Sykes Holiday Cottages offer the ability to book a huge range of over 17,500 holiday cottages to rent across the UK and Ireland, making them a great choice for a staycation. Here's what we thought of a stay at one of the properties, Rose Cottage near Broughton-in-Furness, Lake District.
Where is Rose Cottage?
Set on a working farm with stunning views of the Lickle Valley, the charming Rose Cottage is situated in the hamlet Broughton Mills, 2 miles from the market town of Broughton-In-Furness. It was perfectly located to discover the huge range that the lake district has to offer. During our stay we visited Coniston water, Ravenglass, Muncaster Castle, Ambleside and nearby Windermere, as well as the local town of Broughton. You're around 30 mins from all of these locations (and around 5 from Broughton) so it's really easy to get around. Plus you're not too far from the main road so if you don't feel confident winding around country lanes you can quite quickly get onto a more established A road. We loved the rural setting of Rose Cottage, the views from the garden (and hot tub) are stunning. It's so quiet you really can just get away from it all, and there are plenty of footpaths on your doorstep so you could easily spend a week at the house without driving if you wanted to.
The check in process was seamless, we were given directions and found it very easily. When we got there it was just a case of putting the code in the lock box. It was great that we could just get ourselves sorted upon arrival and didn’t need to wait for anyone or worry about running late if you hit traffic. We could come and go as we pleased, everyone at the farm were lovely, very friendly and welcoming.
Where will I sleep?
Rose Cottage sleeps six, with one double room, a twin which fits three beds, and one single. There is a family bathroom and a good sized living room and kitchen. It was very comfortable for the two of us and our two dogs, as this property is also dog-friendly. Being only one bathroom and with the configuration of the rooms I think it would be a struggle to fit 6 adults, but families with children would have no problem. Our room was comfortable and bright, with plenty of storage space for us to unpack. We also appreciated the addition of a stairgate on the stairs so we didn't have to keep worrying about shutting doors downstairs to keep the dogs from coming up. The bedding and towels were all provided and were good quality, we both slept very well during our stay.
Downstairs the cottage has a large kitchen which was well equipped with pots and pans, crockery and everything else you could need. There were also cleaning supplies, tea towels and kitchen roll.
One thing I would suggest a good addition to the kitchen would be some plastic cups for taking out to the garden - there is a sign beside the hot tub asking for glasses not to be used up on the patio, but without an alternative this is hard to do when you want to sit out and enjoy a glass of wine.
The living room was cosy and quaint, we loved the huge beams and the log burner. Thoughtfully this was all set up ready to be lit upon our arrival, so the first time we lit it was really easy to get it going. We did struggle to get it to take the next time we used it, and couldn't see any firelighters about, so these would also be good to have somewhere for guests. There were plenty of logs and kindling provided. The sofas were large and comfortable, it would be easy to fit six on these. The TV also has Netflix for guests.
Outside there is a small patio area and a shared garden with a deck, BBQ and hot tub - although we always had this to ourselves. BBQ coals were provided and we enjoyed cooking up some meat from the nearby butcher one sunny evening.
What is there to do?
There's so much to see from this location, as I mentioned above, you're perfectly positioned to get to many attractions whatever you're looking for - be it coastal, town or country. We enjoyed a hike up the Old Man of Coniston, a loop around Ravenglass, and also visited the towns of Coniston and Ambleside.
There are plenty of good local pubs to stop at, and Rose Cottage had loads of walking maps of the Lakes so you can easily plan out your routes.
At the lakes themselves there are also of course lots of places offering watersports such as paddle boarding, kayaking or wild swimming.
At the cottage there's also a hot tub, which we found a great way to unwind after a day out exploring. The views from this top patio are spectacular, we really enjoyed spending time up here.
What is there to eat?
Rose Cottage is self-catered but you have everything you need in the kitchen to cook. The farm where the cottage is sells eggs, so we enjoyed these of a morning, then in Broughton-In-Furness (barely 5 minutes away) there is a well stocked butcher and local village shop where you can get everything else you need.
If you're looking for somewhere to eat out, the pub down the road from the cottage, The Blacksmiths Arms, is brilliant. We thoroughly enjoyed two meals there during our stay - although it's best to book in advance as it is popular. When you go there you'll see why, the food is excellent.
There's also a co-op and large village shop with a butcher at Coniston, as well as a fish and chip shop and Indian restaurant.
How much does it cost?
Depending on your dates, the cost to stay at Rose Cottage would be from £508 for a seven night stay. For the location and quality of the accommodation I think this is a brilliant price. Of course Sykes have so many options available, so it's worthchecking their website for offers too.
Final thoughts
It was lovely that we could bring the dogs, the cottage was very dog friendly with tile downstairs and a door on the kitchen so we could shut them in there at night. Plenty of space for their beds and bowls too so you didn’t feel like they’d taken over the place. They loved walking and exploring and came back from the holiday absolutely shattered! Local pubs were all dog friendly too.
Overall I was very impressed with the cottage and would certainly look to book through Sykes Holiday Cottages again as the whole process was really easy, there was good communication running up to our trip and the cottage itself was great.