James Court Cottage, IRTON HALL

Rated 5/50 by RachelMewes on 2nd January 2019

"We had a lovely stay in James Court Cottage, in the grounds of Irton Hall. Immaculately clean, comfortable beds, very warm and a peaceful location. The peacocks and geese wandering round the grounds provided added entertainment for our little girl! Would definitely recommend a stay here."

Rated 3/50 by 788vic1 on 24th October 2017

"Lovely spot for visiting the Western Fells. Nice house which had just been carefully and nicely redecorated, with a welcoming bottle of wine, good wifi and nice (muddy) woods for the kids to run around in. However, there were a lot of niggling things: Kitchen - no oven gloves, scales, measuring jug. Limited space to put own food. Bedrooms: the only clothes space was wardrobes - nothing to just put stuff on/in & no plug next to the mirror (made hair drying/hairstyles more interesting). Downstairs: No coat rack in hallway. There was an airer but limited space for drying wet walking gear. Heating: The front room wood pellet burner (not to be confused with a wood burning stove) was very noisy as it has a permanent electric fan running although we may just have not got the settings right. Storage heaters throughout the house. General: Only one bin in house. There were no functions at the next door Irton Hall while we were there, although this appears to be a significant bit of their business. Would imagine this would significantly disrupt the peace."

Rated 4/50 by A FlipKey Verified Reviewer on 10th August 2014

"A well equipped, clean cottage ideally placed for easy access to Wasdale Head. The cottage is situated within the grounds of Irton Hall Hotel where one can enjoy the excellent bar meals and real ale, they also had free wi-fi. James Court Cottage is surrounded by other cottages, some privately owned. The Santon Bridge Inn is within walking distance, but we preferred the food in the hotel bar. The only problem during our stay was a lack of towels which was quickly rectified by contacting the owner. A great place from which to explore this remote corner of the Lake District."

Rated 3/50 by LONDONUK413 on 24th May 2014

"Irton Hall stands in very pleasant surroundings, with hotel accommodation and self-catering cottages available on site. Some of these cottages are owned and managed by the Hall, whilst others are privately owned and just managed by the hotel. James Court cottage falls into the latter category, which may be why items such as the child safety gate and clothes airer were unusable because they had fixings missing, or were simply broken. Whilst we did report these, with the owner being abroad, there was no way to have either fixed or replaced in time for us to make use of them. Consequently, we spent the week with the risk that our two-year-old could injure themselves on the stairs. Had we known that the stair gate wasn't available as advertised, then we would have had the option to take our own. The water boiler is strangely located in the loft and comes on between 11pm and 2am, the noise of which will keep lighter sleepers awake. There is no way for renters to alter the settings, so be advised you are stuck with it! In the bedrooms, there is no chest of drawers or dressing table so flat surfaces are virtually nil and storage space is limited to the built-in wardrobes. Whilst another item of furniture might not fit into the smaller bedroom, there is more than enough space for one in the master bedroom. Although James Court cottage is clean, the decor is quite sterile, and the absence of a couple of additional pieces of practical furniture doesn't help. Larger blinds or curtains which more thoroughly overlap the whole window frame would ensure you are not awoken by the blinding rays of light in the morning too! The "welcome tray" consisted of a cheap box of chocolates. Having stayed at many rental cottages over the years, all have provided bread, milk, tea, coffee and a vase of flowers for new arrivals, which goes a long way to making you feel instantly at home. Simple stuff, but effective. Another point worth considering is that Irton Hall hosts quite a lot of functions, such as weddings and receptions, with the consequential disruption to the peace these can cause. A large marquee stands on the lawn to the front of the building, which is apparently there throughout the spring and summer months in order to accommodate the guests at these aforementioned events. Despite the rental cottages being located to the rear of the main building, the party guests obviously rent some of the cottages, and stay in the hotel itself, so inevitably some will stray around the grounds and can shatter the tranquility for others. For example, a number of drunken revellers decided to set up camp at the table right outside our cottage until 5am. I can only deduce that the party must have been either too much or too boring for them! The point here is that it would show consideration to advise prospective renters of any scheduled events like this at the time of booking. For those looking for a quiet stay and those who have young children, having noisy drunks roaming around outside your door in the early hours is not acceptable. If we wanted this, we could have booked into a cheap B&B in any seaside town. However, it should be noted that Irton Hall hotel does provide excellent food and service, and is extremely convenient for when you don't fancy cooking for yourself, or just want a snack and a drink. The grounds are very nice too (if you can ignore the marquee), and great for a stroll or playing with the kids. Staying at Irton Hall wasn't an unpleasant experience (despite these comments!), but we would not return as it wasn't quite what we envisaged, and have rented better-proportioned cottages in quieter environments for a comparable rate."

Rated 4/50 by A FlipKey Verified Reviewer on 24th October 2012

"Lovely property well presented, warm and cosy. The settee is a bit low for older people so any easy chairs would be ideal. Irton Hall has a bar and restaurant and if we'd known that would not have taken so much food and drink. Nice walk to Santon Bridge over the fields. The grounds are peaceful and walking brilliant Only problem with the entry system, the key number had been changed so the agent had to come out."

Rated 3/50 by A FlipKey Verified Reviewer on 14th April 2012

"Lovely estate, very tranquil. Purposely stayed somewhere that had a bar, sadly it had no atmosphere and was just too quiet. The property was nice but a new 3 piece suite is required as after a fun packed day it would have been nice to have relaxed on a comfortable sofa instead of a rock hard one."

Rated 4/50 by Lucyrhi on 27th October 2011

"This is a small (but more than spacious enough for a family of four) cottage which has been very recently renovated to a high standard. The owner was very friendy and left a much appreciated "welcome pack" of wine, milk and chocolates. There are several cottages all in the grounds of Irton Hall, a country house now small hotel. There isn't a private garden with the cottage but all can use the extensive attractive grounds which was great for children; we also appreciated the outdoor games (swingball, tennis rackets etc) left for our use. The hotel runs a very friendly bar in the evening and we spent some lovely sunny evenings on the benches outside (us with local beers, the children happy with frui-shoots and crisps). The local lake "Wast Water" is stunning, completely undeveloped and beautiful in a bleak way. There are plenty of walks to do around here, which even our 6 year old managed. Further afield (a good hours drive from this far point of the lakes, be warned) we loved Keswick, a really pretty town and a great place to spend a wet day. The kids loved the Pencil Museum there, which had a great drawing room conveniently next to the cafe so the children could sit and doodle while we relaxed with a coffee. Be warned the nearest decent sized supermarket is a good 30-40 minutes away so it may pay to shop on the way or order in from the local Tesco. A bargain of a holiday though, great for families or those wanting some peace and quiet and extensive walking!"