Self-Catering at Smardale Hall | Holiday Cottages in Cumbria

Holiday home
Smardale Hall is a delightful, semi-detached, Grade II listed cottage, attached to the owner's home and located on a working livestock farm near to Kirkby Stephen in Cumbria. Dating back to the 14th century, it boasts historical character and charm with its unique turrets and towers. The cottage can sleep eight people in four bedrooms, including one with an en-suite shower room, and one further family bathroom. The rest of the cottage contains a kitchen with dining area, and a spacious living area with a woodburner. Outside there is off road parking for four cars, a walled patio garden to the front, and shared access to the owner's lawned garden. Smardale Hall is an enchanting cottage that the whole family will enjoy, and an ideal base for exploring the Lake District and the Yorkshire Dales.

Accomodation Details
Three bedrooms: 1 x king-size double with en-suite shower, basin and WC, 1 x double, 1 x family room with 2 singles and 1 adult bunks. Bathroom with bath, basin and WC. Ground floor basin and WC. Kitchen with dining area. Utility. Sitting room with woodburner.

Area
The old market town of Kirkby Stephen lies at the foot of the Howgill Fells in the upper Eden Valley, between the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales National Parks. The traditional market town hosts a variety of shops, cafes, restaurants and pub. A delightful rural town with a thriving local community and many traditional old dwellings, Kirkby Stephen boasts cobbled old yards, quaint corners and a pretty picnic area where "Frank's Bridge" crosses the River Eden, while just a mile from the town, the old railway station connects to the magnificent Settle to Carlisle Railway line, a must-do travel experience for everyone. Enjoy many excellent walks and cycle routes nearby, explore the magnificent Howgill Fells or visit the majestic Pendragon Castle. A superb location with the whole of the mystical Lake District National Park and the stunning Yorkshire Dales at your fingertips.

Region
Impressive mountains, open fells and clear-water lakes, the Lake District has it all. From walking in the mountains to exhilarating watersports or just a gentle cruise on a steam-powered yacht, Cumbria is the perfect holiday destination.

Amenities
Oil central heating with woodburner. Electric oven and hob, microwave, fridge/freezer, washer/dryer, dishwasher, TV with Freeview, DVD, CD, WiFi, selection of books, games and DVDs. Fuel, power and fuel for woodburner inc. in rent. Bed linen and towels inc. in rent, please bring own hot tub towels. Cot and highchair on request. Off road parking for 4 cars. Bike storage. Front patio garden with 8-seater hot tub and use of lawned garden. Three well-behaved dogs welcome at a supplement charge of £30 per dog. Sorry,no smoking. Shop and pub 3 miles. Note: Property is on a working farm and children should be supervised at all times. Note: Property is located near the Settle-Carlisle Railway and some noise may be heard. There are no more than 6 trains a day, no later than 8pm and with little noise. Note: WiFi is only available in specific areas of the cottage. Please note: If you are wanting to bring a 4th dog please get in touch with Sykes to enquire first.

Mrs Stanforth

September 2020

This is a lovely property and great for kids as there is a lot of space inside and out.. I heard my son telling someone he met at a play area that we were staying on a working farm and he was so excited by this, the goats scared him though lol. The house itself is large and spacious, agree with someone else, if you want brand new with whitewashed walls then this isn’t the place for you! This property is homely and because of the old style of the building the decor fits beautifully. Beds are comfortable, it’s very clean and the kitchen is amazing. The WiFi isn’t the greatest and one of us needed to work while there (self employed) and couldn’t connect the laptop to the WiFi, the owner came round and very kindly provided us with another WiFi and code which worked. The hot tub is lovely and placed where the views are beautiful; house one side which is great to Look at and fields the other. Kids were excited to see the steam train going past from afar, we had a little walk along the old railway line and we enjoyed playing hide and seek inside when it was raining. We took a couple of our own games to play but there are some there, the kids played with some dinosaurs they found. Overall, a gorgeous place that has been very well looked after and very clean.

Mrs Stanforth, September 2020

August 2020

A lovely setting and very relaxed place to be .. Thank you

B M

July 2020

We stayed in Smardale Hall for a week, and had a wonderful time. The house is fantastic, with a fully-equipped kitchen, a large sitting room, a sofa in the hall, and three very good sized bedrooms. Plenty of indoor and outdoor space for relaxing, and enough space for people to spend time together, or break away for a quiet read. The hot-tub is out in the open air, and was a glorious place to sit in the evenings. I sat out as dusk drew in watching the bats fly overhead, and had the amazing sight of a barn owl swooping down very close to me before it went out hunting over the fields. There are ducks, goats, sheep, cows and some very friendly dogs who will come and say "Hi", but won't bother you if you don't want them around. The owners are super, very friendly and happy to chat. They were excellent in getting us settled in and since they're just next door it was good to know that they were there if we needed anything. There's a lovely nature reserve at the bottom of the drive on an old train line, and it's a short drive to local amenities. Useful to know: Tesco will deliver here. :) We will absolutely be back!

Dr Dale, August 2020

Smardale Hall is a great location and place to stay.. We had a fab week staying there and would recommend it. Loads of walks from the doorstep and a great location. Yes, there are damp patches on some of the walls but it's a really old building, and this had no impact on our stay at all. It was never cold, with the heating coming on automatically if temperatures dropped even slightly, and plenty of wood if a fire was required. The beds are really comfortable and the bedrooms had blackout blinds which makes a great difference. The host also phoned us on the morning of our arrival to let us know the hot tub had unfortunately broken but she was very apologetic and had organised a repair for the next day, informed us as soon as it was fixed and we were still able to use it for the majority of our stay.

Mrs Holmes, July 2020

The owners are friendly, welcoming and very responsive.. There was an issue with the hot tub, and they were out to fix it almost within minutes of being made aware. The beds were exceptionally comfortable, and there was plenty of space for everyone to be together or to have space apart. Magnificent views, wonderful wildlife and farmlife all around. I can't fault anything about this holiday.

Mrs Mcallister, July 2020

February 2020

Lovely hosts - we had a great weekend on the farm!

Mrs Murricane, February 2020

Smardale Hall is a unique and fascinating place to stay.. The ancient house is comfortable and welcoming due to the friendliness and generosity of the farmers who live next door. I will be booking it again soon.

Mr Bettney, February 2020

January 2020

This holiday letting is fantastic.. We went as a group of 2 families with primary and pre school age children. Steve and his family could not have been more helpful and friendly. It is on a working farm and Steve let the children look round it and even hold the chicks. The views are amazing and the hot tub was used every day. The size of the building is enormous and there is a lovely open fire and big kitchen to host everyone in. We will definitely be going again.

Mrs Leadbeater, January 2020

Lovely location, and hot tub was great and secluded.. Like other reviewers have said, it is an old property and so you get what comes with that age of house, but as long as you are happy with that it is a lovely place to stay, beautiful location and plenty of walks from your doorstep. The owners are friendly (taking the family on a tour of the farm yard as we were looking at some of the animals), and had the fire roaring away ready for our arrival. We'll certainly be coming back, great location and property for a family break.

Mr Morgan, January 2020

August 2019

Beautiful 16th century listed building.. Some parts needed updating but you would expect this of this building. We had a fantastic weekend with the hot tub being the bonus. It is very remote which is exactly what we wanted. Extremely well stocked with everything you need. Beds very comfortable. The owners were lovely, going above and beyond our expectations. We will definitely return.

Ms Wynne-williams, August 2019

July 2019

The hosts were great people and the house is lovely and large.. Loved the hot tub in the garden looking at sheep over the wall. All in all a great experience

Mrs Hurst, July 2019

June 2019

This was our third visit to Smardale - we love the house, the location, the farm and the owners.. It's such a relaxing place to be, and the hot tub at the end of a long walk is very special. We hope to be back next year!

Dr Samuels

April 2019

Lovely setting, welcoming hosts, fantastic hot tub, isolated but beautiful views..

Mrs Lord

March 2019

Listed building with parts 700 years old.. Fabulous views, the hot tub is a must. The accomodation is spacious so with 5 adults and 2 kids we had loads of room. Kids loved playing hide and seek. The kitchen is well stocked. The beds are soooo comfy. Although the weather was challenging the owner kept us well supplied with wood and coal for log burner and central heating was on. It's a working farm and the owners were very welcoming and the children loved being shown the animals, holding baby goats, chicks and watching the calfs and newly born lambs. This is perfect for quality family time. We are already looking to book for next summer.

Mrs Hall

January 2019

Was brillant we loved it.. Only thing was the shower room lots off flies but i know it can't be helped.

Mrs Ter Haar

December 2018

We had a wonderful stay at Smardale Hall.. The owners are very friendly and relaxed. The hot tub is a winner, we spend many hours within. The rooms nice and clean and the beds very comfortable. Beautiful surroundings, lovely walks. Our family had a great time at the house.

Miss Graham

The property is in need of some tlc - the damp problem is really bad much worse than others said.. I also don’t believe it should be listed as having WiFi as the WiFi is only an extender from the owners and the signal was so poor it didn’t work. We enjoyed the hot tub however that had not been cleaned and had a ring of scum around it. Lovely setting but felt a bit neglected.

Mr Ritchie

August 2018

Great setting and location.. Good facilities and the hot tub was great (might want to include a picture of this on the listing as it is a real feature), However the wifi was very unreliable even in the kitchen. Although there is some damp in the property it is well served with humidifiers. Very friendly and helpful hosts.

Mrs Sammut

July 2018

A delightful generous and unique cottage which is part of a large working farm.. It is comfortable, spacious and easy - and the 'dormitory' room with four comfortable beds worked very well indeed. It is very well appointed, everything worked well and there was abundant hot water. The location gives perfect access to the delightful area. Perfect for a family holiday!

Mrs Barker

April 2018

The house is a fabulous 14th century property on a working farm.. Extremely quirky but well equipped with plenty of crockery, cutlery, glasses and kitchen equipment for 8 people around a fabulous farmhouse kitchen table that easily fitted everyone. The hot tub and outside seating is across the yard in an area that gets the sun all day, so a really well chosen place to site them. As there were 6 mums on our annual 'away weekend' without the children, our only suggestion for improvement is the need for an extra shower. The en-suite bathroom (off one of the double bedrooms) has a shower, but the main bathroom has just a bath, so some consideration should perhaps be given to somehow incorporating a shower in the main bathroom else making the downstairs cloakroom into a shower room / wet room. Otherwise a wonderful, relaxing time was had by all. A great chat with the farmer about the farm, locality and his family connection with the area, before a 2.5 hour circular walk, a trip into Kirby Stevens, time in the hot tub and lots of fun and laughter - definitely just what the doctor ordered.

Mr Smith

Great accommodation and great views.. We loved our stay and would gladly book again. Spectacular views from hot tub and great hot tub for first timers..

Miss Harlow

Just recently got back from a short stay here with my family.. We had a lovely stay and the owners were very nice and helpful. It’s a great place to just get away from it all and relax in beautiful country surroundings. The hot tub was lovely too after a long walk around the nearby nature reserve! Kirkby Stephen is only a short drive away and Kendal is only a 40 min drive away too. We would definitely recommend and would go back again!

Mrs Salkeld

March 2018

Smardale Hall is a really peaceful place to stay.. The surrounding countryside is beautiful. The owners are very friendly and helpful. They allowed my 3 year old daughter to cuddle and feed their pet lambs on our final day there which made a lovely end to our holiday. I would definitely like to return.

Mrs Ruth

Stunning property.. Larger than expected. Weather not good with heavy snow but that didn't stop the kids enjoying the hot tub. Farmer took me into town to buy extra provisions as was a moment if we were getting back down the lane. Would definitely come back. Really appreciated the assistance. Thank you.

Miss abbott

November 2017

A fantastic break.. The hosts were lovely and we couldn't have asked for anything more. Such a picture perfect place.

Mrs Wilcock

October 2017

The only shower in the house (en suite) did not work properly - it was a dribble so some days I could not have a shower and had to wash down instead, not ideal when 5 people are sharing (and can sleep up to 8! ) that needs to be addressed before I would consider re-booking. Everything else was perfect!

Alan H

August 2017

This place is a must book if you want some great family time together ,,,just got back today had an amazing family time together ,,we were made so welcome the minute we arrived from the owners who live on site and run the farm...the kids loved the place and all the animals around the farm,,,,the cottage is in smardale it's 2 or 3 miles from the nearest shop,,pubs,restraunts,,and in a very quiet location,,,best part off the holiday was all relaxing in the 8 seater hot tub,,,if considering booking this cottage that I highly recommend come with an open mind its a cottage on a working farm,,it's a couple of hundred years old and in a very quiet location,,,it's not a five star hotel it has a bit off damp on the walls in the living room nothing very bad to put you off booking ,,the inside off the cottage is very nice ,old and very homely,,,great also if you like the outdoors for great nature walks ,etc,,me and the family loved every minute off our week there a big thank you to the owners,,,use your own mind and book this place you won't be let down,,if you moan at the slightest thing stay away like I say you need an open mind when coming to the cottage all I can say is stunning .

This is a fantastic house, in a beautiful location.. The farmer and his family were very friendly and invited the children to look round and 'help' on the farm, which they just loved. Many thanks.

Dr Macdonald, June 2017

November 2016

The owners were very friendly and were more than willing to attend to minor problems for us.. The hot tub at this property is a real bonus.

Mr Sendall, November 2016

October 2016

Beautiful house, wonderful scenery, had an amazing time.. Already talking about booking it for my next birthday.

Miss Bird, October 2016

September 2016

Stunning position, and lovely building.. Really near to a nature reserve which leads down to an old viaduct which you can walk across, a lovely early morning walk! The Dales were fabulous.

Mr Leighton

May 2016

We enjoyed the location, which was outstanding. Being on a working farm was much enjoyed by our 3 year-old granddaughter. The owners were helpful and friendly. The house was, without doubt, unique.

Mr Changela

The Setting is stunning with beautiful views all around. The Outdoor Hot Tub added to the pleasure. The house was fully equipped. It is a very fine stay where one could switch off and escape.

Mrs Percival-Alwyn, September 2016

The Setting is stunning with beautiful views all around.. The Outdoor Hot Tub added to the pleasure. The house was fully equipped. It is a very fine stay where one could "switch off" and escape.

Mr Changela, May 2016

April 2016

We enjoyed the location, which was outstanding.. Being on a working farm was much enjoyed by our 3 year-old granddaughter. The owners were helpful and friendly. The house was, without doubt, unique.

Mr Heaven

March 2016

We had a great time at Smardale Hall. We wanted something historic and different and that is what we got. We liked the first rate walks from the front door. We liked the tourist infrastructure in the wider locality, such as The Fat Lamb. Smardale Hall is really something else ... we are into Landmark Trust levels of excellence with this one.

Mr Leighton, April 2016

February 2016

We had a great time at Smardale Hall.. We wanted something historic and different and that is what we got. We liked the first rate walks from the front door. We liked the tourist infrastructure in the wider locality, such as The Fat Lamb. Smardale Hall is really something else ... we are into Landmark Trust levels of excellence with this one.

Holden

November 2015

Fabulous place and perfect for families. We had a brilliant weekend, the house is lovely with plenty of space for the kids to explore and nice outdoor space. There's a lovely walk along the old train track nearby. We will definitely be returning!

Mr Heaven, February 2016

October 2015

Fabulous place and perfect for families.. We had a brilliant weekend, the house is lovely with plenty of space for the kids to explore and nice outdoor space. There's a lovely walk along the old train track nearby. We will definitely be returning!

Ms Lawlor

September 2015

The situation of Smardale Hall is beautiful, and the property itself is full of character. The family running the property are very friendly and helpful. Smardale Hall is very well located for day trips and there is at least one lovely walk to do from the house.

Holden, October 2015

August 2015

The situation of Smardale Hall is beautiful, and the property itself is full of character.. The family running the property are very friendly and helpful. Smardale Hall is very well located for day trips and there is at least one lovely walk to do from the house.

Mr Robb

April 2015

This was a great property and the hosts made us feel very welcome. I would really recommend this property.

Ms Lawlor, August 2015

This was a great property and the hosts made us feel very welcome.. I would really recommend this property.

Mr Bird

January 2015

Great character-filled hall, very spacious and great for a large group. Once warmed up it was very cosy, and loved the real fire in the lounge. Really big kitchen table was really good to gather round for meals. Good location if you like the outdoors, on a working farm with friendly owners.

Mr Robb, April 2015

December 2014

Great character-filled hall, very spacious and great for a large group.. Once warmed up it was very cosy, and loved the real fire in the lounge. Really big kitchen table was really good to gather round for meals. Good location if you like the outdoors, on a working farm with friendly owners.

Mr Moore

October 2014

A really different place to stay - in a very good way and the main town is also very good. We also loved the national park walking track at the entry to the property

Mr Vaughan

September 2014

Our hosts made us feel special and extremely welcome. The farm buildings and surrounding area were idyllic and so peaceful. Being on a working farm made this an ideal relaxing family holiday. Probably the best holiday break we have had.

Mr Bird, December 2014

A really different place to stay - in a very good way and the main town is also very good.. We also loved the national park walking track at the entry to the property

Mr Moore, September 2014

Our hosts made us feel special and extremely welcome.. The farm buildings and surrounding area were idyllic and so peaceful. Being on a working farm made this an ideal relaxing family holiday. Probably the best holiday break we have had.

Mrs Judd

July 2014

Beautiful house in a wonderful setting. Very friendly owners. Made for a very relaxed holiday.

Mr Vaughan, September 2014

Beautiful house in a wonderful setting.. Very friendly owners. Made for a very relaxed holiday.

Mrs Higgins

May 2014

Smardale Hall and the surrounding countryside is breathtaking. As is the grandeur of the Hall itself. The helpfulness and friendliness of the owners went beyond our expectations of being made to feel welcome on their working farm. Our children experienced one of their most memorable holidays so far, getting to know the farmyard animals, feeding newborn lambs and collecting the daily eggs. They were actively encouraged by the owners to participate in 'farming life', which they LOVED every minute of. Will definitely be returning!

Mrs Judd, July 2014

Smardale Hall and the surrounding countryside is breathtaking.. As is the grandeur of the Hall itself. The helpfulness and friendliness of the owners went beyond our expectations of being made to feel welcome on their working farm. Our children experienced one of their most memorable holidays so far, getting to know the farmyard animals, feeding newborn lambs and collecting the daily eggs. They were actively encouraged by the owners to participate in 'farming life', which they LOVED every minute of. Will definitely be returning!

Miss Tweats

November 2013

Amazing house would definitely go again.

Mrs Reed

The property was beautiful both inside and out. It is close to a nature reserve which provided a lovely walk right on the doorstep.

Mrs Higgins, May 2014

The property was beautiful both inside and out.. It is close to a nature reserve which provided a lovely walk right on the doorstep.

Mr Reed, November 2013

Amazing house would definitely go again..

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Smardale Hall in Cumbria