Reviews

We’ve very much enjoyed our first visit to the Eden Valley and The Lakes. And its been lovely to have had Elk Cottage as our base. We’ve really appreciated all the information provided, pre-booking and at the cottage. Thank you too for the prompt action on the pillows! We’ve walked for miles and eaten well. Enjoyed the quiz at The Crown last night, although the round on ‘recognise the village where the pub is’ was a bit of a tester for us southerners as they were all local! Thank you. – Jane, Duncan, Steph and John. – November 2018

Our second stay at Elk Cottage and it was just as lovely as we remember! A real treat. Luxury, but homely. We’ve been lucky with the weather apart from Wednesday (on second thoughts the Ullswater Steamer in the rain was misguided and a bit ££ off season due to limited timetable) but cosy evenings by the log burner have been fantastic. We have recommended Elk Cottage to all of our friends as so lovely. Thank you. – The Lewis family – November 2018

Thank you for a lovely stay in a beautiful rural retreat.

Fabulous cottage, lovely weather, a perfect weekend and the raspberry jam was delicious. Thank you.

The cottage was everything we expected and more. The heating was on and the fire laid for our arrival, the welcome basket was exceptional, home made raspberry jam delicious. The cottage is equipped to a very high standard. We will be back.

What a fantastic place! We had perfect weather for autumn walks and cooked feasts. A great way to celebrate a significant birthday .

Seven lovely ladies on our annual get together, this year celebrating a special birthday. Wonderful house which was so comfortable for our get together. Lots of evenings around a roaring fire. Fantastic times, fantastic friends.

We booked Blencowe Hall and one of the cottages to celebrate a big birthday and it couldn’t have gone better. Christine is incredibly responsive and even with a couple of hiccups (heating wasn’t working) she responded immediately and had it fixed within the hour. The beds were very comfortable and the bed linen top notch; each and every one of our guests said how well they’d slept. Each room is individual and of course the South Tower Master is stunning! Most rooms have baths which the ladies loved. The kitchen is very well equipped and I soon got used to the Aga. With 30 people in the kitchen it certainly got cosy but we obviously had our guests from the cottage in for breakfast as well. I actually took kettles to put in each bedroom because some rooms, as you’d expect, are a long way from the kitchen. We had Lynn Hilditch Catering for all lunches and dinners and she was exceptional! The food was locally sourced and utterly delicious. Lynn went over and above to provide perfect meals and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her. It was a squeeze to get 30 people in the dining room and we had to use one of the garden tables along with the two existing tables, but it did work, it was just a little difficult serving food. Obviously if you only had 24 people it’s fine, but with a bigger dining room I think the Hall would also appeal to those who wanted an event for bigger numbers. The sitting room is a fantastic size easily accommodating 30 people and with the fire lit, was beautifully cosy. We also had Salsa dancing in the room one night which was brilliant; the best activity we did all weekend. The Hall is completely different to any other venue and of course has the ‘Wow’ factor surrounded by outstanding beauty. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this property along with Christine and her team – fantastic!

Another great time at melmerby , everything about it is fabulous . A great sociable kitchen for large groups , we will definitely be back , thankyou .

This was our third stay at Jennys Croft, having also previously stayed at the neighbouring Elk Cottage twice as well. It is a fabulous cottage. The log fire situated in the large open plan living area keeps the cottage so cosy and the large kitchen/utility area is well stocked, including the best welcome basket ever (including wine, biscuits, fudge, fruit, cereal, milk, orange juice, bread, eggs and cheese, and even treats for the dogs!). It is in a great location close to Penrith and Ullswater is the closest of the lakes. We love walking round Ullswater and the surrounding mountains. The nearby Lowther estate has great walks as well and there’s also the walks around nearby Aira Force. A little further afield and you are also near Keswick (a lovely town) with great walks nearby (see photos) and the lovely Derwent water. After a long day out walking it is so lovely to return to such comfortable and luxurious surroundings at Jennys Croft (or Elk) and we will be returning again, as usual.