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This weekend I was lucky enough to be invited to spend a weekend in a beautifully appointed large cottage in the Lakes (6 bedroomed in fact) with some friends.  The property The Old Joiners Shop can be rented out through Sykes Cottages and I have to say is absolutely excellent value for money.  If you had rented the weekend we travelled it would only have been £887 for the 3 nights. For a house of that size that really does equate to very good value.

Located near the stunning village of Bowland Bridge and two renowned pubs, more on that later; the location of this large cottage in the Lakes, is idyllic, the views incredible and the accommodation has recently been renovated to an incredibly high standard.  What more could you want.  Oh an open fire?  It has one of those too!

Of the 6 bedrooms, 3 have their own en suite meaning that even though I was away with 5 other women there wasn’t a queue for the bathroom.  The beds were very comfortable and all towels and bed linen were provided.  There was also pretty quick (for the Lakes anyway) wifi which is essential for the workaholics and bloggers amongst us.

Whilst I travelled with a group of friends this weekend, this Large Cottage in the Lakes is decked out for babies and young children.  There is the ubiquitous but very useful Ikea high chair, a travel cot, CBeebies, a huge utility room with a washing machine and enormous area for drying all the kids wet clothes and wellies (perfect if you are there for longer than a weekend) and at the front of the house is a perfectly sized enclosed garden for toddlers.

The back garden is very steep but the owners have anticipated this being an issue for those with young children and have gated it so small children can’t harm themselves.  The cattle grid (with hedgehog ramp within it – see if you can spot it if you travel) ensures that children can’t get out onto the road to the front of the property.

The large kitchen is also very well appointed with 2 fridges, 2 freezers, 2 dishwashers and even 2 ovens.  Having had friends recently visit a large holiday cottage only to find there was nowhere to store all the food they had bought and no possibility of cooking a roast dinner for the 17 people the cottage slept, I now always check out the kitchen facilities even if we don’t use them.

On the Friday lunchtime we made our way to the (within walking distance) Mason Arms in Strawberry Bank.  This pub is the sort of pub you could hunt the Lake District for and never stumble across yet close to this cottage are two almost ‘perfect’ pubs.  We ordered three little bottles of prosecco and finally settled on two sharing platters from the huge menu.  The quality of the food was brilliant and we enjoyed a really good couple of hours chatting and putting the world to rights.

The rest of our party arrived a little later in the evening and we had decided to eat in as everyone was arriving at different times. It also gave us the chance to sample the wonderful food cooked by one of our party who has recently launched a new food range for kids Kiddyum.  Not content with being able to whip up healthy but delicious frozen meals for little people, Jayne can also create meals for grown ups which I have to say tasted divine. What a day of food and wine it turned out to be!

 

The next day started a little later than the usual 7am, which was a real treat and we all gathered for tea and bacon butties around the large kitchen table at 10am.  We didn’t even use the large dining room table, one of the lounges or the conservatory that day. The downstairs space really is huge.

After breakfast (basically at lunchtime!) we made our way to Tarn Hows for a leisurely walk (free to park if you are in the National Trust).  It only takes an hour (maybe less) to wander round, is pushchair/wheelchair friendly and easy for little ones, so definitely a good starter walk.

After the wander I had to make my way home but the others stayed on to try out the Hare and Hounds in Bowland Bridge.  For me, I’ll just have to try it next October as we’ve booked to go back with the four families we visited Whitby with earlier this month.  Make sure you book this Large Cottage in the Lakes soon as it is sure to book quickly.  There are some fabulous activities for kids in the area too including Wray Castle, and Muncaster Castle.