Hunters Chase

The condition of Hunters Chase, Tirril near Penrith during our stay 16–19 July 2026, and to request a partial refund of the total amount paid (£900+).

Upon arrival, we found the property was not cleaned or maintained to the standard expected for a fully paid Sykes Cottages booking, and fell well below acceptable hygiene standards: • Heavy dust throughout the property, dirty floors with visible stains and leftover dirt • Significant spider activity and cobwebs across multiple rooms • One bedroom was completely unusable due to the extent of spiders and cobwebs, so we could not use it at all We booked for 9 guests, 7 of whom were women in our group — the poor condition and especially the spiders caused significant distress and disappointment for everyone. We paid a premium price expecting a clean, safe, well-maintained holiday home, and this was not delivered. I have clear photo evidence of all these issues, which I can attach or share with you immediately. Given the property failed to meet basic cleanliness and maintenance requirements, and we lost use of a full bedroom.

The house itself was nice and the kitchen was well equipped, which we appreciated.

Unfortunately, there were several issues that affected our stay. The property did not appear to have been cleaned properly before our arrival. The floors were dirty and the dining table was very sticky and unclean. The beds were comfortable, but the bedding and pillow protection were very old. Some pillows had protectors, others had very old protectors that were flaking and some had none at all. Several bedside lamps and ceiling lights were also not working. The outside wheelie bin was already overflowing when we arrived, leaving nowhere suitable to dispose of our rubbish during the stay. I also asked whether a slightly later checkout would be possible as 9am is unusually early. I was told this could not be accommodated because new guests were arriving that day. However, I checked after being told and the property was available for booking for the following few days, which made the response and lack of flexibility pretty disappointing. Overall, the property has potential, but the cleanliness, maintenance issues and lack of flexibility meant our experience fell below expectations.

Lovely spacious property for a group of friends to catch up with each other.

The facilities were generally very good but the property would benefit from some TLC, in that the outside was cobwebby and the garden in need of a tidy-up. Some light bulbs not working, and pillow and mattress protectors on the bed we used need replacing as they were tattered. The lack of a basic welcome pack of tea bags and milk was disappointing. There were plenty of dishwasher tablets and some other cleaning products, however. Altogether a very pleasant week away.

The accommodation is very good for 9 people, good sized dining/kitchen area and a large lounge.

The kitchen has modern appliances and plenty of storage. Good bedrooms three with en-suite. The house is in a very pleasant village location only 3 miles from Ullswater. Just one thing to be aware of, the oil boiler flue is very close to the back door and the fumes blow into the house if the door is left open.

Lovely accommodation in a beautiful location.

We would have no hesitation in returning. We have one small recommendation, the garden waste bin was full of domestic waste on our arrival. Perhaps this green garden bin (which is the same colour and next to the normal waste bin), could be moved to another location e.g. garage, to avoid any confusion.

Hunters chase was great - very spacious and plenty of crockery and cutlery.

Second time staying - easy to bus to and from Penrith and nice local pub as well.

The house overall was lovely especially downstairs , it was well situated for cycling and walking .

several of the bedrooms smelt damp and windows had to be kept open and shower room on one room had a mouldy window which we could not open . But the space was excellent for our group of 9 people and if the issues could be sorted we would have rated it a 10

We stayed here two years ago and in some ways the cleaning has improved.

however the main table to eat off was sticky to touch - not good. No bin was available for rubbish or recycling despite the owners manual saying they were. A number of bulbs/lights were not working (as when we first stayed) - i would not complain if bulbs blew whilst we were there but surely you can check all bulbs before! Check in at 4pm is late ; why not text when cleaning is complete so people can go then. A 9am checkout is faintly ridiculous, especially with young children to get ready. The oven only had one shelf! To cook a family meal like this is not easy. We found another shelf on top of the cupboard but it was filthy and we were not prepared to clean it.The house is ideal in terms of size but little things that would take nothing to do would make it perfect. We told you this two years ago but obviously you don't act on comments.

This property is beautiful, in an ideal location for visiting North Lakes, and has so much potential to be a perfect holiday cottage.

We had a lovely time staying in this huge house, however there were a number of issues regarding cleanliness and general upkeep which can and should be easily rectified. The bathrooms were all pristinely clean, however two of the showerheads need updating. There were no soft bath mats on the floor, but instead wooden slatted mats which seemed unclean and were the cause of many stubbed toes! Two of the extractor fans did not work. We were shocked to see the state of the kitchen and utility room floors when we arrived. They were covered in other people's crumbs and general dirt. We ended up mopping these and the hall floor ourselves. The carpets in the bedrooms were old and noticeably stained, and in great need of replacement. The duvet covers were also noticeably old. Most of the pillow case protectors were disintegrating. One of the beds did not have a mattress protector. The rugs throughout the house were visibly filthy - in particular the green rug in the living room. There was a carpet cleaner in the property, and the state of the rugs suggest that this had not been used in a long time. A lot of the door knobs need maintenance as they are difficult to open and close. The key safe is very fiddly to put back together after you have retrieved the key/stored it away. The check out time of 9am was a struggle with so many of us trying to get everything sorted and packed in time. We would hope that having between 9am and 4pm would be a long enough turn around time for the necessary cleaning and improvements to be made to this lovely property.

Beautiful big property.

Plenty of space for the family. Cupboards were stocked with all the utensils you needed and plenty of games for the evening. One tiny problem was that the dining table was very sticky even after cleaning. Will definitely return.

A well equipped property and comfortable.

The main issue was the smell of oil / fumes particularly in the room above the boiler room although often the upstairs hallway was smelly even though we kept the window closed. It was being used for a child who we had to move to share a room. We thought the property could have been cleaner and there was a lack of cleaning materials which would have helped and minimal cloths towels and tea towels for a property catering for so many. The surrounding properties had recycling facilities for glass etc but there was nothing provided at the property. Whilst we recycled things in Penrith the last bit went in general waste annoying when there were collections the day we left. Overall it was a good place to stay with a few extra touches it could have been great.

We had a great stay at Hunters Chase.

The house is really spacious and well equipped. Others have commented that the house isn’t that clean the only thing we found was that the table was sticky but as this is a consistent comment I don’t think it’s to do with cleanliness and the rest of the house was fine. The 2 things I’d comment on was the bin situation as the outside, bins hadn’t been collected for some time and it was causing issues for the neighbours. And the parking, it says parking for 4 cars, we only had 1, but it was a big one and although it would probably have been possible to have another car at the back of the house it would have required a lot of manoeuvring. The other 2 parking spaces were in the garage and again with a big car we didn’t want to risk trying to get it in there. So parking fine for small cars, not so sure about very large ones. Otherwise would highly recommend the house and would definitely return if staying in the area again. We were doing a Macmillan mighty hike, it was perfectly located for that.

Stayed for a long weekend - important to say this is a big comfortable property with plenty of space and generous rooms.

Positives include the coal fire, the local pub, location for the north lakes, near to the amenities of Penrith but still being in a countryside setting. Less good were general cleanliness (swept the floors on arrival and very sticky dining table, the stay wasn't long enough to want to report it) and decor didn't look it had been refreshed for a while. Other reviews mention parking but it was more than enough for five cars. On balance as long as you're not expecting everything to be brand new and to look like a 5 star hotel then I think it is a good place to stay for access to the fells and lakes. We would stay again.

Lovely spacious house, with generous sized rooms.

Plenty of sofas and chairs for large groups. A few issues with cleanliness, particularly the floor and a very sticky dining table. Ensuites need a bit of TLC and updating. But beautiful location and views, and comfortable country house feel.

Our stay was fantastic.

Thank you for letting us stay in your wonderful property. It was clean, comfortable and equipped with everything we needed. A dvd player would've been nice for the evenings to settle the kids before bed but this did not hinder the stay. A gorgeous property in a beautiful area. Peaceful and charming. A shame the nice weather cant be ordered

Fantastic property in a lovely location.

Had everything we needed for a great weekend!

Enjoyed our stay the property is very spacious and warm.

No real issues but the property does look like it needs a bit of tlc. One issue that needs to be addressed is the front door and step is covered with bird droppings from nest in the eaves, I reported this at the start of the week but it was still the same when we left. The local pub is very friendly and welcoming and serves good food

Cottage great.

Booking experience with Sykes was poor

We found Hunters Chase very roomy.

However we had a problem in our ensuite where the toilet cistern leaked water onto the floor at every flush. The towels in the bathroom were not big enough, there were no shaver sockets. The window cleaner came and did a good job on the outside which highlighted the grubbiness of the inside windows-- childrens fingermarks and smears. There was no recycling. I found used disposable contact lenses on my bedside cabinet.

This was an excellent holiday cottage, very spacious and well kitted out.

We very much enjoyed our stay and would definitely visit again

Hunters cottage is a beautiful home, well equipped, literally has everything you could think of.

11 of us stayed in the house and you never felt on top of one another, it's spacious and clean. The kitchen is well equipped for large numbers of guests with multiples of everything. We had 2 children under 2 with us so we took stair gates with us in anticipation of needing them, they were already in the house under the stairs along with 2 highchairs and baby bath. Board games galore, and puzzles for the children. Beautiful gardens to enjoy with stunning views. House location is in easy reach of lots of local attractions, would highly recommend and book again.

Very satisfied with the every aspect of your fabulous property.

So well equipped in every way. We will certainly be back.

Great property - ideal for big family trips.

Beautiful location. Rooms are large and airy. En-suite facilities good. Kitchen and dining area fully equipped and great for family lunches/dinners/games night. Local pub is a short walk away and offered good selection of food options as well as a pool table. Only downside is the 4pm check in and 10am check out - there is no flexibility on these times (not even for a fee), the 10am check out was a pain for us, given we were only there for 2 nights,

I had to buy bin liners to collect the previous guests’ soggy rubbish that had blown all around the garden.

The bin was overflowing and they had left a note to say that it was already full when they had arrived and had no bin bags - not resolved in between their visit and ours. I contacted Sykes - as did Chris the owner - and no reply other than a case code. Floors were also not very clean on our arrival. No hairdryer in the whole place. Dreadful location of central heating outlet - made the kitchen smell like a fuel station and horrible to walk through.

Lovely large house that was perfect for our needs.

However, on arrival we found ants all over the table and underneath where there were fragments of bread. We had to clean this and put ant powder down. We did mention this to Sykes lady who rang who sort of apologised but that was all. Following this we found of the two kettles one would not open so could not be used, a number of light bulbs were not working, the PS3 was not working and the remote control in the master bedroom had no batteries in it! It did not spoil our holiday but these should be checked prior to arrival. If these things are advertised for the property they should be working. The rubbish wheelie bin outside was full to the brim with waste on arrival and despite following the instructions re collection by the refuse collectors the rubbish was not taken. We also had to sort out our own recycling which is odd in an authority that collects waste for recycling. The owner might have said where the nearest recycling facilities were in the information booklet to save us hunting around.The property also has an electric fence to stop animals but no mention of this in the information on the cottage. This might be a hazard to young children as they may not be aware of what it is. Overall the property has a lot to offer but a bit more attention to detail based on the price charged would not be asking too much.

Had an absolute wonderful stay.

Very spacious and comfy.

Hunters Chase is a lovely property - very spacious and comfortable with high end appliances and lots of crockery/glassware etc, so perfect for a large group of people.

It is perfectly located for easy access to the Lakes and local activities around Penrith. I will definitely recommend this property to friends/family for future visits.

We were at hunters chase over New year for my husbands 80th birthday with all the family.

It was very spacious & supplied everything we needed. My husband said it was one of the best birthdays he’s had. Would certainly go back.

Very nice.

Spacious. Well equipped. Perhaps the chimney needs sweeping, the room got quite smoky when fire lit. Hot water great. Some people thought towel size/comfort a little sparse. Parking for large cars around back of the house a little tight. Especially when lining up to try and get out. Overall very nice.

A beautiful, spacious and perfectly clean cottage.

My children and I spent a week at Huntets cottage and had a great time. Lots of space, comfy couches, big garden . The only thing that could add to the experience, would be some garden chairs and recliners. Thanks for an amazing week.

Great house - convenient location for Ullswater and for Eastern fells.

Very well equipped, and obviously recently refurbished. Kitchen had everything needed and more - we had a very enjoyable stay here. Comfortable bedrooms and bathrooms, though the shower in the twin room en suite has perhaps not yet been updated? Two suggestions for further improvement: a barbecue and clearer wifi instructions (none of us could connect, even after seeking clarification from the agent).

Lovely cottage, pleasantly surprised with the games!

Beautiful area and would definitely stay again. The local pub served us an amazing Sunday dinner too.

Our break was lovely and the cottage did have all the facilities we required but on entering the cottage we found that we did need to do our own clean first.

There was allot of dust and the floors weren’t too clean either. The windows were really grubby and we just felt like for the amount of money we paid it should of been allot cleaner. And just a note I’m not one to ever complain at all but it didn’t spoil our stay

Lovely cottage as described.

Plenty of room for a large party. Kitchen and dining area well laid out so everyone could be together Very warm inside no need for jumpers. Beds were great and everyone had a good rest Only issue was main family bathroom toilet which when flushed made a terrible noise and vibrated. Reported to agents to let them know. Didn't spoil the holiday. Reading the reviews about cleanliness we found the cottage clean. Definitely we'll worth the price paid. Lovely relaxed stay thank you

Cleanliness was very poor.

Compartments in the fridge door were full of crumbs and had to be cleaned by ourselves, so we also took the opportunity to clean the whole fridge, just in case! As the shelving in the kitchen cupboards were dusty, we weren't prepared to use the crockery without a quick wash in the dishwasher. The general state of decoration was poor, especially on the stairwell with several large black marks every where. The edges of the walls were black and lacked paint. Ledges in the toilets and tops of skirting boards were very dusty with some actually covered in fluff. Lots of spiders webs in most corners which indicated very little dusting had taken place. General rubbish and litter found under the coffee tables in the lounge and probably hadn't been moved or checked for months. Surfaces in the kitchen had been wiped but smear marks left so we cleared all benches to give then a good clean before being used. Whilst the beds and bedding were excellent, the general state of the place left a lot to be desired. This wouldn't have been acceptable in normal circumstances let alone in a covid environment. Having said that, whilst our birthday (4 of us) social gathering and holiday went very well, we would go back to this large holiday let again, having already been there 6 or 7 times in the past. We all (9 of us) feel that the general cleanliness was disgraceful (as several previous comments in the visitors book would confirm) and again as we have mentioned in previous visits, the property is in serious need of decoration throughout

Nice property and a great location….

.but is in need of a little bit of TLC. We had quite a bit of bad weather Thurs/Fri - the kitchen window near the couch leaks quite badly, unfortunately for us we had left things/presents on the window ledge that ended up being spoiled. We didn’t have a mop. The main areas that can be improved upon are cleanliness (definitely not a Covid deep clean) (kitchen floor old/stained) and general maintenance/decor could be better/refreshed. 09:00 departure for additional cleaning make the group laugh out loud as it was pretty clear it hadn’t been done. All in all a good week, but the property could be so much better.

Really good place to stay.

Enjoyed it very much and perfect if you have young children. The only issue was the place wasn’t very clean.

Stressful on day of arrival, item not at cottage as expected, unable to resolve with sykescottage, unable to contact them, resolved myself once the owner contacted me, issued resolved very quickly, and very satisfactory shame I was unable to contact them first, The cottage it self is in a lovely area, good size, very well equipped, but could do with refresh, and deep clean, especially the tiled floors, other than that a lovely cottage.

This house was perfect for 2 families to spend the weekend together.

With 9 people in total we usually find there isn’t enough communal spaces but this was brilliant! We could all sit at the dining table together, outside on the 2 picnic benches and in the lounge to play games. Plenty of space and even enough bathrooms! We were really impressed by all the facilities - there always something missing that we haven’t thought of but there was plenty of everything here from tea towels and dishwasher tablets to toilet paper and cutlery. The description for the entrance (a sign and a cattle grid) is exactly the same as the next door entrance but a friendly neighbour pointed us in the right direction. We really enjoyed our stay and hope to re-visit soon

We had a wonderful family weekend!

There were 9 of us (8 adults and 1 child) celebrating a birthday and we all loved the property and location. Hunter’s Chase was a lot bigger that we expected and met our needs perfectly. All of the rooms were welcoming and comfortable; we especially liked the cosy lounge where we enjoyed gathering each night for drinks and games. The grounds were beautiful with stunning views and the local pub served delicious food. We would love to return!

Some of the beds were very uncomfortable.

The house itself was stunning but does need some improvement. There was paint chipping away in most of the rooms. There was no information in the property to tell you how to turn the hot water on. Overall it was a good experience but we wouldn’t stay here again

This house is really spacious and suitable for 2 families or large groups.

The kitchen/diner is a lovely, fresh open space with a large table big enough to seat all guests. The beds are really comfortable and the kitchen is well-equipped, however, it would have been good to have had some tongs, sharper knives and some salt and pepper. The location of the house is really good; close to Pooley Bridge, where you can get some basics and the unspoilt Ullswater Lake. The area is quiet and the cottage has beautiful views of the countryside with a large garden for children to play in. There is a good stock of books and board games. The house does need a bit of TLC and would benefit from a deep clean. The toilets don’t always flush properly, the fan in one of the bathrooms does not work, not all the hob rings in the kitchen work and many of the lampshades do not fit the lamps. There are two hoovers, but neither can be used; one does not have a bag and the other has an ill-fitting, full bag with no refills available. This meant we had to keep the spacious kitchen floor clean with a hand-held dustpan and brush. Also, there was no evidence of recycling bins/boxes, which was disappointing. We really enjoyed our stay and would recommend this house.

Great location as a base to the lakes.

We had 5 children with us age 2-10 years and there was lots of space for them to play and run around. It’s a beautiful big house.

This cottage was recommended through Sykes as an alternative - as our original cottage did not have hot water due to the recent storms.

When I checked the reviews on the website, they were not very complimentary saying that the house was badly needing updating. We were impressed with the house, loved the space and facilities, loved the location. So thank you for sorting that out for us and letting us continue to have a holiday as planned.

This was our third visit to Hunters Chase and as before we were generally satisfied with the facilities, location and degree of comfort.

Our impression however was that it is starting to look a little tired when compared to our first visit five years ago, and would benefit from a little re-decoration and re-upholstery of the furniture. Another minor irritation was the number of flies that greeted us in the kitchen and lounge. This was something the servicing staff might have remedied and provide an insecticide spray with the cleaning liquids. These things apart we thoroughly enjoyed our stay and hope to return for our family reunion next year. Hope this is of help. Margaret Darbyshire.

The accommodation and location was perfect for a family get together to explore the Lakes, attractions and local pubs

The house was wonderful, warm and kitted out with everything we could ask for.

Parking was perfect for a group and the Lake District blew us away! Great time had by all!!

Very good facility and extremely well equipped , very short walk to the pub.

Penrith is about £6 in a taxi .

We were a group of 9 and the accommodation suited us perfectly.

Plenty of space to relax and kitchen well equipped. Comfortable beds and plenty of hot water ( both essential when we were there for 26 mile charity hike). Contrary to the notes towels were provided. We struggled to find key box on arrival but a neighbour told us where it was.

Disappointing start not enough hot water for eight people to shower heating not staying on for long enough ,very cold weather this weekend lots of snow.

( Sykes very helpful thank you) we tried instructions in book but did nt improve, owner has hive so changed it when you contacted them,is this why did nt respond for us? I don’t know about these things. Lovely house great facilities did nt seem like had been freshened up just before our visit, dead flys in bowl in one bathroom same in sink in another,smell of stale mop as you entered, bit of a shame,let’s down a lovely property.