Accommodation
Bowderbeck is tastefully decorated and full of character with original features including exposed beams and stone floors.
There is a fully equipped kitchen, a comfortable living room, separate dining room and a wooden verandah extension with a large west-facing balcony with panoramic views of the valley, which is a wonderful place to sit out in the summer with a pre-dinner drink to watch the sun go down!! There are four bedrooms; one double, one twin and a single upstairs; and bunk beds in the verandah.
Living
The living room is comfortable and spacious, with a lovely view down to the lake from the window. There is no TV as there's no reception because of the mountains, but there are plenty of books, playing cards and a whole cupboard of board games and jigsaws to keep you occupied!
There is a separate dining room which can seat up to eight people
Eating
There is a new, fully equipped kitchen fitted in 2008 with electric oven & separate hob, microwave, fridge and dishwasher. The back door leads from the kitchen into a small porch then out to the garden. There is a separate, large utility room / pantry with a freezer, washing machine, ironing board & iron.
There are no shops in the valley, the nearest shops for groceries and supplies are in Keswick (8 miles) and Cockermouth (10 miles). If you shop online, www.asda.com and www.tesco.com will deliver to the cottage, the postcode is CA13 9XA.
If you are coming up the M6 past Junction 38, there is a great farm shop selling local produce at Tebay Services www.westmorland.com, the only family owned motorway services in the UK!
Bathrooms
There is a bathroom with bath, sink & WC, a separate shower room and a separate WC & sink.
Sleeping
Bowderbeck can sleep up to seven people in four bedrooms, all bed linen is provided but you will need to bring your own towels. One double, one twin and a single bedroom are upstairs in the main part of the house; and there is a set of bunk beds in the Verandah.
Verandah
The verandah is a wooden extension that was added to the house in the 1930's. Accessed through a door off the living room, it consists of two rooms with a door leading onto a large balcony and to the garden. It is split into two rooms; a bedroom with bunk beds, and an additional sitting room / playroom area making it ideal for children.
However, as they are in a wooden extension which is not heated the verandah bedrooms can get very chilly, there are plenty of blankets and electric heaters but these rooms are not as comfortable as the bedrooms inside the house during winter and we would only recommend using the 4th bedroom between May and September.
Storage
There is plenty of room to store walking boots, coats, rucksacks and outdoor gear under the stairs, and a number of clothes airers where you can hang wet things to dry by a heater after a hard day's walking!
Outside
There's a large garden with original dry stone walls and a beck (stream) running through it. There is a small natural pool that is excellent for paddling and soaking your feet after a long walk; damming the beck to make the pool bigger and deeper provides hours of entertainment for engineers of all ages!!
Next to the house is a stone Lakeland barn owned by one of the farms in the village. It's used very occasionally by the farmer and acts as an excellent windbreak for the house.
Important Information
Children: One travel cot (please bring your own bedding), one high chair and a safety gate are kept in the cottage (it is a Lindam Flexigate and will fit across doorways but not across the stairs as they are too wide). There is a toy chest with some baby and toddler toys and plenty of books, games and jigsaws for older children.
Safety: The stream running through the garden has a small but fairly deep pool, this has the potential to be hazardous and those with children under 5 years will need to keep them under close supervision when in the garden.
Pets: We regret that no pets are allowed at Bowderbeck.
Smoking: No smoking inside Bowderbeck please.
Parking: There is a parking space for one car at the house, additional cars can be parked in the free car park by the chapel or in the village.
Heating: The cottage is heated using electric night storage heaters which guests are able to control. There are also 2 extra portable electric heaters available which can also be used if necessary.
Access: Access to the cottage from the roadside where you park your car is via a steep, rocky track which is unsuitable for anyone with walking difficulties. Please contact us if you have any specific questions about this.
