Reviews

We had a superb weekend, ostensibly celebrating my 90th birthday, but it turned out to be so much more than that – a very memorable festival of family and friends with strenuous expeditions on Saturday: one up Saddleback and one up High Pike, while the decrepit went to Howtown and walked around Hallin Fell, wildlife and views superb. 4 Generations for lunch on Sunday, thanks to Lynn. The Hall provides lots of delightful things to do for young and old. Huge thank you. Breathtaking house.

We were a family party, 3 generations, celebrating my 90th birthday. Blencowe Hall must be unique; what had been a derelict fortified pele tower has come to life again without loss of character, and furnishings and fittings are all sympathetic to the building and fully meet the exacting 5* standard. We did a mixture of self-catering – the big kitchen is admirably equipped – and indulged in Lynn Hilditch’s delicious food for two important meals. Any celebration in my family has to involve a mountain ascent: Saddleback and High Pike are close at hand, and the less energetic enjoyed lower hills and ancient woodland at Howtown on Ullswater. We had fine weather, but there is indeed plenty to do, rain or shine. We had the great advantage that I had been able to visit some months ago to work out how we would fit in, and ensure that I was physically able to get round the Hall, which has lots of internal and sometimes uneven steps. Disabled visitors would need assistants, especially as the main sitting room is on the 1st floor, and some stairs have no handrail. I would love to think we might come again.

Thank you, superb first class accommodation, beautiful countryside, lots to see. We enjoyed the nice hamper – very generous.

We had a fantastic stay at Glassonby Old Hall. The property was really well equipped. Lots of wood for both fires, and everything you could need in the kitchen. I was really impressed with all the information provided – lots of options for dining out and walking in the area. There’s a couple of great walks right from the property (would recommend the one to Lacy’s Caves and Long Meg and Her Daughters). It’s only 30 minutes drive to Ullswater for the Ullswater Steamers. And from Glenridding we did the walk up Helvellyn and striding edge – highly recommend this if you’re feeling adventurous. There was a lovely cafe near the information centre (Fellbites I think). We went out for dinner a couple of evenings – the Shepherd’s Inn in Melmerby and the Fetherston Arms in Kirkoswald (amazing pies!). Both were only 5 minutes drive and really good. Would definitely recommend getting the hottub – the views from outside the property are great.

The houses were warm, comfortable and perfect for our purposes. We spent a lot of time eating gourmet, home cooked food and drinking excellent wines around the ‘great table’ and imbibing cocktails and making our own music in the fabulous lounge – but the piece de resistance was spending hours admiring the exquisite Lake District scenery. We shall return anon. We depart reluctantly, with superb memories, with photographs galore and Lynne Chapman’s lovely art. Love the gorgeous Herdwicks.

We lived locally until 1996 and knew Hause Hall as a farmhouse. In the years since, we have come for a walk around Hallin Fell whenever we could. We never thought we would actually be staying here at Hause Hall. We have all enjoyed our stay in what is still our favourite part of the country. The weather has been good to us, raining only in the evenings or at night! We have been having self catering holidays for 30+ years and this is definitely the best house we have ever stayed at. We hope to return some day. Thank you for the welcome hamper and to Jilly for answering our questions before we arrived.

‘Great weekend, lovely cottage – would come again especially as this one was too short.’

‘This was our second experience of a Rowley Estates property. Not disappointed! Stories and photos of renovation are amazing. Standards of the properties are excellent. The attention to detail is superb. A lovely relaxing week and already trying to decide which property to try next. Many thanks to the excellent housekeeping team in prepping the cottage.’

‘A lovely break in a lovely place! Talk about chilling out… Listen to that sound of nothing! Enjoy! Thank you for delivering what you said on the packet…110%’

We held our wedding at Blencowe Hall on 1 September 18 and it was the most magical weekend we could have ever wished for. We booked the Hall itself and one of the accompanying cottages to accommodate 30 guests for a long weekend. (including our family dog!) The hall is licensed for weddings and so we were able to get married within Blencowe. I can’t thank everyone enough for all they did to make our stay a pleasant one. Nothing was too much trouble for them.

A wonderful welcome hamper through to a preference of bedding for our guests, and not to mention the wonderful Heather who came to the Hall for the wedding to look after the registrars on the big day and organise where i needed to be! The hall is steeped in history and our guests were fascinated by the documents within the hall detailing all the renovations that had taken place. It has the most amazing atmosphere and we had so much fun exploring. It is well equipped, with a huge kitchen area, lots of facilities and space for storage. Every one of us had a fabulous weekend, we’ve made so many memories that will last a lifetime and i even had a few tears when we had to leave. We will be back! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this magical place and the amazing staff that support it.