Ambleside
Cottage Stays

2026 Self-Catering Breaks in Windermere, Grasmere, Coniston & More!

Home
Cottages Latest Cottages Favourites Contact Us List Your Property
Barn End Overview Reviews Photos Attractions
Check Prices & Availability »

Barn End Reviews

Discover what previous guests loved about Barn End through our collection of verified reviews. These firsthand accounts showcase the memorable experiences and special moments that make staying at this hot tub cottage truly exceptional. Have you stayed with us at Barn End? We'd love to hear about your experience! Please take a moment to share your thoughts and help future guests make their decision. Your feedback is invaluable to us and helps us continue providing the best possible experience. Join our community of satisfied guests.

We had a nice week at Barn End with 5 adults and a 10 year old. On the whole, it's a nice property but could easily be made to be very nice with a minimum of expense, with the kitchen being most in need of some TLC. The kitchen has lots of storage with a big cupboard for dry goods, 2 fridges and a freezer. It is well stocked, but many things are dated and tired except for the new oven and hob that were installed during our stay, with nothing much matching. Not fundamental, but it just gives an impression of a lack of love. A couple of sets of new crockery, cutlery and utensils, plus a new microwave would do wonders. Beyond that, the bedrooms were comfortable and the whole place is spacious, with genuinely enough room for 8 many properties in my experience are cramped at full capacity and once we had managed to heat the place through it was fairly cosy, with one of the most efficient wood burners I've come across. A couple of things to note before booking that are in the listing but you may not appreciate. None of these were issues for us indeed some were a plus, but they could be dependant upon your circumstances. 1 Two of the bedrooms are at the top of stairs that go up from the kitchen and the double has no door. This means that the person in that single walks through the double to access their room and the bathroom. It also means that every sound can be heard between that room and the kitchen. 2 the other double and the triple bed are up another set of stairs and might as well in a different house to the rooms mentioned above. Great for privacy but could be an issue if you want to be close to children or vulnerable people in the other half. 3 It's quite a trek from the house to anything much. It makes for a really peaceful stay, but be prepared for a 2530 minute drive to get to anything to do.
Michael
The cottage is beautiful and a great place to stay with familylarger groups lots of separate areas so you didnt feel on top of each othertoo crowded. The owner went out of their way to decorate it for Christmas which was greatly appreciated. Very minor feedback, it is a large place to warm so in colder months only having one basket of wood for the burner was not enough. Needed another 4 bags from the local store for 3 days. Other than that an amazing stay 1010 recommend.
Dorothy
We would have loved the property but were quite disappointed by the cleanliness of the property when we arrived. I had to start cleaning the crockery & cutlery as some of the glasses had finger marks and lipstick marks on them and some bowls had food that had dried stuck to them.
Gareth
A really enjoyable stay
Rosemary
We had a super holiday at Barn End. Lovely spacious cottage which has been modernised and made very comfortable. Bedrooms roomy with very comfy beds and plenty of bathrooms. Kitchen well equipped and big dining table. Nice enclosed garden at back with seats for sitting outside. Good walks locally for dog lovers with outstanding views to Blencathra and towards Penrith and east to The Pennines. Ideal base for exploring the North Lakes. Would recommend The White Horse in Kings Meaburn for Pub food with a difference. Would love to come back.
Andrew
All good only thing no provisions at the property after a 7hr drive on a Sunday ... All good only thing no provisions at the property after a 7hr drive on a Sunday but other than that its a really nice property
Overall we couldnt fault it,very cosy in a quiet location
Hannah
We had a very comfortable stay at Barn End. The cottage was spacious, clean and very warm. The log burner is wonderful and logs were supplied which was a nice touch. It could do with some TLC in a few areas, for example ceiling lights not working in bedrooms, a leaking gutter by the front door that seems to be causing some damage to the window frame below and couldn't get the TV working in triple bedroom. The fridge and dishwasher are also quite small for the size of property but understand this is limited by kitchen size. Nothing that majorly impacted our stay but maybe for the owners to be aware of. The location is great if you want peace and quiet, but Shap is just a short drive away for amenities. The donkey sanctuary next door is wonderful and and definitely did not cause any excessive noise at all. Overall we had a good stay at Barn End, thank you.
Jillian
Lovely large barn conversion, easily accommodated the five of us. Original beams but good height so no bumping heads. Very quiet location, next to the donkey sanctuary. Lovely to hear them braying occasionally, but not intrusive. Great sun room overlooking the rear private garden. Need to be careful as uneven patio, new garden bench but the table & chairs in need of a makeover. Tea towels & washing up liquid supplied, but take dishwasher tabs, laundry detergent, condiments & ground coffee for the cafetire & coffee machine, or stock up at the CoOp in nearby Shap. Good hairdryers, comfy beds & lovely linen. As this is a rural property near working farms etc, might need fly spray, depending on the season.
Caroline
Great family cottage, very comfortable, lovely location. Our family had a great weekend it was lovely to all be together.
I came and stayed here with my family for the weekend and I wish we could have stayed for longer! The house was absolutely beautiful and very quirky which we loved! There was plenty space and no one felt on top of each other there were 8 of us in total. Everything was clean and homely. The house is in a really nice location not too far from neighbouring villages and Penrith. You feel as though you are tucked away which is exactly what we were looking for. The kids loved the garden and there were good swing parks not too far away. We really enjoyed our stay and would love to come back again! Thank you!
Richard
We were delighted with the furnishings and artwork. Everything was most comfortable and delightful, perfect for our threegenerational wedding weekend!
Stephen
We had an absolutely amazing week, the accomodation was amazing and made for a very comfortable and relaxing stay. Location to all parts of the lakes was easily accessible and Shap has everything you need for convenience. The accomodation was very, cozy and offered space to be social or find a corner to read a book. Definitely be looking to rebook again, everyone enjoyed their stay. Thank you
Hoang Manh
Overall really happy with our times there lovely place , beautiful view , just ... Overall really happy with our times there lovely place , beautiful view , just one thing is the floor board are creaking
The cottage requires a deep clean and many of the features in the kitchen required updating.
Lovely holiday. Everywhere was clean and tidy. We couldnt find the blue bags for bedding so left this in the laundry room. Nice area, accessible to lots of areas. We would have preferred a more secure garden. Thanks
The cottage was bright, clean and spacious. We loved it and couldn't have asked for more. It is a little outside the main areas of the Lake District but Keswick, Ambleside and Windermere are within striking distance. Penrith is within easy reach with shopping, takeaways and restaurants. The Coop in Shap was great too.
Elizabeth
Unfortunately I have a very mixed review for this property. I will start with the positives. Fantastic rural location, clean bed linen and towels. Plenty of towels we didnt use all of them. Extremely comfortable beds and pillows. Negatives When I arrive at a holiday rental, my expectations are for it to be clean and plenty of space for me to put my things, downstairs every drawer seemed to be crammed full of bits and bobs of no particular relevance with no particular order. The house was grimy, dusty and cluttered. As soon as we arrived, I was cleaning crockery and utensils that had old crusted food on them. Door handles on kitchen cupboards were sticky, the microwave buttons had food still on them and inside it was dirty. My husband found grim and dead insects in the kitchen cupboards. Work surfaces and tables were sticky. The dishwasher was not maintained as this became obvious as the week progressed. It didnt clean the dishes very well and by no means did we over fill it. It was also a slimline, which was not adequate for the size of the property. There was also donkey stables on the end of the row of houses, which meant we were getting woken at different times of the night. This property could really do with a declutter, and a really good clean. It was a shame really, as I wasnt expecting to be cleaning a property as soon as I arrived. There is much more I could say but I feel I have said enough, needless to say, sadly, we wont be returning.
Lovely cottage, slighty away from things but very peaceful and quiet, good size inside with plenty of room. Good base to visit other parts of the lakes. A very nice and relaxing stay, would go again.
Absolutely loved the area, great for walking. Morland is roughly 3.5 miles walk and has a cracking little cafebistro. The cottage was immaculate and the beds are very comfortable. If I had any criticism, it would be that the layout in the lounge was a bit odd for a larger group, offering just two couches one small in n odd configuration for the TV area with such a large space downstairs, it would be easy to redesign to allow a more comfy TV viewing area.
Georgina
We found the cottage very comfortable and well equipped. There were places to spread out within and a lovely garden to enjoy. Great place for a multigenerational reunion.
This place is better than the photos portray. The wifi wasn't great, but apart from that, the layout is interesting and the cottage is warm. It is a peaceful location and we would all be happy to return.
As a family party ranging from 1584 we have had a lovely time together at Barn End. We have had everything we needed in the property to enjoy our first short break together since Covid struck, which has been precious. Given the inclement weather, the cottage was extremely well heated, making our stay enjoyable. We would definitely stay here again if the opportunity arose and maybe try out the cottage in the summertime.
Gorgeous house perfect with lovely bedrooms and good living areaskitchen and facilities, perfect for a large group! Only drawback was the very late check in 5pm and early check out 930am
There were 8 of us staying in the cottage with ages varying from 4 to 70 and every one of us absolutely loved it at Barn End Cottage. My children loved waking up to watch the cows and sheep at the fence! The facilities were excellent and we especially loved the kitchen where we had everything we needed to cook a meal after a full day exploring the lakes. We would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a cottage in the lakes. Places are within easy reach and it's a perfect place for peace and quiet too. We really enjoyed our stay. One thing I would recommend is to buy citronella candles to get rid of the flies. Nothing to do with the cottage you expect flies when you're in the countryside in August but once we bought the candles they weren't a problem. An extremely clean and cosy place and we would definitely book again.
It is not clear that the double bedroom off the kitchen stairs is open plan with no door. Virtually all the glasses had to be washed before they could be used generally not that clean in the kitchen our 2 year old grandchild found 6 batteries on the floor under the sofa these were all surprising given all the comments about COVID cleaning. The door on the other double bedroom does not close properly and the taps in the adajcent bathroom were very difficult to shut off need new washers. The smoke alarm in the kitchen had been disabled with the battery half attached left hanging down. Its a great space but needs some TLC, most of the furniture is very tired and the Sofas really need replacing. Ample off road parking is good
Russell
LOVELY LOCATION AND BEAUTIFULLY DECORATED AND FURNISHED FELT MORE HOMELY THAN MANY RENTAL PROPERTIES
Camillia
We had the best time over the Christmas holidays . It was such a lovely set up with all the amenities youd need . They also had a Christmas tree and decorations set up which was a lovely touch. The views in the morning of the calming farm land to the front and back was so breathtaking to wake up to . Honestly had the best time , and would definitely come back again. For anyone visiting in the future , my husband figured out the coordinates that will take you exactly to the cottage without any issues , as people have previously stated that they found it difficult to find . Just copy and paste into google maps 5433'37.6N 238'12.0W Penrith CA10 3HD httpsgoo.glmapsVTk1c8qcstCszgtX7
The premises was difficult to find even with the advantage of Satellite Navigation.
Although we had a very enjoyable stay, there were several things that we feel were not up to Sykes's standards 1 There were quite a few light bulbs not working in every room, upstairs, downstairs and outside. the outside light over the door worked but was useless for shedding light on the door lock. 2 A dirty towel had been left in the linen bin in the pink bedroom. 3 The sink in the pink bedroom had been leaking for some time and had a bowl of stagnant dirty water underneath it which had not been emptied for a long time. 4 Some cupboards and doors do not close properly. 5 the freezer could do with defrosting. 6 The grey toilet in the bathroom above the kitchen does not always flush away waste properly it took between 1 and 10 flushes to move it. Seems to be the pan design does not circulate the water effectively. This is unhygenic and unacceptable. We left a note for the cleaners detailing the above things. The cottage itself is in a very quiet location, is laid out very well and is very convenient for driving to local towns and castles. There are quite a few pubs restaurants within a 15 to 20 minute drive ranging from cheap to relatively expensive and all dog friendly. As mentioned initially, we still had a wonderful time. It was a pity that several things, that a couple of days maintenance would sort out, tarnished a very good break.
Adeyinka
The place was absolutely stunning. When I arrived to the property I was so surprised how beautiful it looked in person. It was very clean and warm which made our stay even better. The only two things which could be on improved, is the direction given to locate the property on the email confirmation was not very helpful so I suggest calling the owner directly to help locate the property and the WiFi in the property was not very good. However, regardless of those two minor things I would definitely stay here again.
Lovely cottage in a lovely setting, ideal for visiting all of the main places in the Lake District and also West Yorkshire. Lisa, contact number given for assistance was extremely helpful when directions was needed to find the cottage. Would definitely suggest this cottage to my friends.
The Wi Fi was disappointing and virtually non existent. Premises spotless and very comfortable.
Leave a Review
Been to a holiday park in ? Please leave a review and share your holiday experiences.
Name
Month of stay
Year of stay
Review
Millans Park, Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 9AG