About Swinside Cottage

Swinside Cottage is a one-bedroom stone cottage in the hamlet of Stair, sitting at the foot of Catbells in the unspoilt Newlands Valley, Lake District. One of five former mill workers' cottages, it holds a 4-star tourist board rating and has a customer rating of 4.7 from 59 reviews. Guests return again and again one visitor has stayed eight times.

The Newlands Valley is quiet and largely undeveloped. Walks start from the front door across low-level valley paths or straight up onto the fells. You can walk 1.5 miles to catch the Hawse End ferry across Derwentwater to Keswick. The Swinside Inn is half a mile away on foot.

The cottage sleeps 2 guests in one king-size bedroom with original beamed ceilings. The newly fitted bathroom has a bath with shower over. The open-plan living space has a large bay window, log burner and open fire. The kitchen has a dishwasher, electric oven and combination microwave.

Keswick is a 15-minute drive with Theatre by the Lake, the Pencil Museum and Derwentwater. Castlerigg Stone Circle is 3 miles from Keswick. The Newlands Valley Activity Centre offers ghyll scrambling and kayaking nearby.

Swinside Cottage suits couples and solo travellers who want proper walking country with a comfortable base. Peaceful evenings, birdlife, beck sounds and mountain views make this one worth booking early.

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At Sykes Cottages

Need To Know

✓Electric storage heating, log burner, electric oven, electric hob, fridge, small freezer, dishwasher, combination microwave, washer, heated clothes airer, smart tv with freeview/freesat, sky basic package, dvd, ipod dock, hi-fi
✓No wi-fi
✓Towels provided
✓Travel cot and highchair provided
✓One small dog allowed
✓No smoking
✓Furnished patio
✓Gravelled furnished sitting out area
✓Small lawned area
✓Shared landscaped gardens
✓Private parking for one car

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Swinside Cottage Attractions & Days Out

Explore the wonderful attractions and activities surrounding Swinside Cottage during your stay. Find the best places to visit and things to do in the local area, all conveniently organised by distance and type. Charming villages to lively and exciting attractions - there's something for everyone to enjoy. Browse through our categories including attractions, walks & outdoor activities, shopping destinations and handy tips on getting around. Plan your perfect day out. Whether you're looking for family fun, romantic experiences, or pet-friendly adventures, this cottage provides an ideal base to explore Cumbria's fantastic days out. Click on any attraction for more detailed information including address, opening times and visitor tips.

Derwentwater Lake & Hawse End Ferry

Distance: 1.5 miles walk

CA12 5UQ

Theatre by the Lake Keswick

Distance: 5 miles (15 min drive)

CA12 5DJ

Castlerigg Stone Circle

Distance: 6 miles (18 min drive)

CA12 4RN

Catbells Summit Walk

Distance: From the doorstep

CA12 5UF

Newlands Valley Low-Level Walk

Distance: From the doorstep

CA12 5UF

Causey Pike via Rowling End

Distance: From the doorstep

CA12 5XN

Keswick Town Centre Shops

Distance: 5 miles (15 min drive)

CA12 5JD

Braithwaite Village Shop

Distance: 2 miles (6 min drive)

CA12 5SY

Keswick Market Square

Distance: 5 miles (15 min drive)

CA12 5JR

Hawse End Ferry to Keswick

Distance: 1.5 miles walk

CA12 5UQ

Bus Stop at Catbells

Distance: 0.5 miles

CA12 5TN

Newlands Valley Activity Centre

Distance: Under 1 mile

CA12 5UF

Derwentwater Lake & Hawse End Ferry

Distance: 1.5 miles walk

CA12 5UQ

Theatre by the Lake Keswick

Distance: 5 miles (15 min drive)

CA12 5DJ

Castlerigg Stone Circle

Distance: 6 miles (18 min drive)

CA12 4RN

Catbells Summit Walk

Distance: From the doorstep

CA12 5UF

Newlands Valley Low-Level Walk

Distance: From the doorstep

CA12 5UF

Causey Pike via Rowling End

Distance: From the doorstep

CA12 5XN

Keswick Town Centre Shops

Distance: 5 miles (15 min drive)

CA12 5JD

Braithwaite Village Shop

Distance: 2 miles (6 min drive)

CA12 5SY

Keswick Market Square

Distance: 5 miles (15 min drive)

CA12 5JR

Hawse End Ferry to Keswick

Distance: 1.5 miles walk

CA12 5UQ

Bus Stop at Catbells

Distance: 0.5 miles

CA12 5TN

Newlands Valley Activity Centre

Distance: Under 1 mile

CA12 5UF

Is Swinside Cottage Right For You?

Discover why this cottage is ideal for different types of visitors

For Families

The cottage sleeps only 2 guests so it is not suited to family groups. A travel cot and highchair are available for infants. The Newlands Valley Activity Centre nearby offers ghyll scrambling, kayaking, abseiling and pony trekking for older children visiting the area.

For Couples

Swinside Cottage is purpose-built for two. The king-size bed, log burner, open fire and mountain views from the patio set the scene perfectly. Walk to the Hawse End ferry for a day on Derwentwater then return to the Swinside Inn for dinner half a mile from the door.

Pet Friendly

One small dog is welcome at Swinside Cottage. Walks begin directly from the front door across the Newlands Valley and up onto the fells. The private patio and shared gardens give dogs outdoor space. A £200 housekeeping bond applies to all stays.

Dining & Cafes

Taste the local flavours during your stay at Swinside Cottage

The Swinside Inn

Located 0.5 miles (walk) from your accommodation.

Postcode: CA12 5UE

The Royal Oak Braithwaite

Located 2 miles (6 min drive) from your accommodation.

Postcode: CA12 5SY

The Dog and Gun Keswick

Located 5 miles (15 min drive) from your accommodation.

Postcode: CA12 5JY

Frequently Asked Questions

Quick answers to our most common questions about Swinside Cottage

Does this cottage have a hot tub?

No, Swinside Cottage does not have a hot tub. The cottage does have an open fire and log burner which guests find equally welcoming after a day on the fells.

Is it pet friendly?

Yes, one small dog is welcome at Swinside Cottage. The Newlands Valley walks from the doorstep make it an excellent base for dog owners.

How many guests can stay at Swinside Cottage?

The cottage sleeps a maximum of 2 guests. It is well suited to couples or solo travellers looking for a quiet retreat in the Lake District.

Is there Wi-Fi at the cottage?

There is no Wi-Fi at the cottage and mobile signal is generally very poor in the valley. Some EE coverage has been reported and there is public BT Wi-Fi available nearby though it requires payment.

What parking is available?

The cottage has one private off-road parking space. Guests report they often do not need to move their car all week given the walks and ferry access directly from the door.

What is the nearest pub or restaurant?

The Swinside Inn is half a mile away on foot and has been recently refurbished. Guests describe the food as good and it is a straightforward walk from the cottage door.

What are the bedroom and bathroom facilities like?

The bedroom has a king-size bed with an original beamed ceiling. The newly fitted bathroom has a bath with shower over, basin and WC.

How close is Keswick?

Keswick is approximately a 15-minute drive from the cottage. You can also walk 1.5 miles to the Hawse End ferry and take the launch across Derwentwater directly into Keswick.

Swinside Cottage Reviews

Jennifer

Cottage was in a lovely location and convenient. However we did find this was missing the personal touch that we have experienced at other Sykes properties. We felt the mixed and unmatching cutlery excessive. Blunt potato peelers, also packet of biscuits and porridge sachets left in cupboard from previous occupants. The information folder and visitors was tired and unkept.

Richard

A really great cottage in a beautiful location. Cant speak highly enough. Only thing to warn people is that there is no WiFi and the phone signal is very poor, so great for a digital detox, but less good if you need to be in contact with the outside world.

Great location, very peaceful, enjoyed sitting in the garden with the gentle sound of the river. Plenty of walks from the door step and the bus also stops down the road at catbells enabling you to do linear walks. Cottage was very comfortable and had everything needed to cook a meal in the evening. Would've been even better if there was wifi as i also had no phone signal there either.

Second visit Perfect location Great views Comfortable cottage Dog ... Second visit Perfect location Great views Comfortable cottage Dog friendly Plenty of walks from the door Will return

Brilliant place. Somewhere we have been 8 times and will come again. The owner kindly let us transfer the booking at very short notice after a family emergency at Christmas. Thanks again. We appreciated the new pans which we felt heated up quickly. Our only areas for improvement would be the availability of different duvets depending on temperature we felt ours was too heavy. Also there were moths downstairs on the wall underneath the stairs. They didn't particularly bother us but thought you should know as they may multiply.

Nice, comfy cottage in a perfect location. A few more logs and some goodies would make it 5 star accommodation.

Victoria

Another good week at Swinside despite all the rain! Hiccups with bedding in one previous visit all resolved. All was lovely and clean and fresh as is usual there. Very comfy mattress. Very peaceful and no hint of a generator as commented on by another guest. I have stayed here many times and never been disturbed by that kind of noise. Fortunately the activity centre next door is very clearly marked on the ordinance survey maps so prospective guests will be well informed in advance. Never been a problem in my experience though. Cottage well equipped given limited storage and I found mugs perfectly adequate as there is a teapot for topping up your cuppa. I expect like me, many holiday cottage guests bring their own favourite mug. Treats very welcome, thank you! Just a suggestion but a little note informing new arrivals that the emersion heater in the airing cupboard may be switched off. As it is usually switched on it took me a while to twig! Thank you to Jo and Janette yet again. I will be back next spring.

Richard

Property is very well located for walks from the door and quite spacious. Generally well equipped and comfortable. Very nice to have a bath rather than just a shower as so often is the case. The owner left a note to explain the broken freezer door, but one negative point is the bedmattress which has seen better days, has big divots and has collapsed at the edge so offers no support and felt like you were falling out of bed all night. This really needs replacing. Putting a mattress topper on doesn't solve the problem.

Hilary

A lovely little cosy cottage set in a perfect position in the Newlands Valley. Excellent walking right from the front door. Comfy bed and a very efficient log burner. It would have been nice to have had a starter pack of logs and sticks. The Swinside Inn up the road has very good food. We will definitely return!

Michele

Swinside Cottage Setting lovely although the views of Causey Pile in the photos were misleading as you couldnt see it from the gardens. Cottage small and warm with reasonable facilities for two of us. Lovely back garden but a shame we were overlooked by the busy adventure centre. Noise what we guess was the centres generator ran noisily all night. Not what we expected in Newlands. Cleanliness there was a nasty smell of uncleanliness when we went upstairs. We soon located it on the towels all of them absolutely stank of being left in the washer and forgotten about. Id have thrown them out as they were past saving. We ordered new towels at Argos and picked them up the next day in Penrith. Facilities we also bought large 2 mugs at sainsburoes as the cups provided were way too small for a decent cuppa. Despite all this, and because we made the most of things, we had a good holiday. However, this is the second Sykes Cotten in a row that has disappointed.

Elizabeth

The cottage was as described. The location was perfect for walking. The bed was very comfortable and the cottage warm and welcoming.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay and would definitely use the Cottage again. We have recommended the property to friends.

I have staying at Swinside cottage in the past and hope to again. It is clean cosy and comfortable without the irritating unnecessary addons. The views are beautiful, a lovely place to retreat to alone for a week.

Lovely comfortable cottage in idyllic setting, lovely garden & walks. Very comfortable double bed, generally well equipped. We missed having WiFi but understand this may be difficult in a remote area. Only improvements would be hairdryer and few more cooking dishessalad bowls etc in kitchen. But that is being very picky! Enjoyable comfortable stay at Swinside cottage thank you.

We loved staying in Swinside cottage. Such a wonderful location in the Newlands Valley with walks from the doorstep. Very comfortable bed and settee which are essential. The kitchen was well equipped including a dishwasher. The views from the patio were amazing so very easy to to relax and have a great holiday. We will definitely stay again.

Victoria

Still my favourite cottage in the lakes and thanks to Joe and Janette. Very lucky with the weather, only one wet day. Apart from an issue with bedding very unusual for Swinside all was well with the cottage. I didnt spot a hairdryer but this was not a problem as I had my own. This may be a new policy. Looking forward to return in November.

Perfect holiday cottage. Comfortable bed and nicely furnished .Great shower, lots of hot water.Superb location overlooking Cat Bells to the front and Barrow to the rear of the property. Lovely garden. Great walks straight from the door we didnt move car all week . Can walk to ferry at Hawse End to cross Derwent and go into Keswick, equally its an easy walk in !Good pub up the road Swinside Inn pricey but good food. Would definitely return.

Victoria

A lovely cottage in a lovely part of the lakes. Clean and comfortable. Look forward to coming back in July. Thankyou to Joe and Janette as always.

Fabulous cottage for 2, has all the facilities you need. Lovely location with walking right from the door.

Lovely cottage, well equipped, super setting with lots of walks from the door. Even has mobile phone signal. Only criticism was that the bed creaked whenever one rolled over.

Vickie

Another lovely visit to Swinside. Predictably tidy and welcoming, lovely treats and really nice new bathroom. In my experience it is one of the few cottages that you never need to be anxious about what state it will be in, very important when you have driven a long way. A big thank you to Jo and Janette and I look forward to more trips next year.

A delightful cosy, clean, very comfortable cottage in great surroundings. A good base for exploring by foot or further a field by car. Although there is no WiFi at the cottage there is some EE coverage if you need to download maps or keep in touch.

Sad to be home after a fabulous stay at Swinside! A lovely little cottage perfect for a couple or solo traveller, clean and fully equipped with everything you could need including a grapefruit spoon! Didnt know what one was, had to google it! Incredibly comfy bed, and quality bedlinen too. Its in the perfect location for exploring straight from the door, and Keswick is just a short distance away for any amenities. We had 2 excellent evening meals at the newly opened Swinside Inn, which is just a short walk away. I must admit when I first drove in my heart sank at how busy the campsites were just down the road, but miraculously the cottage is very quiet and peaceful, as is the area surrounding it. There was also a constant stream of birds on the feeder in next doors back garden, which were lovely to see. Having stayed in many cottages over the years, I would say this has been one of my favourites and Id definitely look at booking here again for the future.

Michelle

We really enjoyed our stay at Swinside Cottage great location, comfy beds, wellstocked kitchen, powerful shower, great outdoor space and a superb pub just up the road. Highly recommended!

Victoria

My favourite cottage in the Lakes and I had a very good week. Struck lucky with the weather and cottage as usual left lovely and clean. Enjoyed the wonderful peace in the evenings. Felt very welcome thanks to the owners and cleaning team. Look forward to returning in November. Thank you again.

We enjoyed another great holiday at Swinside. We feels very at home in the cottage and love all the walking and have already booked our next stay. We would appreciate some new saucepans though. Im not sure the copper bottom ones work well for an electric hob they take ages to heat up.

We would like to point out that the small village hall directly opposite was systematically demolished during the complete week of our stay, culminating in the concrete being totally crushed on Friday 14th. DID you not know this was going to be done, if not, perhaps you should continually review your portfolio, as all the locals new it was going to happen. However, this did not impact our stay as we were out most of the days Works commenced at between 8 830 each morning, except on Sunday. There was NO spare toilet rolls left, which meant we had to purchase some. The SWINSIDE INN is closed and according to all the neighbours we spoke to, this is NOT going to be opened as a pub in the near future, but as a shooting lodge for the Lingholme estate. We feel your information should remove the fact that the Swinside inn is just but a mere 12 mile walk up the lane. Last year we would agree with that statement, as many an evening we visited it. We did enjoy our stay and will almost certainly visit again.

Absolutely amazing stay! Lovely welcoming touches. Such a peaceful and idyllic location

Monica

We could not operate the electric towel rail in the bathroom. We found the instructions but the actual control was o the floor and very difficult to read. The toilet seat was very loose. it kept on coming away and the lid would shut as you were sitting on the toilet.

Richard

Lovely holiday. First time we had stayed in this cottage and will come back again because it's a lovely cottage and well located for walking straight out of the door. There are more walks than you can do in a week, both low and high level routes. Cottage very clean and nice and warm, cake and milk on arrival a nice touch. Modern kitchen and generally well equipped, but as other users have commented the lack of an extractor fan over the hob can set the smoke alarm off. We weren't troubled by the small crack in the bath panel noted by previous residents, but it could be sharp if you caught your leg on it. Local pub Swinside Inn looks shut long term, so bring your own supplies.

Victoria

As alway Swinside was a great place to stay, particularly in such wet weather. Always warm, clean and welcoming thanks to the owners and the cleaning team. So many nice touches and well equipped, particularly for such a small cottage. Looking forward to coming back in July!

Victoria

Thoroughly recommend Swinside which is 5 star itself, one of my favourite cottages and I look forward to returning next year. Not sure what earlier guest meant by 20 commuters an hour ? I have stayed there several times at different times of year and no such problem! Visitors yes, and the activity centre generates some activity but nothing to spoil the pleasure of being there. Microwave dishes a big help. Cake a definite plus so thank you! Happy Christmas.

Hannah

Very comfortable house. Fabulous bed. Thoughtfully equipped kitchen. Very good location.

A lovely cottage, very cosy in a beautiful setting. The views are magnificent and the facilities while not extensive were very adequate. I very much enjoyed my stay and would visit again in the future.

Rodney

Overlooked at rear, by other property, not mentioned in advertising material. Very noisy in morning and evening when people going to and from work, 20 cars per hour, average Bed very comfortable and storage good, and furnishings very good. Bathroom adequate, but workmanship poor. Not recommend to seal bath to wall with adhesive, it's normal to use a non setting compound. I slipped and grabbed at the right hand side of bath to break my fall, it gave way, split the side panel, and in consequence tiles glued to bath came away. Cobwebs in bathroom and behind some furniture. Kitchen cramped, no cooker hood, so when we had a fry up the fire alarm went off. Front path noncompliant risers must be same height, and treads the going, must be same dimension front to back. Sound of brook and bird song fantastic, when they could be heard. Swinside pub very, very disappointing. The Pheasant Inn opposite Bassenthwaite Lake was excellent We had a good week, went on the Ratty, had good time on the Gondola and Tweedies in Grasmere is a good place to stop for a relaxed drink. Views from Swinside front to back spectacular but spoil by activity center to the rear and waste bins to the front.

Fridge quite noisy. My third lakes cottage this year and my favourite. Nice to have radio. All lovely

Rosemary

Swinside Cottage is comfortable and very well equipped. It is in a great location for walking the fells. The local area is peaceful, the only sounds you hear are the nearby Newlands Beck and the visiting birdlife in the garden.

Victoria

One of my favourite cottages and would certainly recommend the cottage to others. Lovely new bed, quality bed linen and, as always, beautifully clean. Well equipped although some plastic microwaveable bowls with lids would be useful as plates have silver rim. Saves always using oven and hob which is pricey for the owner as all electric. Lovely week at swinside, despite some disappointing weather, and will be booking again. Lovely cake nice touch! Thanks to Joe and family.

Our 4th very enjoyable stay at Swinside. Thanks for clearing up the garden area its lovely now.

Leave a Review

Swinside Cottage, Newlands Valley

About Swinside Cottage

Need To Know

More Cottages You May Like

Swinside Cottage Attractions & Days Out

Is Swinside Cottage Right For You?

For Families

For Couples

Pet Friendly

Dining & Cafes

The Swinside Inn

The Royal Oak Braithwaite

The Dog and Gun Keswick

Frequently Asked Questions

Location Name

Swinside Cottage Reviews