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Bassenthwaite

Bassenthwaite

4.0
out of 5
Ratings from 8 reviews
75% of guests
recommend
Cleanliness
3.6
Comfort
3.9
Condition
3.6
Location
4.8
Value
3.6
Customer
Service
4.3

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A cosy, fully refurbished and homely apartment situated on the ground floor in a rustic former farmyard in the beautiful Esthwaite Valley. Peace, tranquility and relaxation await in this superb location.

A disappointing Christmas

Review submitted on Fri, 02 Jan 2026
1.8
out of 5
Guest doesn't recommend this property
Cleanliness
1.0
Comfort
1.0
Condition
2.0
Location
5.0
Value
1.0
Customer
Service
1.0
We stayed with our 3 children over Christmas to see family locally. We had been emailed to say they weren't providing a Christmas tree but I hadn't expected them to forgo any festive decorations at all. The property was completely bare, not even a rug in the living room. The cushions in the living room and throw cushions on the beds were dirty, the bathroom radiator is rusty so I couldn't hang our flannels to dry. The crockery and glasses in the cupboard were greasy and dirty. We arrived late as they knew we'd be travelling all day and there wasn't even a welcome note never mind a pint of milk for the morning.
I've stayed in a great many properties in the area and must have grown accustomed to expecting the basics of sugar, cooking oil and seasoning so didn't pack any and it's obviously in the middle of nowhere. With Christmas Day the following day everything was closed so we had no basics, no logs or kindling for the fire and 3 very disappointed children for Christmas.
I expected an amount of welcoming cosy festive decor given that we were staying Christmas eve to Boxing Day. I had to buy a tree and my mum came down to hang decorations which whilst lovely of her, she had 30 people to host for and didn't have time to be decorating another property so I felt awful that she'd done it.
I'm most upset that given the proximity to family I will have to stay here again as the area has very limited options and hope that next time they have changed cleaners and the standard of the property has improved to reflect the exorbitant cost of staying there.

Where did you hear about us?
Family

Did you book any activities with Graythwaite Adventure?
No

Jessica from Sheffield stayed at Bassenthwaite for 3 nights in December 2025


Amanda Rigg replied 70 days ago
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re very sorry to hear that your Christmas stay did not meet your expectations. Regarding Christmas arrangements, we contacted you in early December to explain that, as part of Graythwaite Estate’s sustainability and rewilding commitment with Natural England, we do not provide Christmas trees in any of our properties. This policy is applied consistently across the Estate. In subsequent correspondence, we also offered practical suggestions, local supplier details, and early access to the property at no additional charge to assist with any arrangements you wished to make independently. We also advised that we do not provide festive decorations, as these are a personal choice. We hope this helps clarify the approach we take to support both festive stays and our conservation work. We were concerned to read your comments regarding cleanliness. We do apologise for this and had these issues been raised during your stay, our housekeeping team would have attended immediately to resolve them, as we aim to maintain the highest standards for all guests. These matters have been noted and will be investigated. As a self-catering property, we do not advertise the provision of complimentary groceries, firewood, or starter supplies, as these are not included as standard. Your arrival instructions, sent on 17th December, explained this and included a link to pre-order any items you may require from our shop, which could then have been delivered to your property to save time. The pricing of our properties across the Estate has recently been reviewed by an independent company, and we are confident that the price paid for your Christmas stay is a fair reflection of the property and period. We value all guest feedback and remain committed to providing clean, comfortable accommodation and clear pre-arrival communication.

Relaxation guarateed

Review submitted on Sun, 27 Jul 2025
5.0
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
5.0
Location
5.0
Value
5.0
Customer
Service
5.0
We have all returned, again. from staying with Graythwaite on the Esthwaite How Courtyard so relaxed and revived. You can be as active or as laid back as as you like, and the glorious scenery is breathtaking in any weather. We're so grateful to the whole team and will return.

Where did you hear about us?
Google

Did you book any activities with Graythwaite Adventure?
No



Mel from Bromsgrove stayed at Bassenthwaite for 14 nights in July 2025


Amanda replied 130 days ago
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re delighted you enjoyed your stay and look forward to welcoming you back.

Bassenthwate

Review submitted on Sun, 02 Jul 2023
4.8
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
5.0
Location
4.0
Value
5.0
Customer
Service
5.0
The above cottage was a lovely place to stay and we couldn't find any faults with it apart from there being no plug for the kitchen sink.
We did find difficulty finding the cottage and think the directions were a bit confusing and also few sign posts

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Bassenthwate.

Regards, Roy Young

Roy from Newcastle upon Tyne stayed at Bassenthwaite for 2 nights in June 2023


Good Stay.

Review submitted on Sun, 01 Jan 2023
4.0
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
3.0
Comfort
4.0
Condition
2.0
Location
5.0
Value
5.0
Customer
Service
5.0
Overall, it is a great location within the Lake District, we have stayed at various Graythwaite properties before. The apartment is small for four people but does provide everything you need. The second bedroom and some of the kitchen have quite a bit of mold, and renovations are needed. The bathroom is very small, just a small shower, basin and toilet; no storage.

Sophie from Carlton stayed at Bassenthwaite for 9 nights in December 2022


Comfortable and peaceful.

Review submitted on Thu, 07 Jul 2022
4.7
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
5.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
4.0
Location
5.0
Value
4.0
Customer
Service
5.0
Parking outside the door, lovely location and area, comfortable beds and plenty of living space, small but usable kitchen.

Dianne from Maidstone stayed at Bassenthwaite for 3 nights in July 2022


Good stay at Bassenthwaite, some small improvements could make this property incredible

Review submitted on Sun, 03 Jul 2022
4.0
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
4.0
Comfort
4.0
Condition
4.0
Location
5.0
Value
3.0
Customer
Service
4.0
Bassenthwaite is in an exceptional location, near to both Ambleside and Windermere. It’s surroundings are beautiful and features some lovely local walks where you can take in the countryside views and nearby wildlife.

We stayed here late June with a 3 year old, please bear in mind this property does not have (as currently advertised on the website):
- A dishwasher
- Small freezer space in fridge

Being the ground floor apartment you can also expect to hear some noise from the above apartments, this includes heavy footsteps, doors shutting, toilets flushing and other people’s conversations.
Otherwise we enjoyed our stay but might think twice about the amenities here if we were to stay in the Lake District again.

Hannah from Worcester stayed at Bassenthwaite for 4 nights in June 2022


Disappointing cottage

Review submitted on Sun, 22 Aug 2021
3.0
out of 5
Guest doesn't recommend this property
Cleanliness
2.0
Comfort
2.0
Condition
3.0
Location
4.0
Value
2.0
Customer
Service
5.0
We had such high hopes for the cottage. However, when we got there, the shower tray was flooded, lots of flies crawling and flying around, shower area was very damp as ventilation was not working and there were no windows. WiFi was very poor, and not much thought was put into the decoration. The cutlery is a bit chunky and the nonstick saucepans were scratched. To be fair, they replaced the saucepan and cleared the shower tray almost immediately after I mentioned it to them.
The beds were quite comfortable and the location was very peaceful.

Guest from stayed at Bassenthwaite for 6 nights in August 2021


3rd visit in 4 years

Review submitted on Sun, 23 May 2021
4.3
out of 5
Guest recommends this property
Cleanliness
4.0
Comfort
5.0
Condition
4.0
Location
5.0
Value
4.0
Customer
Service
4.0
The location of this cottage is ideal, quiet secluded with its own communal picnic area and private access to Esthwaite lake shore to look out for the osprey's fishing. Hawkshead is 2 mile away for essentials, and Grizedale forest is only over the other side of the lake for longer walks. The cottage itself is in a converted farm and is clean and tidy, only possible issues are of you've got noises neighbours above you (which we didn't this year). There's other cottages available without upstairs neighbours on the same site if you require.
Overall I love it up there, really relaxing and perfect for dogs (keep an eye out for sheep in the adjacent fields though).

Rob from stayed at Bassenthwaite for 7 nights in May 2021