel spa which had been part of our original booking, however we did appreciate the welcome pack of goodies on our arrival.

Generously and thoughtfully equipped, and delightful location.

It was perfect for our family of 6 who all enjoyed the cottage. A few little niggles were: only 5 full sized forks, freezer needed defrosting so difficult to fit food in on arrival, bath plug leaked so water drained away quickly.

Fantastic property in a brilliant location.

The house was spotless with everything we needed, and it was perfect for our dogs. We loved sitting in the garden in the evenings, as well as the close proximity to the river and some beautiful walks.

Brilliant stay at St Giles.

The property had surprisingly been recently refurbished, its beautiful, minimalist cosy style with muted colours. Stunning maples in the garden with a nice seating area which looks out onto the small quaint village of Elterwater. The Britannia is just across the way, great food and friendly welcoming staff. A lovely little coffee shop across the road that serves great eggs & coffee in the morning and the best pizzas in the evening. The Cumbrian way is just a few steps down the road and the walk with our dog each morning down the river was just perfect, stunning scenery. Will def be returning.

St.

Giles such a beautiful comfortable tastefully furnished cottage. Location superb and southerly terrace perfectly placed for drink or bite to eat. Photos should be updated to reflect this wonderful find. Only negative parking as neighbours vehicle parked over parking facility which was an inconvenience.