A Wonderful Property, warm, comfortable & cosy, well situated between Ambleside & Rydal.

As I have not received a response to the email sent on 06012026 I have copied below for your attention. Re Complaint Regarding Booking Z262725SA at Scandale Bridge Cottage Ambleside Faulty Kitchen Equipment and Other Issues. I am writing to formally complain about our recent stay at Scandale Bridge Cottage in Ambleside, which we booked through Sykes Cottages for our family's Christmas getaway from 23rd December 2025 to 30th December 2025. As loyal customers who have booked our 9th Christmas holiday away and approximately our 15th trip overall through your company, we are deeply disappointed by the significant issues we encountered, particularly with the kitchen equipment, which have severely impacted our holiday. Having sat back for a week following our return wondering whether to bother raising these issues, I feel it necessary to hopefully prevent future holiday makers wasting their money on this below average holiday let. On the second day of our stay Christmas Eve, we discovered that only a small section of the oven was working and the air fryer was also nonfunctional. These are essential appliances for preparing meals, especially for a family Christmas dinner. Having reviewed previous guest feedback on your website and other platforms, it is evident that these exact problems have been reported by multiple guests prior to our booking, yet no action appears to have been taken to resolve them. This lack of maintenance is unacceptable, as it suggests Sykes Cottages was aware of the faults but proceeded to let the property regardless, at a much higher rate over the Christmas period. The oven overall was dirty as was the portable countertop oven that was far too dirty to use, presumably provided due to the known oven faults. What should have been a relaxing and joyful christmas eve turned into a stressful return drive from Ambleside to Blackpool a round trip of several hoursto collect cooking equipment from home and a family member. Without this emergency measure, our Christmas dinner would have been completely ruined, turning what should have been a joyous family gathering into an almost impossible ordeal. Our group includes young children, and it is particularly distressing that we were knowingly allowed to proceed with this booking during the festive season, when reliable kitchen facilities are crucial for a family holiday, let alone a christmas dinner. In addition to the kitchen issues, we experienced several other problems, including a nonworking dryer, malfunctioning radiators that left parts of the house uncomfortably cold, and multiple lightbulbs that were out. While we appreciate that older properties can have occasional maintenance challenges, these cumulative faultsespecially the known kitchen defectshave made our stay far from the relaxing escape we anticipated and paid over the odds for. Due to how late these faults began to appear, i.e evening of Christmas Eve, we felt that our only option was to find our own resolution rather than expecting any maintenance responses over this period. We have chosen not to publicise these issues on social media or in public reviews at this stage, as some guests might, in the hope that Sykes Cottages will take action accordingly and professionally to investigate and address the issues highlighted. It is worrying that such 'premium' accommodation is made available at such a low standard and has made us reconsider our future holiday providers. I kindly ask that you investigate this complaint promptly and provide a response on the proposed resolution to this matter, with assurance that this is a oneoff and standards will be raised across the board. Thank you for your attention to this matter, I look forward to hearing from you. We have enjoyed many positive experiences with Sykes Cottages in the past and hope this can be resolved to restore our confidence in your service.

We had a lovely few days at Scandale Cottage. The cottage is in a great location for Ambleside with just a few minutes walk into town. The cottage was beautifully furnished with a lovely country cottage feel. The facilities were great the oven was a little slow to heat up but you could get used to that. We werent expecting any Christmas decorations but the cottage had a beautiful tree and wreaths which made me so happy as this was a family get together preChristmas in my favourite place. I would definitely return to the cottage.

Lovely cottage however quite a few maintenance jobs need doing ie shower makes ... Lovely cottage however quite a few maintenance jobs need doing ie shower makes an awful loud noise, grab handle on bath loose, only 1 oven on aga hot, only 1 baking tray, air fryer looks dangerous so didnt use, water leak at front porch, entrance to drive quite steep & tight to drive into, TV very old

Great location. The main bedrooms bed is a little tired itself, the on suit shower extremely noisy and sounds like a jet engine.

The cottage was beautiful, very comfortable and very clean. Beds were very comfy, the kitchen was well equipped and the furniture and layout works well. Ample parking for our 2 cars and the outside space was great and gets the sun all day. The porch area was ideal for storing boots, coats and water gear for our large family. 10 min walk into Ambleside and lots of lovely walks on our doorstep. The cottage is a great base to explore the area. We figured out the showers to stop the noisy plumbing for future guests, they just need turning all the way on first then turn them down after a minute. Would definitely stay in the future.

Property was lovely, my family and I had a wonderful time and stay at Scandale Cottage. Beds were comfortable and nice towels provided. We hope to come back!

Nice cottage in a great location only a 10 minute walk into the centre of Ambleside. Well equipped, great place to stay for a hiking weekend.

Overall a really nice comfy house and very well placed for a Lakes walking weekend. Also handy for bus services to Keswick, Grasmere, Ambleside and Kendal. A couple of minor gripes that didn't in anyway affect our stay there Some noisy plumbing with the shower valves! Also there were some previously usedunwashed towels left in one of the bedrooms.

Good location and practical size for a family. Heating is warm with plenty of hot water so no complaints about comfort. Some of the previous comments are borne out which do detract from what otherwise is a very nice property. Key points The ensuite shower is leaking between tray and wall and comes through in kitchen ceiling although the new curtain does stop splashing onto floor. The kitchen is suffering from wear and tear if you did cook you would be limited in utensils, pans etc dishwasher lower draw has broken wheels, fridge has no trays in the door which restrcits ability to store milk other than in salad draw. Overall a spacious and comfortable property that needs some TLC to bring it back to an excellent standard.

The property was nice and spacious downstairs but the bedrooms leave something to be desired. The ensuite was nice and the double was fine but the other 2 bedrooms were small with one of the twin beds needing a new mattress or total replacement. There was very little space for clothes and bags and all but the ensuite room being cramped. Downstairs was very nice and comfortable with plenty of space. The fridge door hinges were dirty as was the cooker grill. There looks to be a leaky or damaged ceiling which doesnt provide confidence that the house is well maintained. It was fine for the 2 nights we were there as 4 adults with a bedroom each but I wouldnt have wanted to share with anyone else due to the lack of space.

Lovely holiday cottage, perfect location. We were initially worried about the road noise when booking but couldnt hear anything other than the bubbling stream when inside. Cottage was well stocked with kitchen equipment we managed the oven no problem. Showers were warm and powerful. Beds comfortable,

Scandale Bridge Cottage Overpriced I wanted to take my Son on holiday to the Lake District and Scandale Bridge Cottage looked like the perfect base, great location and safe, exclusive, offroad parking for my car. We paid 697 for 4 nights for 2 people. We needed to turn on the heating and this was straightforward, just turn the thermostat. We didnt need access to the boiler controls as a previous guest had to. There was clean bedding and towels. The WiFi works well and reaches bedrooms. The TV is a little dated but we were able to connect a phone via HDMI which was good. But here is the down side. First impression, theres no hand soap for the hand basins. I know a minority of guests will take away items from a holiday stay, but that shouldnt discourage the owners from providing a few essentials. During the week we found other things lacking No tea towel No dishcloths No washing up liquid No cleaning products Youre meant to leave the cottage clean on departure, which we managed to do in spite of this, apart from the fridge which was long overdue for a proper clean around the vents see photos. We didnt use the oven or hob and only a few items of crockery and glassware, the rest remained unused though some of those were a little grubby. There was one dishwasher tablet and one water blown tablet, maybe left by a previous guest? see photo. I have stayed in some places where there are complementary toiletries and at the very least, some soap for the hand basins, some go as far as to provide a bottle of wine, chocolates or a mini hamper. I dont expect any of these but the basics would be nice. Looking at the reviews on the website, back in August 2023, Gavin reported a blind was broken and inoperative, we found the same blind still with no chain or cords see photos. The ensuite bedroom door doesnt close and it is presumably a fire door as there is an automatic closer and a fire action notice attached see photo. The ensuite bathroom door doesnt fit well either but can close with a heave. The clocks didnt work no big deal. When we started encountering problems, I read back through other reviews and noted the response of the owners. The responses seem to be quite dismissive so I may be wasting my time giving further feedback, which is intended to be constructive and helpful. Standard excuse seems to be if you had phoned, well no, guests should not have to disrupt their holiday to report maintenance issues that have previously been ignored. Response to M from July 2023 you should have reported it via the telephone number in the information file in the Cottage and cannot understand why you would give a 50 rating based on the two adverse points you have erroneously raised Guest Nigel in January 2023 reported some issues which have since been fixed, thankfully. He said Only 5 plates in house for 8 people, to which the response was We do not advertise the house to sleep 8 guests hence we provide the necessary amount of utensils and crockery for the number of guests the house is advertised to provide for The cottage is advertised for 6 guests so should one go hungry or wait for 2nd sitting? Id love to know Nigel! The availability of utensils was fine but the quality and cleanliness, less so. We had no such problem as there was plenty of crockery, but we chose to eat out. Nigel also said Bath sink leaked through to the lounge. More on this later. The ensuite shower is badly designed. Granted theres not much that can be done about this other than replacing the shower tray. The problem is that the rim of the shower tray is flat, so any water running down the walls of the cubicle then run along the top of the rim and out onto the floor. I found a way around this is to direct the monsoon shower head to the opposite corner and lay a piece of toilet paper across the rim of the shower tray to direct the runoff into the tray. There was nevertheless a lot of condensation on the walls outside the cubicle as the extractor fan is inadequate and the ensuite is not heated. The ensuite is not heated as the small towel rail doesnt work, its currently switched off, but if you try to open the valves to turn it on, one of them leaks see photo. There is nowhere to put toiletries in the ensuite shower cubicle, a small shelf andor soapdish would be good. Our biggest concern was the leaks, one from the main bathroom down to the lounge. Its obviously a longstanding issue as it was reported by Nigel in January 2023. You can see the damage to the ceiling and you can see the attempt to paint over that damage as theres a subtle difference in the shade of white you may be able to pick it up from some of the photos. When we noticed we also looked under the ensuite and there was a leak there too See photos and video. Neither leak produced torrents yet and we placed containers under to catch the water, reported it to maintenance and decided not to use the bathrooms for shower or bath after that. The response to Nigel in January 2023 was Occasionally, leaks happen. This is true, but as a property owner, Id be scared the ceiling might come down and Id make sure that the leak is fixed, not painted over. We did not call out maintenance until the last night because I found workarounds for most of the problems and had taken everything but the kitchen sink and cleaning materials to the cottage. We only discovered the leaks from upstairs to downstairs late in our stay. By the way the one from the bathroom is only when the tub is draining so it is likely to be a leak in the waste pipes. The reason I dont hold out much hope that this constructive feedback will be listened to, or acted on is that some of the issues reported previously are still unresolved and the parting shot to Nigel was We sincerely hope that you find a cottage more to your liking and requirements, for your next trip away together. Which is easily interpreted as go stay somewhere else. My Son and I certainly will and if you're looking for holiday accommodation, maybe you will too? The constructive criticism from others was somewhat rudely dismissed, so I expect the same for my review. The review mechanism doesnt allow guests to reply to owners feedback, so I wont be able to contest any owner responses or rudeness either. Full review here httpsdocs.google.comdocumentd1WcGMGjynlt2ZrKIYqXLujzsbkVSVK8v009Q66o4 Photos and video here httpsphotos.app.goo.gl2yPjjGiaoN2Ccnb36

A lovely spacious cottage in a fantastic location for access to the centre of Ambleside. Very clean on arrival , and a well kitted out kitchen made eating in the property an easy option. Would certainly use again

A really well equipped and comfortable cottage perfectly located for walking with plenty of parking space. A welcome pack would have improved our stay but overall a nice relaxing stay

Lovely clean and warm cottage. Very comfortable for a family of 6, ideally situated for walking into Ambleside, lake Windermere and for longer walks round the beautiful countryside. Large kitchen table to seat up to 8 people. All the kitchen appliances worked, plenty of glasses, cutlery and crockery although the oven took a while to get going.

Lovely cottage , 10 min walk into centre of Ambleside. We missed the turning 1st time as its a sharp right turn just at the the National speed limit sign, plenty of parking space. Cottage fitted out with good quality furniture furnishings. Cottage was clean and beds made up on arrival , large bath sheets provided for each person. We didnt really use any of the cooking facilities as we ate out most of the time. Kitchen is large and spacious. Lovely bright sitting room with good quality furniture. Only one small detail is showers not that powerful but it wouldnt stop me from returning as it was a lovely cottage with everything we needed .

Lovely clean property.

Overall absolutely loved our stay, setting beautiful, plenty of space, great location, pretty much everything we needed for our family of 2 adults and 4 children Couple of suggestions would be to brighten the lighting in the kitchen and bedrooms, include a small knife for preparing vegetables and a set of kitchen weighing scales and adapt the listing inventory online to reference the freezer and tumble dryer which would have been useful to know about prior to arrival although we couldn't get the tumble dryer to work during our stay but was not a problem We also tried to report a leak which came through the landing ceiling after a heavy downpour using the number given and left a message although no one got back to us. Luckily this leak only happened on one occasion. A little more attention to detail with cleaning and ongoing maintenance could be improved if we're being picky there were cobwebs in the bathrooms, loose window handles which could benefit from attention and a blind with no cord to be able to close both. Despite this, we would definitely recommend this cottage to others and thoroughly enjoyed our holiday.

Upstairs bedrooms far too small to sleep 5 adults and 2 children comfortably. Wardrobes difficult to access. Toilet in master bedroom needs urgent attention. No evidence of recycling which was amazing due to being in the Lake District. Overall we enjoyed our stay and the location was ideal for Ambleside

Beautiful, warm, comfortable cottage in a perfect location. The only very slight issue was how long the oven takes to warm up extremely slow!

A large, well appointed , traditional Lakeland house, set in extensive gardens name is ideal for a group of friends or family planning to get away into the Lakeland countryside. There is good parking. A large kitchen , cosy lounge and four bedrooms give ample space to sit around and relax. The beds are comfortable , and the furniture is of good quality. There is a tv , but we didnt use it so cant comment. It is a possible to walk into Ambleside and pleasant enough. Any minor issues were sorted out promptly. All in all , we have been very content with the house . We have cooked most evenings rather than going out and enjoyed the ambience of the setting.

I want to say how disappointed I am with this cottage. It shouldnt be let in current state Here is a list of some of the many issues we have had Oven not fit for purpose. Had to leave on for 5hrs to get to just warm enough to cook something. Then didnt cook it properly. House freezing cold and bedrooms wont get warm Shower in smaller bathroom doesnt get to heat and makes so much noise Bath sink leaked through to the lounge Only 5 plates in house for 8 people Toaster doesnt work well Only 2 small pans for frying Fire heater in lounge useless WiFi doesnt work in bedrooms Plastic bowl with holes and cracks in cupboard There is so much more. It was a shame as the cottage was in a good location. For 8people there just wasnt enough facilities and utensils in the kitchen.