This cottage is a warm and homely country retreat; as soon as you enter the large, cosy characterful living room with exposed beams and huge inglenook fireplace you cannot fail to feel welcomed and embraced by the lovely atmosphere. This house has a quirky layout with rooms on different levels, all of which are spacious warm and charming with plenty of space for a family to spread out and relax. Children of all ages will appreciate the stunning games barn and exploring the attractive garden complete with babbling stream. The cottage sleeps eight; six in three bedrooms in the main house with the fourth double bedroom in the bothy providing additional sleeping space and a retreat from the main house. The cottage has pleasant rural views across the gardens, fields and trees from every room looking up to the beautiful little Sale Fell at the back as well as across to Bassenthwaite Lake from the twin bedroom.
The property is located near Routenbeck, a small hamlet tucked away just off the A66 between Cockermouth and Bassenthwaite Lake in the northern Lake District. There is a popular inn within walking distance and a short drive takes you to the attractive, bustling market town of Cockermouth with its variety of tourist attractions, shops and eateries. Thecottage is ideally placed for walks up and around Sale Fell, a small fell but a real gem. Other walks from the door can take you through the woods, around Dubwath Silver Meadows nature reserve or down to Bassenthwaite Lake shore with a network of footpaths to explore. Also close at hand are the spa at Armathwaite Hall and The Lakes Distillery for grown up entertainment and the Lake District Animal Park for younger members of the family.
With easy access to the A66 the whole of the northern and western Lake District is close by. The fells here are often quiet but Keswick, bustling hub of the northern Lake District, is only a 10-minute drive away. Visit Mirehouse and Dodd Wood osprey viewpoint on the other side of beautiful Bassenthwaite Lake or drive up Whinlatter Pass to the visitor centre for walks, cycling, children’s play areas, a great cafe and Go Ape treetop course for those who are brave enough. The Solway Coast is a short drive away; enjoy a day on the beach and an ice cream at picturesque Allonby or go birding on the Solway mosses for a change of scene. Carlisle and Hadrian’s Wall are also within easy reach giving you numerous options for days out. The only problem is you will be so comfortable in the cottage you might just want to stay in, relax and enjoy the peace!
This cottage is a historic property and if you like a few exposed timbers you will be spoilt here - the roof of the games barn is a work of art in itself. The barn is 17th century and has been lovingly restored to its current condition by the present owners who found it roofless and unused. The house itself also started life as a barn but just to prove that barn conversions are not a modern innovation, it was converted to a home sometime prior to 1860! Obviously there has been some modernisation since then but without spoiling the character of this lovely house. The rooms are spacious yet really cosy, simply furnished in a traditional style with some lovely wildlife and local scene based artwork on the walls. The garden offers different areas to sit and enjoy the views, have a BBQ on a summer evening by the stream and unwind in this tranquil place.
Parking is provided on a gravel driveway behind the games barn with space for four cars. For those with electric or hybrid vehicles, a free 7kw car charger (type 2 mennekes) is available for the sole use of those staying at the cottage. Between the barn and the cottage, a wooden garden gate gives access to stone steps leading up to the solid wood front door sheltered by a slate porch. The door opens straight into the large living/dining room.
Resisting the temptation to get comfy straight away on one of the three sofas arranged around a coffee table in front of the huge inglenook fireplace could be difficult, but there is the rest of the house to explore! To get your bearings, the living area is to the left of the door, with a dining table seating up to eight to the right. Both areas have underfloor heating. Within the inglenook is an open fire, perfect for cosy winter evenings in and your initial basket of logs will be supplied ready to go. Exposed stone walls and a floor paved with stone from a local quarry at Broughton Moor along with the timber beams give this room a feeling of traditional solidity that is timeless and warm. The TV has a choice of Freeview, media and DVD players. Two lamps are ideal for enhancing the firelight in the evening and the tables upon which they sit are also useful for resting a cup of tea or glass of wine on while you sit back and relax.
Off the right-hand side of the living room, past the dining table, is the doorway to the spacious kitchen with its underfloor heating. The stone floor continues through, as do the characterful beams, into this bright dual aspect room. There are 2 ovens, giving you lots of space to cook up a feast. There are plenty of cupboards containing everything you could think of needing and space to store supplies too. All the usual appliances are provided including fridge/freezer, dishwasher, microwave and four-slice toaster and there is still room for a table with six chairs for family meals. The windows look out over the garden to the front and over fields to Sale Fell to the side - the sheep are usually on this side of the field in the morning, so you can watch each other having breakfast!
Stairs from the back of the kitchen lead up to the utility room with washing machine and tumble dryer plus an additional sink. A door leads out onto the side patio to the right whilst to the left is a downstairs toilet off the utility room, small but handy to have.
Off the back of the living room a door and two steps up lead to a hallway with under stairs cupboard, hanging space for coats and storage; to the left is a sun room-cum-study, mind your head on the low beam between the two! In the sunroom, two comfy chairs enjoy the view over the back garden up to Sale Fell, a lovely spot to enjoy the morning sun or work at a small desk.
From the hallway, steep oak stairs lead up and round to a small landing off which is the family bathroom with a bath and separate shower. A spacious room with a tiled floor and timber beams and not one but two heated towel rails in addition to the underfloor heating, so everyone can have a cosy warm towel in the morning. It also has a window overlooking the garden and up to Sale Fell.
Up some more stairs is the corridor off which are three bedrooms all of which have character beams and are fully carpeted. To the right is a large, dual aspect vaulted twin room with lovely views across trees and fields to Bassenthwaite Lake. This room combines spaciousness with cosiness and is fully equipped with two bedside tables, a chair, a wardrobe and a chest of drawers.
Next along the corridor is a smaller twin room with a window overlooking the games barn with trees and fields beyond. Each bed has a bedside table and there is storage provided in a wardrobe and drawer unit. A chair provides a quiet spot to relax and enjoy the view out of the window.
At the end of the corridor is the master bedroom with king-size bed and en-suite shower room. This room is also dual aspect with lovely rural views over the fields and up to Sale Fell - relax and enjoy them from the small armchair. The furniture also includes a wardrobe and chest of drawers for storage and two bedside tables with lamps. The en-suite shower room has a practical wooden floor and not to mention a lovely view from the loo!
Straight across the garden from the front door is the games barn. Equipped with a 3/4 size snooker table, table football and table tennis table, this restored 17th-century barn is a beautiful open space with stunning exposed cruck beams.
Turning left out of the front door takes you along a path to The Bothy, a small stone building which houses the fourth bedroom, a double en-suite. A king-size bed with bedside tables, chest of drawer and large cupboard with hanging space furnish this cosy room whilst the en-suite has an electric shower and heated towel rail. The window overlooks the field and onwards to Sale Fell; the stream outside will act as a lullaby.
The main house, bothy and games barn are all heated from the boiler barn which houses a biomass boiler. This is an entirely automated system, requiring no action from visitors.
The garden wraps around three sides of the cottage on a variety of levels and contains different areas to explore and enjoy. Behind the house is a large lawn edged with trees, a pond and a cascade, with lovely views over the fields. Outside, the utility room door is a paved patio with picnic bench and BBQ, again with delightful views. Or tucked away behind the bothy and games barn is a large slate paved patio with built in BBQ and slate picnic table and benches. This sheltered spot by the stream is perfect for summer evenings and children of all ages will love to play in the stream.
This property is simply gorgeous, a perfect choice for large family groups or two families travelling together. The house is cosy and comfortable with plenty of space for socialising together or finding your own space to relax. We can guarantee that you will feel at home here and will not want to leave at the end of your stay!