Reviews

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.

This place is absolutely gorgeous. I would thoroughly recommend it. The surprise hamper added to our Christmas celebrations as 2 families came together before their son and daughter went to Sydney for 2 years. The aga takes some getting used to but added to the experience as did having a snooker table.

We were in a lovely quiet location but within easy reach of all the amenities the Lake District has to offer. The holiday cottage is superb, with three bedrooms and three bathrooms, plus all the space required for a family of 6. The cottage is kept lovely and clean. The hamper is a bonus and really a treat on arrival. The gardens are superb and we enjoyed a couple of barbeques outside on the patio. We were able easily to drive into the tourist areas and enjoy the Lake District but were glad to return in the early evening to our comfortable cottage. Our 6 month old Grandchild had all the space to roll around and was excited to see the sheep every morning. There are so many lovely walks around Penrith. The town itself has plenty of food shops although we only shopped for food at Booths. I would definitely recommend Riverain for a relaxing holiday in a beautiful cottage in superb surroundings. Christine is very helpful with suggestions on things to do to enable you to plan your holiday and Jilly is helpful with any things in the cottage, including how to put up the travel cot! A great holiday was had by all of us. Many thanks to Christine, Charles and Jilly. Patricia

‘We had an amazing week, with unexpectantly warm weather. Everything (meals and probably quite a lot of the crockery and cutlery!) shared with the rest of the family next door in the Hall. Also had excellent meals at The Crown, Kirkoswald and The Shepherds Inn, Melmerby (and you have to see the view from Hartside summit, 3.5 miles up the hill from there – breathtaking views of the Lakes!) Lacy’s Caves and generally walking along the idyllic Eden are highly recommended. The house is lovely and very well equipped (apart from a sieve) – as the weather was so great, we would have appreciated some way of leaving the outer doors back, they tend to blow shut. Otherwise we were very happy and comfortable. Thank you for a wonderful week.’