Cumbria, Jennywell Hall Holiday Cottages

We have just returned from a week at Jennywell Hall, a rural retreat away from the stresses of City life. The cottage itself is comfortable and possibly the best nights sleep ever is to be had here, even next to a working farm! If you are looking for a remote holiday with no mobile signal, proper countryside living and simplicity then this is the cottage for you.

Close to the Lakes, warm friendly welcome from the neighbours and locals. Children will love it here! Even the spiders didn't phase me and that's unusual!

We have just returned from a long weekend break at North Wing Cottage in Jennywell Hall and had a great time. The Cottage is very basic but reasonable to rent and ideally placed to tour the lakes or just walk the surrounding area, the Village is very remote and tiny but the local pub (ten strides away) serves very tasty and good value for money food and is very friendly (dog friendly too). The Cottage is furnished with old fashioned but comfortable furniture which is in keeping with the age of the property, the bedrooms are quite roomy and the bedding was fresh and clean. The kitchen has everything you need to prepare a basic meal but crockery was quite old and a little past it. The owners provided us with everything we needed to make a real fire in the roomy and comfortable lounge and it was wonderful. We loved North wing Cottage and the Village of Crosby Ravensworth, it was a welcome 'get away from it all' break but it might not be suitable for those with children or teenagers who get bored easily as there is literally nothing to do here unless you're prepared to travel out each night. Also you cannot get a mobile phone signal so that may pose a problem to some. The Cottage is not connected to main drains so you need to careful what goes down the loo and access to the Cottages car park is difficult as there are only two ways to get there, one through an archway at the front where you need a slender car or one which is cabable of breathing in! The other way is via a ford across the river which runs past the rear of the property. My MX5 got through the archway (just) but my friends BMW 4x4 had to cross the ford (water to the top of it's wheels) but parking on the road at the front of the Cottage is not an issue if you don't have a thin car or a tank! To sum up, if you want a rural retreat in the middle of nowhere where you can't be contacted and stay in a quaint, romantic place in a very quiet village then North wing Cottage is for you.

We were attracted to this property as we had stayed there about 17 years ago, not long after the cottages opened, and were impressed at the value of the accommodation, as it was clean and very quaint. However on returning this time, all I can say is we were seriously dissapointed!!! We stayed in the North Wing cottage, which looked lovely in the photographs on the Jennywell Hall website, however on entering, it was a different story altogether, the kitchen units were missing a door and drawer front, the bathroom was filthy and smelled unpleasant. The place was inundated with spiders (large ones), which my kids found upsetting. There were lovely beams on the ceilings, however they were decorated with cobwebs which spoilt the effect. The knives, forks and dishes were dirty, and had to be washed before using! Yes I know this is an old 18th century building, but I have been in other old listed properties, which were to a much higher standard than Jennywell Hall, so yes it may seem reasonably priced, but all I can say is please DON'T waste your money, there are much nicer places than this to stay!!!!

I have been to Jennywell on several occasions with my wife and young family and we all love the location. Situated in a very quiet village next to a working farm.

You get up in the morning and you are aware of the working farm fragrance but that adds to the aura of this most wonderful place. A stream runs at the bottom of the drive where ducks congregate and the children love to play. Spring time is without a doubt magical for kids as the farm is a hive of new inhabitants, the lambs.

The owners of the farm are friendly and allow children to participate in feeding the orphan lambs which is a real treat to watch. The cows are a favourite as well.

The owners, who own and run Jennywell, are perfect hosts and will do almost anything to make you welcome, nothing is too much trouble.

As stated above there is no mobile phone signal, but what the hell you are on holiday and who wants to be reached when relaxing in this small piece of heaven. There is a local phone box which is only a stones throw from Jenny well, as well as a pub, which does some very nice food, and a good play area for children.

Book up today, it is inexpensive, relaxing and a perfect place to stay in order to explore the most wonderful surrounding.

Jennywell Hall itself is magnificent at first sight. It's a few hundred years old and very picturesque. It is now divided into an antique shop/living area for the owners and several cottages. What we didn't realise was that there is a tiny arched entrance to pass through in order to get to the back of the hall and the car park. Our car was quite wide, so we all held our breath as we inched through. And I mean INCHED - there were a few inches either side of the wing mirrors in the narrowest part, but that is only a few brick deep. (A few days into the holiday we got used to it).

Some of those cottages were tiny though, we had to upgrade to the largest one (North Wing) for our family of 4 +1 dog because we wanted separate rooms for the kids, but the next size down would have been ok if the kids were able to share a room. This cottage was a good size capable of sleeping a 5-6. It was filled with antique furniture fitting for the age of the cottage. The main room has a beautiful open fireplace as well as electric heating. And yes, even though it was summer, we used the coal fire. It would have been very romantic if it wasn't for the kids J.

The garden is shared by all the cottages, but there is another area around the side of the hall which Mary, the owner, let the kids play in.

Crosby Ravensworth Is ideally located for all the tourist attractions in Cumbria. It is just down the hill from Shap (yes, it really is a hill), which is centrally sited between Kendal and Penrith with a major road leading to all parts of the Lake District.

But we used a route planner to find the village - and missed the turning. I therefore recommend heading for Shap, it's easier to find and there's a direct road between the 2 villages!!!

Things to see in the area:

Appleby Castle - not for the feint hearted. Narrow steps with little to hold on to that go on forever, Good view though. Annual fair in the town. Good shopping area.

Riverboats - all lakes have riverboat rides, some even have refreshments below deck.

Beatrix Potter museum.

Kirkstone Pass - very high mountain road, risky in our old banger, but we made it. Popular with walkers (they must be mad).

The Glass centre, Ulverston - Watch glass being made into beautiful collectables. I can't remember its real name, but it is almost right. Well worth a visit!

Rheged - visitors centre dedicated to the ancient Kingdom of the dark ages and the real King Arthur. Worth a visit for the massive cinema screen and shops. It wasn't finished when we were there, but it should be now.

Sellafield Visitors Centre - nuclear power plant with attractions for the kids.

Eden Ostrich World, Penrith.

Aquarium of the Lakes, Ulverston

There is so much to see that we couldnt fit it all in!!! Plenty of tourist leaflets in the cottage to help you choose.