Fir Tree Cottage

Thank you for your lovely review. We do hope you come back - plenty of walks for multiple stays!

It’s lovely to read that your children enjoyed exploring Fir Tree and its quirky features. We believe the cottage dates from the 17th Century and may have been an ostlery for the Swan hotel. It’s Grade 2 listed and has a lot of the features of a traditional Lakeland home including thick walls, an old pantry and a court cupboard…. and some low beams for taller 21st century people to hit their heads in!

Thanks very much for your review. We will pass on your comments to the cleaners who do a great job.

Thank you so much for your lovely review; we really appreciate it and hope you do come back for another visit.

We’re delighted that you came to stay in Fir Tree cottage after experiencing the area from our second cottage, Dovecot. Yes, we love the fact that it’s tranquil, with multiple walks from the door - but we can easily pop into Grasmere for a pint of milk, or a pint of something else! Thank you for your kind words about Fir Tree and we’re glad you found it cosy. The new log burner is great for a winter evening after a day out on the fells. We do hope you come and stay again.

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this lovely review. You’ve managed to capture all the things we love about Fir Tree cottage. It may have been your first trip to Grasmere but we hope it won’t be your last!

Thank you for such a lovely review! Delighted you saw the squirrels - sometimes at this time of year with so much food around they don’t come visiting. Quite agree about the Travellers Rest. Well worth the extra walk. Hope you come back and stay again The Owners

Thanks for taking the time to send us this review. We’re delighted you enjoyed the cottage and fitted in some epic hikes. We will raise the loo roll issue with Lakelovers who service the property. There should have been full rolls in each bathroom. We don’t provide enough for everyone’s whole stay but there should have been sufficient to make a mad dash to the shops on the first day unnecessary. I hope you found the very handily located Co-op though - only 10 mins walk away in Grasmere centre. We do hope you come back and visit again.

We’re so pleased you enjoyed your stay at Fir Tree and that your four legged friend was able to roam safely in the garden. We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what you need for the perfect stay - even if the sun shade and umbrellas might not be used equally! We do hope you do book again.

Thank you for your lovely review. We’re delighted you had a wonderful time at Fir Tree cottage. We use the buses a lot ourselves - we often bus somewhere and walk back, and the local stop enables guests without a car to travel to the cottage by bus and train. We look forward to your return!

So glad you enjoyed your stay and thank you for your kind review. It is fantastic to be able to do so many great walks from the door, and be able to pop to the Coop and local pubs without getting into the car. We hope you visit again.

Hi Alison, it’s wonderful to hear how much you love Fir Tree cottage with its location and charm. We feel the same about it ourselves. We appreciate suggestions from our guests on what we could improve and frequently act on these. We are however a bit surprised that you think the cottage is declining, particularly as you came here under the previous ownership (when it was very unloved). We bought the cottage four years ago and have made, and continue to make, significant improvements to it. I won't list everything we've done, but it does include replacing all the beds, installing a top quality range, replacing all the white goods, overhauling the kitchen units, stocking the kitchen with new crockery and utensils and redecorating the entire front of the cottage. We have bought some beautiful, original artwork, much of it supporting local artists, which we think adds to the character and charm of the cottage. There are also a wealth of other changes that guests might not notice such as high speed broadband, new loft insulation and radiators and upgrades to the smoke alarms and fire exits. In the last 12 months we replaced the log burner in the sitting room, cleaned the sofas, replaced the electric shower unit and replaced the garden table. It’s identical to the old one (but without the rust) which is perhaps why you didn’t notice. We will also be repainting the garden chairs. The television is on our list for future changes, although the line is very faint. I'm afraid a walk-in shower is not planned at present. Please do keep coming, Alison. We love having guests that think this is a special place and come back year after year.

That you so much for your positive review and score. We're delighted you liked the cottage. Yes, the location couldn't be more perfect, nestled as it is at the foot of the hillside with two different public footpaths three minutes walk away, whilst still being very close to pubs and a good shop. Please come back.

Thank you for your kind review. Yes, one of the many things we love about the cottage is being able to walk from the door all week. Do come back.

Thank you for taking the time to post this lovely feedback. We're delighted that you had a good Christmas in the cottage. Hopefully the squirrels will be out if you come again.

We are absolutely delighted to read your lovely comments about the cottage - particularly about the knives being sharp. One of the owners spent quite alot of time on these recently! Yes, the downstairs floors are slate throughout - so your slipper tip is a good one. We do hope you visit again.

Thank you so much for your lovely feedback. I do hope you'll come again!

Thank you for your kind review and positive feedback. I'm glad you had a good break. The Traveller's Rest is a favourite of mine - the food is good there too. Do come back.

Thank you for your kind words. We have worked hard to make the cottage comfortable without changing its character. I hope you had a good week and some nice weather.

Thank you for your lovely review. I'm delighted you liked the cottage. I'm sorry to hear you struggled with the stove. It is usually pretty straightforward - and really heats up the sitting room. Next time we're up we'll try and leave some more detailed instructions. I hope you come back.

Thank you for your lovely review. I'm so glad you all enjoyed the cottage and the area.

Thank you so much for your positive review and score. Please do come back!

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this lovely review. I hope you had some good weather and walks. I'm glad to hear you found the games in the cupboard in the hall. We have worked quite hard to improve the kitchen in the last couple of years - with new white goods, pots and pans, cutlery and shelves. Please do come back!

Thank you so much for this lovely review. I hope you had a good break with lots of walks from the door. Please come back.

Thank you so much for your kind words. Yes, we've added shelves and new white goods recently to improve the kitchen. We do stay in Fir Tree as often as we can ourselves and are always looking for ways to make it better. We have changed all the beds since we bought the cottage three years ago. I'm sorry you've found them a bit hard. We chose mattresses that matched the mattresses used by Premier Inn and have had lots of positive feedback about them. We have chosen to leave the pricing of the cottage to Lakelovers and they use an algorithm to set the price according to demand. If you are able to come outside school holidays, there are often bargain weeks, particularly, I think, if you book quite far in advance. I do hope you find a deal and come back again! Have you ever rented Dovecot (the cottage for behind) at the same time? It is a quirky cottage for two with amazing views.

Thank you for this lovely review. I'm so glad you enjoyed the cottage. I do hope you come back. If you want to come in a larger group, you can hire Dovecot (our two-person cottage just behind Fir Tree) at the same time. It's great to have The Swan open again. We're also fans of The Traveller's Rest, just a bit further up the road, as well. And yes, the local buses are excellent - and cheap. We like to do long walks from the door over to the Langdales or north to Thirlmere, or south to Ambleside, and then get the bus back.

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this lovely review. I'm delighted you liked the cottage so much and that you found the beds comfortable - we have replaced all the beds and the white goods since we bought the cottage three years ago. Sorry about the bird poo! I think if you park a little bit further back, you can avoid it. The space is a bit tight, but we are very grateful to the owner of the wood behind the cottage who lets us park on her land. It is because we don't own the parking area that we can't leave the bins there and have to keep them at the back of the house. I do hope you come back again.

Thank you so much for your lovely review. I'm so glad you and your family enjoyed the cottage. I do hope you'll be back again. Yes, we love the garden and sometimes don't get much further than that on a lazy day. Because it is enclosed it is good for small children. I'm sorry that we're unable to leave a welcome pack with tea and milk. Unfortunately we don't live locally and Lakelovers are not able to supply a welcome pack beyond the small box with a couple of dishwasher tabs and a bin bag to get you started. I'm sorry too that we're not able to supply a high chair or cot. We are too far away to be able to monitor the upkeep of these and would hate for a family to arrive and find them broken or dirty. It might be possible for you to book a high chair through Lakelovers in future, but unfortunately they can't provide a cot.

Thank you so much for your review. We're delighted that you loved the cottage as much as we do. I hope you had good weather and managed to get some good walks in. I hope you will come back again.

I'm so glad you enjoyed your stay. Thank you so much for your positive review. If you want to come back with a larger group, our smaller cottage, Dovecot, which is for two people, is just behind Fir Tree and can be rented at the same time. We look forward to welcoming your again in the future.

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave this lovely review. I'm so glad you enjoyed our cottage. Yes, we're really pleased with the new glass-fronted wood-burning stove. It creates a lovely cosy room. It's good to hear you found everything you needed in the kitchen. We were at the cottage a couple of weeks before you and did a full audit and bought quite a few new bits and pieces. I hope you will come back again.

Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know about the problems with the pans. I'm so sorry about - it is not how it should be at all. We have complained to Lakelovers, whose job it is to keep the place spick and span, and hopefully it won't happen again. We are in the cottage this week and have been scrubbing or replacing pans and trays as appropriate. Yes, the cottage is very old. In the 17th century it was two separate cottages, which is why there are two sets of staircases. The one up from the kitchen has not been modernised and therefore every step is at a different angle. Given that it is polished wood, and could be slippery in socks, we have taken the decision to rope it off. The main staircase, which has been modernised, is better to use. The bolted door and barred door off the storeroom is just the back door. It just leads to some mossy steps and the garden of Dovecot (our other rental property). Even when we are staying in both cottages we don't use it as it's still easier to walk round the outside of the cottage. I'm glad the cottage grew on you and that you found the beds comfortable - they are all new. I do hope you'll come again. If you want to come with a larger party, you could rent Dovecot at the same time.

Thank you for your feedback. We will look at whether we can improve the instructions but the dark nights do make navigating a bit more tricky. This part of Grasmere is rural and the community tries to limit light pollution. There are movement-sensor lights all around Fir Tree but we do recommend bringing torches. The cottage is over 300 years old and the door frames and some original beams are lower than in modern properties. This is mentioned in the notes in the online description as it can be a challenge for the taller guest … and taller owner!

Delighted that you found Fir Tree a cosy stay for a winter break. There is a mat for the downstairs bath and shower. It is normally rolled up on the window ledge, but we have asked the cleaners to leave it in a more obvious position. If you meant the upstairs bath, this is a pedestal bath to enjoy a long soak in, and not for showering. Hope you come again soon.

Thank you for your lovely comments. I'm sorry about the weather - it has been quite a wild November! I hope you will come back again and get some blue skies. If you wanted to stay with a larger group, did you know that our other cottage (Dovecot Cottage) is just behind Fir Tree.

Thank you for taking the time to write such a kind review. I'm delighted to hear that you saw so many red squirrels. We donate to the Grasmere Red Squirrel Group with every booking, and they keep the specific red squirrel feeders, which they've put up in the garden of Fir Tree and Dovecot (our cottage just behind Fir Tree), stocked with squirrel food. Thanks to them, the local red squirrel population has doubled in the last year.

Thank you for taking the time to leave this really useful review. Lakelovers have reinstalled the smoke detector; another time, do give them a ring - they would have come and reinstalled it for you very quickly. We are investigating the cause of the leak - thanks for letting us know about it. It was kind of you to leave the bird feed, however, we are focussing on the red squirrel feeders. As you might know, we donate to the Grasmere Red Squirrel Group with every booking. Their efforts have helped to double the red squirrel population in Grasmere in the last year! I do hope you managed to spot some red squirrels during your stay. The Grasmere Red Squirrel Group have put up some specific red squirrel feeders in the gardens of Fir Tree and Dovecot (our cottage just behind Fir Tree) and keep them stocked with the appropriate feed. I'm not sure if bird feeders encourage the grey squirrels, but we don't want to anything that might. I'm sorry that we are not able to leave fire wood. Logistically it is not something we are able to organise from a distance and it's not a service offered by Lakelovers. In addition, our insurance does not allow for large amounts of firewood to be stored in the cottage. I hope you enjoyed your stay and that you had some good weather and walks from the door.

We're so pleased you enjoyed the cottage and hope you'll come back another time. I think you were lucky with the weather - it was probably too warm for the new wood burning stove!

We are delighted you enjoyed your break at Fir Tree cottage. The Swan is very handy - we believe the cottage was originally the smithy for the Swan in the 17th and 18th century. We hope you come back for another visit.

Thank you for your great feedback. We've done a lot of work on the cottage in the two years we've own it - which included new beds, so we're delighted to hear that you found them comfy. Yes, we love the fact that you can do a different walk from the door each day and never have to use the car once you've arrived. I hope you come back another time.

Thank you so much for your review. We're delighted that you enjoyed the cottage and hope you'll come back. Yes, we love the fact that the cottage is nestled at the foot of the hills - but still only a 10 minute walk from the Co-op.

I'm so sorry to hear that you didn't enjoy the cottage. It is 17th century cottage, so there are elements - such as the Victorian cupboard - that we feel are in keeping with the character of the cottage, although they are not as smooth as modern furniture. We have had a look at the cupboard over the summer and tightened up some of the screws so hopefully it is in better shape now. Thanks for pointing it out. We've also checked the ring on the gas hob. Sometimes these struggle if they are not put back correctly after cleaning. I think that's what might have happened here as it was fine when we visited. Thanks too for pointing out the issue of cleaning between the two weeks. Heart of the Lakes would have cleaned if you had requested it, but of course you'd have had to vacated the property. This is now on our radar and we know to contact people who are staying for two weeks. I'm afraid we do not live locally and cannot organise for any more of a welcome pack other than that offered by Heart of the Lakes. As Fir Tree is a self-catering cottage, the loo rolls provided are only to get you through the first night. We will try and make this clearer in the instructions.

Thank you for your feedback. I'm really sorry about the fire alarms, but pleased that it was sorted out. We are in the process of replacing the fire alarms so hopefully this will not be a problem again. We have also mended the front door lock. Thanks for letting us know about that. Delighted to hear you saw a red squirrel. We do love watching them.

Thank you for taking the time to write this lovely review. So glad you had wonderful weather and were able to enjoy Fir Tree’s garden in the sun. We get very few young families so we don’t provide a travel cot or high chair at the moment.

Thank you for your comments. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay. We take all comments on board. As the property is self catering, toilet rolls and dishwasher pods that are provided are meant as a starter. The Heart of the Lakes Owner Relations Team Thank you taking the time to write this review. The upstairs bath is perfect for a nice, long soak after a day on the fells - we use it all the time. It is not designed for a shower; the hand-held shower is just for rinsing hair after a bath. However there is a stand up shower downstairs with a non-slip mat. The instructions do say the laundry is shared (with the Dovecot property at the back) - its a few steps from the house and has a washing machine and a brand new dryer plus sinks for washing by hand if you need to. The owners

Thank you for your comments, we are always pleased to see your bookings and hope that you enjoyed some of the new additions around the house.

Thank you your review. We are delighted you found the new super-king bed comfortable and enjoyed the cottage. It dates back to the 16th century when we believe it was the smithy for the Swan pub and therefore does have some low doorways and beams - which sometimes catch us out too.

Thank you for taking the time to leave such detailed feedback. We have made a lot of improvements to the cottage since we bought it in 2021, including replacing all the beds, so it is lovely to read your comments. We have added some pint glasses and thank you for this suggestion. If you like beer we do recommend the Badgers Bar at Rydal or Tweedies in the village. I think we eat bigger portions of crisps than you, as we use the cereal bowls for these!

Thank you for your kind feedback. Glad you enjoyed the walks from the door and the location: it’s quiet and away from Grasmere, but also just a short stroll into the village. We also like the fact that is a bus stop by the Swan, which we use to extend our walks. The Swan has now finally re-opened and there are five other places to get a good pint of real ale within 15 mins. Good suggestion about the hair dryer - we have added one. Thank you.

Thank you for taking the time to post this feedback. The garden at Fir Tree is lovely: we eat out there whenever we can as it catches the sun for most of the day. We frequently see red squirrels there too and have feeders to encourage them to visit.

Thank you for your lovely feedback and glad you enjoyed your stay despite having a damp week. On a wet day we often walk to The Badgers Bar at Rydal (via Alcock Tarn and the Coffin Route) which welcomes dogs and has cosy fires and stoves. You can even get the bus back if you’ve had enough.

Thank you so much for your kind review. Sorry for the terribly late response! It's great to hear that you loved the cottage as much as we do. You might be interested to know that The Swan reopened two days ago, so we now have a very close pub.

Thank you for this feedback. We are delighted you enjoyed Fir Tree and its great location and character.... despite the 'lake-filling' weather. Since you stayed we have replaced the bed and mattress in the middle bedroom for a roomier kingsize and a firmer mattress. In fact, all three bedrooms have now had new beds and mattresses in the last 18 months. So we do hope you visit again and have better weather next time!

Thank you for your review. It's lovely to hear that you like Fir Tree as much as we do. We have done a lot of work on the cottage since we bought it 18 months ago. We're continuing to find little ways to improve it - we've just ordered a new king-size bed for the middle room - so please do come back and see how the cottage is coming along.

We would like to thank you for your feedback.We are pleased you were happy with the property however we are sorry that you were not happy with the experience from Heart Of The Lakes. You made us aware of your zip link requests however this was not communicated to our housekeeping team. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention to ensure this does not happen again. We have also added the freezer specifications to our property notes for future guests. We hope to welcome you back to Fir Tree Cottage again in the future.

I'm delighted to hear that Fir Tree is a favourite place of yours. Yes, the new cooker and extractor fan are a great improvement, aren't they? You might also have noticed the new beds, fridge and pictures since your last visit. We've also added a new radiator and internal door to make the dining room more cosy. I hope you will be back again soon before too long. If you wanted to come with a bigger party, did you know that you can also book Dovecot, just behind Fir Tree, at the same time?

Thank you for your positive review. I'm so pleased to hear that you enjoyed the cottage and its location. Sorry you found the laundry information confusing - we will try and make it clearer for future guests.

Thank you for this lovely review. I'm delighted you enjoyed the cottage. We love the setting too - very quiet but a short walk to Grasmere. I hope you managed to see some red squirrels during your stay. We've had a new fridge since your visit, and an extra internal door to make the dining room warmer, so I do hope you come back one day.

Thank you for this positive feedback. I hope you will come back next year and see how we have added new beds, stove, fridge, curtains and cushions.