Large Holiday Cottages in the Lake District

Where are the large holiday cottages Lake District groups book most?

You'll find more big cottages in the Lake District around Windermere, Ambleside and Keswick than anywhere else in Cumbria. From all three you can step out of the front door onto a lake shore or a fell path and leave the cars parked up.

Pick the location first, then the house.

Windermere, Bowness and Ambleside

The busiest corner of the Lake District National Park is also the easiest to reach, with 26 big houses in Windermere, 22 in Ambleside and 15 in Bowness. It's the pick for a birthday celebration or a hen weekend, when half the group wants a boat and the other half wants a long lunch. Hill walkers lean towards Ambleside cottages for big groups, where the fells start at the end of the street.

• Big houses: a row on The Terrace, including Bannerrigg and Boston House, a stroll from the station, each with a hot tub
• Best for: friends' weekends, first visits and anyone coming by train

Keswick and the North Lakes

Keswick is the walkers' town, with Catbells, Skiddaw and Latrigg close by and Derwentwater a short stroll from the market square. There are 19 group houses in town, plus a handful in Threlkeld, Bassenthwaite and Cockermouth.

• Big houses: Newlands Fell House sleeps 16 in seven bedrooms, is dog friendly and has an enclosed garden
• Best for: hill walkers and family groups with older children

Ullswater and Penrith

Ullswater is quieter than the big southern lake, with fewer gift shops and more room on the shore. Penrith has 18 big houses by junction 40 of the M6, handy when friends are driving in from three directions.

• Don't miss: Aira Force, a National Trust waterfall a short walk up from the water
• Best for: anyone who wants peace without going remote

Grasmere, Hawkshead and Coniston

These villages look like the postcards, but large cottages are scarce. Grasmere and Hawkshead have four each, so book early. Hawkshead sits by Grizedale Forest. Think family gathering rather than party.

Eskdale, Wasdale and the west

Eskdale, Wasdale and the Duddon Valley are the wild side of the Lake District, with Scafell Pike, England's highest mountain, at their heads. Out by the sea, St Bees has a sandy beach.

• Big houses: Starfell Cottage in Eskdale, with eight bedrooms and a hot tub, a big lodge at Boot, and The Beach House at Whinthwaite near Seascale, which sleeps 18
• Watch out: Hardknott Pass, one of the steepest roads in England, so take the minibus the long way round

Kendal, Cartmel and the south

The biggest house in Cumbria is here!

Brettargh Holt Mansion Sleeping 48, just outside Kendal, has a sauna, a cinema room and a games room, and it's dog friendly too. Kendal has 17 big houses in all, about ten minutes from junction 36 of the M6. Further south, Cartmel and Grange-over-Sands face Morecambe Bay.

Carlisle, Silloth and the Eden Valley

Up in the far north of Cumbria, the houses get bigger and the crowds thin out. Blaithwaite House near Silloth sleeps 40 in 13 bedrooms with a hot tub, and Blaithwaite Stables next door takes another 20.

• Pool and games room: the Magnificent Country House for 24 in Brampton, close to Hadrian's Wall
• Quieter still: Appleby-in-Westmorland in the Eden Valley, with eight houses between the Lakes and the Yorkshire Dales

The biggest houses in Cumbria, side by side

Only 22 of our houses take 16 or more, and here are seven of them from around the county.

Across the county, 36 houses have a games room, nine a swimming pool and 87 a wood burner. Prices for large holiday cottages Lake District-wide start from around £65 a night for the whole house, with the middle of the range at about £144.

Split ten ways, that's under £15 each.

Days out that work for a big group

Sixteen people rarely agree on anything. Pick days where the hikers, the paddlers and the grandparents can split up and meet again for lunch.

• A cruise. Windermere Lake Cruises sail all year from Bowness, Ambleside and Lakeside, dogs on a lead go free and there are group packages for 20 or more.
• Orrest Head. An hour's walk there and back from the station, to the views that hooked Alfred Wainwright in 1930.
• Brockhole. The National Park visitor centre at Brockhole on Windermere has a free adventure playground, lakeside gardens and a Treetop Trek with a 250m zip wire.
• A steamer trip. Ullswater 'Steamers' call at four piers and dogs ride for £1.

Is it easy to get a big group to the Lake District?

Getting there

Most groups drive, using the M6 along the eastern side of Cumbria. Junction 36 serves Kendal and the South Lakes, while junction 40 leads west along the A66 to the North Lakes. By train, the West Coast Main Line stops at Oxenholme and Penrith, with a branch line on to Windermere.

Practical notes for 10 to 20 people

• Check the parking, as town spaces are tight. Blaithwaite House lists room for 20 cars.
• Count the dining chairs, because eating together is half the point.
• Ask about the changeover day, as many big houses start on a Friday or Monday only.
• Book a supermarket delivery for arrival day. A village shop won't stock a kitchen for 16.
• Need step-free access? Ask for a ground floor bedroom, as old Lakeland farmhouses and barn conversions often have none.

When to go

School holidays, bank holidays and Christmas fill the biggest houses first. May, June and September bring long days and quieter paths. Come in winter and a Lake District holiday cottage with the wood burner going is often the best value of the year.

Not sure cottages in the Lake District are right for your group? Our UK destinations guide compares every area we cover, or browse all our big group houses across the UK.